• Not a lot to laugh at this week. However, something is brewing in America in a way I’ve never felt in my 30+ privileged years that is righteous, angry and determined. Black Lives Matter is the conversation we all need to be having to move toward an active, anti-racist future (as opposed to “non-racist” which is well-meaning indifference; something I’d practiced my whole life) and so this week, I will be highlighting all things comedy-adjacent to the movement along with brief props for friends and peers who had major achievements in the field of laughter this week.
Everything else that I saw, listened to or read (mostly from Anna’s and my brand new Disney + subscription) will be featured in a longer version of this on my website (all of that stuff will be directly below where this Stray Notes ends if you navigate there) that will be linked below as well.
Let’s begin.
• As a formerly non-racist (thought it was bad, didn’t lift a finger other than the occasional petition), white guy, I miss a lot of what’s actually going on in the New York comedy scene. I don’t see the racism or sexism behind the scenes and am often complicit in thinking people who are nice to me are good, all-around people. This, obviously, is not always the case. The trailblazing Neruda Wiliams brought this to light this week with his revolutionary status where he pulls an Oni Francis and #namenames. Williams published a list of dozens of comics who are racist and expose themselves in hundreds of comments below. It’s an eye-opening read and you should certainly click on his profile to get the tea and maybe even contribute to the fascinating, heated thread if you see fit.
• In a time where all comedy shows should effectively be cancelled to not cloud the message of the movement, some should still go forth if they’re going to tackle what’s going on head on. One of these shows is Ben Katzner, Chloe Radcliffe and Caitlin Peluffo’s weekly online show Something Good. This week, they raised money for a number of causes related to the anti-racist movement and generated laughs in the process. Their 68-minute video podcast hybrid details what it was like being on the ground for the protests in New York City and each of the hosts’ experiences the past few days. Ben is from Minnesota which made it all the more powerful for him having been on the very street many times where George Floyd was brutally murdered by police. Still, there are moments of levity. It’s a nice snapshot of what we all were feeling this week and if you’re interested in a listen, I’ve linked the episode in the comments.
• I remember when Kenny DeForest moved to New York in 2013. I was new too and immediately took a shine to him; he had a big heart and wasn’t weird about “status in the community” like so many others. Everyone was just a friend to him. It was a joy to see his quick rise alongside fellow funny, nice Chicagoans Will Miles and Clark Jones. When they were anointed as the heirs to Hannibal’s Knit show they kept it alive in a way that felt vital and rejuvenating as opposed to letting something so special fall apart. Although they no longer host, their tenure remains in our memory and it was never more apparent than this week when Kenny shared a story of the time Dave Chappelle dropped into the Knit 5.5 years ago. Don’t let me dilute the story by telling it here. Read the incredible Twitter thread linked below and be blown away once again by what Chappelle can do onstage.
• Although not BLM-related, wanted to prop up the ultimate hustler in comedy Usama Siddiquee for his appearance on America’s Got Talent this past week. The clip already has nearly 1,000,000 views (it’s at 994,000- give it a watch to bump it to the seven-digit mark!) and is a nice introduction to Usama but it’s barely a taste. Middle America is in for a treat. Very cool to see a friend - especially one the night before he got JFL popped in at a mic I was at and stayed until the very END- on such a large platformthat even my Dad watches. This is well-earned and great to see someone who has worked so hard get their due.
• I’ve never met Matt Ruby but I’ve been a fan for a bit. He and I have corresponded on occasion and after seeing his name pop up in Pete Holmes’ “Comedy Sex God” which I’m currently reading, I reached out to him and he told me he had just released a special and sent me a link. The cool 67-minute showcase of his talents is part introspective doc, part question and answer session with a willing, friendly audience that allows for vulnerability and part his undeniable act. The opening chunk on side groups in group texts is intricate and legendary. The whole thing feels like an extended riff on Neal Brennan’s “Three Mics” in a way that is wholly his own. The link is in the comments and yes, it’s free to see.
• Oscillated back and forth on writing about Vice’s show “Flophouse.” However, it features a number of great comedians I know (recognized Yogi Paliwal, Julie Mitchell, Mara Wiles, Kevin O’Brien and a number of others I’ve seen around) that I thought it was worth getting on folks’ radars since the entire eight-episode series is on Hulu for just a few more days. If you’re not familiar, the show is about under the radar comedy in different scenes like Atlanta, San Francisco, New Orleans, Denver and um, LA while featuring a brief cameo from Executive Producer, auteur, personal hero of mine Spike Jonze getting a haircut. It feels like a timely introduction to this generation of comedians and features a wide array of voices ranging from pros like Moshe Kasher to folks who are just a year or two into the joke-telling trade. Binge it fast while you still can.
• Kenya Barris on “WTF:” Hell of a podcast episode. I’ve seen a handful of episodes of “Blackish” but didn’t really know about this enterprising comedic force. He has quite a story and since Kenya is a major proponent of Black voices, I’d love to recommend this episode. There are stories about his nerdiness (related to his obsessive SNL fandom), his troubled past (his Mom shot his Dad; Dad survived and then JUST died of COVID), name dropping (He’s friends with Tyra Banks and I believe went to high school with er), creative differences with his own family (his mom wants him to stay at BET instead of produce shows for ABC and Netflix but she stays on top of what he does to tell her friends) and complex thoughts on Tyler Perry, this was a breezy, fun episode untouched by the tragedy that was to follow. Linked below.
• Anna Paone’s aunt Carole Harris sent me a 28-minute clip from a 1981 episode of “The Tonight Show” hosted by Johnny Carson with guests George Carlin and Richard Pryor. We see a bit of Carlin’s act and a casual interview with one of the all-time greats. Then, Richard comes out for an interview and there’s a tonal shift. Carole pointed it out over Messenger and it’s loud and clear. There are many subtle racial jabs that a “non-racist” might make about class and theft that come across as tone-deaf now. Yes, this was released in 1981 but when someone like Carson has a platform like that, joke responsibly like you do with Carlin. No need to make easy racial jokes that undermine your guest who happens to be a lot funnier than you. Link is in the comments of course.
Finally, I’d like to recommend some excellent, very funny comedies written and directed by Black artists that don’t feel like they were sanitized by Hollywodd AND might be a little off the beaten path:
Dear White People (2014): Written and directed by Justin Simien
Hollywood Shuffle (1987): Written and directed by Robert Townsend
CB4 (1993): Written by Chris Rock
Luce (2019): Written and directed by Julius Onah
Black Dynamite (2009): Written and directed by Scott Sanders
“Little” (2019): Written and directed by Tina Gordon
“Sorry To Bother You” (2018): Written and directed by Boots Riley
“I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” (1988): Written and directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans
“Boomerang” (1992): Directed by Reginald Hudlin
“Medicine for Melancholy” (2008): Directed by Barry Jenkins
Tyrel (2018)*- not written or directed by a Black artist but a fantastic companion piece to “Get Out”
Here’s a great list of Black female comedy directors ( I haven’t seen a lot of these films and am excited to): https://www.blackwomendirectors.co/comedy-1
Please let me know of more. Always happy to learn and see more. Let me know of oversights from this list. Doesn’t have to be comedy either.
If you’re interested in reading what I wrote last week that is not at all related to what’s going on in America but is a distillation of what happened that week in comedy (this will be published on Facebook at a later date as well), you certainly can at https://www.mattlevycomedy.com/comedystraynotes/2020/5/31/comedy-stray-notes-may-31-2020
#BlackLivesMatter
For those that made it to the site, welcome. Here’s some quick reviews of what I took in this week in addition to the above that feels slightly less important in this important moment in history:
“Onward” (2020): Many friends (well, two) have told me they cried watching this new Pixar film. I love a good emotional, animated flick as much as the next guy and this certainly delivered. The movie is your classic coming-of-age awkward teenager dealing with a parent they haven’t met tale that Disney specializes in but this one has unique packaging: it’s set in a world where magic exists but is hardly ever used. Perhaps a metaphor for our tech-obsessed selves? Either way, this element makes the story its own and we get to see our co-protagonists (cotagonists?) who happen to be brothers go on an adventure to bring their Dad fully back to life since their spell only brought his legs back. It’s a cross between “Dungeons and Dragons” and “Weekend at Bernie’s” and is a moving ode to family. EXCELLENT FOR ALL AGES (Streaming on Disney +).
“Bedtime Stories” (2008): Love Sandler but this is another one of his kid flicks that didn’t age well. The story is besides the point (ironically in a movie with the word “Stories” in its title) but I’ll summarize: A hotelier is bought out and told his son (Sandler) will be in charge as an adult. Cut to him as a lowly janitor at the hotel. He’s estranged from his sister (Courteney Cox?) but somehow has to babysit her children for a week while she goes to Arizona for a job interview and they connect over, you guessed it, hotels. Just kidding. They bonded over Bedtime Stories obviously. In any event, this movie is structured fine but is bad and watching it I realize how destructive it is to kids to have lazy jokes taking a dump on people who drive priuses and value nutrition while also casting Rob Schneider as a Native American chief. This kind of stuff influences kids’ worldviews and feels particularly insensitive and troll-y. Perhaps I’m a snowflake but DON’T LET YOUR KIDS SEE THIS ONE (Streaming on Disney +).
“Brothers Bloom” (2009): Love Rian Johnson and wanted to like this so bad. For all of its remarkable production design, twisty dialogue that rhymes for the first ten minutes just because, fun casting (Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody are both great) and con man story, this one just didn’t do it for me. Could never fully follow the story (I believe they con Rachel Weisz and then end up not conning her? There’s a lot more than that) and found myself drifting in and out of sleep even though I watched it at 6 PM or so. I WOULD TRY AGAIN (Streaming for free on IMDB TV with commercials).
“Fort Tilden” (2014): Anna recommended seeing this since it was directed by the co-creators of her favorite show “Search Party.” At first, this story of two girls going from Williamsburg to deep Brooklyn felt like a disposable riff on “Girls” when that was still part of the pop culture conversation. However, it’s really more a harsh critique on vapid 20-something Brooklynites than a fun romp through the City. We see them avoid responsibilities, bicker and get peer pressured. On top of that, it’s really funny and features Bridey Elliott (Chris’ daughter and Abby’s sister) crush it in a leading role alongside cameos from Reggie Watts, Neil Casey and Will Hines. It feels like what comedy felt like six years ago and also feels very now too. IT’LL MAKE YOU CRINGE BUT YOU SHOULD SEEK IT OUT (Streaming for $3.99 on Amazon).
“Changeland” (2019): Having always been an intermittent fan of “Robot Chicken” on Adult Swim, I was more than excited to see Seth Green’s first feature he wrote and directed show up on streaming after missing its brief theatrical run. It was very disappointing. Green, recently dumped, goes to Thailand with his buddy Breckin Meyer to Thailand to deal with his loss. They learn lessons, connect with locals, Macaulay Culkin is there, etc, etc. Every beat of a movie about a guy finding himself is here. None of the wild wit and all of the boring choices a first time director will make. Obviously not Seth’s fault; no movie is exactly what you expect it will be but THIS LET ME DOWN QUITE A BIT (Streaming on Hulu).
Hannah Gadsby’s “Douglas” (2020): Gadsby kinda reinvented the special again here. I loved what she did. She devotes the first ten minutes of her hour telling you exactly the chunks she’s going to address in her set and even gives you her closer telling us she’ll drop the mic and somehow it all still feels surprising even when we’re waiting for the expected results. It’s all structured like a great magic trick with callbacks we’re gleefully anticipating. Not to mention that it’s all still really funny and feels much shorter than its runtime suggests. EVEN IF YOU HATED “NANETTE” DON’T IGNORE THIS (Streaming on Netflix).
Mark Normand’s “Out To Lunch” (2020): This was the first of two specials streaming on YouTube I saw this week. Normand, a fixture in the NY scene, does all the jokes I’ve heard hundreds of times at bar shows small and large and they all still work. He’s got that re-watch value. In fact, I tore my headphones off multiple times so Anna could hear jokes Mark had just made that I was happy to listen to a second time. This guy writes and writes and writes and it shows. Even his final line, “Goodnight, I’m Kevin Hart,” was perfectly calculated. IT’S FREE AND A MASTERCLASS IN PUNCHLINES (Streaming on YouTube).
Sam Morril’s “I Got This” (2020): This has twice the views Normand’s special has and is very funny but is missing the joy that Normand’s has. Yes, Morril is a fantastic joke writer but there’s something about his cynical, smarmy, “I don’t care” persona, I can’t get behind. Yet, still he pokes fun at this in his set saying, “You may not like the jokes but you have to admit they’re structurally sound.” I’ll give him that and the capper at the end is pretty fantastic to be fair with a moving story that breaks his dark streak. GOOD, BUT I DIDN’T LOVE IT (Streaming on YouTube).
Cate Blanchett on WTF: This was one of those editions where the recording stopped 15 minutes in but Blanchett and Maron met up a second time to record and try to recapture/rehash the magic of a conversation that’s supposed to be spontaneous. It’s fine and it’s nice to learn about Blanchett being a bit of a comedy nerd like Brad Pitt is but this one felt slight. I did like the portion about her process when she was cast as Bob Dylan in Todd Haynes’ “I’m Not There.”
Whitmer Thomas on WTF: Saw Thomas’ special on HBO a few weeks back and wanted to learn more. There wasn’t a ton here that isn’t already in his special since this is largely an introduction of Thomas to comedy fans but there are three tidbits that stood out to me if you’re sort of intrigued: Thomas calls Maron out for leaving before his set at a show (power to the lowest comics on the bill!), there’s discussion over fear from stealing a Bill Hicks joke which Maron says is fine because that joke about Jesus originated with Lenny Bruce (not sure how that makes it OK but interesting to hear folks who have made a name in comedy discuss intellectual property with bits) and finally how Jim Carrey always gets skipped over in stories about stand up in the 80s. It’s a good point and we learn he just really wasn’t around all that much. That settles that.
Seth Green on “You Made It Weird:” This was the best pod I listened to all week easily. Holmes and Green got along well and he was so engaging that he inspired me to see the above movie “Changeland” that disappointed me so much. Still, give this two-hour plus convo a listen if you’re looking for an engrossing conversation. The two guys talk about how offensive it is when someone tells them “You’ll love this” citing the creators of “South Park” being told they’ll “love” “Family Guy” (to be fair, I’m guilty of non stop recommendations here) which is a conversation that I’d never heard before. They also lamented both being told they’ll love Christopher Guest stuff which they later admit they do enjoy but not when it’s forced on them. This dovetails nicely into a chat about how kids don’t like their successful parents’ artistic output saying that George Lucas’ kids don’t think too highly of their Dad’s creation. There was even more good stuff about Lucas too. Green says he has a “Father, Son and Holy Ghost” theory for “Star Wars.” All work that comes from his is the “Father,” all work from self-appointed successors is the “Son” and everything else in the “Star Wars” universe is the “Holy Ghost.” They go on about Seth’s role in “Austin Powers” and how he made the incredible choice to play it straight. Then, they talk about the movie’s influence and no matter how big it is overseas, it will always still be dwarfed by “Star Wars.” We all will.
Lastly, this isn’t even remotely comedy but loved reading a really thoughtful Shane Carruth IndieWire interview disparaging of the entire industry and how it all means nothing, he’s getting out after his next movie and his love of promoting others. Such a fantastic read and I’ll revisit over and over as long as IndieWire exists (I might even be like an old person and print this out for myself; it’s that good).
That’s it.
Go to protests. Go to vigils. Keep doing what you’re doing to support the cause even if you’re watching “Bedtime Stories” in your downtime exercising your inherent privilege in the process.
Once again, #BlackLivesMatter
Links:
01.) Ben Katzner, Chloe Radcliffe and Caitlin Peluffo’s Something Good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgc6eoAgJsU
02.) Kenny DeForest’s Dave Chappelle Tweet: https://twitter.com/KennyDeForest/status/1268288525234876416
03.) Usama on America’s Got Talent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMkiML-uFGU
04.) Matt Ruby’s “Feels Like Matt Ruby” special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0VAIjE35LA&t
05.) Kenya Barris’ WTF: http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1125-kenya-barris
06.) Johnny Carson interviewing George Carlin and Richard Pryor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jus-OaJV8E
07.) Mark Normand’s “Out To Lunch” special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDolNU89SXI
08.) Sam Morril’s “I Got This: special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xo3Fq7GGWk&t
09.) Cate Blanchett’s WTF: http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1122-cate-blanchett
10.) Whitmer Thomas’ WTF: http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1119-whitmer-thomas
11.) Seth Green’s You Made It Weird: http://youmadeitweird.nerdistind.libsynpro.com/seth-green
12.) Shane Carruth’s IndieWire article: https://www.indiewire.com/2020/05/shane-carruth-interview-quitting-filmmaking-the-wanting-mare-1202232967/
