If you’re in the Salem comedy scene and you haven’t been to The Shit Show, you’re missing out. And if you’ve missed out, frankly, I think a little less of you. Maybe examine your actions a little bit. Did you really need to go on that honeymoon when you could have been at a comedy show while eating a burger sold to you by a dinosaur? Maybe you could have postponed your father’s heart surgery so you wouldn’t miss those sweet Saturday nights listening to comics defend who their first movie crush was. (For the record, mine was Roxanne from A Goofy Movie and I stand by it.) I’m not saying watching comedians tell our dumb jokes should be your top priority. But it should at least be your number five after shelter.

But it’s okay if you haven’t made it yet, there’s always next Saturday. The mic starts at 10pm at Fork-Forty Food Hall. Hosts Tina Hogstrom and Dash Thompson run a very tight ship. The most no nonsense comedy you’ll ever perform. I’m joking of course. They’re both hilarious comedians and they set a fun tone that makes it feel like a safe space to experiment with new material. While it’s still new, it’s developing a group of fun regulars including a gentlemen I personally want to nominate for Salem’s Best Laugher (Is that a thing? It should be. Salem’s Best Laugh Awards. Somebody get on that.) They keep it interesting by asking a different question for each comic to answer like “First Movie You Cried Watching” which means that I usually learn something about the other comics. Or more often it just raises questions that will never be answered for example: How has Air Bud come up as an answer three different times?

When you combine the show’s atmosphere with the fancy food court vibes of Fork Forty it reminds me of telling jokes with friends at the mall back in high school. Except there is a full bar there too. We didn’t have one of those by the Foot Locker. While you’re at the bar I recommend trying to determine which of the many geese on the walls was the one that inspired them to name it The Best Goose. I haven’t asked the owners myself. Secretly I’m hoping they’ll tell me that I’ve been the best goose all along.

So, in closing, come to the Shit Show on Saturday at 10pm and vote for me for Best Goose at the Salem’s Best Laugh Awards.