A GREAT PODCAST: We Are Not These People
We Are Not These People is "the improvised world of Brendan Pelsue and Natasha Haverty. In every episode they find and explore a different relationship on the spot. They perform, record, and produce the podcast, with occasional guest appearances by their many celebrity friends."
I've been a fan of Brendan and Natasha's work for several years now. Independently, Natasha is an award-winning public radio journalist and Brendan is an accomplished playwright. Together, they have managed to create a show that's funny and intimate and unlike any other podcast I've heard. Brendan and Natasha have the natural banter of old friends but also wildly creative minds. Just listen to them debating how they should introduce the first episode. If that doesn't hook you immediately and make you fall in love with them... well, I think there might be something wrong with your brain.
3 Things: Giulia Rozzi, Mallory Ortberg, and Michael Lewis
Hi friends,
It's 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. Feel free to spread the word and share these emails with friends. If you're checking this out for the first time, you can see the archive and sign up to get these emails here.
Upcoming shows
EVERYWHERE:
Three comedians try to guess what a leading scientist does all day and then find out why their research is important and exciting on You're the Expert. Link
On The Payoff, Antonia Cereijido and I try to learn about money from a team of financial experts. Link
NEW YORK CITY:
Sunday, September 17 at 2 p.m. at The Bell House. The lineup for the 2017 Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival was just announced and I'm so excited that You're the Expert is back with Roy Wood Jr, a mystery scientist, and more special guests. Link
Thursday, September 21 at 8 p.m. at Caveat. Tickets also just went on sale this week for the next edition of my variety show You Get A Spoon, at its new monthly home in NYC. This one features comedy from Aparna Nancherla, a reading by best-selling author A.J. Jacobs, a presentation by MoMA-displayed video artist Neil Goldberg, and of course, the spoon. Link
My full calendar with all upcoming shows is online here.
This week's list
1 Thing I Think Is Great:
Giulia Rozzi is a very funny standup comedian, writer, and podcast host. Her work frequently pops up on TV or in magazines. But one of my favorite things that she does is a regular series on her Instagram called Dance Cooking with Giulia. The concept is as simple as it sounds: she dances while she cooks. For some reason, it's hilarious and so utterly joyful. I especially love when she's joined by guests like her mom and dad, boyfriend, or cousins. I dare you to watch this and not crack a smile. #DanceCookingWithGiulia
P.S. If that whets your appetite for comedians dancing, check out this whole series.
1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:
Mallory Ortberg is a comic genius. She's one of the masterminds behind the beloved The Toast website and responsible for articles like "Dirtbag Little Women" and "Romance Novels Written By An Alien Pretending Not to be Disgusted by the Human Body." This week, she put out a new piece all about her obsession with personal ads in Harvard magazine. It's so funny. Harvard Magazine Personal Advertisements' Many Synonyms For "Rich" or "Thin"
1 Interesting Thing:
You probably know Michael Lewis from his books The Big Short and Moneyball. He's got a knack for taking a dense, complicated bureaucracy and making it feel like an action movie. In Vanity Fair, Lewis writes about his recent visits to the Department of Energy, a government agency that almost no one pays any attention to, despite the fact that they are literally preventing nuclear catastrophes every day. It's a $30 billion agency that oversees everything from our nuclear arsenal to the electrical grid. And what's going on inside right now is terrifying. Why the Scariest Nuclear Threat May Be Coming from Inside the White House
Have a great weekend,
Chris
3 Things: Elna Baker, Jackie Kashian, and Katie Holloway
Hi friends,
It's 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. Feel free to spread the word and share these emails with friends. If you're checking this out for the first time, you can see the archive and sign up to get these emails here.
Upcoming shows
EVERYWHERE:
On the newest episode of The Payoff, Antonia Cereijido and I try to save my friend Gary's financial life from student loans, identity thieves, and very poor planning. I think it's my favorite episode we've done so far. Link
Three comedians try to guess what a leading scientist does all day and then find out why their research is important and exciting on You're the Expert. Link
SAN FRANCISCO:
Wednesday, July 19 at 8:30 p.m. at The Lost Church. ONLY 8 TICKETS LEFT You Get A Spoon comes to one of the most beautiful venues in the Bay Area. Jokes and stories, a reading by Joe Wadlington, and music from Lily Stern. Plus a chance to win the world's greatest spoon! Link
WASHINGTON, DC:
Saturday, July 22 at 6 p.m. at The Kennedy Center. Aparna Nancherla, Jo Firestone, and I are telling jokes as part of the District of Comedy Festival. This show is free and open to the public. Link
My full calendar with all upcoming shows is online here.
This week's list
1 Thing I Think Is Great:
No one tells a story quite like Elna Baker. She works for This American Life, wrote a memoir about her experience in NYC's Mormon dating scene that I loved called The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance, and is currently developing a TV show for IFC. I'm always excited to see more from Elna. She manages to capture vulnerability and openly share her personal struggles with big issues in a way that's funny and charming and very relatable. Her op-ed in The New York Times about a 12-year-old girl in Utah coming out as gay to her Mormon congregation is Elna at her best: touching and heartfelt and revelatory. Love is Love is Love is...Cut the Mike
1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:
Jackie Kashian has been telling jokes for thirty years and she's amazing at it. Jackie opens for Maria Bamford at most of her tour dates, but she's a headliner in her own right too. Her performance on Conan shows off her punchlines, her ability to handle a microphone battery pack falling out of her pocket, and a great story about what marriage means to her.Jackie Kashian: Marriage Is About Being A Burden To Each Other
1 Interesting Thing:
Katie Galloway, an award-winning filmmaker, teamed up with The Marshall Project, an investigative news nonprofit focused on criminal justice to make this amazing short documentary about an Ohio eatery, where "patrons get Nashville-style hot chicken and the formerly-incarcerated get a fair shot at employment." There's a lot of depressing news stories out there so treat yourself to four inspiring minutes about redemption, the human capacity for change, and lunch. Hot Chicken, Fair Chance
Have a great weekend,
Chris
