Hey there,
I'm celebrating this weekend because my little brother is getting married! It's not the ceremony that he and his fiancee had planned. It's not going to be a big party. There's not going to be a fancy meal and dancing. Just a tiny, short outdoor moment in a park with fewer than 10 people spaced out. But it's still a wedding and a celebration and oh my god am I excited to celebrate love and joy for a moment this year. It's a good reminder that, as the beloved rom-com Jurassic Park taught us, life finds a way. I hope you're finding something to celebrate (big or small) this weekend too.
Upcoming Events
VOTING:
- U.S. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd. But you most likely can (and should) vote early. Here's a nicely designed and clear state-by-state guide.
LIVESTREAMS:
- Sunday, October 11th at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET
Email Pro Live. I will be returning as the comedian guest on Ivan Anderson's hilarious and aggressive livestream show where he sends performance art emails to strangers nominated by the audience. Streaming link here
- Wednesday, October 28th at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET
HIDDEN EXPERT. I’m hosting the second show of this new storytelling series for LabX and the National Academy of Sciences. You can submit to tell your own story or just get free tickets here.
This week’s list
GREAT:
There are some comedians whose genius translates secondhand. I can tell you one of their jokes and you'll still laugh. But then there's a whole other category of performers (in general, my favorites) who have something magical and hilarious that you just have to see for yourself. It can't be copied or communicated. Sunita Mani is like that. She's one third of the incredible comedy dance team Cocoon Central, she went viral in a Lil Jon music video, and she was one of the wrestlers in Netflix's GLOW. Sunita is able to give a look or make a small facial expression and you can't help but start laughing. She's starring in her first feature film, Save Yourselves, which came out Friday and looks so good. I can't wait to watch. And here's a great interview with her: Sunita Mani Is Taking Up Space
FUNNY:
It probably tells you everything you need to know about me that my first concert was Weird Al. I saw him live at the Beacon Theater. The woman standing next to me was apparently some sort of Weird Al super fan. She not only sang every word along with him, she also cried during several songs. I wouldn't say I like his songs that much, but I did have a great time. This week, Weird Al was able to take that horrible debate and put it into an op-ed. Incredibly, this came out 4 days ago and already feels dated. America is Doomed: The Musical
(If you want even more political comedy songs, my friend Jeff showed me this one and it's so good. Nick Lutsko: I wanna be at the RNC)
INTERESTING:
I feel like this past year has given me a bit more empathy for and more understanding of disability. Having our lives disrupted suddenly and limits put on what we're able to do and where we're able to go, makes me simultaneously feel grieve for what's been lost and feel grateful for what I have. But it's hard to hold those two at the same time. Unsurprisingly, I find laughter and humor help a lot. Charlie Chaplin once said "In order to truly laugh you need to be able to take your pain and play with it.” While reading about some research into using comedy in medicine (promising, but oh wow do these doctors need help with their jokes...), I came across this stunning profile of Dr. B.J. Miller, a doctor and triple amputee, who works at the Zen Hospice Center.
"He resolved to think of his suffering as simply a 'variation on a theme we all deal with — to be human is really hard,' he says... He saw unhappiness as an illegitimate intrusion into the carefree reality he was supposed to inhabit. And don’t we all do that, he realized. Don’t we all treat suffering as a disruption to existence, instead of an inevitable part of it? He wondered what would happen if you could 'reincorporate your version of reality, of normalcy, to accommodate suffering.'" One Man’s Quest to Change the Way We Die
Ok, that's it for this week! If you're enjoying these emails, please forward to a friend or spread the word. If someone forwarded you this email but you're not yet on the list, you can subscribe here.
Thanks for reading,
Chris