3 Things: Grizzly Bears, Janelle James, and Daryl Davis

Hey there,

It's Saturday but also, somehow, it's still Tuesday?

If there's one thing I've learned this year, it's that I have no clue what will happen next. As for the election, I'm so sad and disappointed that it wasn't a landslide. I'm struggling to wrap my head around how that's possible. But I'm feeling optimistic about some big wins on the local level and that our country, across party lines, seems to be moving away from putting people in jail for nonviolent drug crimes. 

I wish we had gotten quicker, more decisive results, but the wait has created the a vacuum that comedians are perfectly suited to fill. Here are a few of the election bits that have made me laugh the most: Dracula, CNN's map, Fivey Fox and pretty much everything on The Onion.

Upcoming Events

LIVESTREAMS
- Wednesday, November 18th at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET
HIDDEN EXPERT. I’m hosting another edition of this storytelling series for LabX and the National Academy of Sciences. More info here.

This week’s list

GREAT:
As a way of decompressing after a full day of anxiety-refreshing the news, I like to read product reviews. Anything that's both extremely low stakes and very decisive. Do I have any interest in or need for a leaf blower? Absolutely not. But it calms me to know there is a conclusive best option. After doing a little research on the best portable electric blanket, gifts to buy a woodworker, and how to clean the glasses that I do not wear, I'm finally ready to go to sleep. Occasionally, though, I stumble across an article that is too good to not share. This article about the hilariously extreme process of certifying bear-proof containers is amazing and I love everything about it. These Bears Have a Job, and It's Destroying Coolers


FUNNY:
Janelle James is one of the funniest human beings on the planet. Janelle is also extremely cool. Why a naturally cool person would get into comedy is beyond me, but we are lucky to have her. She's a standup who tours with Chris Rock and Amy Schumer, she took over the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival, and everything she posts makes me laugh. Here's a great bit from her Netflix special about her son getting a little bit of his own money for the first time. How Life Slapped Janelle James’s Son In The Face


INTERESTING:
It's crystal clear that one of the biggest issues of the next four years, regardless of the outcome of this election, is going to be dealing with the extreme polarization in America. There are millions of angry, frustrated people out there. Figuring out how to de-radicalize and bring people into the fold is going to be crucial to our survival. Sometimes I wonder if it's even possible to change someone's mind or if people are just too entrenched. But Daryl Davis has spent years talking to people at the extreme end of the spectrum and actually winning them over. He's proof that it is possible and replicable. It just takes time and hard work. How One Man Convinced 200 Ku Klux Klan Members To Give Up Their Robes. More on Daryl here. (For more scientific research that aligns with his approach, here's a roundup, a related article on "deep canvassing" for marriage equality, and a peer-reviewed paper on reducing transphobia.)


Ok, thanks for reading! If you're enjoying 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.

Slowly counting my vote totals,
Chris

3 Things: AOC, Jonathan Muroya, and Matthew Desmond

Hey there,

Happy Halloween! Here is a list of every Halloween costume that I can remember wearing:

-Lion
-Dracula
-Time-Traveling Werewolf
-Banana
-Mr. Greenwald (my high school math teacher)
-Siegfried (of Siegfried and Roy)
-Parrot Doorman
-Dog cop
-Werewolf Doctor

Apparently my go-to costume is to combine "animal + profession." I hope you are staying safe and spooky indoors tonight and getting dressed up if you want to! The costume isn't for the candy, the costume is for you. This year, no one will be able to ask "Why time-traveling werewolf? What even is that?" Instead, it'll just be me nodding in the mirror at myself, saying "Oh... are you a time traveling werewolf? Love the look!"
 

UPCOMING EVENTS

HMM... LET ME THINK... WHAT COULD BE AN IMPORTANT EVENT THIS WEEK?
- If you're reading this email, I have to assume you've already voted or you have a plan. BUT IF NOT... you gotta do it!  Here's a nicely designed and clear state-by-state guide on how to vote. Here in California, I put my ballot in a library dropbox and got a text from the automated tracking system saying that my ballot has been received. It should be that easy for everyone.
 

This week’s list

GREAT:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a rare breed of political celebrity. Already demonized and feared by the right, she's only just beginning her career as a legislator. She's managed to remain amazingly candid under a level of scrutiny that I cannot imagine. She's also got a level of authentic Bronx energy that I deeply love and respect as a native New Yorker. This Vanity Fair profile of her got a lot of attention for a stupid reason (the price of the clothes she was wearing), but I wish more people read the piece because the substance is really great. She talks about the unhealthy desire to turn politicians into saviors or boogeymen, what it's like to be one of the only people in Congress who isn't rich, and why she believes so strongly in putting out big visionary plans instead of incremental improvements. AOC's Next Four Years

(semi-related: Alyssa Limperis doing the best AOC impression out there) 


FUNNY:
Jonathan Muroya is a RISD grad who's been putting out a bunch of very funny comics and cartoons about life in quarantine. Here's one on summer traditions: covid-edition. Or here's a great one on the Greek myths in quarantine.


INTERESTING:
Matthew Desmond is a sociologist and the head of Princeton's Eviction Lab. He won a Pulitzer for his book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. Evictions clearly lead to homelessness, but also much more. Worried about coronavirus? Evictions are super-spreader events. Care about racial and economic injustice? The wealth gap was created through redlining and is perpetuated by evictions. What's surprising is that housing also offers practical and immediate solutions to America's current issues. I've been amazed and inspired at what tenants unions across the country have accomplished this year, whether stopping illegal evictions in LA or a group in Minneapolis who kicked out their landlord and provided a blueprint for structural change. Desmond gives real reasons to be hopeful in this interview: 'Biggest thing to happen to renters since WWII': why this US eviction expert is optimistic


Ok, thanks for reading! If you're enjoying 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.

Boo,
Chris

3 Things: Sohla El-Waylly, Shane Torres, and Billie Jean King

Hey there,

This week's email is all about getting your fair share: getting credit for your work, getting evaluated fairly, and getting paid. It's way harder than it should be! In the best of times, it's challenging to advocate for yourself. It's especially hard right now, when so many people are out of work that many of us feel lucky for whatever we can get. 

A skill that I never expected to learn from doing comedy is negotiating. But since every writing gig, brainstorming session, and Zoom show is its own separate thing, I'm constantly having to think about my rate and what I'm willing to do for free. A full day of prep and a two hour show in exchange for a magazine subscription and "promotion to thousands of our social media followers"? Probably not, although I guess it depends on the magazine. A Zoom panel for senior citizens interested in podcasting? Sure, why not? 

Over the last few years, I've semi-regularly gotten emails from college students or recent grads trying to figure out how to have a career in entertainment. I try to always respond, since I had so many strangers kindly do the same for me. (Including the hilarious and wonderful Doug Abeles, who gave me a very memorable pep talk when I was still working as a teacher and he was a writer at Saturday Night Live. Then, in a pure coincidence, we ended up writing together years later and I got to thank him in person.)

This week, I had a phone call with a college student who was worried that having a not artistic day job would hurt her comedy chances. I gave her my standard advice, which is: I don't know anything, everyone's path is different! Please hire me when you are successful. Worry less about getting a comedy job and more about making work that you enjoy and that makes you and your friends laugh. Make sure you put that work out there where strangers can find it, even if that's scary (don't worry about making perfect art, just make it consistently). Be nice to people and reach out to people whose work you admire. Having a day job means you can worry less about making things that make money and more on making things you enjoy and developing your voice. Plus, having work experience makes you unique. Most people are more interested in a comedian who spent 5 years as a long-haul trucker than a comedian who also worked at a production company. So just do what you have to do to pay the bills and find your people and make funny stuff that you know has value. And then, rely on your community and don't be afraid to advocate for yourself. Also, once again, when you are successful, please hire me.

Upcoming Events

VOTING:
- There's less than two weeks left until voting is over. Make your voice heard! Here's a nicely designed and clear state-by-state guide on how to vote.

LIVESTREAMS:
- Sunday, October 25th at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET
EMAIL PRO. One of my best friends, Ivan, hosts a weekly comedy livestream where he sends emails to strangers suggested by the audience. Ivan's comedy is so funny but also makes me so nervous. Where my comedy is public radio, Ivan's is hard rock. He relishes my discomfort and deliberately makes me squirm whenever I'm a guest on his show. It's so funny. For example, here is a video of him making fun of the photos on my website. I have no idea what will happen on the show tomorrow morning, but Ivan says it's going to be "couples therapy for our friendship." Free on Twitch

- Wednesday, October 28th at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET
HIDDEN EXPERT. I’m hosting the second show of this new storytelling series for LabX and the National Academy of Sciences. More info here.

This week’s list

GREAT:
Sohla El-Waylly is an amazingly creative and charming chef. She was one of the stars of Bon Appétit Test Kitchen, but this summer walked away in the midst of a reckoning over how the company treats its employees of color. I'm so glad that Sohla is back and being treated fairly, because she is a star and a delight to watch and deserves to be paid huge sums of money. Her new show Stump Sohla is the perfect quarantine distraction, full of jokes and creativity and drool-inducing food. I loved this episode where she has to create a full tasting menu using only ingredients bought at a bodega. 7-Course Convenience Store Tasting Menu


FUNNY:
One of the all-time great jokes is Shane Torres defending Guy Fieri. It makes me laugh every time I hear it. Everything about this joke, from the concept to the wording to the delivery, is funny. Why Does Everyone Hate Guy Fieri? (Bonus: Here's a fun interview with Shane about writing this joke and how he managed to get the chef his fair credit.)


INTERESTING:
Mattie Kahn, one of my favorite writers and journalists, had a fantastic profile of Billie Jean King for Glamour. It was not only the cover story, but it's now getting turned into a docuseries examining "the influential characters and untold obstacles of female athletes past and present." Women's tennis is one of the only pro sports where female athletes are paid the same as their male counterparts. That's because of a fierce battle that Billie Jean King and the "Original 9" fought in 1970 to create their own tennis tour and make their own money. Listening to King reflect on that success (and her unfinished business) is fascinating. I also loved that halfway through the interview, she paused to ask Mattie if she was being paid fairly for writing this story. No One Plays the Game Like Billie Jean King


Ok, that's it for this week! If you're enjoying 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 great day,
Chris