CULTURE




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Tit For Tat

Getting a tattoo isn't a decision you should make lightly. Here's RVA Mag's guide to everything from deciding when to get tattooed to figuring out where you should go in Richmond to get the best possible version of the tattoo you want. A tattoo is a wonderful way to...

Funny That Way: An Interview With Julia Scotti

Julia Scotti is a transgender comedian with roots in the 80s comedy boom. Now, only weeks after her documentary, Julia Scotti: Funny That Way, hit streaming services, she returns to Richmond with a hilarious weekend at Sandman Comedy Club. This week I got to talk to...

Finding His Way: An Interview With Shane Gillis

This week I got to talk with the very funny Shane Gillis. I’ve always been a fan of blue comedy, or as some call it, dark comedy. I don’t know why everything has to be about color. Anyways, you can catch him this weekend doing five shows at Sandman Comedy Club. I’ve...

Setting Some People Straight: An Interview With Gina Brillon

Gina Brillon is the latest comedy up-and-comer to hit Richmond. Gabe Santamaria caught up with her before her appearance this weekend at Sandman Comedy Club to talk parenthood, Latino cultures, and her new special, The Floor Is Lava. This week I got to talk to one of...

Man With A Baby: An Interview With Joe Larson

Perhaps it’s not his fault, Joe is after all a second generation comedian. Much to his parent’s dismay at the age of twenty, Joe went into the family business. Straight away he was chosen College Comedian of the Year at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival and shortly after...

Risking It All: An Interview With Mike P. Burton

Comedian Mike P. Burton is bringing his comedy to Sandman Comedy Club this weekend. In advance of his arrival, Gabe Santamaria talked to him about learning how to be onstage, comedy vs. acting, and more. This week I got to interview Mike P. Burton, who will be...

Crying On Camera: An Interview With Adam Ferrara

Standup comedian, actor, and all-around funny guy Adam Ferrara is coming to Sandman Comedy Club this weekend. In anticipation of a weekend of excellent standup, Gabe Santamaria talked to Adam about meeting his heroes and getting emotional on cue for Criminal Minds....

“Menace II Society” is still a Classic 25 Years Later

Last Friday night, The Virginia Film Festival offered the chance to catch what can only be described as a bona fide classic. Emerging as a tense and raw debut from the impossibly young Hughes brothers, 1993’s Menace II Society acts not only as cautionary tale, but a transfixing immersion into the darkest parts of Watts, Los Angeles in the early...

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Wham City Comedy Rides Again Just in Time For Halloween

Baltimore-based comedy troupe Wham City Comedy has always straddled the dirty railing that is dark comedy and horror. If you’re like me, then they clearly speak to you and your spooky-365-days-a-year kind of soul. Lucky for us, they’re back again with something for those dark and rainy Halloween nights. Wham City returns this week, with a...

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Fashion East to West

*This article originally appeared in RVA Mag #34, on the streets now at all your favorite spots.  As intricately embroidered blouses, vibrant floral kimonos, and brightly-colored tasseled earrings decorate department store racks this season, an Eastern flair is undeniably recognizable.  Summer trends saw runways and boutiques chock-full of...

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Trash Bang’s Going To Hell and Taking Richmond Comedy With Them

Richmond sketch group Trash Bang is making an impact. Winning the judge’s prize at Unified Scene Theater’s 24-Hour Sketch Fest in Washington D.C. this August, this group is taking the local sketch comedy scene to a higher level. This weekend, they'll be performing at Coalition Theatre's sixth annual Nightmare On Broad Street event, celebrating...

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Cold Water: Thrill to the Nihilistic Exploits of Doomed Teenage Lovers

Olivier Assayas’ 1994 Cold Water succeeds in not only being a brief portal into the doomed romance of two French teenagers deep in the throes of love, but also a deeply personal representation of a specific time in the director’s own adolescence. Originally conceived as a 50-minute made-for-television episode, Cold Water, or L’eau Froide, is...

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Izzard is King: “Believe Me” Tour Lands In Richmond

Eddie Izzard is 56 years old, and wears six-inch red bottom-heeled, knee-high leather boots better than I could ever hope or dream to. Surprisingly, I can still sleep at night knowing this. What I really wish I could do, however, is be even a fraction of the immense story-telling comedic powerhouse that Izzard is, and has been, for the last 36...

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Discover the Most Inclusive Tattoo Parlor in Richmond

*This article was originally published on GayRVA. It comes from GayRVA's Fall 2018 Pride Guide, released in conjunction with 2018′s VA PrideFest. Grab a copy of the print edition at your favorite shops around town, or check out the digital version here. Though the storefront is innocuous enough, it says all you need to know:...

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