3 Things: Emily Winter, ClickHole, and Joe Wong

Happy 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:
This week's episode of You're the Expert features neuroscientist Rebecca Brachman talking about her groundbreaking research into neuro-resilience. Comedians Wyatt Cenac, Maeve Higgins, and Negin Farsad find out all about how her brain works. Link

My wife Mollie and her co-author Liz Fosslien wrote a book called "No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work." It's out in 2019 but available for pre-order now: Link

SEATTLE:
Thursday, December 27th at 7:30 p.m. at The Annex Theatre. Riley Mulherkar (of The Westerlies) and I are going to be in town and we're continuing our holiday tradition of putting on a night of music and comedy.  Link

I'll be announcing more shows in 2019. As always, you'll be able to find my schedule with all upcoming dates online here.

This week’s list

GREAT:
At the end of the year, we tend to take stock. It's great to feel proud of everything you've accomplished, but too often we ignore the role that our failures played in getting us to our successes. Emily Winter, a very funny comic, has an article in the NYT about her 2018 goal to get professionally rejected at least 100 times. "Being told no is inevitable in most creative endeavors. But maybe I could win by losing." (If you're writing about your failures in the paper of record, you know you did something right.) I Got Rejected 101 Times (h/t my mom)

 
FUNNY:
I sometimes feel like the Internet is just the source of misery, conspiracy theories, and terrible news. But then I go to The Onion or ClickHole and I realize it's not all bad. ClickHole is a refuge of pure, insane, hilarity online. In the writers room this week, we were dying laughing at this article. Every line is perfect. And there has never been a better photo to accompany a title.  "Catastrophic Misstep: The Reptile Guy At This School Assembly Just Handed A Huge Snake To The Most Straight-Up Insane Kid in Fifth Grade"(h/t Eliza Cossio)


INTERESTING:
Joe Wong is a comedian respected by comics and loved by audiences. He's performed on Colbert and Letterman and roasted Vice President Joe Biden. But if that weren't impressive or difficult enough, he's now gone on to be the funniest (and one of the most famous) comedians in China. To be able to crush in two different languages, in two different cultures, and in two of the most competitive markets in the world? It's just mind-boggling. I don't quite understand how it's possible. But read this NYT profile of Joe from a few years back (or his Q&A in the Wall Street Journal) or just go straight to the source and watch his set on Colbert from last week: Joe Wong


Thanks for reading! If you like these emails, please forward to a friend or come say hi at a live show. If you're reading this for the first time (maybe someone forwarded you this email?), you can subscribe here.

Happy holidays,
Chris

3 Things: Charlie Santore, Chris Fleming, and Ellen DeGeneres

Happy 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:
My wife Mollie and her co-author Liz Fosslien wrote a book called "No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work." It's out in 2019 but available for pre-order now: Link

SEATTLE:
Thursday, December 27th at 8 p.m. at The Annex Theatre. Riley Mulherkar (of The Westerlies) and I are going to be in town and we're continuing our holiday tradition of putting on a night of music and comedy.  Link

I'll be announcing more shows in 2019. As always, you'll be able to find my schedule with all upcoming dates online here.

This week’s list

GREAT:
Charlie Santore can crack just about any safe in the world. But rather than rob banks and casinos, Charlie travels the world helping people who can't figure out how to unlock their stuff. And he often brings along his thirteen-year-old son and protege. Charlie's stories are fascinating and he finds things you'd never expect to see locked away. (Side note: I really want to go to one of the parties where professionals get together and break into dozens of safes all at once.) Meet the Safecracker of Last Resort

 
FUNNY:
Chris Fleming is a comedian like no other. He creates entire bizarro worlds out of tiny, incredibly precise societal observations, like how two straight dads are allowed to talk to each other, or the way polyamorous people announce themselves. His latest insanity is all about superfruit and the wellness craze. Introducing The Morton


INTERESTING:
"Because daytime talk shows get less attention than their late-night counterparts, [Ellen] DeGeneres is often overlooked in discussions of important hosts. But make no mistake: No other current daily host has been as successful or celebrated." Jason Zinoman, one of the best journalists writing about comedy, looks at Ellen's return to standup and uncovers some insights about the way that fame can be limiting, the tension between escapism and introspection, and what it takes to be "liked." Ellen DeGeneres Is Not as Nice as You Think


Thanks for reading! If you like these emails, please forward to a friend or come say hi at a live show. If you're reading this for the first time (maybe someone forwarded you this email?), you can subscribe here.

Have a great weekend,
Chris

3 Things: Tavi Gevinson, Adam Sandler, and RIP Medical Debt

Happy 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:
My wife Mollie and her co-author Liz Fosslien wrote a very funny, insightful, and useful book called "No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work." It's out in January but available for pre-order now: Link

SEATTLE:
Thursday, December 27th at 7:30 p.m. at The Annex Theatre. Riley Mulherkar (of The Westerlies) and I are going to be in town and we're continuing our holiday tradition of putting on a night of music and comedy.  Link

I'll be announcing a lot more shows in 2019. As always, you'll be able to find my schedule with all upcoming dates online here.

This week’s list

GREAT:
Tavi Gevinson started Rookie Mag when she was 15 years old. Her own writing is always excellent, but Tavi also had a great eye for other contributors. I love the way she described the magazine in 2011, when it was first starting, "Rookie is not your guide to Being a Teen. It is not a pamphlet on How to Be a Young Woman. (If it were, it would be published by American Girl and your aunt would've given it to you in the fifth grade.) It is, quite simply, a bunch of writing and art we like and believe in."

Now, seven years later, Rookie is shutting down. Whether you've been a loyal reader for years or you're hearing about Rookie for the first time right now, Tavi's final editor's note is absolutely worth a read. She talks about issues I've been thinking about for my own work, but far more eloquently than I could. It's an open look at the business of creativity, the tensions between making money and making art, and how sometimes you have to let go. Also, it's very funny (shout out to all the Bryces of the world). Thank You for Growing Up With Us


FUNNY:
Happy Night 7 of Chanukah! Coincidentally, it was also the 7th night of Chanukah when Adam Sandler first introduced the world to his biggest holiday hit. Growing up, this song was one of my favorite parts of the holiday and I still know every word. Adam Sandler's comedy takes me right back to being in middle school and laughing hysterically at something so dumb and yet so funny with my friends at lunch. I didn't love everything in his new Netflix special,100% Fresh, but there were lots of bits that reminded me of that feeling. He's able to make even something like a song about farting in an armchair surprisingly funny (and, weirdly, kind of emotional). My Old Chair  


INTERESTING:
Craig Antico and Jerry Ashton worked for years in debt collection before deciding that they'd had enough. They used their insider knowledge to switch sides and create a nonprofit that purchases and abolishes medical debt rather than perpetuating a cycle of poverty. You can watch John Oliver explain how it works here. Or here's a NYT article from this week: 2 New Yorkers Erased $1.5 Million in Medical Debt for Hundreds of Strangers. In my personal opinion, it also makes a pretty badass holiday gift. Because the debt sells for pennies on the dollar, instead of buying family members or colleagues yet another present they'll have to regift later, for a hundred dollars you can tell them that you abolished $10,000 of debt in their name. There's no way anyone else can compete with a gift worth ten grand. You just won Christmas.


Thanks for reading! If you like these emails, please forward to a friend or come say hi at a live show. If you're reading this for the first time (maybe someone forwarded you this email?), you can subscribe here.

Happy Holidays!
Chris