"He won't let me open up for him for nothing," Lil Rel said, laughing. "I think we can really have a good show. I'm going to harass him about it."

Buress has his reasons for not working with his pal. "Lil Rel might blow me off the stage," he said. "For one, he's got glasses too, so both of us with glasses is too much. I can't have someone with glasses going on before me."
SCOTT BOLOHAN IS A REDEYE SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR

Hannibal Buress
When: Wednesday-Sunday, times vary
Where: Zanies Comedy Club, 1548 N. Wells St.
Tickets: $25; check chicago.zanies.com

Lil Rel
When: 8:30 p.m. Wild Card Night Wednesdays
Where: Jokes & Notes Comedy Club, 4641 S. Martin Luther King Dr.
Tickets: $5; check jokesandnotes.com

 

WEST SIDE STORIES
We asked the two about their experiences coming from the West Side and doing comedy in Chicago. S.B.

Lil Rel: "Everything I've done, especially TV stuff, I always make sure they know I'm from the West Side of Chicago. I don't want people to think I'm from somewhere else. I think that's what makes me unique at this point, is I talk about the characters and the people I meet from where I'm from. All my material is based on my life and the West Side of Chicago."

Hannibal Buress: "Maybe the North Side responded better to me, but they were easier to get to than the ones on the South Side. There was nothing on the West Side. There was very little comedy on the West Side of Chicago."