3 Things: Cake, David Letterman, and Joe Wong
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:
Sunday (5/24), I'm doing Taste Test Comedy in Cambridge, MA with Dutch waffle cookies from Rip van Wafels, tea from Runa, and food-based jokes from me and a bunch of Boston friends. It's at ImprovBoston at 9 p.m. Tickets/details here
Tickets are on sale now for You're the Expert in:
- Boston on May 31
- NYC on June 4
- Washington, D.C. on June 17
Ok, on to this week's list!
1 Thing I Think Is Great:
Here's a video of a spinning cake. I don't really know else how to describe this. It's pretty much just a video of a spinning cake. But it's the most amazing spinning cake you've ever seen. I am now totally hypnotized (and also very hungry). The Caketrope
1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:
David Letterman's biggest surprise on his final episode was that it was actually hilarious. He certainly could have been forgiven for making the show a tribute or getting sentimental, but the guy went out cracking jokes and getting big laughs. My favorite segment was a compilation of Letterman talking to kids over the years. It's laugh out loud funny and showcases the spontaneous genius that made Letterman a star. The Best of David Letterman and Kids
1 Interesting Thing:
A couple months back, I sent out an article about Joe Wong's rise as a standup comedian in China. Here's an update on his progress in the NYT Magazine. This is such a cool look at how Joe is pioneering a new art form in China, but it also includes some really fascinating context for how humor does (or does not) transcend culture. For example, "A Japanese interpreter once translated a joke that Jimmy Carter delivered during a lecture as: 'President Carter told a funny story. Everyone must laugh.'" Next time you see me perform, don't be surprised if you get the same instructions. Can China Take a Joke?
Ok, thanks for reading! More details on shows and my full schedule online atwww.chrisduffycomedy.com/calendar/
Have a great weekend,
Chris
You Get A Spoon!
Last night was the first installment of You Get A Spoon!, my new variety show and Oprah-style prize giveaway. We had a great audience at Under St Marks and the show will be there every Third Sunday through the end of the summer. If you're in NYC, you can get tickets here.
Alexandra Schwartz (The New Yorker) reading from her fantastic piece about ASMR videos
The concept for You Get A Spoon! is that three performers share their work then enthusiastically endorse an object and give it away to the audience, Oprah-style. Here's what everyone recommended last night:
Maeve Higgins, author and comedian
1) The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma
2) Call Your Girlfriend, “a podcast for long-distance besties everywhere”
3) Cheap black eyeliner
Alexandra Schwartz, writer and book critic at The New Yorker
1) The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
2) Blue Hill Bay Herring in Wine Sauce
3) Extra Large Paper Flowers from PanAmerican Phoenix
Brendan Pelsue, playwright, and Natasha Haverty, radio producer
1) Just Kids by Patti Smith
2) Rosemary & Thyme, a British television series
3) MAESRI brand curry paste
3 Things: Grantland Weddings, Jeopardy Stories, and Jon Ronson
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:
Tomorrow, (This Sunday, May 17), I'm doing a new variety show called "You Get A Spoon!" It's at 7 p.m. at Under St Marks and this first month I've got readings from Alexandra Schwartz (The New Yorker), a radio play from Brendan Pelsue and Natasha Haverty, and stories/comedy from Maeve Higgins. Plus so many prizes for the audience! Details and tickets here
Down the road a bit, I've got three You're the Expert tapings coming up. Boston on May 31, NYC on June 4, and DC on June 17 (details and tickets soon).
Ok, on to this week's list!
1 Thing I Think Is Great:
I'm only in the very earliest stages of planning a wedding, but I can already tell that the entire process is insane. It's like living in an alternate universe where gender roles are 40 years in the past, empty fields are suddenly wildly expensive "rustic venues," and family members have to compete in the Hunger Games to make it onto the invite list. Regardless of whether you're married, single, engaged, or otherwise, I really can't imagine anyone not enjoying Katie Baker's feature for Grantland, where she applies sports analytics to the NY Times Wedding Section. She hilariously and merciless tears it apart. +2 points if the couple met on a private Silicon Valley corporate bus. Wedded Blitz! The Rites of Spring
1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:
Every night on Jeopardy!, contestants try their best to puzzle out clues and outmaneuver the competition using only their wits. But they also have to occasionally (and awkwardly) talk about their personal lives with Alex Trebek. My new favorite place on the internet is the Jeopardy! Stories twitter account, which does just one thing perfectly "simplistically yet accurately summarizing the insipid contestant interview part of Jeopardy!" You have to read these for yourself: @CoolJepStories
1 Interesting Thing:
I've been following Jon Ronson's work on Internet culture every since I first heard about his new book, So You've Been Publicly Shamed. The main idea is essentially that we don't have enough empathy online and instead are so focused on free anonymous speech that we rarely put any thought into the consequences. He's a fantastic writer and he always leaves me with new ideas to mull over. Check out his interview in Wired Magazine here: Is There Any Hope For A Kinder, Gentler Internet?
Ok, thanks for reading! More details on shows and my full schedule online atwww.chrisduffycomedy.com/calendar/
Have a great weekend,
Chris
