in town this weekend

Comedian Bil Dwyer on cynicism, persistance and standards

Yes, you recognize Bil Dwyer as "that guy" from TV. And he has stories to tell you about it.

He's been recognized for everything from Battlebots to Last Comic Standing to VH1's ubiquitous I Love The... series of shows and has appropriately hilarious tales from all of them. He also has jokes, great ones at that, but mostly he's got a lifetime's worth of memories from the many roles he's played over the years: Family Man, Television Personality, Game Show Host/Addict, and, of course, Traveling Comedian. And Bil (that's with one "l") has got lots to say about all of them.

Sitting down with Bil and listening to his stories, his comic sensibilities are always on full display. He's simultaneously a warm and commanding presence, and he smiles an awful lot, even when proclaiming an exasperated "Really!?" or "Jesus Christ!" (Which he does. A lot.)

And while his sharper observations are capable of an almost caustic level of inciciveness, there's also a very genuine and undeniable sweetness to his sarcasm. In fact, Bil's perspective on life often makes a convincing case that the only natural response to the sheer ludicrousness of the world is to be constantly bemused by and at least a little bit in awe of it. Need examples? Read on (and come to Cap City this weekend to hear more stories, unabridged).

Bil on cynicism:

Cynical, I think, is kind of easy. Conan O’Brien, on his last Tonight Show, said, “Don’t be cynical, don’t be cynical...” And then he goes out on tour singing all these songs about how he doesn’t have a TV show! Really? Oh, I feel so bad for you and your $40 million payoff!? Oh my God I feel so bad for you! Geez, really!? Look, I understand how you would be hurt. I mean, I get it man. But don’t expect a lot of sympathy from us, you know? People lose jobs. That happens!

Bil on persistence:

Me and Chuck Woolery… I think it was two Type-A personalities clashing when I was on Scrabble. I was a contestant on Scrabble when I was, what, twenty-two? Well I go on and I’m Mr. Scrabble. I watch it at home and I kill. I’m great with words. I love letters. I know the sequences and alphabetical orders- I get it. And I was planning on winning twenty thousand dollars and being set for the year. And I’m like, “Yeah? So this is what’s it’s gonna be like, huh? For my $20,000? ‘Cause I’m gonna be here for a while, Chuck!”

Bil on standards:

I remember at Cap City a couple of years ago, we had a very small crowd on a week night in the front room, the lounge area. And there was a… "special" intelligence group there. And that's “special” intelligence not being “super” intelligence, but the other side of the spectrum. And one of the guys, I got into it with him. This guy had been hit by a train, apparently, at some point, and that kind of fucked him up. And also I kind of wonder about how sharp he was before he got hit by the train. And I actually got into a tête-à-tête with him from on stage. And you would think that I would have just rolled over him, but… it was much, much closer than it should have gone. It was still fun. But I believe that I did call him the “C” word at some point.

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Bil Dwyer is headlining at Cap City Comedy Club through Saturday, October 1, with shows at 8 and 10:30 pm.

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New

Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum will close at the end of 2024 and reopen in mid-2026.

Every building needs some maintenance here or there, and the historic Elisabet Ney Museum needs some extra-special care. Formerly the art studio and residence of its namesake, it's been standing since 1892. It'll spend 2025 in relative solitude, as it undergoes renovation for a year and a half with no visitors allowed.

The museum will close to the public December 30, 2024, and open again in the summer of 2026 if all goes according to plan, a news release from the City of Austin shares. It'll be a quiet period compared to the 21,000 people visiting from around the world each year.

According to a museum overview on the city's website, Elisabet Ney, a European portrait sculptor, bought the property and called her new studio Formosa. She worked on sculptures depicting important Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, and collected works of European contemporaries.

The building at 304 East 44th St. includes 3,700 square feet of museum space, which was converted by Ney's friends after her death in 1907. It retains its unique look that juxtaposes a Neo-Classical main studio from 1892 with a later addition from 1902 including a tower for her husband, Edmund, to write in. It is also on 2.5 acres of land, which has largely been restored to its natural state with native species.

A press release lists these tasks (verbatim) within the scope of the new work, referred to as the Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

Restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows
Upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system
Replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems
Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes.

There will also be work to do outside of the building. Workers will replace the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, stabilize a 20,000-square-foot portion of the bank, and make the grounds more accessible by adding new pathways.

Funding comes from several sources, according to a release: "the 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum."

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