3 Things: Emma Carmichael, Tom Ellison, and Vicky Schaubert

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 on any podcast app to You're the Expert, the show I host where three comedians interview a scientist about her work and why it matters.  Link

NEW YORK CITY:
Saturday, February 23 at  9:30 p.m. at Brooklyn Comedy Collective. I'm improvising with some of NYC's funniest comedians in Carley Moseley's Monster Mash show. A professional chef does a cooking demonstration and passes out samples to the audience and then we make up scenes based on their life. Link

ON TOUR:
I'm part of Pop-Up Magazine + XQ's spring tour, which is a high school themed edition. I'll be telling a story onstage with a group of journalists, musicians, and more. I'm 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:
Valentine's Day means that you were probably bombarded with stories and ads about relationships this week. But I bet you didn't hear enough about the real, harsh reality of love: that sometimes your friend Sarah comes up to you at lunch and tells you that Henry doesn't want to date anymore and then the next day, you find out that Henry and Sarah are dating! Betrayal. Passion. A secret diary. Do not miss the hilarious Emma Carmichael reading from her teen diary. (The article is good, but the video at the top is the must-watch here.) Huge News! Henry Asked Me Out 


FUNNY:
I know nothing about Tom Ellison other than he is a writer living in D.C. and he has clearly spent time in an airport recently. But his "short imagined monologue" for McSweeney'smade me laugh so much and I thought about it all week whenever I saw one of these backpacks.  Monologue: I Am a Stryker-X Assault Backpack, and This Airport Lounge is an Insult


INTERESTING:
For people with limited mobility, the Internet can be a lifeline. I'm not much of a gamer myself, but I found Vicky Schaubert's BBC story deeply touching. It's about a couple in Norway who discovered, at their son's funeral, that he had lived a much more vibrant and emotional life online than they'd ever imagined. "Robert and Trude mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated life for their disabled son. But when Mats died, they discovered that people all over Europe lit candles in his memory." The Starlight Guild


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: Liz and Mollie, Bill Hader, and Dan Mallory

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

NEW YORK CITY:
Saturday, February 23 at  9:30 p.m. at Brooklyn Comedy Collective. It's that time again! I'll be improvising with some of NYC's funniest comedians in Carley Moseley's delightful Monster Mash show. A professional chef does a cooking demonstration and passes out samples to the audience and then we improvise a show based on their life. Link

ON TOUR:
I'm joining Pop-Up Magazine + XQ for their spring tour, which is a high school themed edition. I'll be telling a story onstage with a group of journalists, musicians, and more. I'm 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:
No Hard Feelings is a fascinating and hilarious look at the role emotions play in our professional lives, whether we want to acknowledge them or not. It features personal anecdotes, interviews with top executives and academics, and clever cartoons. I laughed out loud at some parts of the book and found others immediately useful for my working life. It's officially on bookstore shelves around the world now and I can't recommend it enough (and that's not just because it's written by my wife Mollie and her friend Liz). Also, they've got a truly hilarious Instagram account that's blowing up and going viral! No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work


FUNNY:
Bill Hader visited Conan's new show and showed off his deeply disturbing and hilarious impression of Lorne Michaels. I really like the new Conan, not least of all because it creates more informal space for Conan and his guests to just hang out. Instead of the typical, somewhat forced talk show banter, it feels like watching what Conan and Bill Hader might actually talk about if they were alone. And hearing Conan just totally lose it laughing at the impression makes the whole thing so much funnier. I love it. Bill Hader's Killer Impression


INTERESTING:
I've never read the thriller The Woman in the Window or heard of the author A.J. Finn before this week, but apparently I've been living under a rock. The book has sold millions of copies, earned a multi-million dollar advance, and was turned into a major motion picture starring Amy Adams. But it turns out that the real plot twists are in the life of the man behind the pseudonym A.J. Finn. The New Yorker published an incredible investigation into his career that includes everything from lying about having brain cancer to faking a British accent to manipulating his way into a top publishing job and then almost never showing up for work. All before publishing one of the most successful novels of the past decade. It's an unbelievable story. A Suspense Novelist's Trail of Deceptions


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 weekend,
Chris

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