3 Things: Oliver Sacks, Kay Jewelers, and Bac Guai
Hi friends,
If you're new to these emails, welcome! Every Saturday, I send out a short email with three great things. I've also got some of my upcoming shows featured below. If you know anyone who you think would enjoy this, feel free to spread the word! They can sign up here or to see the archive of past emails, click here.
SHOW UPDATE: I'm in Boston this weekend, exploring a world made of ice and snow. Today's taping of You're the Expert is sold out but there are a few tickets left for tomorrow'sTaste Test Comedy show (which includes free treats from Union Square Donuts and A4). All shows include free heat.
Ok, on to this week's list!
1 Thing I Think Is Great:
Oliver Sacks is one of the greatest writers about science of all time. I read The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat early in high school and immediately felt my world expand. I'm not sure that Sacks has always gotten enough credit for his wit and playfulness though. His footnotes, in particular, are amazing. I remember one footnote where Sacks described the first time he "smoked grass" and he kept bringing his hand back and forth to his face, amazed by how perspective changes size. That was just a random personal aside in one of his case studies. I wonder if he and David Foster Wallace ever met and talked about their mutual love for the footnote?
At 81, Sacks recently discovered that he has terminal cancer. This incredible piece is his reflection on that knowledge: My Own Life
1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:
Am I allowed to put one of my own things in here? I think so. For Valentine's Day, I teamed up with filmmakers Nick Kraus and Daniel Goodman to make this very short and very silly fake commercial for Kay Jewelers. It stars Jo Firestone, who let me fake propose to her over and over again. The whole video is 40 seconds long and really only has one joke in it, but the way Jo takes it all so seriously makes me laugh every time. Hopefully you enjoy it too! Every Kiss Begins With Cake
Here's a real Kay Jewelers commercial that is even more bizarre and hilarious than our fake one. Probably the most ominous and terrifying way to give someone a diamond ever. Kay Jewelers- Storm
1 Interesting Thing:
John Willis was a tough white kid from Dorchester, MA. In another life, he could have ended up like the Wahlbergs. Instead, he became a kingpin in the Chinese criminal underworld. So how did a homeless white kid become known as "Bac Guai" the "White Devil" leader of one of Boston's most notorious Chinatown gangs? That's the story behind this incredible piece of reporting from Rolling Stone. The White Devil Kingpin
Ok, thanks for reading! More details on shows and my full schedule online atwww.chrisduffycomedy.com/calendar/
Have a great weekend,
Chris
3 Things: Tanishq Abraham, Amy Poehler, and Blizzards
Hi friends!
If you're new to these emails, welcome! Every Saturday, I send out a short email with three great things. I've also got some of my upcoming shows featured below. If you know anyone who you think would enjoy this, feel free to spread the word! They can sign up here or to see the archive of past emails, click here.
SHOW UPDATE: On Monday, February 16, I'm going to be celebrating President's Day by camping out at WFMU for the evening. I'll be a guest on Jo Firestone's hilarious Dr. Gameshow at 7 p.m. ET and then on The Goddamn Dave Hill Show at 9. You can listen to both live (and call in!) at WFMU.org
Also, Boston people! There are just a few tickets left for You're the Expert on Saturday, Feb. 21. You can get yours here: Link
Ok, on to this week's list!
1 Thing I Think Is Great:
Conan O'Brien decided to invite child prodigy Tanishq Abraham on as a guest and it was the one of the greatest decisions in television history. Watch as Tanishq shares some of his favorite science jokes and mercilessly mocks Conan. It's pure joy. Tanishq Abraham on Conan
1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:
Amy Poehler was celebrated at Harvard recently as the Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year. Per tradition, the members of the Hasty Pudding club paraded Poehler through the streets of Cambridge and then roasted her. Luckily for everyone, Amy roasted them right back. Here are the highlights from her spectacular skewering.
Amy Poehler Roasted Her Hasty Pudding Roasters Right Back and It Was Glorious
1 Interesting Thing:
Snow has been disrupting my life and travel quite a lot in the past few weeks. That's true for many people on the East Coast. But it can too easy to focus only on our own transportation hassles and not think about the others around us. Here's a beautifully written piece by Peabody award winning journalist Barbara Howard about an experience that jolted her back into awareness. A Blizzard of Perspective.
Ok, thanks for reading! More details on shows and my full schedule online atwww.chrisduffycomedy.com/calendar/
Have a great weekend,
Chris
