Jon Lincoln and Mottley's Comedy Club

By Rob Turbovsky on Sun, Jan 11, 2009 5:24 pm

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Since opening in September, Mottley’s Comedy Club has been a standout in the city and a member of the proud line of intimate, comic-run rooms, which means cool vibes, interesting bookings and sensible ticket policies. Co-owner and Northeastern grad Jon Lincoln hosts the wild Wednesday nights, a mix of multi-act showcases with the insane character comedy of Chris Coxen and the all-around musical ridiculousness of local favorite Robby Roadsteamer. And, unless bread bowls of chowder filled with touristy goodness make you laugh, you won’t find any better place near Faneuil Hall for $10 comedy. I recently spoke with Lincoln about the club.  

What kind of crowd are you drawing for the Wednesday shows?

It’s a mix, because if you’re someone who goes to the alternative clubs like Improv Boston and the Great and Secret show, there’s some weird stuff like that but also some traditional stand-up. It’s two shows in one. I co-host with Chris Coxen, and the running gag is that every show he has to leave for some reason, to move his car, go Christmas shopping or because his mother is in the hospital. We do that because it’s about getting the audience on the inside of the joke rather than the outside. The thing with Chris’s characters is that if he’s on a regular showcase and he just goes up as Danny Morsel, the audience is kind of confused, they don’t know if he’s serious, if he’s really a motivational speaker. Here, they remember he was the guy they saw earlier.

How would you describe the current Boston comedy scene?

It’s kind of getting back to its roots. Over time, comedy became a business. You saw more comedy bookers that were not comedians. Especially in the 80s, there were lots of clubs run by owners looking to make a profit. Now, if you look at all the clubs in Boston, 99% are comedian-run. The Comedy Studio is run by Rick Jenkins, Mottley’s is run by Tim McIntire and I, the Vault is run by Dick Doherty. A lot of times when clubs are run by people who aren’t in it for the comedy but are in it for the money, the creativity is crushed a little bit. Now, it’s still a business for the clubs, but all the people who run clubs right now do it because they care about comedy, not because it’s a wise business investment. If Tim McIntire and I wanted to make killer money on an investment, we’d open a paper clip factory. Shows become better when the comedians care about it and run the shows. Then the audiences grow, and you get an underground following.

Were you star-struck when the Smothers Brothers came in there during the Boston Comedy Festival?

The Festival was such a boost. Tim, Jeff Fairbanks and I, we built the stage, we put in the lighting, we put in the sound. And we put in some of our own money to do that. And, it’s scary to do that not knowing if a single person is going to walk through the door. Within the first week, the Smothers Brothers are on our stage. The term “legend” is tossed around a lot in comedy, they are true legends, and to have them on the stage - it was an incredible thing. Tim brought a record of theirs he’s had since high school, and they signed it to Mottley’s. We’re going to get it framed.

[The Lincoln Exhibit, Wednesdays from 1.07.09, 8pm/$10/21+. Mottley’s Comedy Club at Trinity, 61 Chatham St., Boston. www.mottleyscomedy.com. 877-548-3237.]