3 Things: Sharon Shattuck, Gary Gulman, and Ben Hubbard / by Chris Duffy

Hi friends,

It's Saturday! Every week, I send out an email with one thing I think is great, one thing that made me laugh, and one thing I found interesting. Feel free to spread the word and share these emails with friends. If you're checking this out for the first time, you can sign up to get these emails here.

 Live shows


NEW YORK:
Wednesday, July 20 at 7:00 p.m at The Annoyance Theater. The Sensible Show is great standup comedy at a very reasonable hour. This week, we've got Michelle Buteau, Myq Kaplan, Anna Drezen, Nato Green, and more. Link

Wednesday, August 3 at 7:00 p.m at The Wild Project. A short play I wrote is being performed as part of Cherry Picking, an annual festival of new works. I've gone several years now and it's always so much fun. Link

Saturday, August 13 at 7:30 p.m and 9:30 p.m. at The Wild Project. You're the Expert tapes two live episodes at the Festival of the Unknown. Featuring Jo Firestone! Link

PHILADELPHIA:
Saturday, July 30 at 7:30/9:45 p.m. at Punch Line Philly. Aparna Nancherla is on her album release tour and I'm opening for her at both shows in Philly. She is truly hilarious and these will be so fun. Link

BOSTON:
Wednesday, August 17 at 7:00 p.m at Oberon. You're the Expert returns to Oberon for a live taping. Three hilarious comics guess what a top scientist studies all day. Link

You can also find my full up-to-date show schedule online here.

 This week's list

1 Thing I Think Is Great:


I just started work as a staff writer on the new NatGeo Explorer TV show. Our first episode airs in November, so I'll let you know when you can actually see it. In the meantime, it's my first real job in television and I've been learning a ton. One of the cool people I'm getting to work with is Sharon Shattuck. Sharon is an animator and documentary filmmaker with such a unique and interesting style. I've been having so much fun watching her work and brainstorming segments that she might be able to do. Here's a fun short she made about the extremely underrated adventurer and animal collector A.R. Wallace. The Animated Life of A. R. Wallace
 

1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:


Gary Gulman is a legendary standup. He's got a charming stage presence and he's a fantastic joke writer. I've seen Gary perform for crowds of thousands and at bars with twenty people. He is always hilarious. A few years ago, Gary came to a show I was hosting and told this amazing story about a documentary film he'd watched. This Wednesday, Gary performed a polished version of that story on Conan. It's so good. I think about it every time I send a letter or order from an omelette bar. Gary Gulman Standup 

 

1 Interesting Thing:


Ben Hubbard has an astonishing piece this week in The New York Times about a member of the Saudi vice police who woke up one day and decided everything he'd been enforcing was a lie. The story of Ahmed Qassim al-Ghamdi's change of heart and its consequences is a fascinating look inside modern Saudi Arabia and Wahhabism. Hubbard's piece reads like a thriller and yet it's just the kind of in-depth look at religion and politics that we need more of from our newspapers. A Saudi Morals Enforcer Called for a More Liberal Islam. Then the Death Threats Began.



Ok, thanks for reading! More details on shows and my full schedule online at www.chrisduffycomedy.com/calendar/

Have a great weekend,
Chris