Happy Independence Day!
This week, Mollie and I went camping for a night. We found a campground that was only 30 minutes away and seemed like it was safely spaced out. And while it wasn't a big vacation by any means, it was so nice to get away for a couple hours. I always love a campfire and eating outside in the dark under the stars. But the trip highlight was that the campsite next to us was a family with a three-year-old. When Mollie walked by in her mask, he said "Hey kid! Look mom, it's a kid!" and his mom had to say "No honey, that's actually a grownup." And then when I walked by he said "Look, it's the garbageman!"
We laughed about that for a long time. Just a friendly garbageman and his child setting up their campsite.
Upcoming Events
LIVESTREAMS:
-No COME ON DOWN show today, but I'll be back next Saturday with more Zoom game shows.
- Tuesday, July 7th at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET
UPTOWN SHOWDOWN I'm on the first virtual edition of this great comedy debate series. "Two teams of funny folks from the worlds of stand-up and late-night television to tackle topics of great importance to pop culture, such as which pets are superior, cats or dogs, and is it better to be comfortable or fashionable?" Link
This week’s list
GREAT:
He's one of the most successful and consistently booked actors in a generation, but almost no one knows his name or his face. What they do know is his voice. I loved this profile of Edoardo Ballerini, the Brad Pitt of audiobook narrators. I first read it a few months ago, but I think about it every time I hear a voiceover now. It's also very fun that the article contains a bunch of embedded audio so you can hear what makes his acting so special as you read. The Voice of God. (And Knausgaard, Whitman, Machiavelli… ) h/t Andrea Amiel
FUNNY:
I know this is kind of cheating, since the whole premise of this newsletter is three things, but two McSweeney's pieces I read recently killed me so I'm going to share them both with you.
For the purely silly: Wendi Aarons perfectly nails "Dads of America, As Explained By Their Pants"
For biting satire: Amanda Lehr and Tatiana McInnis' "We Condemn All Institutional Racism Except Our Own"
INTERESTING:
My friend Terryn Hall writes a fantastic newsletter covering "politics, gardening, and culture." She's a writer and political organizer who worked on Elizabeth Warren's campaign and has written for VIBE, The Guardian, LA Review of Books, and many more impressive places. In today's email, she featured some enormous tomato plants, a recipe for a lemon strawberry cake, and a very thought-provoking essay on the politics of McDonald's commercials in the age of coronavirus. Freedom to Buy McChicken and Diamonds
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Have a great weekend, wear your masks, and stay safe,
Chris