Hi friends,
It's Saturday! Every week, I send out an email with my upcoming shows, one thing I think is great, one thing that made me laugh, and one thing I found interesting.
Upcoming Shows
EVERYWHERE:
Three comedians try to guess what a leading scientist does all day and then find out why her research is important and exciting on You're the Expert. Link
On The Payoff, Antonia Cereijido and I try to learn about money from a team of financial experts. Link
NEW YORK CITY:
THIS TUESDAY, November 14 at 7:30 p.m. at Caveat. My variety show and prize giveawayYou Get A Spoon is back with music from Emmy the Great and Tica Douglas, jokes from Maeve Higgins and me, and stories from Moth GrandSlam winner Adam Wade. Link
My full schedule with all upcoming dates is online here.
This week's list
GREAT:
This week, the comedy world has been having a lot of difficult but necessary conversations after the NYT reported on Louis CK's sexual misconductscandal. I'm far from successful enough to have ever met Louie or even been in the same room as him, but even I had heard the rumors and I'm glad he's finally being held to account.
I've been thinking about performers and writers who try to tear down these broken power dynamics instead of abusing them. Maria Bamford has always been one of my comedy heroes for the way she fearlessly talks about the things most people would rather not discuss and creates space and opportunities for others to do the same. For the past year, she's been trying her hardest to break taboos about money. Financial exploitation and sexual misconduct are obviously not the same thing, but abuses of all sorts fester in the dark and I admire everyone who's courageous enough to bring these issues to light. Maria Bamford Wants to Tell You How Much Money She Makes (and watch this video of her commencement speech which ends with her giving her speaking fee away to a graduate in debt)
FUNNY:
Another Louie lesson is that there are plenty of hilarious comedians out there who aren't creeps. If you're looking for a better option, might I recommend Laurie Kilmartin? She's a standup, writer for Conan, and absolutely one of the best comedians in the country. Here's her hilarious (not entirely suitable for work) standup set and then here's her podcast, co-hosted by the also fantastic Jackie Kashian, where they discuss their thirty year careers in standup.
Laurie also tackled the Louie story head-on in an op-ed: Being A Female Comic in Louie C.K.'s World.
INTERESTING:
Finally, a lot of the conversation about Louie has also been tied up in the question of whether you can separate the art and the artist. Emily Nussbaum is a television critic who's always thought-provoking and I found her reaction to be very interesting. Reacting to the Louis C.K. Revelations
Ok, that's all I have for you this week. I hope next week will bring happier news and fun light-hearted jokes to share with you, but either way, thank you for reading. I really appreciate it.
If you like these emails, feel free to forward to a friend or come say hi at a live show. If someone sent this newsletter your way and you want to join, you can subscribe here.
Have a great day,
Chris