Meatheads goes ‘Meatballs’

Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010 | 4:47 p.m.

What typically comes to mind when you hear the term "meathead"? An overly muscular bro watching football on the couch and occasionally smashing beer cans on his forehead?

What about joke-slinging comedians vying for laughs on the tiny stage of a neighborhood-bar-turned-comedy-club?

The unlikely pairing makes sense in the mind of Charlie Fox, owner of Meatheads on South Decatur Boulevard.

The unassuming watering hole, which last fall had a short life under the name Meet Lounge (they opted to keep the original Meathead schtick after the cost to change the sign proved too costly), recently welcomed weekly comedy nights, something Fox finds appropriate for his bar's quirky handle.

"Just the name Meatheads, it sounds more like a comedy club than anything else. So instead of changing the name we tried to go with something that would go along with it."

If the name alone doesn't conjure up any chuckles, the live entertainment has a better shot. As of November, two nights a week are dedicated to comedy.

Tuesday's open-mic comedy night allows anyone willing to come down and sign up a chance at warming up the crowd. It also gives Angie Krum and Myracle Speakman, founders of Mange Comedy, the group organizing Meathead's funny side, an opportunity to gauge whether they want to invite any of the aspiring comedians back Saturday to perform a second time.

The weekend performance costs $10 at the door and presents a different traveling comedian each time. A couple of local performers are invited to share the stage with the featured out-of-towner, typically after being discovered at the Tuesday showcase.

As for the imports, Mange has them undergo a slight screening process as well.

"We have them email us a demo and we watch, and if we think they're good we book them for a show," explains Krum.

So far the modest comedy haunt has had positive feedback. Krum says that thanks to word of mouth and advertising in nearby cities such as L.A. and Phoenix, they already have a solid lineup well into the year.

"Right now we're actually booked out six months in advance with the traveling [comedians]."

Fox attributes the steady interest to the freshness Meatheads provides.

"There's not very many places in Vegas right now where [comedians] can work on their style and their acts," he says.

And an added perk: "It's a cheap date, you bring a partner for ten bucks a piece and it's nothing. Like going to the movies — but it's something really different. It's new and crisp all the time."

— Originally published on LasVegasWeekly.com