"And now, the man whose only qualification for hosting this show is his initials ... Jason Garnett!" The JG Faux Show starts the same way each Wednesday night, but for the rest of the hour, the show wavers between the hilarious, the totally awkward and the awkwardly hilarious.
It's 9:15 p.m. and Poison Control Center frontman Patrick Fleming just admitted to a live audience that he poops his pants at least once a year. As this week's guest on the JG Faux show, Fleming wastes no time securing a spot in the "awkwardly hilarious category, then plays a few songs from the band's newly released album to the crowd of about 50.
Now a year old, the JG Faux show started when Lucca server Jason Garnett had an idea to do a local version of comedy shows like "Tosh.0."
"I just wanted a creative outlet," Garnett said. "I thought it would be really interesting to feature Des Moines people and local celebrities."
Jessica Miller, Des Moines Social Club marketing director and a friend of Garnett's, agreed to produce the show, and Raygun staffer Jen Morrow was recruited as sidekick and emcee, "based solely on my loud laugh," she said.
"It's a really raw and kind of an organic show," said Garnett, who hosts from behind an old-school desk like an oversized class clown. "I think I'm at my best when I'm off the cuff."
Guests sit in front of a large projector screen as Miller cheekily clicks through embarrassing photos on Facebook and Googles them - the perfect bait to keep Garnett's teasing Q-and-A's moving along. Appearances from people like Tony Bohnenkamp, Leslie Hall, Jen Morrow's dad, comedian Bill Blank, Juice editor Tim Paluch and former city council candidate Leisha Barcus have drawn a consistent crowd bolstered by guests' friends.
JG Faux also features regular segments like "This week on Craigslist," in which ridiculous posts from the site are projected onto a screen so Garnett can make fun of them. The night Fleming was a guest, Garnett called the number of a guy giving away 250 pounds of rabbit manure. The audience cringed as he carried on, asking the poor guy the origins and applications of so much crap.
The team is hoping to produce a few more pre-recorded segments and lure some sponsors so they can polish up an admittedly low-budget act in its second year. They'll also begin live streaming on the Social Club's website.
"We will be to the internet what Ron Popeil is to infomercials - minus the spray-on hair," Garnett said.
