3 Things: Joanna Hausmann, Eliza Cossio, and Will Guzzardi

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:
You can listen to You're the Expert, my podcast where three comedians interview a scientist about her work and why it matters.  Link

No Hard Feelings is in book stores this Tuesday, February 5th! It's written by my wife Mollie West Duffy and her co-author Liz Fosslien and it's fantastic. You can read more about it and pre-order here: Link

NEW YORK CITY:
Tuesday, February 5 at Powerhouse Arena. Come join me in the audience for Mollie and Liz's official book release! They're going to have prizes, a photo station, and of course, they'll be reading from their newly published book. Link

ON TOUR:
I'm joining Pop-Up Magazine for their spring tour, which is a special high school themed edition. I'll be joining a group of educators, journalists, musicians, and more as the comic relief.
-2/28 in Memphis at the Crosstown Arts Theater
-3/2 in Nashville at the War Memorial Auditorium
-3/7 in Denver at the Ogden Theatre
-3/8 in Colorado Springs at the Shockley-Zalabak Theater
-3/15 in Los Angeles at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre
-3/30 in Chicago at the Harris Theater

 You can get tickets for all those shows (and more, as they're announced) online at my website here.

This week’s list

GREAT:
Joanna Hausmann is a Venezuelan-American comedian, writer, and performer. She's built a following for herself online with short funny videos that explore cultural differences. But with the recent events in Venezuela and the confusion surrounding them in the U.S. media, Joanna is using her platform to try and help her American fans understand the answer to a simple question: What's Happening in Venezuela?


FUNNY:
Eliza Cossio is such a creative, hilarious writer and also a lovely person. This week, she gave a true gift to the world in the form of a script for a crossover episode between Sex and the City and The Sopranos. It showcases Eliza's offbeat sense of humor, but also her ability to write pitch-perfect dialogue for both shows. I don't know what else I can say other than it's so so so funny. "Business or Personal?"


INTERESTING:
One of my best friends from college, Will Guzzardi, is a state representative for Chicago's 39th District. Watching Will decide to run, campaign, and ultimately win his race was one of the most inspiring things I've gotten to witness. There's not a lot of glory in being a state representative. It's not a flashy position or even the most powerful one. But it's a chance to make a positive impact on his neighborhood. I think about Will whenever I start feeling cynical about politics. Because while there's lots to be dismayed by, there are also good hard-working people out there who just want to help their communities and grapple with the tough issues. This short documentary about Will versus Chicago's political machine is definitely worth a watch. I think we could all use a reminder that there are people like Will out there. The 39th 


Thanks for reading! If you like these emails, please forward to a friend or come say hi at a live show. If you're reading this for the first time (maybe someone forwarded you this email?), you can subscribe here.

Stay warm out there!
Chris

3 Things: Chiitan the Otter, Natalie Walker, and Michael J. Fox

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:
You can listen to You're the Expert, my podcast where three comedians interview a scientist about her work and why it matters.  Link

No Hard Feelings is in book stores on February 5th in the U.S., but for any readers abroad, it's out this week in the U.K. You can read more about it and pre-order here: Link

NEW YORK CITY:
TONIGHT Saturday, January 26 at the Brick Theater. I'm improvising with some of NYC's best on the very fun Monster Mash show. Link

Tuesday, February 5 at Powerhouse Arena. Come join me in the audience for Mollie and Liz's official book release! They're going to have prizes, a photo station, and of course, they'll be reading from their newly published book. Link

I know I've said this in like 4 separate emails at this point, but I'm going to put up my new tour dates ASAP. I'm just waiting on a few venue details to be finalized and then I'll put them online here.

This week’s list

GREAT:
I was not aware that cities having mascots in Japan was a thing, but apparently it is and I love it. The only way it could get better is if there were unauthorized mascots that went rogue. Oh wait? That's a thing too. Let me introduce you to Chiitan, perhaps the greatest anthropomorphic otter in the history of Earth. In the words of The New York Times, "A Rogue Mascot Causes Headaches for a Japanese City." Or if you're the type that doesn't want any context and just wants to see what it means for an otter to stage "dark" "dangerous and non-child-friendly" stunts, watch this.

 
FUNNY:
One of my favorite parts of comedy is when a performer identifies something incredibly specific that we all recognize but have never bothered to think about before. Natalie Walker is the master of finding those in the movies. She makes hilarious videos auditioning for parts like "lady with British accent who so fiercely supports the difficult man she loves" or "Boston lady who represents rough past." My personal favorite is "lady who is married to a history-making man."

(Another excellent example of these is Chris Calogero's audition to play "Chief of Police.")

INTERESTING:
I've always been a fan of Michael J. Fox's movies and I had a sort of generic admiration for how he's battled Parkinson's disease, but I never realized how dramatically he's changed medical research. His foundation has created a new model for fighting diseases through its innovative fundraising/spending and by hiring scientists full-time and prioritizing collaboration. I read the story in Bloomberg in this fascinating op-ed by Joe Nocera. The Michael J. Fox Foundation Gets Results


Thanks for reading! If you like these emails, please forward to a friend or come say hi at a live show. If you're reading this for the first time (maybe someone forwarded you this email?), you can subscribe here.

Have a great day,
Chris

3 Things: Haywood Turnipseed, Mekki Leeper, and Rachel Cusk

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:
You can listen to You're the Expert, my podcast where three comedians interview a scientist about her work and why it matters.  Link

I was in a few online things this week.
- An article in Vulture about the weird art of coming up with a show title
- A tribute to one of my favorite poets, Mary Oliver.
-On Jesse Williams instagram, as the meme that just will not die. 

My wife Mollie's upcoming book got a great review in the Financial Times! They called it a "lively book" and said it would be "a wise purchase... for anyone who simply wants non-preachy guidance on how to be a more effective (and kinder) colleague at work." No Hard Feelings comes out on February 5th but you can see more and pre-order here: Link

NEW YORK CITY:
Saturday, January 26 at the Brick Theater. I'm improvising with some of NYC's best at Carley Moseley's very fun show Monster Mash, where a chef makes a dish for the audience and then we all do a show inspired by it. Funny and delicious! Link

Tuesday, February 5 at Powerhouse Arena. Come join me in the audience for Mollie and Liz's official book release! They're going to have prizes, a station where you can make your own stress ball, and of course, they'll be reading from their newly published book. It's going to be great and it costs zero dollars. Link

As always, you can find my schedule with all upcoming dates online here.

This week’s list

GREAT:
Haywood Turnipseed Jr. is a great comic with a great name. What's not great is that, as a federal employee, he's already missed one paycheck and is on track to miss a second. While the longest U.S. government shutdown continues without an end in sight, there doesn't seem to be a lot of empathy for the people it's hurting. Comedy is sometimes able to cut through the noise. I hope Haywood's article opens a few eyes. At the very least, it's going to make you laugh. Trump Furloughed Me. Should I Take Up Pole Dancing?

 
FUNNY:
Mekki Leeper had a fantastic standup set on The Late Late Show last week. He's got lots of great punchlines, a really interesting personal story, and a ton of charm. It's the rare late night set that I watched more than once and truly enjoyed a second time as well. He talks about discovering he's a "weak little nerd," growing up in a Christian-Muslim interfaith house, and why you should never trust an older man using Crest white strips. Mekki Leeper 


INTERESTING:
I'm in the middle of Rachel Cusk's novel Outline right now. Her writing is so densely layered that I sometimes have to reread her paragraphs multiple times to make sure I understand what she's saying. But she uses that density to capture a particular sensation or memory so perfectly that I can feel it as though it was my own. The reward is worth the work. And so when I stumbled across her article in the NYT Magazine this weekend, I sat down and made sure I had enough time to really get into it. Her essay is ostensibly about driving, but it's really a combination of personal vignettes, philosophical musings on the subjectivity of experience, sketches of life in rural Britain, and more. It's beautiful. What Driving Can Teach Us About Living


Thanks for reading! If you like these emails, please forward to a friend or come say hi at a live show. If you're reading this for the first time (maybe someone forwarded you this email?), you can subscribe here.

Have a great MLK weekend,
Chris