• You ever go down a YouTube video spiral where you watch fifteen video essays out of nowhere? You’re not alone. I do it too (mostly weird easter egg stuff for Tarantino and Jordan Peele movies by their superfans) and so do most Americans. This past week, one of my friends John Field Hohensee (recently retweeted by Rachel Leigh Cook!) made an exceptional video that felt just as good and professional as these videos but much funnier. His is about how “Josie and the Pussycats” is the greatest film of all time. There are funny bits interspersed, commentary on why we consider certain movies great and some frivolous and there was a (SPOILER) fantastic Sarah Kennedy cameo that really made me laugh. If you have 13 or so minutes, you should check it out and see why “Josie and the Pussycats” is the greatest film of all time. Link in the comments.
• It’s that time of year. Comedy anniversary time. The annual reflection. You’ve all been there. This is my seventh consecutive year doing stand up (I did a weird year and a half in high school taking classes with my Dad Andy Levy where I actually threw up Gatorade onstage that I don’t really count). Anyway, the biggest lesson I learned this year was that if you walk onstage smiling you will be better. That’s it. I heard it on a podcast and honestly it works (at least for me). I don’t think it literally has to be a smile either; more just a mindset. If you don’t go up blank but go up in the headspace of what you’re trying to achieve, it’s much easier. Sorry if that's preachy and you're welcome if it's helpful. Having Anna E. Paone in the crowd for a lot of my sets certainly helps too. On a separate note, a friend of mine who isn’t on Facebook asked me how comedy was going recently and I said, “Well, I haven’t really made any major moves in it but I am having more fun than ever.” It’s true. I’m not doing this for success, I’m here because there’s nothing I’d rather spend my free time doing.
• Got a fresh cut from Kenny Warren at his barbershop this past Saturday and I’ve never received so many compliments on a haircut (it was two compliments for people wondering how many). Seriously though, if you live in NYC and are hopping from barber to barber, hit Kenny up instead. He does a damn good job.
• Watched quite a few comedy movies I’d never seen this week. For example, “Kindergarten Cop” or “Rush Hour.” Just never got around to them. Both were fun and now I finally get some references to lines I’d heard for years but never knew the context for. Also, caught “Sling Blade” (would call this a drama with humorous moments) which I didn’t know much about but was really impressed by. It was written, directed and stars Billy Bob Thornton and is a massive achievement. No spoilers from me here. See it if you haven’t already. Wanted to point out that “Under The SIlver Lake” is also available to stream on Amazon (the shelved neo noir from David Robert Mitchell who directed “It Follows”). I could see WHY it was shelved. It’s long, shaggy and doesn’t really fit in a post-#metoo world. Pretty exploitative of women but the movie does make some interesting points about the control media has over us and hidden messages that were too inventive to ignore. Plus, there’s a character who claims he wrote every pop song in history. Honestly, see this movie just for that scene. It’s worth it for that guy. Finally, I watched the Aziz special. What can I say? I was curious. I was curious about one of my all time favorite directors Spike Jonze's newest work behind the camera. I was curious to see if Aziz would own up to his past misdeeds. I was curious to see if it was funny. Here’s my takeaway. I’m going to go against the grain and say it wasn't that bad comedically. I found myself liking it quite a bit. I will say that this special is NOT a proper apology as much as he makes it out to be (his moments of earnestness feel a little false and exist mostly to pat himself on the back) but there are some very smart observations about 2019 knee jerk reactions to news stories and a fantastically realized bit about visiting your parents. Feel free to hate this special and my thoughts on it all you want, (in a way I kind of hated myself for enjoying) but I would say at least give it a shot before knocking it (please don't cancel me).
• I’ve been a semi-regular on Paul Schissler and Nick Jack Pappas' ComedyWire forever now. I’ve said it before but it really is the only productive way to waste time on the internet. Well, this week it wasn’t only productive for me; it was also lucrative. I submitted a one-liner for a Contest to write in the voice of Steve Martin and I somehow won the $200.00 grand prize. It came as a huge surprise and I’m still excited just thinking about it. This is the first time I’ve ever won any writing contest and I’m incredibly grateful to the people at ComedyWire for this.
• Gonna do two quick shout outs this week. The first goes to Madison Allen who I saw perform at Magick Mic on Monday night. He had a bit about girls from his High School that blew me away. Just an incredibly sharp piece of writing that saw a premise I’d seen before finally delivered to its logical conclusion. Seriously book this guy, he’s on fire right now. Second shout out goes to Alvin Kuai. I’ve always been a fan of his from afar and I got to see him do a fun set at the Parish mic last week. The guy writes smart bits. Book him if you can too. The two of these guys together make a great addition to any lineup.
• Finally, see Thom Yorke and PT Anderson’s “Anima” on Netflix. It’s weird, slapstick-y, satirical and full of Thom Yorke sounds if that’s your thing. I loved every second of it and it’s only fifteen minutes. You won't hate yourself for watching it like you did for Aziz's special either.
• No shows for me this week. I bet you I tell you my thoughts on NBC’s “Bring the Funny” next week though.
To be continued next Wednesday
