• Day 22. We’re going to get our 10,000 hours of quarantining in. Gladwell would be proud of all of us for becoming masters of our own literal domains. Luckily for all of us, the internet has been livelier than ever. I should be getting more work done but content is king and I can’t get enough. This week I participated in the onslaught of content and created two patented Matt Levy “Selfish Acts of Selflessness” where I do nice things on the web while also hoping to get followers out of it. I’ll admit it. It’s self-serving but I enjoy seeing what others create too. The first act of selfish kindness I did was a contest for a Best April Fool’s Story on Twitter. Winners get $1. I’m loving getting inventive stories on these and received a few gems this week. The winners were these:
Aimee Rose Ranger: I bought a bunch of “musical greeting cards” and took the sound mechanism out & taped them into every cabinet & door in my bf at the time apartment. The pantry was Johnny cash, The refrigerator made a spooky Halloween noise for months
Joel Walkowski: When I went to college at USC. I went to Chinatown, got a chicken & put it in my roommate’s room. He loved it. He built a coop, the chicken would follow us to class and I gave my professor’s eggs.
Clayton Porter: I put my college roommates car up for sell on Craigslist at a very very reasonable price. Pictures were included in the post.
If you’d like to read the other entries you can. The link is in the comments.
My second act of selfish selflessness was a bit more involved. I created my “Third Annual Matt Levy Link in the Comments Film Festival.” Basically, anyone can enter their film in the Fest (even you- there’s no deadline!). You get in. I review your film. No matter what, I only give you a gushing review. Saw 40 or so amazing shorts that were all very deserving of their glowing praise. If you’d like to see the films themselves, you can. The link for that is in the comments as well.
• Enough about my Twitter. Here are some great things my comedy peers are doing that you should be taking note of:
- Brian Bahe is doing a wonderful Instagram series where he calls people up and asks if “they’re OK.” I’ve been a fan for awhile but I especially loved the video of Brian talking to his Dad. It was heartfelt, funny and even a bit awkward at times. Just like all calls with parents. If you want to check it, you can follow Brian on the gram at brian_bahe
- The comic who is owning COVID-19 the best so far (no offense to everyone) is Maria Wojchiekowski. From her on-point ABBA song parody to her 50 states reacting to social distancing with a comic from each state (it’s a joy to discover where people are from I’ve found), had a parallel thought joke of hers get passed around over and over. In short, she’s doing really inventive stuff while inside. Check her stuff out on her Facebook before it goes wildly viral.
- I haven’t seen anyone put out a rallying cry to keep comedy going(!) quite like Eleazar Guzman. We’ve met a handful of times but being his friend on Facebook has been inspiring. He’s promoting others and doing the Lord’s work. Most recently, he created a podcast called The Comedy Showcase. It’s closer to what a show feels like than anything I’ve heard. He hosts the thing and then plays selected clips from comics including me (I killed it in September 2018). After the comics’ sets, he gives you the performer’s Twitter and Instagram and Venmo information. Truth be told, we should all be paying him. If you want to listen, the link be in the comment.
- Matt Storrs, one of the nicest and funniest guys in comedy (who I knew way back when in Arizona), celebrated a birthday last Sunday. He hosted a call in show on Facebook. I tuned in for just a little bit and was dazzled at how fun it was. People wrote in and requested that Matt and Hattie Hayes do things and I had a blast. It wasn’t quite like being there but it felt close to the real thing. If you want to live it for yourself, the link is in the comments.
- Most of the most important things in comedy’s evolution right now are happening on Instagram. Even cooler, is that the real humor tastemakers are taking notice. The invaluable Jason Zinoman wrote an article this week and it featured Chris Calogero and Noah Findling. Two guys who are long overdue for these props. It’s a great article and if you want to peep it (and/or have free articles left this month), you already know the link is in the comments.
- If you want props here, DM me. Happy to write up anything about anyone. Not trivializing all those that are propped up, but it’s nice to have someone write nice words about you and I’m happy to be that guy for you.
• It wouldn’t quarantine, if I didn’t tell you what I watched this week. Here are super short recaps with an idea of whether or not said content is worth your time:
“Midsommar” (2019): Anna E. Paone told me I could watch this after she went to bed (this is not her kind of content). Wednesday night, I stayed up until 2 AM. This movie is a lot of things. It’s a character study, a satire of Americans abroad knowing nothing of international customs, a straight up pagan horror film and also features Chidi from “The Good Place” as well as Will Poulter who is from “Son of Rambow” one of my all-time favorite movies. Full of terrifying and beautiful imagery, this one ISN’T FOR EVERYONE but it is great (Streaming on Amazon Prime).
“Mortdecai” (2015): Remember this movie that flopped and everyone said it was the beginning of the end of Johnny Depp’s career? Well, I watched it so you don’t have to. It’s one of those “It’s so bad it’s bad” movies unlike Ed Wood stuff (ironically Depp’s best). Kind of like “Austin Powers” but not even close to funny. HARD TO RECOMMEND this other than for Depp’s dumb mustache and bizarre acting from Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn, Jeff Goldblum and Paul Bettany (streaming on Hulu).
“Crip Camp” (2020): Sam Zelitch set up a group text for me and Anna to watch this movie with him. It was a fun way to watch a movie even as beautiful and serious a documentary as this. Full of moving stories and a political message, it’s a nice, heartwarming watch where you can actively root against politicians like Nixon and then somehow cheer on George Bush Sr? I’d say CHECK IT ON OUT (streaming on Netflix).
Dan Aykroyd episode of “WTF:” If you’re a fan of any of his work or Belushi, it certainly made for an interesting listen. Great inside stories about the early days with Lorne.
Bert Kreischer’s “Hey Big Boy” (2020): Kreischer is something. He takes his shirt off to start sets, yells, says incredibly insensitive things but somehow I like him? Someone called him “uncancelable” online. Perfect way to put it. Definitely not my favorite comic but he is always entertaining. He’s the funny frat bro that grew up and now he’s not just known around campus- the whole world is familiar with his antics. If THIS IS YOUR KIND OF THING, you’ll love it and have probably already seen this (streaming on Netflix).
Madeline Kahn Hosts SNL (1978): Anna wanted to see this episode and I was very much down. It’s from the show’s golden era that I always find to be hit or miss. This installment is very much that. Tom Schiller’s short about aging hippies made us LOL but many sketches were joke free or fell flat. You do get a rare Lorne Michaels appearance though. FOR MADELINE KAHN FANS ONLY (streaming on Hulu).
Finally, here are some quick comedy obscurities I ran into on the web this week if you want short chunks of great stuff:
Chuck Jones, the fantastic Looney Tunes animator has a short in his honor online. It’s eight minutes and an inspirational watch if you’re in a creative rut. Link is in the comments.
Looked up a famous SNL sketch from the reviled 1980-81 season. It’s called Foot Fetish, it’s one minute (not about foot fetishes), stop motion animation and is genius. Only one minute long and the link is in the comments (you need Amazon Prime to see this).
Another curiosity I found is an amazing Gilbert Gottfried sketch from his lone season on SNL in 1980-81 introducing Gilbert to the world. It’s very Woody Allen-esque (from his early funny ones) and a little under four minutes. If you’re a Gilbert fan and want to see him “pre-voice” this is the content to see. Link in comments.
“To The Moon” is a short by John Reynolds. It’s on Vimeo, sixteen minutes and a “Who’s Who” of NYC comedy. Honestly, it’s a better, funnier, more well-produced version of my thesis film “A Portrait of the Sandwich Artist as a Young Man.” It hurts to admit that. Links for both are in the comments.
Final recommendation is a 2015 New York Times article about amazing comedians that never became famous (also by Jason Zinoman!). It features stories about the legend Charlie Barnett and is a fun, quick read.
Know how long this quarantine has gone on? My Mom has sent me every baby picture of me. I love it. She’s great. See you next week, fam
01.) Link in the Comments Festival: https://twitter.com/MattLevy51/status/1245785944655048705
02.) April Fools Contest: https://twitter.com/MattLevy51/status/1245351315531800579
03.) Matt Storrs Live Birthday Show: https://www.facebook.com/events/144819976909844
04.) NYT Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/29/arts/television/instagram-live-comedy-virus.html?fbclid=IwAR3aQioEwiD1XW7Jmp29u7_jp4BUGlxKzOnzJetjGkLv3tjoRbS1G7GXHqI
05.) Eleazar podcast: https://anchor.fm/ComedyShowcasePodcast/episodes/Episode-1-ecckcg?fbclid=IwAR0Y8XcFE47Q-Nxd2v0rEZC4np8OLQUNr012nPLxwp7Lb_I7oWr4JcJMZkI
06.) Chuck Jones Video: https://vimeo.com/133693532?utm_source=email&utm_medium=vimeo-digest-daily_digest-20140100&utm_campaign=9279&email_id=ZGFpbHlfZGlnZXN0fDFlYzVmNjM1MmI5MzRmYzY5NTE4YzhiYzU5OTcxZjQwMjkxfDIyOTA5NTd8MTQ4NTQzMjQ0MHw5Mjc5
07.) Foot Fetish Sketch: https://www.amazon.com/Foot-Fetish-Randal-Kleiser/dp/B07ZX76BGM
08.) Gilbert Sketch: https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/who-is-gilbert-gottfried-/n8715
08.) To The Moon: https://vimeo.com/366570716
09.) Portrait of a Sandwich Artist as a Young Man: https://vimeo.com/44733572
09.) Charlie Barnett article: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/arts/catch-charlie-barnett-and-other-rising-stand-up-stars-who-never-hit-the-top.html
