“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.

“[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........

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