3 Things: Monica Lewinsky, NYC Subways, and Josh Gondelman /  by Chris Duffy

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 Providence tonight doing some standup at 10 p.m. with Aparna Nancherla and Dan Mintz. The show is free so come by if you're in town! It's at the Brown University Comedy Conference . Then on Thursday (4/9), I'm doing Taste Test Comedy in NYC. It's a special unleavened Passover edition with snacks from Katz's Deli. It's also free! Details here. 

Ok, on to this week's list!
 

1 Thing I Think Is Great:


If you haven't already watched Monica Lewinsky's TED Talk, The Price of Shame, you're really missing out. It's important. As she points out, we're so frequently obsessed with shame and outrage on the Internet rather than empathy. One of the most insightful and interesting responses to her talk came from the New Yorker's Alexandra Schwartz. I think the whole question of shame and whether or not we attack with our words is central to choices performers make in comedy, but it's increasingly central to being a human with a smartphone as well. Alex really captures that. The Shame Game
 


1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:

The newest episode of You're the Expert is my favorite that we've taped so far. Dr. Chris Mason studies the genetics of bacteria on the NYC subway. I interviewed him with help from Jo Firestone, Zhubin Parang, and Maeve Higgins and they made me laugh so hard it was a challenge to even finish the episode. You can download or stream it for free here.Bacteria of the NYC Subway System
 

1 Interesting Thing:

Josh Gondelman is one of my favorite people on the planet. He's hilarious, kind, and a fantastic writer. When he's not working on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver he's cranking out heartfelt, interesting pieces like this article he wrote for Buzzfeed about being the New England Patriot's most sensitive fan. I Had Given Up on the NFL. Then Nana Became a Patriots Fanatic.

Ok, thanks for reading! More details on shows and my full schedule online atwww.chrisduffycomedy.com/calendar/

Have a great weekend,
Chris

3 Things: Earth's Core, Startup Madlibs, and Jason Everman /  by Chris Duffy

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've got a couple very big shows coming up. If you're on the East Coast and you've been meaning to come out and see something, these would be the ones to go to: 
NYC: Tonight at 7:30, I'm the featured monologist at The Armando Diaz Experience. 
Providence: On April 4 I'm performing standup and moderating a panel at the Brown University Comedy Conference 
Boston: On April 18 and 19th, two live tapings co-presented by the Cambridge Science Festival and Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival 
Chapel Hill, NC:  April 24, Taste Test Comedy is at the DSI Theater.
Philadelphia: Friday, May 1, You're the Expert is coming to the Franklin Institute

West Coast, I'll be out your way in the Fall (if not sooner!). Bay Area people, mark Friday, October 23 on your calendars! More details coming soon.

Ok, on to this week's list!
 

1 Thing I Think Is Great:


This BBC "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" is shockingly well-made and exciting considering it's literally just facts about how deep different holes are. But I have wasted hours on here this week. I learned that a man in London once burrowed 8 meters under his own house over a 40-year period. I learned that if you dive to 60 meters, it's equivalent to drinking six martinis, and I learned that the deepest hotel room is in a silver mine in Sweden. Now I just need to look up meter conversions... Try it for yourself: Journey to the Centre of the Earth
 


1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:

This tech startup job posting generator by Liz Fosslien is hilarious, but also pretty biting satire. I love it. Fill in a couple blanks and out pops a custom-made tech company desperately looking for recruits. It's one of my all-time favorite Madlibs. Join Us
 

1 Interesting Thing:

Jason Everman was kicked out of Nirvana just before they became superstars. His rebound was to join Soundgarden. And he got kicked out again. So what did he do next? How do you deal with just barely missing out on your big break not once, but twice? Everman joined the Army and became one of the most highly decorated and respected Special Forces members alive. The story of Jason Everman's journey from punk rock to fighting the Taliban and beyond isn't new (this article came out in 2013) but I had never heard it before and it's amazing. I truly can't believe there's not already a biopic about this. The Rock 'n' Roll Casualty Who Became A War Hero (h/t Nate Lopez for sending this my way)

Ok, thanks for reading! More details on shows and my full schedule online atwww.chrisduffycomedy.com/calendar/

Have a great weekend,
Chris

3 Things: StoryCorps, MuckRock, and Weathermen /  by Chris Duffy

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:  

This afternoon at 5 p.m., I'm doing a show featuring a guided chocolate tasting from Brooklyn's Raaka Chocolate and then a selection of comedians telling their best jokes about food. There's even a chocolate themed musical number! The show is officially sold out, but if you want to come, shoot me an email and I might be able to get you in!

Next Saturday (3/28), I'll be performing at the Magnet Theater for the Armando Diaz Experience. They take my stories and improvise scenes based off them. It's legitimately one of the most fun shows I do. Come see it!

Ok, on to this week's list!
 

1 Thing I Think Is Great:


I often feel like I know the people talking when I listen to StoryCorps. But this story really caught me off guard, because I actually do know this person. It's my friend Zibby! Her boyfriend proposed to her during a StoryCorps session and they're both such quiet understated goofballs that it led to some pretty hilarious audio. I challenge you to listen to this without smiling. StoryCorps Chicago: Will You Marry Me?
 


1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:

Hard-hitting investigative journalism is not dead. Last June, MuckRock requested "all complaints Amtrak received regarding its lounge cars over the past two years. Last week, after nine months of processing, the responsive docs finally came in, and boy, those must have been a busy nine months." Amtrak redacted these complaints to a ridiculous degree and their bumbling coverup only led to even more hilarious results. You've got to read these: Amtrak Complaints
 

1 Interesting Thing:

"On a moonless night in October 2001, an American helicopter lifted off from an airbase in Uzbekistan, banking south on a covert mission into Afghanistan. Inside was one of America's most elite and unknown special operators, hand-selected for a job so important that the wider war on terror hinged on its success."

Spoiler alert: he's a weatherman. Before I read Tony Doukoupil's reporting, I thought Al Roker had the most dangerous job in meteorology. Now I know there are way more serious risks than an overeager family from Topeka. Definitely check out this story about the hard-charging, parachuting commandos who predict the weather in war zones. Send in the Weathermen

Ok, thanks for reading! More details on shows and my full schedule online atwww.chrisduffycomedy.com/calendar/

Have a great weekend,
Chris