Tourettes Without Regrets

This is probably one of my favorite things about Oakland/Bay Area, and one of the things that Oakland has that San Francisco doesn't. Tourettes is really unique, and each show is different and thoroughly entertaining. Be ready for some rowdiness and crude humor, but that's why it's "underground" and late at night. Acts are always mesmerizing, and the competitions (haiku, rap battles) are hilarious and creative.

Used to go when D-Lor Performed. Not sure if he's still going strong but the experience itself was great. He was one of the top shelf performers and linguists then. You're coming for a different experience - burlesque performances, freestyle battles, holiday experiences, etc.Don't be offended. Be happy. Get a gin.

Rap battles and beat-boxing and you don't even have to take a time machine to get there. To be honest I didn't "get" most of this. I think rap battles are stupid and lost interest in beat-boxing when The Fat Boys broke up. Listening to the dirty haiku competition was awkward. The seating makes conversation difficult for groups bigger than three. I did enjoy the comedians but the best thing about this place is that it's very close to Beer Revolution if you need to get fortified on real beer. I'm glad i went but I don't feel the urge to ever go again.

TOURETTES HAS...CHANGED...IN THE PAST 10 YEARS.I used to attend Tourettes when talented Bay Area beatbox artists such as Kid Beyond, Cornbread, Constant Change and Butterscotch were still performing at Ashkenaz. When I took my girlfriend to see Tourettes Without Regrets at its new location at The Oakland Metro, we got a raunchy mess of a variety show instead.In the words of Charlie M., "This is not for you if you find seriously offensive, dirty and limit pushing humor appalling." Trust me; I love me some raunch, and this show serves up a HUGE steaming pile of that. But I came here for the music. Tourettes doesn't seem to offer much of that anymore.

I love going to Tourettes Without Regrets.The host Jamie DeWolf is a stand up guy, and funny as fuck. Yeah, I dropped an f-bomb on Yelp, sue me.The show is a little bit of everything. Usually starting off with dirty haikus, then running into spoken word and a bit of a poetry slam. Then they will have some live music, whether it be a band, a man and his guitar, or an mc, and mix it all in with a little burlesque. At the end of the night they have free-style rap battles, which are usually pretty entertaining.All in all, you get four or more hours of entertainment for $10. Not to mention you can hit up a bar with $3-5 drinks at the back, well drinks and bottled beers.I'll definitely continue going to Tourettes, see ya'll first thursday next month!!!

This is not for you if you find seriously offensive, dirty and limit pushing humor appalling. This show is an eclectic mix of all of the above and the vibe makes you feel like you have found some underground freak show. I loved every minute of it. From the transvestite interpretive dance of Taylor Swift's "trouble" ending with bowls of ketchup and mustard thrown all over her to stand-up to break dancing. This show will keep you guessing what is next.Get there and wait at 8 if you want one of the few seats or prepare to stand. $10 and full bar, how else would you want to spend the first Thursday of every month?

I've been going to Tourettes off and on for the last 4 years or so. It is kind of hit or miss when it comes to how entertaining it is, but even at it's worst, it is still well worth the $8 admission. You never really know what you will get at this hodgepodge of slam poetry, sketch comedy, MC battle, haiku contest, monthly. (The first Thursday of every month) Each month there is a different feature performer, and local artists are encouraged to sign up for the slam and "battle rap" contests. Additionally judges are selected from the audience before the show starts, so the winners are chosen by the crowd. People are encouraged to participate throughout the show in many ways.The Oakland Met has a bar, but the event is all ages. So you can get your drink on and bring you little brother or sister as a designated driver. That said, a lot of the content is very adult oriented. The show goes late though, so be prepared to stay as late as 1-2am. As the host always reminds everyone at intermission, if you leave before the end you're stupid, they already have your money. (Although some nights when things aren't as entertaining as others, I have no problem leaving early.) I really like that the theater is a non-profit venue designed to showcase local artists. And I like that the even is designed to get everyone to participate in some way,Over the years Tourettes has grown a lot in popularity, so when they say the doors open at 8, they mean be there before 8 to line up outside. And since it is right by Jack London Square, parking can be a bit of a challenge. All in all, if you want something more culturally enriching than a night of drinking and trying to get laid at your normal Thursday night bar/club, make the trip to the Oakland Metro and check it out.

Truly a variety show in the raw sense of variety shows. The show has it all: burlesque, strippers, singers, rappers, DJs, musicians, ballet dancers, fire-jugglers and breathers, slam poetry, pie-eating contests, circus acts, and comedians. The whole show pushes so many boundaries in such a wonderful, Oakland-esque way. Doors open at 8pm and the show begins at 8:30pm and lasts until around 12am. I always find that it's difficult to stay the entire length (I'm usually on a date and don't want to risk potential boredom on my partner's side), but the great thing about Tourettes is that the show is consistently entertaining...beginning to end. Full bar and drinks are pretty inexpensive. Overall a great bang for your buck and amazing show!

Wow! What a great night that was!Fantastic show! Poetry slam, rap contest, dirty haikus, guess what's in the emcees pants and a flesh hook show. I wished the flesh hooks were bloodier but I'm a gory person :) The emcee was hilarious.Definitely going back every month!Oh, the drinks were affordable too. I think it was $5 for a pint of Lagunitas IPA. Not too bad! Bartender was really friendly too.

The first time I performed at Tourettes it was at the Stork Club. The battle rap portion was still just a glimmer in suburban white kids eyes. What we got back then was a lot of shitty punk bands and self destructive poets. The creepy kids. And what I mean by "we", was all 20 of us that packed the house. Everyone was always fucked up on, at the very least, a two layer cake of intoxicants. There was a lot of vomit and bathroom blow jobs then.It's still the same show, really. Just bigger.At my first show 7 years ago, the entire time on stage, a porno played on a large bed sheet behind the performers. It was midget porn. Midget porn that starred a midget with the largest cock I have ever seen on a bi-pedal mammal. Period.5 stars!