3 Things: All the Presidents, Tom Thakkar, and Dr. Emily Silverman

Happy November!

Before I get into this week's email, I need to issue a correction. Last week, I was writing about Halloween and I said "Everyone starts watching scary movies, which I hate. But they also make pumpkin pie, which I love." My friend Katie pointed out to me that that is... not a thing. People do not bake pumpkin pies for Halloween. And you know what? She's 100% correct. But doesn't it feel like pumpkin pies should be a Halloween tradition? There's so much pumpkin going on. Why do we not use them for their most delicious possible outcome? I'll never understand. Anyway, it's November now and that's all in the past.

This week’s list

GREAT:
Like a lot of us, Bianca Giaever feels like she doesn't know as much about history as she'd like. So she asked her friend Will, a high school history teacher, to tell her the story of the United States. Eleven hours later, Will finished describing each and every American president. Bianca recorded the whole thing, edited it down, and the result is a hilarious, accessible, and eye-opening look at how we got to where we are today. For anyone like me, who feels overwhelmed by the constant barrage of Trump news, this podcast is a great way to put today's political moment in perspective. As Will puts it, "it's about recognizing that this office has a story of its own." I've been recommending this podcast to everyone I can. It's fantastic. My new favorite president is James Garfield. All the Presidents, Man (start at the very beginning and listen in order!)


FUNNY:
Tom Thakkar's Comedy Central half hour just premiered last night. It's so good. Tom is funny and natural on stage and a great joke writer. You can't help but laugh the whole time. (He also co-hosts a great podcast about music, where comedians have to defend a band they love that everyone else hates.) If you can't access his special online, I believe you can see it on the Comedy Central app. It's really worth watching the whole thing. But in the meantime, here's a clip: The Question Half-Indian People Always Get Asked


INTERESTING:
Emily Silverman is a physician who, in addition to treating her patients, is working hard to humanize the medical profession and get doctors talking about their own stories, emotions, and experiences. In a field that values clinical detachment, she's pushing for more acknowledgment of the human need for connection. I'm a big fan. She created a live show and podcast, The Nocturnists, where doctors speak about their lives. And in this weekend's NYT, she has a fantastic essay about technology in hospitals and "the insecurities that come with being a doctor." Our Hospital's New Software Frets About My 'Deficiencies'


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Have a great week,
Chris

3 Things: Charlie Brown, The Pumpkin Dance, and Undead Brains

Happy Saturday!

Today, I've got a Halloween edition of Three Things for you. Personally, I go back and forth on whether I like Halloween or not. There's way too much pressure to come up with a clever costume. But it's also a holiday centered around getting food for free, and I love free food. Everyone starts watching scary movies, which I hate. But they also make pumpkin pie, which I love. Overall, it's like someone took my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, and added a lot more murder to it. But hey, you do you. 

Upcoming Shows

LOS ANGELES:
Sunday, October 27th at 7:15 pm at START LA. Golden Hour Comedy is a free outdoor comedy show featuring some of the best standup in LA. Also free hot dogs! You really can't go wrong. Link

This week’s list

GREAT:
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is one of the greatest specials to ever air on television. It's funny, it's touching, it's beautiful. And I mean, come on, it's the Great Pumpkin! Also the idea that Charlie Brown goes trick-or-treating and ends up with nothing but a basket full of rocks is so hilarious to me. Is there a sadder fate in the universe? I strongly recommend giving it a rewatch (ABC is currently streaming it) and, of course, the Vince Guaraldi Sextet is the perfect soundtrack for any of your late October activities.


FUNNY:
The Pumpkin Dance is one of the greatest accomplishments in choreography, performance, television, and costume design. A local news station in Omaha, Nebraska decided to take the road less traveled. They used the weather map green screen to create a spooky graveyard backdrop. And then they brought in the pumpkin dancer... and the world was never the same. KXVO15 Pumpkin Dance (h/t The Ann Friedman Weekly)


INTERESTING:
Dr. Nenad Sestan is a Yale neuroscientist whose research challenges our ideas about what it means to die. If you could cellularly revive tissue, would that mean that the organism was back from the dead? Or would that be a new creature? What if it wasn't just any tissue, but brain tissue? Would you do it? Should you? Those are incredibly tough questions, both philosophically and ethically, but they're questions we may need to answer sooner than later. Forget the zombie movies and dive into the real science. It's stranger than I could have imagined. Scientists Are Giving Dead Brains New Life. What Could Go Wrong?


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I hope this coming week is exactly as spooky as you want it to be,
Chris

3 Things: Rebecca Simon, Colin Nissan, and Murph the Surf

Happy Saturday!

Every week, I send out an email with my show dates and recommendations of things I think you might enjoy. This weekend, I'm back from tour and taking it pretty slow. Last night, Mollie and I went to a pumpkin carving party because, as one of the other guests put it, "in LA, you gotta grab onto anything resembling a season and hold on tight." So I'm wearing sweaters even if they're not strictly necessary, I'm carving pumpkins, and you better believe if I see an apple, I'm gonna pick it. (It seems unlikely I'll run into a wild apple, but who knows?)

Upcoming Shows

LOS ANGELES:
Wednesday, October 23rd at 8:30 pm at the Echo Park Swan Boat House. Squatmelt Comedy Crawl is a walking tour with stops for stand up sets. No tickets. You just show up. Check host Howard Kremer's twitter for details: Link

Sunday, October 27th at 7:15 pm at START LA. Golden Hour Comedy is a free outdoor comedy show featuring some of the best standup in LA. Also free hot dogs! You really can't go wrong. Link

This week’s list

GREAT:
Dr. Rebecca Simon is a historian who studies "all things pirates and executions." She's the perfect professor for the spookiest time of year. Dr. Simon's most recent publication is the incredible true story of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, two women who became the most feared pirates in the world.

"Anne Bonny made an unforgettable impression from the bow of the pirate ship, Revenge. Beautiful with fiery red hair that matched her temperament, she'd patrol the ship wearing a jacket and trousers, with a handkerchief tied around her head. Though forced to disguise herself as a man to lead the life she wanted, Anne proved herself to be just as skilled and ruthless as any pirate." The Revenge of Anne and Mary


FUNNY:
You've probably seen this piece before. It's a classic. A true masterpiece. But if you've never read it (or it's been a while), do yourself a favor and revisit it again. Because every time October comes around and there's a faint chill in the air, we all know what that means. It's Decorative Gourd Season, Motherf***ers.  (Thank you, Erica, for bringing this back into my life.)


INTERESTING:
"For its 150th anniversary, the American Museum of Natural History is celebrating its many historic moments, from its 1869 founding, to the 1902 discovery of the first T-Rex skeleton, to the creation of the Teddy Roosevelt statue erected out front in 1940. One milestone not on that list: the biggest jewel heist in New York history." I'd never heard the story of "Murph the Surf" and the looting of the Hall of Gems before. It took my breath away. How a Band of Surfer Dudes Pulled Off the Biggest Jewel Heist in N.Y. History


Thanks for reading! If you like these emails, please forward to a friend or spread the word. If someone forwarded you this email but you're not yet on the list, you can subscribe here.

Have a good weekend,
Chris