“Our next comic is new to our laundromat, so I’m going to need you to give her —” at this point, emcee Tony “The Godfather of Comedy” Sparks points the mic to the audience, seated on benches and folding chairs in front of washing machines.
“A lot of love!” the small crowd chants back.
It’s a trademark introduction that Sparks has given hundreds, if not thousands, of times over the course of his comedy career, but it was a particularly poignant one Friday night at the SF Laundromat on Sutter Street in Lower Nob Hill. Dubbed “The Wash,” the open mic was billed as a revival of one of San Francisco’s most iconic comedy landmarks, Brainwash.
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Tony Sparks emcees The Wash at the SF Laundromat on Friday, April 17.
Christopher Partin/Special to SFGATE
“[Brainwash] was like literally half cafe, half laundromat, 100% homeless shelter,” recounted Ali Wong on an episode of “Hot Wings,” describing it as the first place she did comedy. Some other notable alums include Hasan Minhaj, W. Kamau Bell, Al Madrigal and Frankie Quiñones.
At the corner of Folsom and Langton, Brainwash hosted open mic nights from April Fools’ Day 1999 to its closure in 2017, with Sparks as the emcee, dropping locally famous catchphrases like “HUMANS, listen” and “sugar nasty,” which he has emblazoned on bracelets around his wrist. He still hosts nights regularly around the Bay Area, helming gigs at Orbit Room and Neck of the Woods, for example, and a public access TV show in Berkeley. His pervasiveness in the comedy community is what earned him the nickname (he was also known as Don King of the Open Mic for a large puff of hair).
Rafael Arroyo performs at The Wash at the SF Laundromat on Friday, April 17.
Christopher Partin/Special to SFGATE
Comics wait to perform at The Wash at the SF Laundromat on Friday, April 17.
Christopher Partin/Special to SFGATE
Ryo Taro performs at The Wash at the SF Laundromat on Friday, April 17.
Christopher Partin/Special to SFGATE
“It started out as an insult, oddly enough, because I was the monopoly of open mics. I wasn’t welcomed into the community, but [the open mics] all blew up really fast and got popular,” Sparks said. “They were calling me the Godfather, like they had to bow and kiss my ring to get in.”
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On Friday night, I didn’t see any physical ring kissing, but rather a crowd of several dozen comics who wrote their names on a sign-up sheet to claim three minutes of mic time.
“Seniors and comics ask the same question: How much time do I have?” riffed Pat Griffin, an 84-year-old comic who got her start at Brainwash.
“It was an amazing place in a terrible location. But it was an education,” she told SFGATE minutes before her set.
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Leiroy Abueg is another San Francisco comic who got his education at Brainwash and helped continue its legacy via organizing this night under the banner of The Comedy Party. He described the void left by Brainwash in San Francisco’s comedy scene.
“You kind of pass on traditions and ways of doing the business, no matter what art form you are. The combination of the Brainwash shutting down in 2017, and the pandemic causing lots of comics to move to Austin, a lot of the traditions weren’t passed down,” he said.
“Comics came from all around to be there, to learn ‘how can I get work, where do I need to go,’ stuff like that. It was the hub,” Sparks added.
A comic shows Rafael Arroyo a line before performing at The Wash at the SF Laundromat on Friday, April 17.
Christopher Partin/SFGATE
Arthur Gaus performs at The Wash at the SF Laundromat on Friday, April 17.
Christopher Partin/Special to SFGATE
A comic performs at The Wash at the SF Laundromat on Friday, April 17.
Christopher Partin/Special to SFGATE
On Friday, the comedians far outnumbered the 15 or so spectators, plus the handful of San Franciscans who would nonchalantly interrupt the show to put their clothes in the driers behind “the stage.” As one can expect from an open mic, the quality was — let’s just say mixed — but it was never boring. That’s part of the beauty of an open mic, and it plays into what Sparks sees as part of San Francisco’s comic identity.
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“This was a place to grow and develop, not a place to end up. But I got stuck because I have no money,” Sparks joked.
Although The Wash was only billed as a one-off event, SF Laundromat owner Wissam Habr hopes to continue hosting more open mic nights. He runs a second laundromat at 850 Jones, which doubles as Hideaway Cafe and recently threw a pop-up dinner complete with a DJ set.
Emcee Tony Sparks, Leiroy Abueg and Wissam Habr, owner of the SF Laundromat, at The Wash at the SF Laundromat on Friday, April 17.
Christopher Partin/Special to SFGATE
If the enthusiasm at The Wash on Friday was any indication, it seems like the old Brainwash spirit has returned.
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“I hope this is a kickoff for bringing back that same energy that we had back then. When people worked together, and everybody rallied around one another to make this whole comedy thing work. Let’s see,” Sparks said.