Happy Saturday! Every week, I send out an email with my show dates and recommendations of things I think you might enjoy. This is the last time I'll be sending my Saturday email from NYC (for a while, at least). Prepare for slightly later delivery in future weeks, as I adjust to West Coast time. In the meantime, I'm packing up, saying goodbye to friends, hopefully finding a place to live in LA, and buying a used car. It's a pretty long to-do list.
Here's what I think I'll miss most about NYC: Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, taking the East River Ferry, cramped dinner parties full of friends that I love, living in the same city as my family, pizza, bagels (but importantly, NOT pizza-bagels), the sheer volume of incredible comedians in one place, and the moment when I'm riding the subway and a passenger does something extremely rude/odd and then I make eye contact with a stranger sitting across from me and we both silently raise our eyebrows to say "Get a load of THIS guy."
Upcoming Shows
EVERYWHERE:
Both full seasons of Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas are streaming online and on HBO Go. Link
You can listen to all the episodes of my podcast You're the Expert on any podcast app. Three comedians interview a scientist about her work and why it matters. Link
NEW YORK:
TONIGHT! Saturday, July 27 at 10:00 p.m. at Union Hall. Dillon Stevenson and Mike Brown host Super Video Bros, where comedians (including me) break down classic music videos.Link
July 29-31 at The Wild Project. I'll be acting on Monday and a short play I wrote is being staged on Wednesday at the Cherry Picking festival for new work. SOLD OUT
You can find ticket links for all upcoming shows as soon as they are announced online at my website here.
This week’s list
GREAT:
Penelope Spheeris pioneered the punk film scene. The daughter of a sideshow strongman, she grew up traveling with her parents' carnival. That informed her eye for outsiders and her cutting sense of humor. She's the director who invented the conceit of interviewing rock stars as they cook breakfast. She directed Wayne's World (including, of course, the Bohemian Rhapsody scene, one of the most iconic comedy sequences ever on film). Then she got fed up with Hollywood and quit. Her foul-mouthed interview withThe Onion A.V. Club is so good. Penelope Spheeris: Hollywood Can Blow Me
FUNNY:
Daniel Simonsen was the funniest comedian in Norway. Then he moved to the U.S. to try his luck here. Years ago, when I first moved to New York, we were on a show together and I remember being shocked at how good his jokes were. Unless you're already deep in the Norwegian immigrant comedy scene, you've never seen anything like him. I can't stop laughing at his set on Colbert. He has incredible tips for a shy person at a summer barbecue. Daniel Simonsen
INTERESTING:
Have you ever shown up to work only to discover you're dressed identically to someone else in the office? Ben Stark goes deep on the history of business casual and the phenomenon of "worktwins". It's a very funny essay that made me think about office fashion in a way I never had before. "Creative jobs demand creative dress, but there are only so many ways to say 'I have disposable income.'" Are You My Worktwin?
BONUS PSA:
If you haven't yet, please claim your $125 in the Equifax data breach settlement! It's extremely easy and it makes sure the company faces consequences for not keeping personal information private. More info here
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Have a great day,
Chris