3 Things: Wait But Why, Dave Hill, and Mary Roach
Hi friends,
Thanks for subscribing. Each week, I send out an email with something I think is great, something that made me laugh, and something interesting. If you feel like you haven't gotten these in a while, try checking to make sure this email is a trusted address so they aren't getting filtered to spam. Feel free to spread the word and share these with friends. Anyone can sign up for the mailing list online and/or check out the archive with all past emails here.
Live shows
NEW YORK:
Sunday, April 10 at 7 p.m. You Get A Spoon! is back with performances from actor/writer Dylan Marron (Every Single Word), playwright/musician Ivan Anderson, and lots of wonderful prizes for the audience. Plus, as always, your chance to take home the world's greatest mixing spoon. Link
Every Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Sensible Show at Williamsburg's Annoyance Theatre features the best standup comics in NYC and surprise celebrity guests. I co-host with Josh Gondelman, Emma Willmann, and Evan Kaufman. Link
BOSTON:
Thursday, April 21 You're the Expert is taping live at the Brattle Theater and there are very few tickets left. Link
PHILADELPHIA:
Thursday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. I'm hosting two live You're the Expert tapings at the Philadelphia Science Festival with Aparna Nancherla, Hari Kondabolu, and Maeve Higgins! Link
You can always find my most up-to-date show schedule online here.
This week's list
1 Thing I Think Is Great:
Wait But Why is a website that always makes me think about things in a new way. Also, it's very funny and features a lot of stick figure drawings. This post, in particular, has stuck with me. It's a very straightforward thinking through of how much time we have left on Earth and how that affects the amount of dumplings and pizza we'll get to eat as well as how much time we'll get to spend with people we love. Read this: The Tail End by Tim Urban
1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:
Dave Hill is a wild man. He's a legitimate rock star, a comedian, a radio host, an author, an Ohioan, and probably many more things. Once, he showed me a photo of him opening for Snoop Dogg while dressed in a flawless three-piece suit. Another time, I was a guest on his radio show and we spent two hours talking to a caller whose job it was to sell high-end Japanese toilets in the US. I've spent the last week reading Dave's absolutely hilarious book of essays, which I can't recommend highly enough. I have laughed out loud multiple times on the subway. Dave's got a new book coming out next month, which I'm very excited for. In the meantime, to build buzz for his latest literary foray, Dave has an advice column where he answers questions and pairs his advice with a song suggestion. It's wonderful.The Talkhouse: Dave Hill
1 Interesting Thing:
"Call 415-529-6057 when you're getting dressed." The instructions for Mary Roach's Phone Story are both simple and mysterious. I had no clue what to expect. But I called this morning and it was an absolute delight. As I decided what to wear, Mary's voice walked me through the decisions that military snipers have to make about their clothing and why zippers are a no go. It was short, fascinating, and unlike anything else I've experienced recently. It honestly felt like I was starting the day with an amazing anecdote from a friend who just happened to call as I was putting on my pants. Phone Stories is a new project from the people who created Pop-Up Magazine and California Sunday. They make really great stuff. Phone Stories
Ok, thanks for reading! More details on shows and my full schedule online at www.chrisduffycomedy.com/calendar/
Have a great weekend,
Chris
3 Things: James Veitch, Julia Phillips, and Coin Drop
Hi friends,
Thanks for subscribing. Each week, I send out an email with something I think is great, something that made me laugh, and something interesting. If you feel like you haven't gotten these in a while, try checking to make sure this email is a trusted address so they aren't getting filtered to spam. Feel free to spread the word and share these with friends. Anyone can sign up for the mailing list online and/or check out the archive with all past emails here.
Live shows
NEW YORK:
Every Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Sensible Show at Williamsburg's Annoyance Theatre features the best standup comics in NYC and surprise celebrity guests. I co-host with Josh Gondelman, Emma Willmann, and Evan Kaufman. This week, we've got Ted Alexandro (Letterman), Jo Firestone (Comedy Central), Ryan Hamilton (Conan), and Anna Drezen (Reductress). Link
Sunday, April 10 at 7 p.m. You Get A Spoon! is back with performances from actor/writer Dylan Marron (Every Single Word), playwright/musician Ivan Anderson, and lots of wonderful prizes for the audience. Plus, as always, your chance to take home the world's greatest mixing spoon. Link
POUGHKEEPSIE:
Thursday, April 7 I'm giving a talk at Vassar about producing a live radio show and comedy. If you're a student and you want to come, email me!
PHILADELPHIA:
Thursday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. I'm hosting two live You're the Expert tapings at the Philadelphia Science Festival. The tapings are in the planetarium, which I'm so excited about, and our panelists are the hilarious Aparna Nancherla, Hari Kondabolu, and Maeve Higgins. Tell your friends! Link
You can always find my most up-to-date show schedule online here.
This week's list
1 Thing I Think Is Great:
Every day, we all get obviously fake and suspicious emails. You probably just delete them without a second thought. That's what I do. That's not what James Veitch does. Instead, he responds to the scammers and takes them down an absolutely insane and hilarious rabbit hole. I could not find his webseries, Scamalot, more delightful. Plus, he's got a lovely British accent, which always helps add class to reading nonsense out loud. The code he ends up getting the scammer to use at the end of this video is pure genius. Scamalot Episode 1: Gold
1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:
Julia Phillips put together a brilliant piece of comedy for a new series on The Awl that they call "Listicles Without Commentary." You know when you're on a website and all of a sudden an annoying box pops up that you have to exit out of to keep reading your article? Julia kept track of the snide little lines they use to try and keep you from clicking out. This is the hilarious result. Lines of Text I've Clicked to Exit Pop-Ups, Ranked from Least to Most True (h/t Brian Perry)
1 Interesting Thing:
"One of the best days of the year for finding coins on the sidewalks of New York, according to Roger Pasquier, is March 18th, right after St. Patrick's Day." This profile an elite change collector (he's picked up more than a thousand dollars over the past thirty years) is full of fascinating details about where coins are most likely to fall and how dramatically smartphones have increased the amount of money people walk past without noticing. I'm not going to quit my day job, but after hearing Pasquier's advice, I'll definitely be looking down more often than before. Coin Drop by Nicholas Thompson
Ok, thanks for reading! More details on shows and my full schedule online at www.chrisduffycomedy.com/calendar/
Have a great weekend,
Chris
3 Things: Garry Shandling, Town Names, and Positive Habits
Hi friends,
Thanks for subscribing. Each week, I send out an email with something I think is great, something that made me laugh, and something interesting. If you feel like you haven't gotten these in a while, try checking to make sure this email is a trusted address so they aren't getting filtered to spam. Feel free to spread the word and share these with friends. Anyone can sign up for the mailing list online and/or check out the archive with all past emails here.
Live shows
NEW YORK:
Every Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Sensible Show at Williamsburg's Annoyance Theatre features the best standup comics in NYC and surprise celebrity guests. I co-host with Josh Gondelman, Emma Willmann, and Evan Kaufman. This week, we've got Phil Hanley (@Midnight), Mary Houlihan (Comedy Central), Ryan Beck (The Daily Show), and more.Link
BOSTON:
Thursday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. You're the Expert is at the Cambridge Science Festival and it's about to sell out. If you want to come, you should get tickets now. Link
LOS ANGELES:
Saturday, April 30 at 1:45 p.m. I'm giving the keynote address at the 2016 Spring Conference for the California Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education. It's at Camp Hess Kramer in Malibu and they've got all sorts of great stuff lined up. Details and registration here: Link
I'll also be out in LA that weekend doing a bunch of standup shows that I'll update on the website soon, so check online if that's of interest to you.
You can always find my most up-to-date show schedule online here.
This week's list
1 Thing I Think Is Great:
Garry Shandling passed away this week at 66. I have to admit that I wasn't all that familiar with his work, but after reading the tributes and then watching old episodes online, I was blown away by how funny he was and how clearly he influenced all the comedy I love. One of the best things that I came across is Garry on what he's learned in his life and career. The lessons veer from the hilarious to the profound and back again. "I had a car accident when I was twenty-seven in which I was nearly killed. I had a vivid near-death experience that involved a voice asking, 'Do you want to continue leading Garry Shandling's life?' Without thinking, I said, 'Yes.' Since then, I've been stuck living in the physical world while knowing, without a doubt, that there's something much more meaningful within it all. That realization is what drives my life and work." And then his next lesson is "Dating a professional actress is tough. Especially if you're up for the same part." Read it all here:Garry Shandling's What I've Learned
1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:
God bless PRI for assembling this list of towns and cities with suggestive names. I giggled like a school girl reading this, and now I have a plan for my next cross-country road trip. I'm very excited to make stops in Reamstown, Pennsylvania and Spread Eagle, Wisconsin on my way to Rough and Ready, California. Just spectacular work all-around. PRI: Wait, you're from where?
1 Interesting Thing:
Humanity's "negativity bias" mean that we're hard-wired to pay more attention and devote more mental energy to negative events and interactions than positive ones. But new research from Harvard suggests it's possible to overcome our brains' default negativity. That's important news for relationships (studies have shown it takes 5 positive interactions to make up for each negative one), health, and general well-being. This is part of Harvard's Usable Knowledge initiative, which is trying to make research something regular people can actually use (a goal that I'm all in favor of). I wouldn't say this article was a revelation, but it's certainly a good reminder. Our brains respond to how we use them and we can consciously improve on less-than-ideal defaults. The Biology of Positive Habits
Ok, thanks for reading! More details on shows and my full schedule online at www.chrisduffycomedy.com/calendar/
Have a great weekend,
Chris
