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Chicago Comedian Ray Hanania
Reacts to Boycott Threats from PETA
CHICAGO – September 10, 2003 – Chicago comedian Ray Hanania today announced that he would continue to perform Thursday nights at Al-Khayam Comedy Club despite threats of a boycott by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA.
A crippled ewe picketing outside the comedy club with a sign reading “I’m a Mutton for Punishment” would not cause any disruption whatsoever in the shows, said Hanania.
Hanania headlines the “Homeland Insecurity Tour,” a show that also features former newspaper reporter, Jon Bigness, and other Chicago-area comedians. Performances are every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Al-Khayam, located at 2326 W. Foster Ave. in Chicago, through November 20.
“As an Arab-American, I will defend my right to tell offensive sheep jokes until the cows come home,” said Hanania, who’s rumored to be in the running to be the next Iraqi Minister of Information.
“I tell sheep jokes for the shear joy of it,” Hanania continued with a grin that can be only described as sheepish. “No actual sheep are harmed during the course of my show; after the show, however, is a different story. But is it really abuse if you buy them drinks first? I don’t think so.”
Said Jon Bigness, emcee of the Homeland Insecurity Tour, “The unmitigated dereliction on the part of PETA or any other animal-rights protestors to actually picket our show notwithstanding, we are committed to performing stand-up comedy every Thursday night at Al-Khayam. Let’s face facts: Sheep are funny. And sheep jokes are a sure laugh. If you can’t count on sheep, what can you count on?”
For more information, please visit
www.hanania.com and/or
http://home.comcast.net/~jonbigness/.