Hey there,
I know there's nothing worse than a comedian who never makes jokes. And yet there are so many urgent and serious things to talk about! I sometimes wonder if people signing up for my newsletter feel duped, like they hired a clown for their kid's birthday party and then he shows up and starts lecturing about the horrors of authoritarianism. (To be honest, that's a pretty good idea for a sketch and also not a terrible business plan for a clown... you gotta tell the kids the truth, you know?)
Anyway, to make sure it's not all medicine and no spoonful of sugar, here's a video that never fails to make me laugh: reporter terrified by chicken
And now here's some information I need to share before we get into this week's list. Look at this graph. There is a calculated political effort underway right now to make it seem like coronavirus is inevitable and there's nothing we can do about it. That's a complete and shameless lie. I also haven't seen a ton of people talking about the shutdown of legal immigration into the US, but it's so transparently cruel and shoots America in the foot. And then there's the terrifying rise of anti-Asian hate crimes and the fact that some people seem more concerned about statues getting damaged than humans being executed by the police. So please, I'm begging you: wear your masks, protest, vote, organize, donate, and keep social distancing.
That's all important, but it's also a lot. I know. So here's a chicken wearing pants.
Upcoming Events
LIVESTREAMS:
- TODAY Saturday, June 27th at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET
COME ON DOWN, YOU'RE ALREADY HERE! Today's Zoom game show will once again be raising money for the National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network. You can play a round or just watch and laugh from the comfort of your home. Link
AROUND THE INTERNET:
- WYATT CENAC'S PROBLEM AREAS: HBO made the whole series free on YouTube and Hulu (in the US). We spent the whole first season looking at solutions to policing in America and the second season on education. Link
- CELEBRITY SUBSTITUTE: This Youtube Original Series pairs high school teachers with celebrities to make remote lessons. I helped produce the episodes with Janelle Monae, Terry Crews, and Ken Jeong. Link
This week’s list
GREAT:
I am always inspired by Anna Deveare Smith. I give her book, Letters to a Young Artist, to anyone I know trying to navigate a creative career. And her plays, Fires in the Mirror and Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, changed the way I think about live performance and journalism. If you're not familiar, Anna Deveare Smith interviewed hundreds of community members and then used their words, verbatim, to put together plays about racial unrest in Crown Heights and Los Angeles. PBS just recently released a recording of her LA work for free. I can't seem to find a recording of Fires in the Mirror online, but you can read it as a book and I think it's equally powerful in that form.
FUNNY:
Ziwe Fumudoh is a comedy genius. She creates such high stress shows and then perfectly walks the tight rope of comedy. On Baited, she invites friends "as guests on the show and she baits them into making unwitting racial faux pas." Her recent episode with Alison Roman had me crying tears of laughter, but even when the guests don't stumble at all (like this episode with Aparna Nancherla), Ziwe makes it hilarious. Ziwe Fumudoh Has Mastered the Art of Putting White People on the Spot
INTERESTING:
I wrote about the Bronx Freedom Fund successfully shutting down operations several months ago. In the past few weeks, there's been a huge surge of interest in and donations to bail funds across the country. Jia Tolentino looks into how these organizations are uniquely positioned for this current moment and what comes next. Where Bail Funds Go From Here
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Have a great weekend,
Chris