3 Things: Chibundu Onuzo, Pete Lee, and Nick DiMola

Happy 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.

Upcoming Shows

EVERYWHERE:
The most recent episode of You're the Expert features Anand Varma, a NatGeo photographer and biologist whose photos have made possible scientific discoveries about bees, bats, and brain-controlled crabs. He talks to comedians Jo Firestone, Scott Adsit, and Kasha Patel about the intersection between art and science. Link

Season One of Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas is wrapped, but all ten episodes are streaming online now. Link

NEW YORK:
Sunday, July 15 at 7 p.m. at Caveat. I'm hosting You're the Expert with comedians Josh Gondelman, Dylan Marron, and Ashley Brooke Roberts. Link

My full schedule with all upcoming dates is online here.

This week's list

GREAT:
I'm halfway through Chibundu Onuzo's incredible novel Welcome to Lagos right now and I'm savoring every moment. She's created so many compelling characters and it's an amazing story. If you're looking for a new book to read, I definitely recommend it. It's the story of army officer Chike Ameobi, who deserts after being ordered to kill civilians and ends up traveling with a band of runaways towards Nigeria's biggest city and a new life. Here's an excerpt you can read online: Welcome to Lagos


FUNNY:
Pete Lee is a standup comedian and deeply nice person, who's able to get huge laughs onstage without even a hint of meanness. That's much harder than Pete makes it look. Watch his charming and hilarious set on Fallon, where he talks about why he loves the middle seat on airplanes, crying in public, and the best way to deal with dropping a sandwich. Pete Lee


INTERESTING:
Nick DiMola is a garbageman who loves garbage. This seven minute short film, directed by Olivier Bernier, captures a true New York character. Nick loves his job, but also finds higher meaning in discovering treasures and mementos among the junk he's paid to haul to the landfill. It's a beautiful short film and a pretty amazing look into what people leave behind. Also, it's a great way to experience Nick's passion without any of the smells. A Garbage Story  (I really recommend the short film, but if you'd prefer reading instead, the NYT profiled Nick as well: In Queens, A Man Culls Relics From the Junk)

Thanks for reading! If you like these emails, please forward to a friend or come say hi at a live show. If someone forwarded you this email and you want to sign up, you cansubscribe here.

Have a great day!
Chris

3 Things: Mr. Rogers, Jon Stewart, and Bianca Giaever

Happy 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.

Upcoming Shows

EVERYWHERE:
Today, all across the country, there are "Families Belong Together" marches. While the president's executive order may have stopped active separations, there are still thousands of children who are not being reunited with their parents. And, more broadly, our immigration policy is still focused on criminalization and cruel punishments, rather than justice, love, and welcome. Today is a chance to stand for something different. Families Belong Together

This week's episode of You're the Expert features Anand Varma, a NatGeo photographer and biologist whose photos have made possible scientific discoveries about bees, bats, and brain-controlled crabs. He talks to comedians Jo Firestone, Scott Adsit, and Kasha Patel about the intersection between art and science. Link

Season One of Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas is wrapped, but all ten episodes are streaming online now and we'll be back making more in the Fall. Link

NEW YORK:
Sunday, July 15 at 7 p.m. at Caveat. I'm hosting You're the Expert with comedians Josh Gondelman, Dylan Marron, and Ashley Brooke Roberts. Link

My full schedule with all upcoming dates is online here.

This week's list

GREAT:
I saw the Mr. Rogers documentary last night, Won't You Be My Neighbor?, and I was blown away. I had never realized how powerful, subversive, and deeply considered Mr. Roger's Neighborhood was. Every single review of the documentary says that you will cry in the theater and, guess what? They are right. You will feel feelings during this movie. It's a reminder of the fundamental importance of kindness and love and that the world needs much more of both. Won't You Be My Neighbor?


FUNNY:
Jon Stewart made a guest appearance on Colbert this week. He's been off the air for so long that I had almost forgotten what made him famous in the first place. He's able to take overwhelming political situations and not only make them hilarious but also boil them down to the core issue. His take on cruelty and false morality is a must-watch. Jon Stewart is Ready to Negotiate with Donald Trump (Bonus! From that same episode, Colbert interviewed the inspiring political superstar Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez)


INTERESTING:
Bianca Giaever is a filmmaker and radio producer who consistently puts together stories that stick in my brain for months. You've probably seen some of her award-winning short films, or heard her voice on This American Life or Radiolab. Her latest project is called "Two Years with Franz" and it's one of the most beautiful hours I've spent in my life. Bianca tries to make sense of 546 tapes that Pulitzer Prize winning poet Franz Wright recorded before his death. It's an examination of love, of mortality, of what it means to be alive, and what we take with us when we go. My description does not do it justice, so please experience this for yourself: Two Years with Franz


Thanks for reading! If you like these emails, please forward to a friend or come say hi at a live show. If someone forwarded you this email and you want to sign up, you cansubscribe here.

Stay strong,
Chris

3 Things: Becca Heller, CJ Hunt, and Erynn Brook

Happy 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.

Upcoming Shows

EVERYWHERE:
Season One of Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas. is officially a wrap, but you can stream all ten episodes on HBO Go / HBO Now. The full last episode is also up on YouTube here: Link  

Jo Firestone, Zhubin Parang, and Shalewa Sharpe encounter the chambered nautilus on the most recent episode of You're the Expert. Dr. Jennifer Basil teaches them all about these mysterious creatures of the deep and how they're helping her understand memory and navigation. Link

NEW YORK:
TODAY! Saturday, June 23 at 4 p.m. at Caveat. I'm hosting You Get A Spoon, my variety show and audience prize giveaway with comedy from Julia Johns (MTV) and a reading by Mads Jensen (Rookie Mag). Link

Tuesday, June 26 at 8 p.m. at The Bell House. Sarah Kay's Wordy Thirty. A night of poetry, music, and performances put together by the incredible Sarah Kay. All proceeds to benefit Hispanic Federations' UNIDOS program for Puerto Rico relief and recovery efforts. Link

Sunday, July 15 at 7 p.m. at Caveat. I'm hosting You're the Expert with comedians Josh Gondelman, Dylan Marron, and Ashley Brooke Roberts! Link

My full schedule with all upcoming dates is online here.

This week's list

GREAT:
Becca Heller is the co-founder and director of the Immigrant Refugee Assistance Project, an organization that provides legal assistance and advocacy. IRAP is doing amazing work fighting against policies like the travel ban and child separation and Becca is a fierce advocate. She's also hilarious. Her interview with Trevor Noah on The Daily Show was so funny and unexpectedly full of profanity and great off-the-cuff moments. You can see the whole thing in its unedited glory here: Dispelling Myths About Refugees in the Trump Era (and here is IRAP's site if you want to donate to them) 


FUNNY:
CJ Hunt is a comedian, writer, producer, storyteller, director... he basically does it all. He's someone I've admired as a person and a comedian since I was in college and first saw him on stage. This story he told for a Father's Day episode of The Moth Radio Hour encapsulates what I think makes CJ so special. He's funny and goofy, but also vulnerable and intelligent. CJ's story starts at 7:20 in. I Will Be Your Father Figure 

(See more from CJ here)


INTERESTING:
I read this illustrated essay a couple weeks ago and I have thought about it many times since. It's the kind of work whose power is getting stuck in your psyche, bouncing around and creating a new awareness of how people struggle and see the world. Emily Flake's beautiful illustrations make this a work of art. It's an issue and a mindset that too often gets ignored in the media. The Difference Between Being Broke and Being Poor


Thanks for reading! If you like these emails, please forward to a friend or come say hi at a live show. If someone forwarded you this email and you want to sign up, you cansubscribe here.

Enjoy the weekend,
Chris