Can you suggest any Madison movies, books, singer-songwriters, urban folk singers, or comedians? (Union: theatre, live)

[Nala8]

Hi folks. I am almost in week four of my countdown to my big move to Madison. Can you suggest any movies, books, singer-songwriters, urban folk singers, or comedians that express the feel, lived experience, or cultural zeitgeist (spirit) of Madison, Wisconsin? Would really appreciate it.

[Megan1967]

Willy Porter and Ken Lonnquist come to mind right away.

[Harpoon]

Chris Farley was raised in Madison and got his comedic material from soaking in the whole experience. He got his first break at the Ark Improv Theatre in Madison.

[fisherman26]

There's a guy in an orange suit who plays the piccolo (?) on Saturdays at the Farmer's Market.

There's also this:

The Last Kiss - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not sure if that's cultural, but the film was made here...

[Nala8]

Thanks, everyone. This is a good start. Btw, the word cultural does not mean elitist or anything like that. Cultural zeitgeist just means the overall spirit of the place--the general feel, the attitudes, the ideals, the flavor, etc. I love books, movies, music, and comedy. Getting ready to move back to Madison and avoiding severe reverse culture shock is going to be fun. I've already started listening to WORT again. Oh yeah... Kudos.

Keep it flowing, ok?

[MidwesternBookWorm]

Try looking up Lou & Peter Berryman sometime. They do Wisconsin-focused folk songs that are just a hoot, including a couple about Madison. I'm not a You-Tube aficionado, but someone has probably put something by the Berrymans up there at some point.

And for one of the best Wisconsin books out there (not so much Madison in particular but very much focused on Wisconsin), read Population 485 by Michael Perry.

[Megan1967]

Yes! MWBW is right, Lou and Peter Berryman are terrific. Haven't seen them in years.

[Nala8]

Yeah, I remember them now. Very cool. Clever, too.

Thanks, Midwesternbookworm. Nice.

[Nique]

Favorite local artists:

- Clyde Stubblefield (James Brown's original drummer)
- Josh Harty
- Blake Thomas
- Ben & Leo Sidran
- The Gomers (VERY madison!)
- Art Paul (local street performer, basically. Very silly and not "good" but a Madison staple, nonetheless.)
- Phat Phunktion (funk band originally from Madison)

And Garbage is technically from Madison. They've jammed here a bunch - I heard that one year they rocked the Union's open mic night on the Terrace by performing as "Lazy Jane and the Trash men"

[Nique]

There's also a recently published book called "The Tea Shop Girls" it's targeted at preteen girls, but is set in Madison and is very accurate. The author, Laura Schaefer, is local.

Oh, another great music group would be Harmonious Wail - they do gypsy swing.