Comedy Stray Notes August 22, 2021

• You ever have an idea you’ve been sitting on for years? Like something you’ve wanted to make really badly but just never got the chance? I know I've got too many. Just PDFs and PDFs of three-four page goofs I’ve written but never turned into anything. It’s a half blessing because it’s nice to know you’ll always have stuff to make but also a half curse because these projects can lose their sense of urgency. Well, this summer, I decided to take initiative and finally produce one of my old scripts “iPhone Funeral” I’d been sitting on for years. After reflection, I’m glad that it took so long to make because had I made it four or five years ago, it wouldn’t have come out nearly as good as it did. Yes, that’s a brag. Not even a humblebrag.

A lot of this has to do with the cast who came through for me willing to wear funeral garb on a warm June day at Amy Wong’s and Matt Rosenblum’s Tiny Cupboard church. Thanks to committed performances from Matt Holbert, Anna Paone, CW Headley, Danny Rathbun, Rosa Escandon, David Rey Martinez, Jerry Lalee, Julianne Ballington and Sam Zelitch as well as help from Sydney Giocamazzi, this little goof that I revised, reworked, rewrote and edited turned out way better than expected. Want to see if my bragging is justified? Check out this 3:24 gem and let me know what you think.

• Decades from now, entertainment historians will look upon the early 2020s as a golden age for TikTok. We don’t know just how good we have it- everyone is just putting up great stuff for free non-stop all of the time. Here’s two of the best that you can see without spending a penny from the past week.

- When you fancy yourself a comedy writer, the goal is to take the things we all observe on a daily basis and help audiences see them in a new light. Unfortunately, a lot of the time, it feels like everything has been done. However, every so often, a comic will find something universal that we’ve all somehow missed like “how different all the types of hand dryers in public restrooms are.” Simple, elegant premise and one I’d never seen explored. Thankfully, Danny Vega caught onto this and made a polished Tok where he plays multiple characters each representing each type of machine. No need to read anything else, check out that hyperlink.

- I remember being in elementary school and being terrified of going to the school nurse. It seemed like an incredibly serious place where only the kids who were injured really badly would go. Now having seen Bri Cala’s school nurse videos, it seems like the most fun place on campus. Her video where she performs a one-sided conversation with a never seen or heard disgruntled parent explaining to them that their child is a Slytherin is a work of comic perfection. It’s simultaneously loopy and naturalistic and a video you don’t want to miss.

• This week, I finished a book, completed a short series, watched a movie, listened to a podcast and on the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree. Here’s a little bit about all those things sans that partridge.

“10% Happier” by Dan Harris: I visited Phoenix in July and this book sat on my mom’s coffee table. I had been in a bit of a post-pandemic funk and needed some tips to ramp up the happy in my life. Based on the title alone, this short self help book of sorts landed in my lap at just the right time and place. I put aside all my other reading materials and made it a priority.

I’ll be honest, it takes a while to get to what makes this book special. The first 100 pages or so of this 240ish pager are devoted to Dan Harris’ history as a journalist where he served as a war correspondent and did drugs. He was jaded, career obsessed and unhealthily competitive with coworkers. In a surprising twist, the reader gets quite a bit of telling gossip about Peter Jennings of all people. Anyhow, once you make it over that hump, you get to go on a mission with Harris to learn how to “tame the voice in your head” and become 10% happier through meditation which he asserts is the best way to actively change your life. By sharing beginner-level tips, dunking on spiritual gurus Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra and retelling silent retreat anecdotes, this does not read at all like a dull guidebook that preaches to the reader. Rather, it’s more of a snarky companion that knows how to call out what’s bogus and what works. This is a game changer. Made me laugh and also practice metta compassion meditation. Certainly worth your time if you’re in a bit of a funk at all.

“3, 2, 1” (2021): As a diehard Beatles fan, it always surprises me just how much one can learn about the group. No matter how many documentaries you see, books you read, podcasts you listen to, or songs you hear, there’s always new stories about the Fab Four. It’s downright exciting. In “3, 2, 1,” a new six-episode Hulu series featuring Rick Rubin coaxing tales and insight out of Paul McCartney, fans are treated to new Easter eggs that we didn’t even know we were searching for. Some of the best moments include McCartney letting us in on why Beatles songs are memorable (because they had to actually memorize them since recorders weren’t readily available), the story of Pete Best not showing one day leading to Ringo’s role in the band, what it was like to meet the inventor of the moog at Abbey Road Studios and George Martin adding sounds in “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band'' that were at such a high frequency that they were made just for dogs to hear. That’s just a taste. There’s also an explanation of the country influence on “All My Loving,” an impressive vocal display as Paul shows off just how long he can hold a note for “Dear Prudence” which is genuinely shocking for a man in his 70s and a history of how the group created a new type of song with “A Day In The Life.” 

My only complaints are 1) McCartney’s embarrassing impression of Little Richard which has to be seen to be believed, 2) how the series devoted more time to McCartney’s solo track “Check My Machine” rather than “Hey Jude” and 3) its lack of visual dynamism. Yes, it was great, but this was essentially a black and white podcast. FOR DEVOTED BEATLES FANS BUT NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, YOU’LL PROBABLY LIKE THIS (Streaming on Hulu).

“Here Today” (2021): I never thought I would have the pleasure of seeing Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish headline a film together. Yet, this unlikely buddy dramedy written by comedy hero Alan Zweibel pairs them so well together that you’d think that they’d been comedy partners for years. In the film, Charlie Burnz (Crystal) is an aging award winning comedy writer at a sketch show who’s afraid to tell anyone he’s close to that he’s suffering from dementia. Enter Emma Payge (Haddish) whose boyfriend won a raffle to have lunch with the comedy legend. Payge has never heard of this Burnz fellow and hilariously employs Wikipedia to survey every diner until she finds her new lunchmate. After a bout with seafood poisoning, the two begin to spend time together forming an unlikely “will they, won’t they '' tension in what appears to be a strictly platonic relationship where Payge ends up taking care of the ailing Burnz. 

Featuring artfully restrained flashbacks of Burnz’s ex-wife from his point of view as he writes about her that evoke a surreal melancholy, this movie goes much deeper emotionally than one might expect from a film where the lead discusses how to make a sketch about poop work. It’s that contrast that makes it unique.

Having said all of the above, I want to pitch you on why you need to see this film ASAP. Not to give too much away but there is one scene that truly makes “Here Today.” In it, Crystal critiques a smarmy performer on his show played by Matthew Broussard who can’t seem to nail a line reading. The brief scene is a comedic gut punch and a reminder of what makes Billy Crystal THE Billy Crystal. IT’S THE RARE MOVIE WHERE YOU’LL ACTUALLY LAUGH AND CRY (Streaming on Amazon for $5.99).

Entry Level with Trevor Moore: After Trevor Moore shockingly passed at the beginning of the month, I saw a Tweet from former SNLer Brooks Wheelan sharing that he’d interviewed Trevor for his podcast just a week before. Curiosity got the best of me and I tuned in. It ended up being an emotional listen beginning with a heartfelt eulogy delivered by Wheelan who wrestled with over whether or not he should release the episode while also lamenting the fact that he never spent more time with Moore. It’s about as heavy as a comedic pod can get. However, once we get to the actual interview, the podcast ends up being a light, even silly primer on what made Trevor great.

The two of them riff on how cheap the gifts Disney give to their employees are, a cut SNL sketch from Brooks’ time at the show about a “kids news show where they are tasked with breaking 09/11” and how Trevor was originally from “that” Charlottesville before going into his comedic history. The “Whitest Kid U Know” star had quite a background going from a public access sketch show in high school that was so popular that nearby college kids watched and PAX picked it up; from there, Trevor became Lorne’s intern at SNL and even took a disposable camera photo for George Lopez when he met Jay Z during an episode and pre-sketch fame, ran a popular, sold out sketch show at the legendary Lower East Side bar Pianos. Never knew any of this.

• That’s all I got. 

Please, dear reader, I implore you, to consider keeping it real.

Comedy Stray Notes August 15, 2021

• For everyone out there with a dream project, let me tell you a success story of how you can do make it a reality.  In 2014, mother/daughter team Catherine LaMoreaux and Anna Paone had a vision for a multicultural theater company.  Rather than sitting on it forever, they began finding locations, funding and began producing shows regularly.  The secret?  A true can-do attitude and building a community to rally around shows that you put on.  Now that you know the blueprint, here’s a snapshot of how things are going seven years into this once experimental theater company that’s now become a well-oiled machine.

This weekend, I attended back-to-back outdoor performances of the equal parts sentimental and lighthearted Dragonfly production of “Having Our Say,” a play based on an oral history of two 100-year-old Black Delany sisters who lived together all their lives.  The show was a true two-hander starring Mimi B. Francis and Dianna Fuller as Sadie and Bessie Delany.  There was no one else on stage for nearly two hours.  That ain’t easy.  Better yet, the two are not related but play 100-year-old siblings so convincingly interrupting each other, speaking in unison and exuding such good-natured chemistry that it would be easy to confuse them for real-life family members.  While the “Having Our Say” script has moments of levity (there’s a particularly memorable Dan Quayle punchline), the play also highlights the struggles of growing up Black in early 20th-century America. The performers bring a righteous fury to their roles telling stories of nearly being lynched, being questioned about land ownership, and a biased college grading system.  By the time it’s over, you’ll be so glad these two had their say.  Thanks to them, you’ll have laughed and learned.

“Having Our Say” is a mature step in the right direction for Dragonfly and goes to show that if you treat your dream project, whatever it may be, with the care and respect it deserves, you can produce something truly special that gets better and more satisfying as it gets older.

• On a smaller scale, I caught some very funny short-form content this week.  Here are some quickies that deserve your attention: 

- Every time I jump on TikTok, the first video I see is one of Art Cai’s, and every time, the algorithm is scarily accurate in predicting what I like.  This IS the content I’m looking for and they make it so I don’t even have to search for it.  You can’t go wrong with Art’s atmospheric Bezos in space parody, hysterical hypothetical “What would you do if you were on ‘Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” nihilistic take on flying coach and a bunch of others that all serve as ads for what kind of clever content you can generate by simply using a green screen well.  Simple premises, great execution, totally worth a follow if you’re looking for something new to rise to the top of your algo.

- No pair of brothers are producing better sketches than Noah and Ahri Findling these days.  Most interestingly, since the brothers are on opposite coasts, they don’t produce them together but do share a sensibility.  This week, each put out a well-defined concept- Noah’s “friend who can’t small talk” and Ahri’s “when my 5’2” wife needs something off the top shelf”- and took each idea in unexpected and exciting directions.  Both felt relatable in completely different ways.  Noah goes dark (I lost it when he asks with a straight face, “How you feeling about your career?”) and Ahri goes triumphant swaggering over a small feat.  Both are fantastic and completely worthy of a quick click.

• Finally, I’m sad to report that a friendly comic I met in Portland named Jake Hueni passed away last week.  We crossed paths when I stopped by an open mic that Jake hosted at an arcade-like bar on vacation in July 2019.  Most open mic hosts are indifferent and show little interest in eager comics they’ve never met before.  That wasn’t the case with Jake.  We chatted beforehand for probably just five minutes but in that short span, he made me feel like I wasn’t a visitor but a friend.  I’m sad that this was the only interaction we ever had and wish there were more.  You are missed, Jake.

If you’d like to donate to Jake’s GoFundMe to cover his family’s medical bills, you can at this link.

Comedy Stray Notes August 9, 2021 (late Monday edition)

• In March of this year, Delta Airlines put me on hold for seven hours.  That’s not an exaggeration.  They were so backed up, I spent what must have been nearly someone’s entire shift listening to elevator music waiting to hear from a representative.  It felt like a cruel joke.  Why didn’t they just hire more people if the wait times were seven hours?  Couldn’t they have done one of those callback deals where I give them my number and they reach out to me later?  Nope.  Either way, I left the conversation inspired and wrote a sketch called “I’ll Be With You In A Minute” loosely based on the experience.  Starring the deadpan king Peter Wong, animated spark plug Anna Paone, subtle Samantha Mishinski, and understated Barak Ziv, I low key released this sketch in May holding off on giving it a proper social media release.  Well, now here she is in all her glory for your viewing pleasure.  Not sold?  What if I told you the sketch is only 90 seconds?  Now you’ll give it a shot?  NICE.

SPOILER: If you don’t live in New York, this is the perfect trip around the City’s most scenic, touristy spots that will make you feel like you’re visiting for a few days.  Enjoy.

• Late last Sunday, I received a text from producer/actor/comic/zen master Matt Vita asking if I was around to be a Production Assistant the next weekend up in Killington, Vermont for his feature film aptly titled “Killington.”  The two directors Mark Dudzinski and Frank Perz along with cinematographer Josh Miner were filming pickups and could use a hand.  I signed up right away.  What followed was a 48-hour filmmaking fantasy camp.  Although the crew was only filming inserts and missed coverage, they didn’t take a single shot for granted.  Best of all was an improvised dolly tracking walking feet done with just a towel.  We were a small but mighty team but using just a Black Magic, Tascam, a few kino flow, and Arri lights, the principal crew showed me just how much you can get done if you’re motivated.  I can’t wait to see the finished product of this inventive horror-comedy.  You’re going to be hearing a lot about this puppy very soon.

• On the set, I learned the film’s composer Dave DeCeglie used to rap under the moniker MC Comeczechmi (link takes you to Spotify).  His Russian character has serious flow but what keeps me listening to his album on repeat is how funny the rhymes are (and the fat beats don’t hurt either).  One of my favorite lines that I kept rewinding was “Throwing Pampers into the pasture” from his track “Communist Rock.”  Such a wild image.  If you’re a fan of goofy, USSR-inspired hip hop, I think I found your new favorite artist.  Check the long Spotify link in the comments.

• No big whoop but I did a quick drop-in on my dude Camden Pollio’s Monday night Joey Bats show last week.  This was my first “show show” in way too long and although I was mad rusty, I technically did eight minutes of stand-up comedy.  I’ll take that as a win.  Plus, I’m way too proud of my riff when passersby walked by, and rather than saying, “Free comedy” I blurted out, “$75 show.  You can pay in installments.”  Felt like I was sort of back to my old self for just a fleeting moment. 

Should also be noted that all the other comics on the show brought the goods but I want to especially shout out Camden for taking the bullet spot and hosting.  Not only did he give the show a light, friendly vibe but he also busted out the best take on Amber Alerts I’d ever heard.  You gotta see him live to see what he does with the premise.  Also, major props to Danny Rathbun who performed on the show and made fun of Mr. Pibb from an angle I’d never even considered.  It’s inspiring to be back out and about every once in a while to hear jokes live.  This is what New York is all about.  Monday nights.  10 PM.  Joey Bats.  Lower East Side.  Add it to your comedy diet.

• I had a big week which hindered me from getting in my standard healthy dose of entertainment.  However, I did see and listen to a few notable movies, shows, and pods.  Here’s a quick round of recommendations:

The Mitchells Versus The Machines (2021): The first 15 minutes of this movie upset me.  As you may know, I am currently working on a feature and the opening here was similar to what I’d written but better than anything I put on paper.  More heartwarming, funnier, filled to the gills with family tension.  Never fun to see a better version of your dream movie just out in the world.  Anyhow, this movie is so darn fun and charming that I don’t even mind the parallel thought.  To sum it up, imagine an even more average yet eccentric “Incredibles” family minus the superpowers who have to save the world from the singularity.  Yes, it’s your standard hero’s journey but it’s chock full of top-notch jokes like the Mom (voiced by Maya Rudolph) constantly comparing their offbeat family to the perfect Instagram fam they keep running into, robots (Beck Bennett) attempting to eat food by smashing oranges in their mouths and constant cutaways to cheaper animation/YouTube viral videos that always keep your eyes on their toes.  Coupled with heavy themes like giving up your dreams and the enormous power that Zuckerberg types have, the movie also has quite a bit to say about parenthood as well as the tech monopolies.  IF JOHN HUGHES MET THE TERMINATOR MET 90S NICKELODEON (Streaming on Netflix).

*I will say the most fun part of the movie though is the end credits.  As each cast and crew member is introduced, a cheap old photo of them on a family trip is shown.  It’s an incredibly humanizing moment; they all look just like us.  That could be any of us up on the screen.

“That Damn Michael Che” (2021): At only six episodes, I was supremely bummed when this pointed season came to a close.  Che has had one of the strongest contrarian voices in comedy this past decade and this show is the perfect vehicle for him to showcase his takes on the police, romance, the pandemic, his status in the comedy world, and physical insecurities.  All in all, “TDMC” feels like a distillation of all the best jokes on SNL- ones that seem designed to shock but end up making you think rather than walk away outraged.  While each episode on its own is fantastic, I’d recommend Episode Three “Dudley Gets Shot” as a standout among standouts.  In it, Che’s friend (Reggie Conquest) gets shot and what follows is a tight narrative where Dudley goes on IG Live as he dies, an absurdist mask-shaming bit on the train, and dead-on commentary about how people would rather die than pay hospital bills.  BALLSIER THAN ANYTHING ON NETWORK TV, THIS IS SKETCH COMEDY AT ITS MOST SELF-ASSURED AND BLISTERINGLY ORIGINAL (Streaming on HBO Max). 

James Murphy on WTF: If you like LCD Soundsystem, if you like music snobs, if you like the smirking kids in the back of the class who were too cool to be there, this podcast episode is for you.  In it, Maron repeatedly qualifies the conversation by saying he “didn’t get LCD” but it doesn’t matter- Murphy has so many great anecdotes that there’s never any tension over Maron’s indifference.  We start with an extended tale where he tried to record his dream album at 17 and the technician tried to make him sound like Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumors,” and then get into nerdy fanboy diatribes on 70s legends Yes and Can (two dynamite three-letter band names).  He acknowledges how difficult he is to work with but also goes into great detail about trying to get a pilot off the ground for a friend just because he thought he was funny.  What a mensch.

Most insightful of all though was how he proudly Murphy wears his influences on his sleeve (one of his biggest hits is “Daft Punk is Playing at my House” for chrissakes) rather than hiding him calling out contemporaries who say they “listen to Billie Holliday but sound like Slint.”  

One last thing: James Murphy’s six-year-old son is into the band Magazine.  I’d never even heard of him.  That kid is going to be cool as hell (listening to Magazine now, I can confirm they do rule).

• Finally, RIP Trevor Moore.  Moore was one of the founding members of the pioneering sketch group “The Whitest Kids U Know” from the mid-aughts.  The show’s sketches were a staple of any comedy-obsessed early 20-something’s viewing diet.  Due to the show’s popularity, Moore and his troupe released the critically derided “Miss March.”  At the time, I was working at Arizona State’s TV Station and was given the opportunity to interview him after screening the film.

I wanted to be a goofy smartass and the first question I asked when I sat down with Trevor was, “Did you set out to make a feminist film with ‘Miss March?’”  To be clear, ‘Miss March’ is as far as one can get from a feminist film.  Trevor, being much funnier than me, took the question in stride and rather than tearing me apart for being an annoying waste of his time, showed me compassion and ironically took it seriously.  

I’ll never forget that moment.  

Shine on, you crazy diamond.

Comedy Stray Notes August 1, 2021

• When you make vids for the internet, you rarely get to see them with an audience.  Occasionally, you might get selected for a showing or festival of some kind but there is never an opportunity to view all your work with a sizable crowd in a movie theater.  So, you’re stuck always wondering, “How would this play play in front of a crowd?”

Well, after having this thought gnaw at me for years, curiosity got the best of me and I set up a screening that would answer this question for around 20 of my favorite sketches as well as my wife Anna Paone’s exceptional short “Our Lady of the 80s” at The Stuart Cinema in Greenpoint.  If you’re not familiar with the venue, let’s start there.  The Stuart Cinema, run by Emelyn Stuart is the ideal indie neighborhood theater with an altruistic vision.  They allow super low budget films to screen for small sums, help movies become eligible for The Academy Awards with weeklong screening periods and also show mainstream fare like “Space Jam 2.”

Yesterday, thanks to their generous practice, Lebron took a seat and they screened Anna’s and my projects.  We could finally see them with an audience to see whether or not they work.  We began with “Our Lady of the ‘80s” and the retro imagery, tightly wound story and lived-in acting popped off the screen.  Anna’s film more than passed muster.  There was a loud applause from the crowd at the end.  It felt right.

Then, it was my turn.  72 minutes of wall-to-wall sketches back to back to back.  On paper, it sounds like a lot of fun.  Watching this cut of what I deemed “A-material” in a vacuum on my computer, I thought all the videos would work and I’d end up batting 1.000 being carried out of the venue like I just hit a walkoff home run.  That wasn’t quite the case.  While the crowd was incredibly supportive since they were all friends and collaborators, the collection of sketches and short films didn’t all hit like I thought they would.  Yes, a few were legit home runs but there were also singles, weak groundouts and maybe ever a strikeout as well.  It was confusing to me all day until I thought about it and realized with the help of some friends who shall remain nameless that a) some of the sketches were a bit dated and don’t work quite like they did when I initially released them and b) because of the lack of variety, nonstop sketches became a bit of an assault of the senses.  Knowing that now, I would call the event a major success.  I now have a much better idea of what I would do next time in this given situation as well as which of my projects stuck the landing and which don’t connect with audiences like I thought they would.  Mission accomplished.

Special thanks to all our friends and collaborators like Catherine LaMoreaux, Laura Paone, Kate Nahvi, Justine D’Souza,Matt Holbert, Matt Storrs, Alexis Jaffe, Jason Planitzer, Sarah Murphy, Jerry Lally, David Rey Martinez, Julianne Ballington, Belton DeLaine-Facey, Ben Miller, Andrew Tavin, Taylor Swabb, Roberto Tobar, L Ritchie, Barak Ziv, Jonathan Santillana, Russell Dolan and Ernest Barzaga that showed for us (all the others aren’t on the old FB).  You made a dream come true for me.  Y’all are real ones.

• Stopped by Broadway Comedy Club to catch a club show on Friday night and once again, it feels so right to be at a club.  The being seated in the back, the crowd work, the low ceilings.  That’s home.  The show itself was made up of a mixture of comics of varying skill levels but there were a few major standouts that are worthy of shouting out.  First has to be Andrew Tavin who won the room over with a pause so masterful in the middle of a joke, he had the crowd laughing for a good 15 seconds.  That’s some Jack Benny level comedy mastery.  Then, there was Jared Waters who came in near the end of the long show and re-energized the room to a degree that it felt like the show was just starting instead of ending.  Finally, I’d never seen Vladimir Camaano before but now that I have, I feel like I’ve been introduced to a distinctive voice that I didn’t know exist.  If you’re not familiar with his comedy, go seek him out and make sure you hear the Lexapro bit.  It’s worth the price of admission.

• Another great week for funny shorts on the web.  Here’s a round up of some of the best all for you:

- Some videos have titles so enticing that you can’t help but watch just to find out where it will go.  That was certainly the case with Noa Osheroff’s superb short “How Hard Is It To Find A Cheap Sofa In New York?” made up of NYC comedy ringers like Nataly Aukar, Ashley Hamilton, Tom Thakkar and Hiam Abbass from “Ramy.”  The silly yet grounded story follows Aukar’s character on a hero’s journey search for a sofa--not a couch--throughout New York City.  To answer the film’s titular question- it is pretty damn hard to find a sofa in New York.

- House arrest is one of the funniest, if not the funniest punishment for criminal behavior there is and it’s a shock that there aren’t all that many great comedies about the subject.  Laura Merli recognized this sore lack of representation and put an end to it with her sweet and subversive “House Arrest Rom Com” that posits her as the house arrestee for her mail fraud.  She does her best to make friends with delivery people and Task Rabbit types like the deadly serious Jacob Williams to no avail.  Then, when she links up with the poet/delivery man Paul Julemeus, she finally seems to break her lonely spell that comes along with being legally confined to your pad.  Over the course of the movie’s brief runtime, we also meet a clueless ex played by Dan Perlman, an excellently flustered Brian Mitchell as Laura’s lawyer and Caitlin Peluffo stepping in as the aggro best friend who doesn’t know she’s the protagonist’s best friend.  Quite ambitious for a movie that all takes place in an apartment.  I loved it and think you will too.

- Back when I started comedy in AZ, one of the biggest fish in the small pond was the effortlessly funny Chris Bennett.  I’ve kept up with his clips over the years and the guy is just as great as he was all those years ago.  However, it’s not just his standup that holds up so well; you also have to see his walkarounds like “Chris Goes To The Snowflake Pioneer Day” which switches gears from the goofy to the sublime with Chris’ infectious cheer toward completely uninterested parties.  For a good look at your new favorite comic, take a gander and check out that channel.

- I have a soft spot for meta, self referential, absurd “throw everything in the kitchen sink” videos that go for broke with their jokes that veer far from reality.  In Ana Pacheco’s intro video for a Film Festival, she and her costars dial up the wackiness to 50 with dance scenes turning into surprising deaths, vulgar children who attack Millennials by saying “Boomers is a state of mind” and a classic callback to the Harvard Lampoon magazine cover with a dog.  If you’re not familiar, check out this video for a tiny bit of comedy history and a heck of a lot of all-around hilarity.

• Here’s some quickie thoughts on a movie I wanted to see on a plane but skipped that’s now available on Prime plus two podcast episodes I listened to.  Here goes nothing:

“Our Friend” (2019): One of my favorite things ever happened with this movie that’s based on a true story.  First, the New York Times ran an op-ed about the experience the original author of the Esquire article had after the movie was released to a positive response at film festivals only to get clubbed by critics.  Then, later that week, the New York Times had the audacity to run a negative review.  It was like they were setting the author up for a hell of a prank.  That story aside, I see that the movie sits pretty atop Rotten Tomatoes with an 85% mark and I am inclined to agree with that sentiment.  This tearjerker with a terminally ill wife (Dakota Johnson) and her “married to his job” journalist husband (the somehow not cancelled Casey Affleck) skillfully skips past most of the trappings of similar fare by introducing a friend (Jason Segel) who keeps things light for the family.  It’s a grounded movie with nods to Led Zeppelin, made up songs for kids, a realistic depiction of career disappointment and well-played workplace gags that paint a much fuller portrait of life rather than focusing on the death.  THE ULTIMATE AIRPLANE MOVIE (Streaming on Amazon Prime).

Working It Out with Quinta Brunson: I wasn’t super familiar with Brunson’s comedy until I heard this podcast and this 50-minute gabfest turned me into a lifelong fan of Quinta.  Here, she and Birbiglia share sad and very funny stories of the recently deceased Kevin Barnett to jumpstart the episode and then move to lighter topics like how Brunson became famous from creating the meme “Ooh, he rich,” and then subsequently dating poor people.  Other highlights include Brunson’s acknowledgement that writing a book is not easy, she and Mike discussing how we need “friend contracts” that can be renewed or cancelled and finally how her parents gave her a name that means “five” and Birbiglia’s daughter’s name means “one” since he’s only having one child.  Had no idea naming babies after numbers in a cool way was a thing.

Working It Out with Sarah Silverman: This is the rare podcast episode that comes with a disclaimer at the top of the episode and it’s well-earned.  Silverman plays fast and loose with her jokes and if you get the chance to listen to this you’ll hear a truly dark, fantastic Hitler joke, an overview of Sarah’s childhood trauma and my favorite of all: a random observation about how her Dad cannot deal with silence on the phone.  There’s a lot to like in this one and I barely scratched the surface.

I’ll be back next week with more of the same, my friend.

If you have any interest in a link to my “Best Of,” let me know and I’ll try and get something set up for you

Comedy Stray Notes July 25, 2021

• This next Saturday, Anna and I are putting on our screening of her movie “Our Lady of the 80s” and my compilation of favorite sketches I’m calling “The Best Of Matt Levy.”  I’ve mentioned this a few times before but wanted to do so one last time if you, the reader, are on the fence about going.  I get it.  There’s other stuff going on in the City.  You might want a night in ‘cause “things are crazy right now.”  Paying $9.75 is nuts.  All valid reasons.

However, I have a counterargument for you.  It’s: Why not?

Yeah, that’s the ticket!

I can promise you that if you make it to the show, not only will you get to see fun films and sketches on the big screen in a cool indie theater but you will also receive a commemorative program for the night to memorialize the night, an exclusive patch with my face on it that reads “Made you look” and, best of all, if you can’t pay the $9.75, you can let me know and I’ll give you a special promo code to get you in for free.

Plus, you’ll probably end up in Stray Notes next week.

Hope to see you there.  

Here’s a link to the event by the way.

• Came across a majorly helpful Substack newsletter this week by comedy manager Ethan Jones called “Tools for Mgmt.”  In the newsletter, Ethan covers a variety of topics ranging from the confounding BitClout to NFT explainers but my favorite parts are learning about the day-to-day of a comedy manager.  This is exemplified best in his most recent edition where he tells the story of one of his most provocative clients having their Instagram disabled and the process of getting them back online.  It’s a great look into what representation does for talent if you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes. 

• A little over two months ago, the very funny Orli Matlow told me about Brent Forrester’s “Writing the TV Comedy Script” class.  At the time, I had no real interest in writing a pilot or spec script; I only ever really wanted to write sketch and screenplays.  However, after looking a bit more closely into the course, it started to make a lot more sense.  Brent has a nearly unbeatable comedy resume having worked on “The Simpsons,” “King of the Hill,” “The Office,” “The Ben Stiller Show” and “Mr. Show with Bob and David” to name just a few things you and I both love.  So, I signed up.  It was one of the best choices I’ve ever made.  

You know how you always hear “comedy is a science” and it’s always so annoying to really figure out what that means?  Well, Brent truly does break it down making the process of writing scripts seem far less daunting and dispensing invaluable advice through the entirety of the course walking you through the steps of finishing your pilot or spec script.  I won’t share too many of his secrets but here’s something I found invaluable from one of the first classes:

When Brent reads scripts from new writers trying to get hired, he looks for, “Joke writing ability, naturalism of dialogue, strong POV, act breaks, escalation, how satisfying and surprising the ending is.”  

It might seem like common sense but to have that criteria to grade your work on before you submit to any screenwriting competition or potential writing job is invaluable.  Plus, that’s just one of a million pieces of wisdom he doled out.  Keep an eye on his site for an announcement of when the next class will start.  I just might sign up and take it all over again.

• Saw three very funny sketches on Instagram this week all worthy of your eyeballs.  Here’s why:

- The first was Tom Achilles and Charlie Dawson’s supremely absurd “Chess Wizard.”  In this super short 1:55 avant garde piece, the two guys sit around trying to come up with something relatable for their New Yerker cartoon.  With rapid fire, off-kilter editing reminiscent of Tim and Eric, the two find a rhythm all their own that’s very funny and unlike anything I’ve ever seen.  Come for the jokes, stay for the stylistic innovation.

- Number two is Jared Schwartz, Claire Alexander and Cliff Benfield’s animated “Serious Relationship” that starts small with a waiter asking, “How are you doing tonight, ladies?” and escalates into an overshare about a failed “serious relationship.”  It’s a pitch perfect parody of the lies one tells themselves post-failed relationship and the repetition of “serious relationship” from Alexander’s character elevates a humorous situation into a truly well-observed meditation on how people cope when things don’t work out.

- The final sketch I caught this week “Office Suicide” was directed by John Connor Hammond and stars Noah Findling as an office drone who’s fed up with it all.  Just as he’s about to do something drastic, the sketch heightens beautifully and becomes something entirely different from the typical scenario we’ve seen 100 times before with this setup.  Noah’s enthusiastic performance coupled with Hammond’s camera work make this two-minute sketch feel like something that easily could be an SNL pre-taped sketch.

• I watched one movie on a Delta flight, listened to three podcasts and read a New York Times profile of a comedy legend this week that I think bears mentioning.  Without further ado, here are my impressions of each:

“News of the World” (2020): For a brief period of time, this Tom Hanks starrer seemed like a shoo-in for a 2021 Best Picture nominee at the Academy Awards.  When the campaign fell apart, I forgot this movie existed like most other failed prestige pics.  However, when I saw it listed as a “New Arrival” on a six-hour flight, I gave it priority over “Kong V. Godzilla.”  Was that the right choice?  Possibly.  This is a charming post-Civil War South buddy drama where newsreader Hanks travels the country captivating audiences by reading crowd pleasing or gripping news stories to them.  In a way, it feels like early, topical comedy.  Along the way, he takes a preteen girl Johanna (the expressive and excellent Helena Zengel) under his wing and on the road back to his wife and finding Johanna’s hometown, hijinks ensue.  Except they’re dramatic hijinks.  “NotW” is the rare buddy movie with all the beats of a comedy but played for drama.  And it works.  The two don’t know anything about each other, can’t communicate but somehow team together to stave off potential creeps, dive off horses and literally and metaphorically save each others’ lives.  PROBABLY NOT BEST PICTURE WORTHY BUT A GREAT ONE TO SEE WITH THE FAMILY (Streaming on Amazon for $6.30 for some reason).

Smartless with Mitch Hurwitz: A podcast with Jason Bateman and Will Arnett sounds too good to be true (Sean Hayes co-hosts as well).  It’s like the comedy Gods asked me exactly what I wanted for comedy Christmas and delivered.  Unfortunately, when you get that Christmas gift it’s NOT quite exactly what you wanted.  Yes, this podcast is fun like a laid back episode of “Arrested Development” but the episode I listened to with “AD” creator Mitch Hurwitz wasn’t quite as great as I imagined.  Sure, there are inspirational anecdotes that live up to expectations like the story of Hurwitz working his way up from runner to head writer on “Golden Girls,” a glorious “AD” what-if about how Tobias Funke was supposed to have an in-character arc on “House” and the amazing piece of psychological insight that “Kids who are told they’re smart give up as opposed to kids that are told they’re hard working because the kids that are told they’re smart are instilled with a fear of failure.”

However, I had two issues with this podcast.  First, all the fawning.  The three hosts constantly praise Hurwitz to a degree that’s painful for the listener.  Yes, we know he’s a friendly, nice guy but I don’t need to hear that over and over.  Second, the treatment of Sean Hayes as the third banana host borders on genuine bullying.  It’s just weird to hear Bateman and Arnett be so nice to the guest and then so rude to Hayes.  I may be overly sensitive/this could be a bit but these two quirks of the pod got under my skin.  

However, I might be a hypocrite because I would listen to another episode because when this show works, it really works.

Working It Out with the Sklar Brothers: In terms of riffers, it’s pretty hard to top the Sklar Brothers.  With their double act, they ratchet up the comedy so fast and furious it’s hard to keep up and they know why- whereas other duo acts like The Smothers Brothers disagree on everything, they intentionally agree on whatever is said.  Then, even when they’re off the cuff on podcasts like this one telling stories like the time they secretly got into needlepoint without telling their parents, workshopping dual bits about how getting their children iPhones is like saying goodbye to them and dispensing wisdom on how to follow Joe Rogan at The Comedy Store when there’s no host in-between, they sound like a single person talking even when it’s the two of them.  It’s a live hive mind.

Most impressive of all were their punch up suggestions to Birbiglia for his new skiing bit.  Most guests on this show simply tell Birbiglia how much they like the joke rather than suggest anything.  This episode is an anomaly; here, you get to hear a fun joke evolve into a dense punchline machine.  All that being said, I didn’t even mention the best story they told or funniest bit of theirs.  I’d rather you discover it on your own.

Plus, points to the Sklars for referencing the world class Zingerman’s deli on the University of Michigan campus.  I’ve been once and everyone in the world should know about this local treasure.

Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend with Seth Rogen: The more podcasts I listen to, the more ad copy I hear over and over.  The hosts rarely put their soul into it.  However, you gotta give it to Conan.  His improvised corporate shilling (for New Balance here) is unmatched.

As is his ability to take interviews to strange and fascinating places.  It’s not that hard when you have a guest like Seth Rogen telling George Lucas stories but this episode felt special.  This was most evident when Rogen asked about a story he’d heard through the grapevine where Conan was eating at a restaurant when a man fell through the roof.  Somehow, Conan forgot this even happened.  It was one of those rare moments in life where the storyteller rediscovers the story for themselves trying to piece together all the details while telling it.

Also, this podcast has the rare distinction of being so funny that I almost fell off the treadmill listening to Conan riff on making Seth Rogen theoretically wait to speak while he records an overly long intro.  It’s a perfect mockery of the medium; the listener always DOES kind of think the guest is just chillin’ waiting to speak while the host blathers on for ten minutes before the interview begins.  Guess that’s not the case.

- Speaking of Conan, his trusty sidekick Andy Richter was profiled in the New York Times right around the time Conan left TBS.  Here, he dives into what it’s like being the last true sidekick of late night (which discredits Steve Higgins’ role on Fallon but I digress), how he wanted to “do characters on the show” instead of being a sidekick but changed his mind at the last minute in the show’s inaugural season and how once he started taking the second fiddle role less seriously because the stakes are low, he became much funnier as a result.  There’s a bit of heaviness to this piece as well as Richter opens up about his divorce and how had he not gotten Conan, he would have worked at a movie theater.  Goes to show that successful comics barely have a backup plan.  Laughs or bust.

• I’d like to leave you with one last quote I heard in Brent’s class that I can’t get enough of.  It comes from Charlie Chaplin who said, “When a man walks into a manhole, that’s slapstick.  When a man walks over a manhole, then gets hit by a truck, that’s comic irony.”  Truth.

See you at the screening

Hawaii Stray Notes July 18, 2021

• I spent this past week in Maui with my parents, brother and his girlfriend who paused her movie on the flight to generously teach me Solitaire.  On paper, it sounds like an odd way to spend the week of your 33rd birthday, but in practice it was one of the most fun seven-day stretches I’ve had in a long time.  That should be expected though- it’s hard to mess up a week in Hawaii.  

Should you be thinking about traveling to America’s most tropical state, here are a few observations/notes.

• The state still treats COVID like it’s 2020.  Can’t fault them for that.  However, this means there’s a lengthy registration process to even travel to the islands from the 48-state mainland.  You’ll need a photo of your vaccination card, a couple of confirmations that you haven’t been around anyone with COVID for ten days and numerous digital signatures.  Failure to complete these means you may be sent to a quarantine hotel which sounds like a free vacation but many assured me it ain’t on the house.

• One of the most memorable excursions on the vacation was a tour led by an indie coconut farmer who shared that “10% of local service industry workers fled Maui during COVID.”  Because of this massive shift, eateries are offering a minimum $35/hour to servers just to keep them on staff.  He went so far as to claim to having seen a job listing for $40/hour to flip pizzas.  I wasn’t quite sure if he was being facetious when he mentioned that “dishwashers are getting $2000 signing bonuses” but I think he was.

*I still don’t know if this is true.  I really want to believe it is though to help combat Maui’s exorbitant cost of living that’s designed for tourists dropping coin.  However, it did seem like this guide was flying by the seat of his pants during parts of the tour so I’m not entirely sure.

• I may not have searched long or far enough but great food on the island was hard to find.  I don’t mean this as a slam but for an island chock full of million dollar homes, there were surprisingly limited culinary options mostly made up of just tourist fare and chains.  Sure, there were your upscale $$$ resort steakhouses on Yelp and spots with three-month reservation lists due to the massive influx of visitors but we were looking for unique, affordable meals that leave you wanting to come back to every day similar to what you’d find in most major American cities.

That being said, we did find a few exceptional meals that met my snobby standards.  They were Fat Daddy’s BBQ that got that Guy Fieri stamp of approval, Nalu’s Hawaiian Grill whose volcano fries with gojuchang aioli blew me away (or maybe it was the food truck we stopped at that had this flavor) and the famous Ululani’s shaved ice with their snow-like texture, ample flavor selection and creamy bases that made the hour long wait in line entirely worth standing next to a cranky lady for an hour longer than I wanted to.

• As expected, there is a friendly, gentle vibe to Hawaii and Hawaiians.  I ran near the beach on two mornings and nearly all runners I passed smiled, waved and mouthed “Morning” unless they were saying, “Move, dude” and I just misinterpreted their friendliness.   

Contributing to that low key vibe is Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's sweet, enduring cover of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” that you’ll undoubtedly hear in shops, grocery stores and almost any place with a speaker system.  However, I was surprised that nearly all songs I heard out in public were Hawaiian covers of well known hits.  I noticed this first when I heard a mellow version of “Shallow” from “A Star Is Born” and then I heard it everywhere.  Really made me smile.  This was a really cool and smart way to put your own cultural stamp on recognizable tunes.

• Twice, our group snorkeled on our own.  I casually pointed out fish underwater like a rookie and generally didn’t know what I was doing other than making sure I was breathing air and not saltwater.  Toward the end of the trip, we took a real snorkel tour and learned actual tricks of the trade from guides.  The most important one to take home is to never fully take your mask off.  Simply, angle it upwards, make sure to empty it of any water and get it right back on.  Taking it all the way off never works.  There was quite a bit more in the lesson about how air pressure works but unfortunately, I wasn’t quite smart enough to retain this knowledge.

• The family stayed in a small town called Kihei on Maui and we found ourselves repeatedly driving past a large white domed aquarium on the 310 highway.  One afternoon, after having been snorkeled out, we decided to hit up this Maui Ocean Center.  Allegedly, it’s one of the ten best in the world and full of tortoises, puffer fish, seahorses and stingrays.  However, the main attraction was definitely a 360-degree glass tank where all types of fish swim beside, above and below you completely immersing you in an oceanic experience second only to snorkeling but featuring fish you’d never see in shallow waters like sharks.  Yes.  Tons of sharks.  Baby sharks even.  Nurturing Mommy sharks.  Estranged Daddy sharks.  I even learned that sharks aren’t quite the evil predators we think of them as.  They mostly feast on dead or diseased fish (overheard this while eavesdropping a real tour I didn’t take).  

• If you are to ever visit Maui, the most essential destination is probably any beach but number two has to be the ‘Iao Valley State Park.  The moment you enter, the air changes.  A breezy calm overtakes you as you stroll through tropical greenery that evokes every adventure movie you ever wanted to live through.  My brother and his girlfriend accurately described it as “Jurassic Park without the dinosaurs.”  

To enter the park was $5.00 but there were no turnstiles to get in.  Instead, a kind lady stood next to a pseudo ATM and asked folks to pay.  Many ignored her request or simply didn’t see her at all.  I felt bad for her; the park had given her the world’s most uncomfortable job- asking people to pay for stuff even after they’d seen others bypass her.  Luckily, I don’t think she worried about this as much as I did.

• Moms be finding off the beaten path activities for trips, am I right, fellas?  As noted above, she found many gems but her most memorable discovery was probably “Goat Yoga.”  We drove to a remote farm (most homes in Hawaii are remote; some must be at least an hour from any type of hospital or shaved ice stand), set up mats in her backyard and saluted the sun while female goats wandered about the premises.  Male goats were excluded from the fun because they “will urinate upon their face, beard, and front legs” as part of their mating ritual.  When the class concluded, all students were given Ziploc bags with Cheerios.  Then, one would set down in a “table top position.”  You’d have another person dangle Cheerios over your head and soon after a goat would be hurtling onto your back digging their heels into your skin.  It was a bit on the painful side but goat yoga is one of those “Well, I’ll probably never do this again” things that gets a pass simply for the sheer novelty factor.  Kind of like going to New Jersey.

• I’ve never feared for my own life like I did this past week when the five of us drove the windy, hairpin turns up the Maui upcountry Haleakala National Park summit.  With no railing on the sides of the road and only cliffs below, this was one of the most intense, nausea-inducing people experiences in my entire life.  I like a breathtaking view as much as the next guy but this was a bit too far.  Best of all, once we reached this massive summit 10,000 feet up, we looked at all the molten lava rocks as well as the famous silversword plants that wilt as soon as they bloom and headed straight back down.  We must have been up there ten minutes for an excruciating three-hour road trip.

I may be overreacting though.  At the peak, I quizzed employees that worked up there asking, “Do you really make this drive every day?” and they yawned at my weak, city boy reaction to the twists and turns.  This was nothing to them.  Good for them.  I’m just glad my commute to work doesn’t have me dodging bikers on narrow roads for hours.  Might just be me though.  

• Finally, I saw one movie on the flight to our 50th State.  Here’s a quick take:

“The Way Back” (2020): Over the course of my lifetime, I estimate I’ve seen 700 sports underdog movies.  This isn’t a knock on the genre; it’s more a testament to how enduring the genre is.  There’s nothing better than seeing a David topple a Goliath.  In the case of “The Way Back,” that Goliath is twofold.  There’s the dysfunctional basketball team Ben Affleck’s former star/now alcoholic character Jack takes over for mid-season and also Jack’s dependence on booze to self medicate.  It’s a graceful, compelling human story of a man whose lost almost everything given one last chance.  Yes, it may sound corny and does veer into maudlin territory at times but a mostly naturalistic screenplay where high school players clown on each other lives next to tender bedtime stories about giving fish bubble baths kept me riveted on my 8 AM flight.  Plus, Al Madrigal has never been better as the team’s assistant coach.  LONG LIVE THE FORMULA (Streaming on Amazon for $12.99 but honestly worth it).

Starting Tuesday, I’ll be back in New York this week prepping for my screening with Anna on July 31.  If you haven’t gotten tix yet and need a promo code, let me know.  Here’s that Eventbrite.

Mahalo now, y’all

Comedy Stray Notes July 11, 2021

• Damn.  I’m 33 tomorrow.  It’s weird because you’re young for what seems like an eternity and then, all of a sudden, you’re sort of, kind of, old.  I remember starting standup at 15 and being like, “I’ve got a head start on everyone!”  Then, at 18, I started a sketch show in college and was like, “I’ve got a head start on everyone writing comedy!”  Then, at 25, I moved to New York and was like, “In three years, I’ll be running this town” (I really did say this smdh).

Now, at 33, I know myself a little better.  Getting these headstarts didn’t really do all that much.  I wasn’t a great listener and kind of marched to the beat of my own drum for a bit too long.  However, as the wise Daniel J. Perafan once said, “People in comedy either make it in three years or 20 years.”  There’s no rush.  There’s no need to be like, “Aww, shucks, I don’t have Seth Rogen’s career.”  This whole choice to try and write jokes and put them out in digital or auditory formats is a completely involuntary decision on the part of the person who wants to do funny stuff in a semi-professional way.  This made me realize something especially important.  Being in comedy should not even really be about making it; this whole endeavor is about bringing joy to others or yourself.  Since writing silly jokes and filming goofy things pumps me up, I’m gonna keep doing it into the mid-30s.  I don’t have a head start on anyone anymore but that’s OK.  This ain’t no race.  It’s a never-ending marathon.

Plus, I’m only 33.  That’s not THAT old.

• Got two super short, super funny sketches that need to be seen by the masses to share with y’all this week.  

- There’s probably nothing less funny than orphans.  Honestly, it kinda makes me sad just thinking about the concept.  However, Adam Christopher and Mia Faith Hammond are up for the challenge to make light of kids without parents with their absurdly tubular “Orphan Shopping Network” sketch.  The two make an excellent pair with their faux-British accents spouting out gems like “go to www.idontlikewhathappenedtome.com” and “All babies are criminals.”  Plus, Steve Martin makes a cameo?  Catch this orphan magic.

- I’m going to spoil this next one a bit.  I have to.  This 0:43 short is a “blackout” sketch which means the big joke is revealed at the end.  I won’t share the big punchline but I will set the scene.  Here, the quick-witted Dom Leonelli purchases a caricature of himself he loves.  He can’t wait to show it off to his friend Brian Kim.  Out of respect for the creators and you, the viewer, I recommend you just watch the thing to get the whole effect.  You know how.  Just give it a little, little view.

• I always feel a bit like there’s no journalistic credibility to how I review TV shows, movies, podcasts and articles here but after thinking about it for about 15 seconds, it makes sense.  I am not assigned to watch anything; I choose what I want to see and I’m predisposed to like that stuff.  Given that point of view, here’s two things I enjoyed quite a bit that I checked out this week:

“I Think You Should Leave” Season Two (2021): Other than the odd SNL clip, it’s pretty rare that a sketch comedy show a) captures the zeitgeist and b) invents a new comedic language.  I’d say “Chappelle’s Show,” “Inside Amy Schumer” and “Key and Peele” are a few that met and exceeded both of these criteria.  Having watched the six episode second season of sketch auteur Tim Robinson’s “I Think You Should Leave” twice now, I believe this show should certainly be added to this conversation now as well.  

With each sketch framed around the central premise that someone will act outside of social norms to the point that those around them really think they should leave, the show excels at never feeling repetitive even when every sketch is essentially built around this same premise.  Although the second season isn’t quite as electric as Season One (If you haven’t seen the Will Forte on the plane sketch, you haven’t lived; my wife Anna Paone is partial to “TC Tuggers”), this sadder and louder batch is littered with sketches that are instant classics in their own right.  I’m particularly fond of the “Burger” sketch starring older actor Paul McDuff Wilson of “This Is Us.”  Wilson plays a professor who relatably didn’t order the right thing while out with star pupils of his from years past.  As the sketch progresses, Wilson’s character inhabits all of our basest instincts to get what he wants but in the weirdest, funniest way imaginable.  

Back to comparing S1 to S2, I would argue that this season lives in a more meditative state than in the debut season’s more manic craziness.  In fact, a few pieces like “Calico Cut Pants,” “I’m Never Going To Say My Lines Faster Than Jamie Taco” and “Claire’s” are reminiscent of sweet tone poem short films gassed with mellow synth music typically relegated to more serious fare and longer runtimes that allow for real narrative arcs and less true heightening.  To defend this year’s style a bit more, I would add that a lesser program would have had the aforementioned Jamie Taco sketch be a simple act of one-upmanship; not in “ITYSL” though.  Here, it turns into a beautiful yet bizarre ode to a man’s wife.  So good and so singularly Tim Robinson (even if he’s not even in this sketch).  IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE COMEDY LITERATI ARE TALKING ABOUT, THIS IS WHERE IT’S AT (Streaming on Netflix).

“Zach Stone is Going To Be Famous” Pilot (2013): With all the Bo Burnham hoopla (what the comedy literati was watching last month), I figured it was time to do a deep dive.  I loved “Eighth Grade,” I loved the specials Bo directed for Jerrod Carmichael and Chris Rock and I figured I had one glaring omission in my Burnhamography.  Much to my surprise, the pilot for Burnham’s one season wonder sitcom is available on YouTube and holds up quite nicely almost a decade later.  Centered around the fame chasing, attention starved, fresh out of high school Zach Stone (Burnham) who forgoes college to film a reality show about his small-town life, the show is a perfect meta pilot that essentially mocks attention hungry influencers before that was even a viable career choice. This A-story heavy pilot zippily introduces us to Zach, his family, his best friend, his crush and the girl that’s right for him all while plans are set in motion to help out with a funeral that Zach is led to believe he’ll “headline.”  

Although I’ve only seen this pilot, it’s a true downer that this show didn’t last more than one season; otherwise, we may have had another peek ten years into influencer culture’s future.

Plus, there’s one truly sublime joke where Zach a) stalks his crush on Facebook, b) uses the details from her account to woo her and c) goes way too far with how much he knows about her.  Structurally, I give that bit alone an A+.

If this felt short, that was intentional.  I would have written a bit more BUT my family is going to Hawaii tomorrow morning at 4:30 AM.

I’ll be reporting live from Maui next week (maybe)

Comedy Stray Notes July 4, 2021

• Validation is a hard thing to come by in any field.  Your hard work might not get recognized at the office by the boss or on the stage by club bookers.  Been there before.  It’s especially difficult if you’re trying to make a feature film with little experience and trying to attract semi-well known actors.  For a month or so, I attempted to reach out to actors’ agents (my dream cast was Ellen Cleghorne, Tim Meadows and Luke Null; basically all cast members who had been on SNL at some point) through IMDbPro with zero luck.  Nothing.

Then, I figured out a hack.  I needed to make a website and have a domain that wasn’t a Gmail.  This might give the project a shred of legitimacy and in return, I might get the validation I’ve been desperately chasing after.  So, I logged onto Squarespace, whipped up a few pages and got myself a new email: matt@sharkjumpersthemovie.com.  An email from that domain seems a tiny bit more professional.  I then sent emails out a second time to actors I’d been after.  My inbox remained empty until I got one reply.  Steven Anthony Lawrence AKA Beans from “Even Stevens” had his agent reply to me.  She said she’d send my email his way.  I haven’t heard back but I’m no longer at nothing.  More emails to come.

If you know any former SNL cast members that would like to be in an indie feature, I would flip if you told me or them.  You could even show them my site here.  Check it.  I’m super proud of this.

• Another great week in the books for podcasts, sketches and Instagram shorts made by comedians on the come-up.  Here’s just a select few favorites:

- Every time I hear of a great podcast premise, I think, “How did that not exist yet?”  As soon as I clicked play on Michael Palladino’s “Adult Humor,” I knew I had stumbled onto another great “how did that not exist yet” idea for a show that is too tantalizing to not already be on Stitcher or Earwolf.  In the show, Palladino has guests on to discuss vintage issues of Playboy.  Genius.  Mostly, Palladino and the guest break down the issue’s “dirty jokes” to see how they hold up to today’s standards.  It’s delightful.  There are six episodes currently available but the one I listened to featured Hattie Hayes as a guest with the two of them talking about the May 1994 Playboy.  The two reached a state of comic nirvana over the hour with stories of cats peeing on the famed nudie mag which led to an exceptional bodily fluids joke and then the dissection of lengthy jokes about bug bites, IRS auditors and your typical _____, _______ and ______ walked into a bar bit.  It was an excellent listen and I can’t wait to hear back episodes about other back issues.

- As a proud graduate of the UCB sketch program, I am very aware of a small NY comedy secret: the class shows are always surprisingly good.  I recently happened upon a virtual Sketch 301 show and I couldn’t help myself.  I had to indulge.  It’s just as fun as I remembered.  The games of the scene are sharp and even though it’s over Zoom, it brought me back to that ramshackle, anarchist vibe that the UCB Chelsea theater had for so many years.  Anyhow, in the show I watched, two sketches stood out in particular and both were penned by the gifted Stan Talouis.  The first is his “White Gremlins” which can be found at the 8:40 mark.  Structured like a trailer, it’s a spot on send up of a horror film but one with a Gremlin that is painfully white.  Come for the satire and stay for the goofy, high pitched gremlin voices.  The second is Stan’s absurd “Jinx” (30:20 into the video) where the classic “Jinx you owe me a Coke” expression goes to much weirder places than a simple jinx should ever go.

- It’s hard to pinpoint why exactly going to a party once you get a little older sucks.  Is it you?  Or does everyone else suck?  Chris Barnes brilliantly breaks down why it IS everyone else that sucks in his 22-second wordless “Going to a party in your mid-late 20s” Instagram vid.  He plays all five parts here and each is funnier than the last.  No need to spoil jokes about who he runs into at the party- it’s better to discover these relatable types you’ve undoubtedly run into on your own.

- I’ve been fascinated by what accent coach Jordan Yanco has done for a minute now.  The man studies and teaches accents to performers for a living so they can emote with nuanced, realistic interpretations of the way people from other countries speak rather than the caricatures we naturally reduce them to when we imitate folks without any formal training.  In fact, he said when folks do, let’s say a Boston accent, they’ll do it at a level ten which doesn’t sound like a real person.  Jordan teaches you how to take it to an authentic five.  I wanted to know more about the process so I listened to Jordan discuss what he does on the fun “There It Is” podcast.  Here he shares secrets toward hearing authentic accents in the wild like asking a Southerner about their favorite BBQ spot and noticing connector words like how an American person may say “what” while someone from the UK may pronounce it “watt.”  He even breaks down the subtle difference between “Mary,” “Marry” and “Merry” which I’d never noticed before.  It’s an insightful, humorous chat about the way we all talk and made me more self-conscious about my southwestern dialect than I’d ever been before.

*Bonus listening: Jordan was on another pod called “Yes And I Am” where he played Ian McKellen without breaking character for a good 20-30 minutes.  It’s an impressive tightrope act of mimicry, improv and character commitment.

• A few weeks ago, The Writer’s Guild of America put on a free panel with all of SNL’s head writers (Michael Che, Ken Sublette, Eric Kenward and Anna Drezen; Colin Jost was noticeably absent) moderated by Aidy Bryant.  In exactly one hour they shared vast chunks of wisdom about what it’s like to work on the 17th Floor at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (this is where SNL takes place).  Here are some choice chunks:

- Every time the writers write a sketch, they forget how to write too.

- Six consecutive episodes was difficult to start this past season was not easy to pull off.

- When hosts say, “I’ll do anything,” they realize by Wednesday they don’t want to do most things pitched to them.

- Hosts don’t pick an entire show but they can get one sketch in OR taken out of an episode.

- The writers like writing with each other to boost each other’s self esteem.

- They all started in comedy differently.  Drezen got her start at Reductress, another writer started at a toy company called Rumpus and a third literally started writing comedy at the show.

- Being a head writer means having to cut stuff off the top of a sketch on the fly and tell the other writers to state the game more clearly.

- “Always keep trying at comedy.  Never give up.  Just keep doing it.  In your head it’s perfect but no one will pay you for a script you didn’t write.” 

- Use less words.

I doubt this is recorded anywhere for posterity but it was great to see the staff’s easy rapport in action and learn about all the above plus minutiae where they dove into what a Monday at the show versus a Tuesday is like.  I’m sad to say I already forgot the difference.

• I’m more than a little behind on tiny reviews of things I’ve seen or heard.  Here’s an assortment of random specials, films, anthologies, sports documentaries and podcasts I feasted my eyes and ears on recently:

Rory Scovel’s “Live Without Fear” (2021):  The idea of a completely improvised stand up special sounds absolutely awful.  Why would I want to see a comic get up and work out half baked premises?  However, when Rory Scovel is the comic in question, it’s suddenly much more exciting.  The guy is simply one of the most energetic, glib and self aware comics I’ve ever seen.  He’s also mad funny.  This half special/half documentary about the process of Scovel’s is a fantastic encapsulation of what Rory can do with a microphone, stage and no prepared material.  He turns an observation about driverless Ubers into a fully-realized chunk that would sit comfortably in most other comics’ traditional specials.  However, there’s quite a bit of madcap, live wire material like Scovel simultaneously arm wrestling/thumb warring an audience member, an act out where he plays poop (yup) and a very silly extended riff on capes the whole crowd gets in on.  It’s a little all over the place which makes the hour a bit formless but I can’t complain.  It’s livelier than 99% of comics’ “routines” (including my own of course).

The special also doubles as a history of the Relapse Theater in Atlanta where the six nights of shows that made up the special were filmed.  The owner Bob Wood tells the story of how he bought the space, had cops protect it (!), had it taken away and then returned years later.  It’s a wild story and one that fits right in with a wild special (Streaming on YouTube).

* Note: Rory pretending to magically open an automatic minivan door made me laugh very hard.

“Emma” (2020): I tried to watch this film with Anna Paone at the beginning of the pandemic (remember the pandemic?  lol) but I fell right asleep.  It’s allegedly a “comedy of manners” but this Anya Taylor-Joy starrer is essentially an extended “Bridgerton” minus the juicy salaciousness that made the show so watchable.  In this fairly dull costume drama, there’s a polite love triangle with minimal conflict stretched out over two-plus hours.  Character clashes are introduced and quickly squashed.  Yes, there’s the occasional insensitive remark masquerading as story but really this was MOSTLY AN EXCUSE TO LOOK AT PEOPLE IN FANCY CLOTHES (Streaming on Amazon Prime for $3.99; I saw it on a Delta flight).

“Small Axe” (2020): Steve McQueen is one of the most incredible directors working today and one of the few that becomes increasingly harder to pigeonhole with each subsequent project of his.  “Shame” is nothing like “12 Years A Slave” which has very little in common with “Widows.”  Now, he’s made an anthology film “Small Axe” that is five separate films all thematically linked to his politically charged upbringing in London in the 60s and 70s but tonally incongruous.  Take your pick from the stirring courtroom thriller “Mangrove,” the sumptuous house party in real time “Lovers Rock,” the stirring ‘change the system from the inside’ cop drama “Red, White and Blue” (my vote for the best of the bunch), the coming of age story for a naive young man learning hard truths behind bars in “Alex Wheatle” (featuring the coolest image of the year where a frame has a record spinning on its edges until it fades out) and a powerful tale about education inequality rightfully titled “Education.”  They’re all wonderful, sad, beautiful and one of the most dizzying, satisfying, groundbreaking film experiences I’ve had in a long time.  Together they run around six hours (“Mangrove” is two hours; all the others are in the ballpark of an hour) but it’s TOTALLY WORTH DEVOTING A WEEK TO (Streaming on Amazon Prime).

“Long Gone Summer” (2020): While “The Last Dance” made all the headlines for ESPN’s “30 for 30” last summer, this doc about the McGwire/Sosa summer of 98 fell by the wayside.  Before you ask, yes, they cover steroids (what I didn’t know was the roids they were using were over the counter and the game hadn’t banned them so they weren’t totally at fault; it was a lawless system).  But that’s not REALLY what this is about.

As a diehard baseball fan in the 90s, watching this nostalgia piece made me cry.  It just brought me back to being ten-years-old and how damn fun that summer was.  Lost youth captured on television.  The documentary itself is good; if not artless.  There’s a colorful cast of characters like the ball collector/comic book creator Todd McFarlane who has many of the moon shots from the season.  There’s the perspective from Cubs pitcher Steve Trachsel who gave up McGwire’s 62nd.  There’s the groundskeeper who kept the ball and ended up doing panel on Letterman to talk about the experience.  There’s McGwire’s son Matt who was my age and was there for every home run his dad hit.  There’s Chip Caray and Roger Maris Jr doing their absolute best to be the legacies of their forefathers but are mostly boring pale imitations.

There’s the retro Sportscenter coverage, Sosa’s improbable 20 home runs in a month, the slumps, the origin stories where we learn McGwire wanted to pitch while growing up and Sosa was a shoeshine boy in the Dominican Republic, the lack of cell phones, the footage of their challenger Ken Griffey Jr and the overarching narrative about how this wild season ended baseball’s drought after the 1994 strike.  Basically, if you’re a baseball fan, this is the ultimate comfort viewing like Beatles concert footage for a music junkie or…”The Last Dance” for an NBA fan.  I hate rewatching anything but I could probably see this doc 50 times and never tire of it.  ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE WITH STEROIDS (Streaming on ESPN+).

WTF with Quentin Tarantino: I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited for a conversation between two baby boomers.  Yes, QT has done a few other pods but WTF always FEELS like the definitive conversation on record.

Here, things begin with a quick mini interview with the always engaging Tom Scharpling who shared an excerpt from his new book.  Apparently, in the 90s, Maron inadvertently inspired him by comparing record store employees and MTV heads onstage.  Scharpling was in the audience and working at a record store at the time.  Love it.  Perfect way to gas us up for the main course to talk to the world’s most famous video store clerk.

Tarantino entered.  High pitched voice, the laugh, the references.  What we all love about the guy.  He was there to promote his new novelization of “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” which is discussed quite a bit but this talk ends up being quite a few other things as well.  They obviously cover the whole “I’m only doing ten movies and I’m out” philosophy but Tarantino also shares that he a.) memorized one of Maron’s bits (going so far as to call it his own), b.) had a kid in his 50s with his Israeli wife, c.) often goes to The Comedy Store, d.) cast Julia Sweeney and Kathy Griffin because he hung out with The Groundlings in the 90s and did improv for a bit, e.) that “Coming Attractions” song that always plays before his movies is called “Funky Fanfare,” f.) Tarantino’s real last name is Zastapil and he changed it to Tarantino at 18 or 19 since it sounded cooler/came from his stepdad, g.) his real Dad crawled out of the woodwork when Quentin became famous, and best of all h.) Sal Pacino (Al P’s estranged father) and Tarantino’s dad did straight to video movies back in the 90s capitalizing on their sons’ names and fame.  Excellent.  Exactly the anecdote I came for.

Working It Out with Bill Hader: This time, a conversation between two Gen X’ers I couldn’t be more excited for.  My elders speak to me.  Here, Hader tells so many great stories that it’s hard to narrow down what’s best.  Some choice conversational avenues they went down were Matt Stone’s warnings to Hader about aging which he felt right around the time he turned 41 and when writing screenplays “it’s not AND then this happen, it’s SO then this happened.”  Wise.

Some other great tidbits include: 

A funny story from the set of “Trainwreck” involving a child actor that’s too great to ruin here in print.  A confession that Hader is that guy that religiously reads and shares Onion articles.  Another confession that he doesn’t know how to make punchlines land when improvising.  A fantastic Pete Holmes burn by Birbiglia.  A wild anecdote about Hader hanging out with Ben Stiller at 17 in Oklahoma.  Most importantly, an informal announcement that the  third season of “Barry” will be filmed in a couple months.  YES.

Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend with Barack Obama: Yeah, I’m a week late with my Conan appreciation but that’s because most of my Conan content these days comes from his pod.  Yes, he’s probably the funniest host to ever occupy the late night chair, yes, he’s formally daring, yes, the show in the 90s was extremely formative for an entire generation to see what you can do with the medium, but here, I just want to talk about how he did a pod with Obama.

First off, Obama is a heck of a podcast guest and Conan is a heck of a host.  So when Obama tells a story where Psy sang Christmas songs poorly at a White House event, you better believe Conan has an anecdote ready to go about how his son was in line to meet Obama at that event and simply wanted to leave.  Better yet, Justin Bieber tried to convince his son to stay.  Yes, it’s a wild name dropping trip of a pod that gets better and better.  Obama gleefully admits how much he enjoyed watching comics try and fail to follow him at White House Correspondents Dinners and how one time he had to perform at one of these dinners while an American pilot was caught behind enemy lines and he had an earpiece in telling him what was going on while he was onstage telling make ‘em ups.  

Should also be noted that this very fast hourlong pod is also a chat between two Dads (Conan and Obama obviously) sharing parenting tips about keeping your kids fed and well rested as well as make sure that you treat Malia’s soccer games with the same level of importance and enthusiasm as national security issues.

Best of all, Obama respects Zach Galifianakis for not bowing down to guests on “Between Two Ferns.”  You gotta love a President who knows all about “Between Two Ferns” and also admits to being a huge fan of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.

• We’re very near the bottom so I figured I’d tell you I did a second open mic a little over two weeks ago now.  It went very badly and I broke many of my comedy rules like writing all my material on the train simultaneously coming up with it and trying to memorize it all at once.  This never goes well (unless you’re Rory Scovel).  Yeah, you can write maybe one bit on the train to cram in the middle of your set but the whole thing?  That’s a recipe for disaster.

I’ll admit it.  Due to my ill-prepared five minutes, I walked two audience members.  This is everything I didn’t want to be.  The only saving grace is I wore pants this time around.

When mic three happens or whatever live comedy I do next takes place, you’ll be sure to hear about it way down at the bottom here.

• This IS the actual end of Stray Notes now.  Just wanted to say, if you’re free on July 31 and you read this far, I’d really, really, really love for you to come to the screening of my “Best Of” sketches and Anna Paone’s “Our Lady of the 80s” in Greenpoint.  None of our show was written on the train and it will be really fun and good.

Plus, since you got this far, email me (matt@sharkjumpersthemovie.com) for a promo code and I’ll get you in for free.  

You earned it

Comedy Stray Notes June 27, 2021

• Everyone who has ever done comedy has their ultimate comedy dream.  The hour-long special.  That’s a good one.  A sitcom where you’re the lead.  Another classic.  Your own talk show.  Probably not very realistic in 2021 but I appreciate your can-do spirit.

My dream has always been highly specific and one I’ve wanted to make come true for the past ten years.  Here goes. 

You know those “Best Of’s” SNL has had for legendary cast members like Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy and...David Spade?  I always wanted one of those.  With no SNL employment coming anytime soon, I’ve decided to do the next best thing.

My wife Anna Paone and I rented out The Stuart Cinema Theater in Greenpoint, Brooklyn on Saturday, July 31 at 7:00 PM.  Anna is going to screen her long awaited short film “Our Lady of the 80s” and you better believe, I will be screening “The Best Of Matt Levy.”  Who determined what was the “Best Of Matt Levy?”  Well, that would be Matt Levy of course.  My portion of the screening will be made up of sketches from as far back as 2007 (shot on a mini DV camcorder) to projects I literally edited yesterday.  You’ll see never before seen stuff and a few things where you may say, “Oh, yeah, I remember that one.”  I don’t want to give away everything that will be shown because that’s what makes a “Best Of” special.  The “what’s next?!” aspect is half the fun.  

With all that being said, if this sounds like something you’d want to attend, here’s a link for tickets (they’re $9.75 after fees) that will make your seeing Matt Levy and Anna Paone movies on the big screen dreams come true.  

Full disclosure: I’ll probably be wearing a suit and tie at this thing.  Yeah, it’s one of those things.

*While searching for locations to hold this screening at, I found a luxury apartment building with a beautiful screening room.  I messaged management about putting our screening on there and they just GAVE me the access code to their theater.  I came clean and admitted I wasn’t a resident of the building (there was some confusion about whether or not I lived there) and now I’ll always wonder what would have happened if I kept the jig up for a month.  Probably would have been kicked out mid-screening which would have been so punk.

• I just mentioned that a sketch I was editing yesterday will be included in the “Best Of.”  That’s a true statement.  Last Saturday, in just a scant 3.5 hours, I filmed a sketch at The Tiny Cupboard (gotta give it up for Amy Wong and Matt Rosenblum) I’d had on my “I gotta make this bucket list” for years.  It’s a high concept, silly piece and was honestly a touch stressful to make.  Shooting with a shoestring crew made up of me, fantastic sound guy Prachya Klong Amornratananond and assistant director/script supervisor Sydney Giancomazzi, I was under a lot of pressure to get in and out of this location as quickly as possible.  So, I innovated.  My game plan was to draw up a shot list that had the needed shots AND the dialogue that accompanied the shot to ensure that we got everything we needed.  Basically, my goal was to eliminate cross referencing the script and shot list- combine the two.  I’m certain I’m not the first person to ever do this but I will say it was an incredibly effective way to keep everyone on the exact same page.

Major thanks to all the actors that gave up their Saturdays to be locked in a room with no air conditioning and I’ll name them all because it’s the least I can do in return for your generosity.  The players were: Matt Holbert, Anna Paone, CW Headley, Danny Rathbun, David Rey Martinez, Julianne Ballington, Sam Zelitch, Jerry Lalee, Rosa Escandon, Peter Schutz and the folks from Des Moines whom I’d never met.  You guys are all the real heroes.

• Folks, we’ve been talking dreams.  If you’re a performer or creative type, you certainly have some ideas for projects you’ve always wanted to get off the ground floor but it can feel weird and self-indulgent to share these hidden thoughts with people.  I felt that way about the “Best Of” and my feature I’ve been kicking around for a year or so now.  It’s tough to find someone that stands resolutely in your corner and gets just as excited about your work as you.  Well, I found your whisperer that may change everything for you.  Her name is Tessa Faye and she guides you to your goals like a cheerleader more amped for your next big step than you are.  After just one session (yes, I’m aware this sounds like an infomercial all of a sudden), she made me feel like this script that I wasn’t quite sure how to get to the next step with could get off the ground.  If you’re also looking for a kick in the pants, here’s a link to link up with her.  Make your dream idea become a reality.  And please hire me to work on your project, please.

• The amount of stuff that made me laugh that appeared on the various timelines, feeds and algorithms on the internet this past week was quite high.  Here’s a sampling of some of the best:

- I’m a comedy nerd first, film snob second and baseball fanatic third.  That’s the order.  It’s hard to find baseball content that qualifies as real comedy but I found a gem this week when listening to my friend Bernie Thrasher’s podcast “Coffee and Baseball.”  In the episode I checked out, Bernie and his co-host Ryan rap back and forth about the sticky ball scandal and share insight about a forgotten Blue Jays cheating scandal from 2010-14 I’d never even heard about before.  Every scandal in baseball is about cheating in some way or another but this podcast doesn’t need any performance enhancers- the two hosts have a rat-a-tat rapport, have done their homework and is essentially an hour where you listen to two friends have a highly focused conversation about one subject: baseball (to be fair, they didn’t cover a lot of coffee content).

- With each passing day, more and more of our lives increasingly become content.  We are beholden to the beast: in order to “make it” you have to constantly be creating.  Never have I seen this “art imitates life” trope better executed than in Meno Fernandez and Espi Rivadeneira’s short “People with Podcast Be Like” where a funny and spontaneous conversation is exploited for all its worth.  No funny moment is sacred for a comic.  It has to be shared with the world and the way this sketch takes it to absurd new heights shows a simple observation can get away from us and become something else entirely.  10/10 would recommend.

- It’s practically impossible to parody James Bond at this point.  It’s the ultimate “it’s been done so well already, why even try?” subject.  However, some brave comic minds are still willing to find fresh takes on the iconic character.  Now with the Bond catalogue making its way to Amazon, my friend from across the pond Tom Scudamore was able to find some comedic gas in the tank and skewer this new development with his 6.5-minute showpiece “Bond on Amazon.”  In this exquisitely edited set of short sketches starring a scarily convincing Thom Boyer as Bond, there are a number of choice gags about remembering passwords, the awkwardness of buying doorbells and an appearance from a Dr. Evil-like Jeff Bezos that might be played by yours truly.  OK, he is played by yours truly.  That’s me.

- The last sketch worthy of shout out status this week is Brendan Sagalow and Mike Feeney’s very short, very funny “Dog Tags” where a dying soldier in combat has a few simple last wishes that prove to be a bit more difficult to pull off than he bargained for.  It’s executed in classic sketch style with impressive heightens and a perfect twist at the end.  You could use this puppy to teach structure in a sketch class.

• Finally, most importantly, long live Conan.  From his NBC show to his TBS show, fantastic podcast to his “Conan Without Borders” show, “Simpsons” to “SNL” writing days, there really is no one better.  I often almost fall off the treadmill laughing at his podcast weekly and I’m very excited to see what’s next.  As he said in his final episode, ““I've devoted all of my adult life — all of it — to pursuing this strange, phantom intersection between smart and stupid.”  He’s proven time and again that it’s more than possible- it can happen every day for nearly 30 years.

Cheers, Coco

Comedy Stray Notes June 20, 2021

• Today is Father’s Day and it happens to be my Dad’s birthday too.  I’d like to share a story.  

From 2004-2006, my Dad Andy Levy dabbled in comedy with me.  At the time, I was a 16-year-old high school sophomore who wanted to kickstart a potential dream career by taking stand up classes to learn how to properly write and deliver a joke onstage.  The first class I took was by myself at a community college an hour from the house on Saturday mornings.  I remember the din of the fluorescent lights more than any of my jokes or classmates.  Pops would drive me an hour there and then three hours later, when the class was over, he’d be waiting in the parking lot to pick me up.  First class service all around.

After the “graduation class,” we found a new class that was much closer.  While a normal parent in this situation would continue simply dropping their child off at these classes populated by depressed middle-aged adults trying to find a park of joy in their lives, my Dad decided to go a step further than that.  As an act of solidarity, my old man signed up for this next go-round of classes.  He had no real interest in doing comedy himself; he just wanted me to have a friend in the group.

For the next two years,  we would hustle every Sunday to our comedy classes to practice fresh material in front of other amateurs.  This “class” was essentially a very expensive feedback open mic.  The two of us would challenge each other to write new bits every month for the monthly showcases.  There were a lot of subpar sets.   Regularly turning over material rather than honing it leads to a lot of trial and error.  It honestly didn’t matter to us.  My Dad’s philosophy was you don’t get better if you don’t try a bunch of new things.  Thanks to this encouragement, I did a lot of really dumb, Andy Kaufman-inspired bits like a set where I intentionally tried not to say the word “The” (I failed miserably) and another where I performed strip comedy (if a joke didn’t get laughs, I’d take off a piece of clothing.  To prepare for this, I wore a lot of layers).  As stupid as these joke-y ideas were, my Dad never criticized or looked down on them; in fact, he was more than willing to perform material that was just as wacky committing to flavor of the moment celebrity impressions and self deprecating act outs.  

Also, one time, he wisely pointed out that a lot of comedians in the classes weren’t telling “jokes” they were just stating their “opinions.”  To this day, if something I write performs poorly, I analyze it, and yup- it’s more of an opinion than a joke.

The best part of all though were the actual shows.

While the other comics were in the backroom either quietly staring at the ground since this was pre-smartphone, scribbling in their notebooks or riffing, we sat and watched every comic do their thing.  The two of us would sit in a faraway booth making fun of our classmates’ material we’d heard hundreds of times before to varying degrees of success.  Exaggeratedly mouthing the words out loud to punchlines we knew by heart became a quick comedic shorthand and something we’d regularly make riff on around the house.  A tiny bit mean-spirited but I think I laughed louder doing this than any other time in my life.  We both would probably agree that this act was more fun than the actual writing and doing business of comedy itself.  

After two years, both of our interests in going further with stand up waned.  This was probably due to a.) the time I threw up onstage in class (I’d had way too many Gushers and Gatorade that morning for breakfast like a 17-year-old would), b.) an 11-year-old kid joined the class and everyone liked him way more than me and c.) I had to start working on large high school projects.  

So, we unofficially dropped out.  It would be six years before I got back into telling jokes onstage to strangers.

I look back on this odd period of my life fondly.  In fact, I call it a “Father Son bombing experience.”

Yep.  This all led to a pun.

Happy birthday and Father’s Day, Dad.  You’ve done a million kind things for me but this is my favorite.

I’d leave you with a joke of his but I think he’d probably prefer I didn’t

Comedy Stray Notes June 13, 2021

• I read a weekly newsletter called James Clear’s “3-2-1.”  It comes out on Thursday afternoons, takes about three-five minutes to read and is full of pithy wisdom made up of ideas, quotes and hypothetical questions.  Anyhow, this past week, he ended his edition asking “What’s something you could do to make today a success?”  It was 10:00 PM when I read this.  I thought to myself, “I’d feel good if I edited footage for a TikTok that I planned with my wife Anna Paone.”  So, I forced myself to create a new Premiere timeline, slap some comic sans captions on short phone clips and then let it exist.  Around 2.5 hours later, it was done.  One of the easiest things I’ve ever made.  Ran it past my Dad who told me to cut a clip from the vid (I didn’t because I’m stubborn) and then uploaded.  Somehow, it caught the algorithm’s attention (the video I made before was at nine views which is the lowest I’ve ever seen on TikTok) and took off.  300 views turned into 15,000 turned into 125,000.  It made no sense but I’ll take it and owe all my success to James Clear’s simple question that closed his weekly email.  Otherwise, I probably would have sat on that footage for who knows how long?  If you have any interest in seeing this little thing, here she is.

• Now that I’ve thrown a pretty gross humble brag into the universe, I’d like to spread some love for all the cool stuff I’ve seen this week to absolve me of my vanity.  Let’s start with...

- Dan Perlman and Kevin Iso’s truly perfect pilot “Flatbush Misdemeanors.”  This first episode, available on YouTube, is a neo-realist comedy devoid of score or soundtrack; it’s just a day in the life of friends schoolteacher Dan and delivery man Kevin who fall into major trouble with the wrong group when a food dropoff goes wrong and the two have to do their best to clean up their mess.  What sounds like a prestige drama is full of laughs (Napoleon Emill steals many a scene disengaging with the action by playing video games while all the action ramps up around him), concludes with one of the most satisfying third acts I’ve seen in any episode of television this year and sets up a season I can’t wait to see the rest of.  The fact that one can watch this excellent piece of cable television for free without a streamer is a gift that should be taken advantage of as soon as you can. 

- Facebook gags used to be a real thing.  In fact, I would often judge a comic’s social media presence based on their Facebook.  Now, each and every day, the site becomes more of a ghost town turning into an afterthought in a landscape of other social media options.  However, every so often, a comic comes up with a bit so perfect for the platform that there’s no better space to post it.  That’s certainly the case for Michael Sullivan’s running joke about climbing the IMDb StarMeter.  It’s equal parts hysterical and brilliant- Michael simply asks folks to click on his IMDb page to move past the most forgotten celebrities and this week surpassed Nicky and Alex AKA the other “Full House” twins.  It’s smart funny but best of all, by checking his IMDb, I learned MIke played Gandalf in a short film called “Furry Chuck” in 2010.  Thanks to this running stunt, I now know this.  Job well done.  You brought the Facebook gag back.  Here is the holy grail that is his IMDb.

- As stand up makes its return, bookers and comics have to take a stance on how they feel about cancelled comics performing on their shows.  It’s a complex conversation that should be simple and is examined with a light touch in Kylie Murphy’s short “Green” which takes place in a comedy club’s green room.  The film provides a voice to the levelheaded comics who argue, “Who would know if he really did the things they said he did?  The victims would” and those that defend the cancelled asking,  “Do you think he’d never come back?  He apologized.”  It’s a tense 11-minutes and has a lot to say about how people openly talk to friends and clam up around opportunistic acquaintances, how the mention of a comic’s name can deflate an entire room and mostly what it’s like to be a coworker in a trade with no HR.  Chilling stuff.

- My favorite series on Rizzle has to be “Stupid Music Videos.”  I still find myself humming along to their catchy “Bug with a Big Fat Ass” but their newest release may be their best yet.  Over a steamy, tropical beat, Adrian Frimpong croons the goofy ear candy track “Uncle Bod.”  With lyrics like, “Cookie crumbs, sculpted ass, knees like broken glass” and distinctions between beachgoers that are “too hot” or “too dad” for Uncle Bod, the laughs come so fast that you’ll have to watch it multiple times to make sure you don’t miss a thing. 

- Now that I’ve started paying more attention to the TikTok-sphere, I’ve got so much to catch up on.  One of my major takeaways is that one of the absolute, most consistent home run hitters on the app has to be Kyle Gordon.  After catching his one-minute “The Kid That Has No Fun At The Aquarium,” I was taken.  The forgotten details of childhood like being deadly serious about marine life facts and overly giddy at the prospect of buying a necklace at the gift shop rang so true and brought me back to being nine-years-old reopening long dormant memories.  And that’s just one of his many, very funny, varied quickies.  You’re going to want to see all of his stuff before he’s on SNL in a year or two; get ahead of the curve.

- There’s nothing quite as fun as discovering a web series in the middle of its run.  Each week, you anticipate the drop of a new episode wondering just how long the season will go and what the creators are going to do with it.  That is certainly the case with Alex Stypula and Jono Hunter’s dark, animated “I Love My Night Drives.”  Lushly drawn, each piece is roughly 90 seconds and wavers between heavy and stupid material making for the perfect comedy recipe.  There’s currently three of these bad boys online with stories about a disappearing father, life after death and what happens when a Zoom call stops being fun and starts being kinda sad.

- Speaking of Showtime pilots, the network also dropped “Ziwe” in mid-May and the stylized debut is a fresh stunner (seriously, this is how you do an animated opening credits sequence).   Ziwe, known for her confrontational interview style where she calls out guests for their credibility as an ally goes hard on seemingly untouchable Fran Liebowitz here asking questions like “What bothers you more- slow walkers or racism” and Liebowitz dances around the prompt like it’s a difficult question.  This new half-hour proves we shouldn’t lionize anyone until Ziwe’s taken a swing at them; she provides the ultimate test one needs to pass.  Also, stick around until the end for a segment with Gloria Steinem that you won’t want to miss.  It’s ballsy, unapologetic, shameless and a bit goofy all at once culminating in belly laughs.

• With quarantine being “over over,” there’s a lot less time to sit back and take in all the entertainment you want guilt-free.  Unless you’re me.  Here’s what I plopped down and saw on screens big and small this week:

“Mythic Quest” (2020- ): Off the Morgan L train stop in Brooklyn, there’s a wall with a larger than life ad for this Apple TV show.  It followed me when I visited.  Everywhere I looked, the cast of “Mythic Quest” stared back.  The advertising wore me down and like a pawn in their game, the next day I began the series.  This is one of the rare cases where the ads were right.  The show, midway through its second season, is in the vein of other workplace comedies popularized over a decade ago with “The Office” but feels very of the moment making fun of the creators, developers, monetization strategists, testers and influencers (one gamer rates game play on a scale of “one to five buttholes”)  surrounding the “Fortnite” RPG surrogate “Mythic Quest.”  

What one might assume is a show that is all fantasy is actually all grounded comedy about a pompous entrepreneur (Rob McElhenny, who you might know from “It’s Always Sunny”) who can’t really do much of anything but indisputably has great ideas and inspires his team.  Throughout the course of the first season, unrecognizable characters become archetypes you’ve never seen before (Danny Pudi’s sociopathic, greedy Brad, F. Murray Abraham’s out of touch genius sci fi writer who has an arc beautifully paid off in the second season and best of all Jesse Ennis as the conniving, obsessed with the alpha males assistant who slowly plans to take over the whole operation) and by the end each new installment is so good and seems so un-toppable that every episode feels like the season finale.  That’s not even to mention how Season One and Two both have standalone “backstory” special episodes wedged in- the first is about a married video game creator couple in the 90s and the second heartbreakingly covers a disappointing sci-fi writer in the 70s- that add layers to the story taking you to places that sitcoms rarely do- outside of the day to day at the office.  It’s world building at its best.  

Also, I’d kick myself if I didn’t share the series’ best joke where a sci-fi writer is led to believe an air conditioner is an AI that writes better than he does.  His fear that the robots are taking over while knowing nothing about the technology sends up sci-fi writers without being too precious about it.  I COULD SAY SO MUCH MORE BUT THIS IS AN EXCELLENT RIFF ON HOW DUMB IT IS TO MAKE PRODUCTS FOR KIDS AND WELL WORTH THE WATCH (Streaming on Apple TV).

“In the Heights” (2021): When the trailer dropped for this film in early 2020, the buzz around it was inescapable.  It looked like the perfect summer film.  Then, when it was understandably shelved due to you know what, it seemed like we’d never get to see it.  Thankfully, Lin Manuel Miranda, Quiara Alegría Hudes and Jon Chu’s magnum opus was released the way it was meant to be seen on the big screen this past weekend and seeing the joy, dance, song, colors and visual tricks in a dark theater with others felt like the return of cinema.  Based on the Tony-award play of the same name, Anthony Ramos stars as Usnavi, an orphaned bodega owner who dreams of leaving the Heights for the Dominican Republic but is torn by his love for the neighborhood.  

The whole operation reminds me of an aphorism, I keep seeing everywhere: simple story, complex characters.  This movie is all that and has a ton more tricks up its sleeve.  While a bit sappy, the “so hook-y you can’t get them out of your head” songs keep the action moving at a lively pace, smart choreography (at one point, wig stands quietly get in on the action in a salon) and gravity-defying dance moves keep you fully engaged and by the end, you might be a bit teary-eyed about how sweetly it all comes together.  THE PERFECT SUMMER CROWD PLEASER (In theaters now!  Also, on HBO Max but don’t do that).

*A note: Late in the film, a character finds a tagger’s graffiti rag on the ground and has a moment where she realizes she’s going to change her life and get back to creating.  It’s a great scene but the best part was when a woman in the theater stage whispered, “Inspiration.”

This is why you see movies in public.

Andrew Santino on WTF: As an Arizona State alum, I had to listen to this episode spotlighting my alma mater’s most well-known comic/actor graduate.  If this Santino character is someone you’ve never heard of, I’ll spare you the Wikipedia search- he’s L’il Dicky’s no-nonsense manager on “Dave” and the abrasive, edgy comic on “I’m Dying Up Here” among a million other bit parts and high profile stand up appearances.  Here, he and Maron have an amiable chat becoming fast friends discussing Santino’s drug-addicted father leaving his family behind but never using in front of him, podcasts being updated drive time radio that comics used to loathe doing, those that nonstop complain about weather in Chicago yet never leave for warmer climes, being a lone wolf comic that doesn’t travel with a pack and how it feels to dislike material in your special released on a major network.  Both own up to their many character flaws and as enjoyable as this is, I was a bit irked when Santino casually bragged about his acting ability saying that accessing emotions as an actor was “easy.”  It may be for him but it felt a bit gross to hear.  A good reminder for myself and others to never sound too braggadocious (coming from a guy who brought up his TikTok that did well).

• One last thing!  If you’re looking for something to do next Saturday, want free pizza and to appear on camera in a sketch (or crew out), let me know.  I’m filming from 11:00 AM-2:30 PM and need as many folks as I can get.  

That’s all he wrote

Comedy Stray Notes June 6, 2021

• Made a return to the open mic life this week.  Pre-2020, doing a single mic would not be notable; in fact, I’d probably go out of my way to NOT tell you about any single mic I performed at.  However, in this post-pandemic world, doing comedy in a room with other comedians felt like my first day at a new school all over again.  On the train ride over, I ran my bits that I had written the day before over and over quietly without anyone noticing thanks to my mask.  Honestly, masks have done wonders for people who run bits to themselves in public.  At 6, I arrived at The Tiny Cupboard Church right on time for Lee Paul and Naomi Loewenstern’s Sober Mic- the only mic devoted to sobriety.  Fought every urge to start my set with, “Hi, I’m Matt and I’m an alcoholic.”  Sat down with ol’ comedy pals Matt Storrs and Andrew Tavin and it was like I never left.  In no time, I was listening to strangers try new stuff (there’s something invigorating about hearing a joke the very first time it’s been uttered even if it’s no good) and lending my charger to these strangers who were slangin’ funnies.

I had the privilege of going up third, the sweetest spot of mic lineup spots.  Before I go into the gory details, I’d like to give a disclaimer and be honest-- I’m a different person than I was pre-pandemic.  I no longer have the urge to be the center of attention and command the spotlight.  I’ve found that I much prefer writing with others than getting up onstage.  However, I was already walking to the mic as I had this thought.  Too late to turn back now.  Time to shake off the rust.  Forgot to wipe down the mic like a classic newbie and then went straight into a pre-planned riff before doing what I set out to do: try new bits (Sample: I became an uncle during the pandemic.  Becoming an uncle is the easiest accomplishment of all time.  A baby exists and then some guy gets a title).  The new stuff did fine.  I didn’t blow anyone’s mind but it was far from a bomb.  As any comic worth their salt might say, “It was a mic.”  

The game plan for me going forward is to do one mic a week.  I’ll see you there and hopefully you’ll see a better version of my new uncle “joke.”

• As we move toward the “new normal” (sorry), it’s cool to see 2019 activities return and vestigial 2020 comedy still being produced.  Here’s a few worthy of your time:

- The first item I’m reporting on is far away from release, but co-writer/producer/actor/pal/vibes shaman Matt Vita and star Nikki MacCallum are nearly wrapped on their horror comedy feature film “Killington.”  Although I only spent a single day on set, I can say with authority that this is a movie you’re definitely going to want to keep your eye on in the next year or two.  Having watched the cast and crew work together was truly inspirational; they were like a family of highly skilled professionals making a project they all deeply cared about.  To stay up to date with its development, keep an eye on the movie’s IG.

- As we all learned over the past year and change, producing an engaging Zoom show is no easy feat.  However, some concepts are so perfectly tailor made for the medium that you can’t help but watch.  This is certainly the case with Rebecca Kaplan’s “Hoarders” where she asks two guests (in this case, me and a fellow named Rudy) whether she should keep or toss stuff in her house that you wouldn’t think twice about throwing out.  In my episode, I can’t believe I had to make the case to another human being why they should chuck dull scissors.  To see if Rebecca hoards said scissors, you’ll have to see this thing with your own two eyes.

- If I could have one comedy skill that I don’t have (I don’t know if I truly possess any to be fair), it would be the song parody.  All the way from writing to performing, it’s a delight to hear a song you know and love turned on its head.  In this case, I’d like to draw attention to Sam Zelitch’s sublime “Scenes From A Mexican American Restaurant” that pulls off the rarest of parody song feats: it’s funny AND poignant.  Structured as a tiff between a couple debating about where to eat dinner when it’s getting too late, the lyrics zig when you expect them to zag (“I can’t live a lie eating Fusion Thai when I know what I want” was my favorite) and the final minute genuinely shocked me.  You’ll have to get that last minute yourself to experience the surprise.

- British sketch wunderkind Tom Scudamore has been pumping out sketches at an alarming clip.  His latest, “Not Alone After All'' starring Will Purpura, Anna Paone and Ronnie Fleming is a play on the insanity in the isolation we all faced at the height of quarantine.  It’s three minutes, simultaneously silly and somber and has a sweet, little twist when all is said and done.  

• Even though there’s no great reason to stay inside and watch MORE movies, specials and podcasts, I’m not letting that part of quarantine slip away from me just yet no matter how beautiful it is outside.  Here’s a few things that I made time for this past seven-day cycle:

“Shiva Baby” (2021): I never thought a movie could (or would even want to) capture the Jewish experience in as visceral a manner as “A Serious Man.” I’m happy to say I’ve been proven wrong.  “Shiva Baby,” is a comedy of errors centered around a sugar baby (Rachel Sennott knocking the “mush mouthed, faux liberal gen Z’er who treats the Holocaust with casual disaffect” role out of the park) who returns to her parent’s home from a client to attend a shiva for a relative she barely knew.  What follows is a delicious cringe comedy chamber play as our heroine has to lie her way through touchy confrontations between her former flame, current client who shows up unexpectedly and her charmingly clueless parents (Fred Melamed, playing the Father, carelessly knocking into his daughter on the way to the table with the food was my biggest laugh of the film).

For a debut feature, this movie is quite comfortable in its discomfort.  A lot of the dialogue is made up of unfinished sentences, shameful childhood recollections and unfair digs at the lead’s figure.  On top of that, a haunting score accompanies the mounting tensions-- if I were an executive, I’d pitch it as “if a panic attack was a movie.”  By fixating on all the details from the bagel and lox table where everyone’s touched everything to the minivan overflowing with crap to the “Have you met this person, they work in ____ industry,” Writer and Director Emma Seligman has successfully made “A SERIOUS MAN” FOR GEN Z (Now in theaters; I saw this in theaters!  I forgot you could see a movie without being able to pause).

“Best of TV Funhouse” (2006): Needing a weekly SNL fix, I turn to older classics to give me the high I need and in terms of comedic highs, it doesn’t get much better than TV Funhouse.  Essentially, this is secretly “The Best of Robert Smigel” and features many politically incorrect classics (honestly, they’re all politically incorrect and some are now straight up offensive) like “The Narrator that Ruined Christmas,” “Fun with Real Audio” sketches using Clinton, Bush and McCain speeches with hysterical incongruous visuals that make dull political droning on and on the funniest thing you’ve ever seen and the way ahead of its time “Divertor” randomly featuring Jenna Elfman from “Dharma and Greg” in a truly damning role.  I didn’t even mention Mr. T acting in Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll House” or “Christmastime for the Jews” or “Sexual Harassment Seminar” or the running live gags with 2006 cast members like Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis, Rachel Dratch where they quietly poke fun at Jimmy Fallon.  Brash, messed up and laugh out loud funny, this is A REMINDER OF HOW POTENT SATIRE CAN BE (Streaming on Amazon for $4.99).

Bo Burnham: “Inside” (2021): Many people (I think three) told me how much they enjoyed this audience-free special over the past few days.  They all said the same thing which was, “It’s great.  I’ve gotten to the intermission and I can’t wait to finish.”  Makes sense.  There’s stuff to do outside now (unlike in this special appropriately titled “Inside”).  

Anyway, I didn’t go outside.  Instead, I hunkered down and got all the way to the part at the end where Netflix asks you “Do you want to watch Zach Snyder’s ‘Army of the Dead’” and can report that I liked “Inside” quite a bit.  Bo Burnham, the actor (“Promising Young Woman”), director (“Eighth Grade”) and comic takes the isolated stand up special a step further than Drew Michael did with his audience-free HBO special by fragmenting it into a musical video diary of sorts tracking his mental health during the pandemic.  

A lot of “Inside” is intentionally not funny and acts more as a commentary on what drives one to perform during the pandemic which was certainly a valid question.  Toward the end, Burnham points out that “we are a nation raising our children to constantly put themselves on corporation’s platforms” (this is an imperfect paraphrasing) which sums up everything that’s wrong about kids on social media (and adults like myself).  

That’s not to say “Inside” was a snoozefest lecture; in fact, it would be easy to write this off as something tiresome and preachy but that’s not what “Inside” is.  “Inside” is cinematic, gorgeously lit and full of catchy, funny songs like the standout “White Woman instagram” where he recreates every stereotypical pose from the platform, another where he admits to dressing up as Aladdin for Halloween when he was 17 and constantly worries about getting cancelled for that to this day and sexting with emojis that don’t make sense.  There’s still about a billion other comic ideas in here too (the well-meaning, politically correct ventriloquist who smothers his oppressed puppet, a jazzy ode to unpaid interns and a bit poking fun at awful premises like “What if dogs could vape”) that keep this sailing while also reminding us of our mortality.  THIS MIGHT BE WHAT THE FUTURE OF THE COMEDY SPECIAL LOOKS LIKE (Streaming on Netflix).

Richard Kind on WTF: If Richard Kind is on a podcast, I’ll listen.  There’s something so gregarious, so likeable (even if it’s in a needy way), so menschy about the guy, that I just want to hear him talk.  Here, Kind admits to wanting to be the best guest in the history of WTF which is a lofty goal.  While he doesn’t quite reach those high of heights, he is certainly entertaining praising the fish and chips in Albuquerque going so far as to say they’re “the best in the world,” vulnerably admitting he rehearsed what he was going to say on the pod while driving over, and sharing how he fell asleep at the premiere of “O Brother, Where Art Thou.”  Then, he proceeds to put the 2003 film “Intolerable Cruelty” on blast (although he has nothing but kind things to say about Clooney) and is embarrassed that he studied acting at Second City.  However, he saves his best line for the end when he gets really super real with Maron saying, “You and I, we’re not that talented, we’re personalities and have a character.”  Stone cold.

• My funny wife Anna Paone alerted me to the revelatory Raphael Bob-Waksberg (creator of “Bojack Horseman”) Twitter thread where he explains jokes from the show that you might not have gotten even on rewatch.  It’s incredibly fun and worth a click.  I even asked a question which was, “Perhaps a silly question but is the name “Bojack” a play on ‘Bo Jackson?’”  His answer?  “Not intentionally.”  Still mulling that one over.

• Finally, I’m directing a little sketch on Saturday, June 19 at 11 AM-2:30 PM in Brooklyn.  If you’ve read this far and want to be an extra or crew member, I’d absolutely love to have you onboard.  We’re only going to film for about 3.5 hours and I will have pizza and snacks and things like that.  DM me if you’re interested with your email address and I’ll send a quick message with all the deets.

Keep it cheugy in the chat

Comedy Stray Notes May 30, 2021

• I have a bit of a “scoop” in this week’s newsletter, folks.  This past Monday evening, my wife Anna Paone, friend Danny Braff, a few of his comrades and I attended one of John Mulaney’s performances as part of his City Winery residency.  Out of respect for an artist working out new material, I’ll share only the bare bones of what transpired:

Audience members were escorted to a spacious, upscale banquet hall and seated at tables which gave the evening a more casual feel.  All of our phones were encased in Yondr pouches and put on airplane mode so as to not disturb the show in any way (somehow, a phone still went off during the show; we later learned it was Mulaney’s own phone from backstage in one of the night’s funniest moments).  Seaton Smith opened and created a bubbly, lively environment to set the stage for the evening’s headliner (comedy nerd factoid: Seaton was in Mulaney’s sitcom “Mulaney” which deserves a re-evaluation).

Mulaney came to the stage and was quick to address and mock how this was being labeled his “vulnerable hour” as seen in the elaborate Jesse David Fox Vulture piece released after the first stint of this residency.  That self-deprecating, self-reflective tone followed for the next hour and change as he hopped from the story of when he did an interview with GQ that he doesn’t remember anything from to an anecdote of how his intervention went down complete with impressive name drops (mild spoiler: Mulaney does a spot-on Nick Kroll impression) and unmistakably Mulaney-esque tales from rehab.  Although this was a “working it out” hour, it felt urgent, vital and most importantly, very funny.

However, it should be noted that these “heavy” confessional chunks did not make up the entire hour.  There were very funny detours like his take on the “three people dead or alive he’d like to dine with” premise that was the best take on the familiar idea I’d ever heard, a crowd-pleasing Al Pacino impression (a bit of a spoiler BUT something to look forward to for sure when you see this) and a hypothetical musing on Alexander Graham Bell and his wife.

I can’t wait to see the final, polished version of whatever “this” becomes.  The Mulaney saga continues.

Interesting side note: You’d expect an audience full of ostensibly hardcore fans would be polite and not heckle.  Nope.  He was yelled at multiple times by audience members who shouted disrespectful off-color remarks.  No matter how high up the food chain you go, haters are going to drunkenly do their thing.

• I recently interviewed Atlanta-based director and visual artist Arma Benoit about her blossoming film career and path she took to get to where she is today for The Ritz Herald.  Although we talked about larger projects of hers, my favorite excerpt is her description of her series “Making Art Work”:

“Well, I wanted to know what it’s like for people that do their art, and that’s all they do. No day jobs, no trust funds, but also not blue check millionaire artists. They make it their work and they also make art work for them. So, I started interviewing artists that met this requirement. Many times, these people were living in their grandparent’s basement, and most of their days were spent keeping up with email, Instagram, and paying to have logos designed. It’s not the romanticized starving artist life one might imagine.”

• Here’s a speed round of very funny things I saw on the web just this week.  Just two:

- While browsing Twitter, I spotted Alon Elian’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” spec script entitled “The Floss.”  As a major “Curb” fan looking for a fix of the show’s particular brand of neuroticism, I dove in and tore through this 34-page script complete with four storylines that tie together beautifully as the show so famously does each episode.  Alon perfectly captures Larry’s voice as evidenced by this dialogue: 

“(The toothpick) is a completely antiquated and functionally useless tool. You can barely get in between your teeth! It breaks off in your teeth and leaves little pieces.  I'll tell you what you should be giving out at the end of the meal.  Floss.”

Perfection.

- One of the best, most consistent Instagram web series since the start of the pandemic has to be “You Good?” with Talib Babb.  Typically clocking in under two minutes apiece, Talib plays a therapist who talks comedians through highly specific issues with tough love, humor and actual practical advice.  A recent edition featuring Derek Humphrey begins with Humphrey struggling with the fact he has to go back to the office and Talib talks a bit of sense into his patient that is equal parts hilarious and genuinely pretty clever.  If you like this one, there are a ton of others and they’re all worthy of discovering on his excellent Instagram.

• In between a major “Better Call Saul” binge (how good is Michael McKean as Odenkirk’s older brother?), I found time to catch two films and an acclaimed web series this week.  Here are my mini reviews:

“Boy’s State” (2020): This documentary floored me.  It’s a simple tale of a group of Texan teens with political aspirations selected for the weeklong “Boy’s State” that serves as a microcosm for the entire electoral process.  Only with more teenage awkwardness.  Over the course of the week, the field is whittled down to candidates who stand out from the pack (keep an eye on state party chair Rene Otero; he’s going to make waves) and put together legitimate campaigns complete with smear attacks via memes, false information and genuine insight in the game that is politics.  Following four students (conniving Ben Feinstein, Liberal activist Steven Garza, opportunistic Bitcoin investor Robert McDougall and born leader Rene Otero), the film is a reminder of the testosterone-filled one upmanship that comes with being a 17-year-old, a clear-eyed depiction of how Conservative viewpoints are fostered from a young age and mostly an uplifting and horrifying vision of the future of politics.  Watching characters compromise their points of view to appeal to their voters is as dispirting as anything I’ve seen in any movie all year.  All that being said, a few of the speeches in the film are truly inspirational and this is the rare naturally funny documentary.  IF YOU’RE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT GEN Z IS UP TO, LOOK NO FURTHER (Streaming on Apple TV).

“The Beastie Boys Story” (2020): You know how everyone’s like “That meeting could have been an email?”  This movie, directed by Spike Jonze (!), could have been a podcast.  That being said, I didn’t dislike it; it was just essentially a greatest hits retelling of The Beastie Boys story by Mike D and Adam Horovitz at Kings Theater in Brooklyn.  Told in a tongue in cheek style (I laughed especially hard at the line “We grew up on The Foo Fighters”), the two share archival footage of their humble origins, breakthrough success, confusing failures, tragedies, triumphs and everything in between.  I was especially taken with Horovitz’s wise line reflecting on their immature lyrics from the 80s when he said, “I’d rather be a hypocrite than never change.”  Amen to that.    

If you’re a fan it goes down really smooth but if you’re not, I can tell you that you’ll be treated to amazing pop culture artifacts like video of The Beasties opening for Madonna, promos with a young Rick Rubin and an outtakes sequence featuring David Cross, Ben Stiller, Steve Buscemi plus a quick clip from Joan Rivers hosting a talk show with the guys when they were young.  IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR AN NPR STYLE FILM ABOUT GEN X RELIVING THEIR YOUTH, LOOK NO FURTHER (Streaming on Apple TV). 

“555” (2017): Kate Berlant and John Early poke fun at different types of showbiz amateurs in this excellent five-episode series (all roughly ten minutes apiece) that mixes satire with slice of life naturalism effortlessly.  “555” begins with its darkest installment featuring two warring mall singers fighting for ownership over a pop song the Early character stole from Berlant.  Where it goes is ballsy, unapologetic and even a bit upsetting.  I’d recommend it in a heartbeat.  Episode two, about a precocious child (Early) who doesn’t have the talent his uncultured stage mom (Berlant) believes him to have is fine as is the third about vapid acting students who have a breakthrough in an acting class led by Kristen Johnson.  However, the fourth episode is the series’ zenith.  Simply set on a makeup trailer in a film set, Early and Berlant play extras having their faces painted on while they try to schedule plans to “just film a video with a neighbor friend’s Red camera.”  Too relatable.  Episode five is pure silliness between two agent characters, one of whom loses their sight, but it’s really all about number four here.  A PERFECT SEND UP OF THOSE WHO HAVEN’T MADE IT.

* Note: While finishing the series, I spotted in the credits that Izzy Roos set decorated and Steve Girard animated.  Excellent work all around.

Well, that’s all.  Gonna do an open mic this week for the first time in over a year this week.  Expect a story next week where I use the phrase “shaking the rust off” like three times

brb

Comedy Stray Notes May 23, 2021

• You hear something once, you brush it off.  Someone says, “Get eight hours of sleep” or “you should really get a TikTok” and you say, “Yeah, whatever, pal.”  Then, a second person suggests the same thing.  You decide there may be some value to the idea.  Finally, after a while, you hear it from enough people that you start getting that eight hours of sleep and subsequently set up your very own TikTok account.  In case you couldn’t tell, this story is about me.  I’m the guy who slept on the Tok game (yes, the whole sleeping thing was just so I could do that line).

I was excited for my TikTok account having heard internet urban legends of how after posting one video, the app “pads your stats” so it looks like you have a ton of eyeballs on your vids, then you’re compelled to create and create and create to try and reach that high once again.  As insane as that sounds, I was excited for that initial social media clout high. 

Didn’t really happen for me.  Instead, I posted a semi-funny six-second video of a pigeon (you can see it in the comments) and it got roughly 600 views.  Respectable.  Not a bad ROI for spending six seconds on something either.  Since my fateful post, I’ve made two front facing videos (about being “the world’s biggest Kurt Vonnegut fanboy” and “voting green”) of varying quality that I would classify as OK but not earth shattering.  However, the major plus is that none of these are more than 30ish seconds AND should you indulge and check out my videos and then click “Follow,” please know that I am new to this app and will follow back and like one or two of your videos in return.  Consider this your “networking” for the day if you will.

• Had the opportunity to catch Barak Ziv’s Cafe Popularr show on Saturday and as always it was fascinating to see comics fight the elements.  In this case, the performers soldiered on while traffic blared and passersby stared trying to make out exactly what was going on in this small outdoor alcove.  Tom Delgado admirably hosted the show riffing on the noises (after a loud honk, he responded, “I know, right?” in one of the show’s best, spontaneous moments) and Barak closed the show strong with jokes about his catchy name.  Comedy ain’t easy and it’s especially difficult when you’re attempting to do it on a street corner in a crowded neighborhood but for this afternoon, the comics on the show made it look like laughs could be mined anywhere.  Try to catch this one if you can- it’s a great summer hang.

• I’ve got a true hodgepodge of a mishmash of media for you to feast on this week.  Out of respect to you, kind reader, I’ll only share the essentials:

“Who’s The Caboose” (1997): If you’ve listened to enough comedy podcasts, you’ve heard all about the legendary Lower East Side venue Luna Lounge but you may have never seen it with your own two eyes.  Thanks to this film, I have finally seen the Lounge.  

With that out of the way, this is a very funny, under the radar mockumentary starring, written and directed by Sam Seder about a group of film school documentarians who receive a grant to film the homeless who are mysteriously dying from a fatal illness but the crew decides they’d prefer to follow Seder and his young girlfriend (a young Sarah Silverman) to LA for pilot season and painful agent meetings.  The movie is very funny in that snarky 90s alt “I’m smarter than you” kind of way where jokey characters contradict themselves sending up their clueless personas saying things like, “I only answer to myself and then my manager told me to go to LA” and “New York is so real but that elevator needed a doorman.”  The jokes (some very outdated) come hard and fast and if you keep an active eye on the screen, you’ll see cameos from a young, bitter Marc Maron, an effortlessly chill Todd Barry, a preachy, holier than thou David Cross sad sack, a smarmy agent turn from H. Jon Benjamin, a needy actress played by Kathy Griffin and of course, Andy Dick, as a manager who is kind to everyone except for his poor secretary.  It’s the kind of artifact that you didn’t know existed but is a delight once you discover it.  A TRUE DEEP CUT BUT ONE THAT SHOULDN’T BE SLEPT ON (Streaming on iTunes of all places for $3.99; kudos to Randy Epley for the recommendation).

“Scare Package” (2020): There’s something truly exciting about an anthology film made up of different directors.  From the few I’ve seen like “New York Stories,” “Paris je Taime,” “A Night On Earth” (all Jarmusch here but I’m counting it) and “Tokyo!” the connective tissue was the location.  Also, these were fairly low-key affairs.  “Scare Package” is an anthology film unlike any other I’ve ever seen putting the horror genre in a wood chipper and obliterating every trope in the game.  It’s all loosely connected by a threadbare story where socially awkward, competitive video store employees play these movies within the movies in their quaint VHS rental shop which lead to some of the film’s best self-referential gags mocking movie geeks.

“Scare Package” does feel sketch-like at times with joke-y bits like an insane asylum sign pointing a group of roadtrippers the wrong way or a family moving into a home that’s TOO good to be true where a realtor repeatedly tries to obscure a girl in a tattered dress straight out of “The Ring” that are funny but do make the whole venture feel like the whole isn’t as great as the sum of the parts.  Basically, it’s ten “Cabin in the Woods” in one and IS kitschier, smarter and probably cheaper than it has any right to be but too frenetic at times as a result.  Yes, I love that they want to cover the genre in its entirety and they do upend expectations but a “less is more” approach might have served them well here to give this a bit more of a cohesive narrative (coming from the guy who has no idea about “less being more” as evidenced by you having been reading this massive newsletter for the past few minutes with no end in sight).  THIS MISHMASH OF HORROR TROPES FELT LIKE I WAS WATCHING THE DIRECTOR’S FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME WHERE THEY GOT EVERYTHING THEY WANTED IN MUCH TO THE AUDIENCES DISMAY (Available on YouTube to rent for $3.99; Phil Karagas wrote about this movie on his fantastic Facebook page and I was inspired to see it based on his wonderful review.  Check his stuff out).

“48 Hours” (1982): I’ve been aware of this movie as the “Eddie Murphy” star-making turn forever but I’ll admit that it was a gap in my cinematic knowledge.  Like the “LOTR” trilogy, I’ve never gotten around to seeing it.  That all changed this week when I popped this puppy in and got to witness Nolte and Murphy in one of the greatest buddy cop comedies of all time (almost 100% because of Eddie).  The story is simple and unique: A group of hoodlums are on the lam after they kill a cop and the first half hour is pretty much laugh free.  Jonathan Banks, in a pre-Mike Ehrmantraut role, Nolte and standard fare cop drama.  That’s about it.  This is the simple part.  The film becomes unique when the toxic jerk Nolte is paired with the effervescent Reggie Hammond (Eddie) a convict who gets 48 hours (hence the title) to help solve the case since he’s worked with the criminals on the loose.  As soon as Eddie is on screen (belting The Police’s “Roxanne”), the movie immediately pivots morphing into the pure comedy I’d always heard about.  The infamous, renowned sequence at a redneck bar is better than advertised and there’s so much ass kicking that it feels like a predecessor to “Oldboy” (hoping I get film nerd points for that sentence).  Murphy’s famous laugh and quick wit elevate what likely would have been a movie forgotten by time into a classic.  HAVING EDDIE IN YOUR MOVIE IN THE 80S WAS CHEATING; THAT’S HOW GOOD HE WAS (Streaming on Amazon Prime).

*I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the scene where Eddie hits on a girl he meets in a club, harasses her with ignorant misogyny and somehow still ends up sleeping with her.  The 80s was a very different time.  This does not fly now.

SNL season finale with Anya Taylor-Joy: And just like that, POOF!, another season is in the books.  After having seen every episode, I think I might declare this one the best of the 2020-21 outing.  Anna Paone and I watched together as we always do and the show, like Stefon might say, “had a little bit of everything.”  From a stellar, sentimental and self deprecating season-recapping cold open (this is how every season should end) that felt tailor made for fans that haven’t missed an episode (I thought I was the only one that remembered how awful the sketch with Herman Cain playing the fly on Pence’s hair was) to a visually striking monologue parodying “Queen’s Gambit” to a pitch perfect satire of dated game shows with cancelled guests, the show clearly came out guns a blazing.  The pre-taped video “Picture with Dad” went as weird, dark and to the extreme as a premise about a prom photo shoot gone wrong could go and “The Making of Man” felt like a sprawling, conceptual piece straight from classic 70s SNL critiquing how unfortunate men’s bodies are.  “Pride Month Song” and “Celtic Woman” both excelled as detail driven studies of highly specific events too (The Pride Parade and Irish concerts set in Ohio).  Rarely does the show bat 1.000 before Weekend Update but this one did.

Weekend Update had Jost and Che trading jokes written for one another which seemed un-toppable until they brought out Cecily Strong’s wine swilling and spilling Jeanine Pirro for likely her final appearance.  Cecily went bigger, brasher and funnier than ever before closing with a visual gag for the history books.  This is how you exit the show.  The back half kept the momentum going with a pair of Aidy Bryant-led sketches centering around a lingerie store and an NYU panel that appeared to be a thinly veiled critique of how the press comes after the SNL cast for their sexuality, ethnicity and gender.  In the sketch, the “game” is that Pete Davidson’s character gets a pass for everything while the others have to answer for their very existence.  If this is how his time at SNL comes to an end, it’s a very fitting sendoff.

The final “ten to one” sketch of the season was an AMC ad with a bald Beck Bennett portraying Vin Diesel inviting us all back to the movies.  Diesel longingly reminisces about all the great, not so great and minute things about the theater you completely forgot about like how a tub of popcorn will never fit in their small-holed garbage cans.  So true.  

Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better show.  What’s next?  Well, it will be interesting to see the show reinvent itself next year, likely without Cecily, Pete, MAYBE Kenan, Aidy, McKinnon and Melissa Villasenor.  Who knows what happens?  Freaking 47 years in and they’re keeping us on our toes.

“Working It Out” with Conan O’Brien: Conan O’Brien is almost a better guest on a talk show than he is as a host and he’s a better host than almost anyone that’s ever lived.  As he says in this episode, “It’s  more fun to be a guest than host my show since I’m not responsible for making the other person look good.”  Here, he’s firing on all cylinders telling the origin story of the “In the Year 2000” bit that started in 1988 and lived on past 2000, an anecdote about Marlon Brando swallowing a bug on the set of “Apocalypse Now” being better than anything in the whole movie and how in the early days of his talk show, there was no supervision so he could run dadaist gags like “Angel on one shoulder and a literal bear with nonsensical bear advice on the other.”  On a more straightforward note, Conan also dispenses wisdom sharing “podcasts are like secrets that are preserved whereas TV is an unwieldy production,” “Don’t compare yourself to fully formed, successful people,” and “the luxury and burden of late night TV over stand up is it has to be new.  With stand up you lose the joy of discovery.”  Also, Conan teaches us listeners about just how fickle Nielsen ratings are.  Apparently, there’s no correlation from the show’s quality to ratings.  On top of all this, there’s a very funny riff on Wolf Blitzer’s reporting style AND Birbiglia tries out a quality chunk on how birthdays lost all their meaning in the pandemic.  Yet another A+ episode for this show.  Plus, it’s just over an hour.  Can’t go wrong here.

Yo Yo Ma on WTF: Just like when Hunter Biden appeared on the show, I had to do a double take when I saw world class cellist Yo Yo Ma listed as the guest for a garage pod.  Maron admitted off the top he didn’t know what to expect which always makes for good listening so I tuned in. Having survived to tell the tale of the podcast, I have to say, although the man has lived an extraordinary life, having performed for John F Kennedy at seven years old and receiving just about every accolade an artist humanly could, I didn’t quite ever fully immerse myself into this one.  Don’t get me wrong.  There are interesting bits here and there like how Yo Yo Ma needs perfect acoustic conditions (here I was thinking he was unflappable), he lives in Cambridge (which seems so droll for a world renowned genius), he didn’t resent his parents for getting him into cello so young but my ears only truly perked up when he waxed about how the pandemic relaxed him in a way he’d never experienced before having been on the road for eight months a year.  Amazing that you reach that level and you just travel and travel and travel.  Also, as mentioned in the episode notes, there is a fantastic short story about Fred Rogers that is too fun to spoil.  It’s toward the end and really ties things together neatly.

“Big & Tall the Unlikely Birthplace of Alt Comedy” by David Peisner: Need more comedy nerd content?  Well, you just might be in luck.  Vulture just ran this great piece about the budding alt scene in early 90s LA.  The thrust of it is Janeane Garofalo booked a show at a bookstore called “Big & Tall” where every cool comedian you ever liked performed and this is a really well written, researched long-form profile of an era and perfect reading for a slow day at whatever it is you do.

um, to the moon, alice

Comedy Stray Notes May 16, 2021

• In these “newsletters,” I often relegate podcast recommendations to the tail end.  You may never have even gotten that far and I wouldn’t blame you.  However, the Robert Smigel episode of WTF I listened to on Monday was so chock full of comedy nerd goodness that I can’t help but sing its praises up top; in fact, I may even go so far as to call it my favorite podcast episode I’ve ever listened to.  Without spoiling every single detail, here’s a quick rundown of my favorite moments to whet your nerdy appetite:

The episode begins right after the Chauvin verdict was announced and kicks off on a somber tone.  This melancholic atmosphere follows for a bit as Smigel goes into heartrending detail about how his family was directly affected by COVID.  However, once he goes into his backstory, the conversation takes flight.  Anecdotes about his famous dentist father who appeared on “The Mike Douglas Show” in the 70s segue to his comedy origin story and it’s a doozy.  Apparently, on a whim, Smigel signed up for a stand up competition and played a character who ate his cotton candy beard.  He placed in the top three and this tale’s eventual conclusion reflects on the highs and lows of performing comedy in New York with a vivid image of a young Smigel wandering the streets of New York with his cotton candy beard wondering what the hell he was doing.  All too real.

Soon after, Smigel’s career gels as he joins an improv group in Chicago called All You Can Eat, because as a member of his team put it, they would show up first in the phone book when audience members were looking for entertainment. The troupe featured Jilly Talley (“Mr. Show”) and Dave Reynolds (“Finding Nemo” writer; you gotta love hearing about what happened to people from improv troupes 30 years later) and led to an eventual meeting with forgotten SNL icon Tim Kazurinsky that took him to Al Franken and Tom Davis who hired him to write for the infamous 1985-86 season.  When Smigel showed up, he was such a fan of the show, he was already familiar with the entire crew.  This hit pretty damn close to home.  As did the story about his sketch in his fifth episode hitting very hard and he went home to watch it back on a loop.  I’ve never related to anything harder.  Also, apparently, Lorne told the staff, “You define yourself by what you don’t like,” and now that will stick in my head forever.

Side anecdotes about Bob Odenkirk being so funny in 80s Chicago that Smigel wanted to quit comedy and manage him as well as another about an actor named Doug Dale who was beat out for a spot in the SNL cast by Jon Lovitz are tales that don’t make oral histories but are what make podcasts like this so juicy and valuable.  

There’s so many other fantastic nuggets (Sam Kinison’s comedic secret is revealed by Maron that you’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear; a lot of what Smigel writes is based on alienation), but I’m not going to ruin the entire pod.  Discover it for yourself- you’ll get to hear all about his time running the first season of “Conan,” the creation of Triumph, the ill-fated “Dana Carvey Show,” and his current project “Let’s Be Real.”  He’s one of the greatest living comedy writers and an incredibly engaging guest.  Make this a must-listen.

• I’d like to give due praise to a few comics doing their thing in the virtual world.  Here are three standouts from this week:

- Todd Montesi just dropped the trailer for Episode 22 of his legendary web series “PN & Friends “and it might have featured yours truly and my wife Anna Paone playing a well-meaning tourist couple who encounter the evil version of the titular PN in Union Square.  You can see us at our goofiest in this cerebral, dark installment of the series at the 1:29 mark.  Feel free to roast the way I run.  I would.

- Cathy Humes is the rare comic that can move between being very silly to socially aware with relative ease; usually, you get one or the other; with Cathy, it’s a nice helping of both.  Most importantly, her excellent Twitter broke my brain when I read this ultra-viral Tweet of her’s:

“Your regular reminder that the tax preparation industry is a scam & in other countries they just send you a bill or a check based on what they already have calculated. The fact that the government makes us calculate on our own & face penalties for mistakes is totally unnecessary.”

I had no idea and now I’m fired up.  Full disclosure, I get fired up just scrolling her righteous account.  You should do the same.  

- Evan Williams does TikTok so well that oftentimes, I’ll run his videos back just to catch every single joke.  This is never more evident in his “____ madlibs” where he inserts a director like Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson or Tim Burton into an equation and drafts a summary of their next film.  It’s comedy crack.  So fast, so funny and so clever.  However, the acting in his most recent clip accurately captures how “every movie ends” so well that it had to be my choice for what I shared.  Either way, you can’t go wrong checking out any of Evan’s stellar work.  If you like to be delighted, this might be for you.

• I did a thing* (*watched a TV show’s first season, saw a movie, listened to two podcasts and caught SNL.  There’s a little more about that below).

“Central Park” (2020): Ever since I’ve been a kid, something about Central Park seemed ripe for comedic fodder.  It’s the parkiest of all the parks: endlessly large with ponds, a zoo, hot dog vendors, bikers, runners and is quintessentially New York.  Coupled with the fact that this show was created by Loren Bouchard of “Bob’s Burgers,” I was double hyped to watch.  I’m pleased to report that the show amiably does the park and NY culture justice.  Featuring intermittent breaks into very funny songs (the absolute best one takes place in episode nine on the “Home Alone 2” Deleted Scene Tour), the show centers around the Tillerman-Hunter family that reside in the park because father Owen (Leslie Odom Jr) manages the behemoth of a public space.  The rest of the family is made up of journalist wife Paige (Kathryn Hahn), imaginative daughter Molly (Kristen Bell) and precocious son Cole (Titus Burgess Jr).  Occasionally, a narrator/busker (Josh Gad) narrates and comments on the role of a narrator in a refreshingly meta way (his cheering at a foreshadowing paying off and a duel with another narrator are perfect examples of this).  Stories largely revolve around the family or wealthy villain Bitsy Brandenheim’s (Stanley Tucci, gender bending it) dastardly plans to mold the park into a more corporate vision.  There’s a “Romeo and Juliet” thread that runs throughout the season, another involving a beloved pup and there’s an underappreciated secretary that provide endless material for this joke-every-three seconds series.  Speaking of those jokes, they’re what really kept me coming back to this series.  For example, when Kathryn Hahn’s matriarch character said, “You can be friends with anyone you want as long as they’re not murderers or magicians,” I was fully onboard.  While not quite on the level of “Bob’s Burgers,” THIS IS SOLID, B-LEVEL “BOB’S BURGERS” (Streaming on Apple TV).

“Percy Versus Goliath” (2021): Christopher Walken does not scream scrappy, blue collar farmer to me. However, somehow, he really sings in the role of one in this charming, low key, message movie based on the true story of a Canadian farmer (Percy) who accidentally used Monsanto’s GMOs and when they came after him, he fought back.  Plus, you get Zach Braff as his plucky attorney and Christina Ricci playing a feisty activist who joins his case.  I loved this movie for a lot of reasons but most of all because it felt like an earnest love letter to farming and the altruistic spirit of calling out big businesses that bully the powerless.  THE ONLY MOVIE TO EVER GET ME INTERESTED IN FARMING (Streaming on Amazon Prime for $5.99).

“You Made It Weird” with Julio Torres: One of the few sure things I’ve ever witnessed at New York open mics was Julio.  The first time I saw him at Pine Box way back when in 2013, I knew he was destined for greatness.  While those mics were stacked with heavy hitters, it was Julio’s proudly oddball, soulful three-minute sets that stood out most.  These days, it’s always a joy to hear him on podcasts and be just as funny as he was way back when.  On this relatively short pod with Pete (clocking in just over 80 minutes), the two of them riff about the 2020 phenomenon that was the Zoom rave (this era already seems like a billion years ago) and how Skype dropped the ball on pandemic telecommunications.  The conversation gets a bit headier as the two of them talk about how they wonder if scenes in movies are based on “things that actually happened to the writer or was it just stuff they had seen in other movies” (I felt exposed!) and a graphic dissection of why both of them practice veganism (the image Julio chooses to describe eating meat will never be erased from my brain and I’ll spare you the details).  However, best of all, is an anecdote toward the end about a kooky encounter Torres had on a plane years ago.  My only complaint is that I wish this episode was twice as long.

“SNL Stats” with Don Roy King: Comedy pal Tom Scudamore directed my attention to this enlightening episode of a podcast with the man who rarely gets a voice at “Saturday Night Live-” its director.  I knew very little about the man so I consumed this episode hungrily and got more than my fair share of meaty behind-the-scenes details like King had plans to put on last year’s remote “SNL At Home” shows with audience members that had already gotten COVID because they couldn’t get any sicker(!).  Other stories were a bit more practical about the current show’s logistics.  King generously shares how in the new system the cast, crew and band all can’t be on set at the same time and gave sage wisdom about why he accepted the role of Director at “SNL” which was, “I did it because I’d regret not trying more than trying and failing.”  This is a guy who directed episodes of “The Mike Douglas Show” (second mention in this newsletter!) and morning TV for decades before being handed the reins at the show.  As is customary, DRK, shares Lorne quotes such as, “The moment ‘SNL’ becomes a nostalgia show it’s time to hang it up” and “Every episode needs to be as incisive and cutting as it was 46 years ago.”  You have to respect that spirit coming from two guys in their 70s.  Ironically, Don went on to discuss how he tries to emulate the freewheeling feel of the 70s (which makes it sort of a nostalgia show) but made sure to add that he humbly doesn’t want to put his stamp on the camerawork or blocking so the performers shine.  Toward the podcast’s close, King admitted that he wished the hosts would go talk to the director (i.e. himself) like they did back in the first few years of the show and that he never laughs at the live show since he’s already seen the material probably ten times at this point.  That’s why I keep coming back to “SNL” stories- every cast and crew member had a totally different experience.

“SNL” with Keegan Michael Key: Speaking of “SNL,” this follow-up to the historic half-trainwreck, half baller dunk on Elon Musk, the show rebounded with an episode that featured a few instant classic sketches, a few very good ones like a Cold Open where Doctor Fauci leads roleplaying different masking and non-masking scenarios poking fun at the CDC’s announcement this week, the return of Cecily Strong’s Gemma and “The Prom Show” which brought “Dorks Who Bang” to the world.  Let’s talk about those instant classics though.  

They came in quick succession.  The first was an extended scene from last year’s “The Last Dance” (once again, feels like a millennium ago) starring an uncanny Key as Michael Jordan and Heidi Gardner as John, the elderly head of security.  The two play quarters against the wall and when John accidentally mocks MJ, the scene mercilessly satirizes the “Space Jam” star’s desire to win at all costs.  The heightens where John has to give up his gun, glasses that make him go cross eyed and a night with his wife are visual, surprising and a pitch-perfect parody of the series capturing the look and feel so closely you feel like you’re watching the 10-part documentary again but it’s funnier and somehow better.

However, the true standout classic of classics came right after.  What at first seemed like an endearing tribute to The Muppets (a different, more “adult” type of Muppet appeared regularly on the show’s first season back in 1975) with guest Lily Tomlin (who gave Lorne his big break!) felt like a perfect throwback to a simpler time.  However, Key and Kenan Thompson breathed new life into the Muppet universe playing security guards who handle Statler and Waldorf.  This was a breathtaking comedic conceit- simple, complex and seemed destined for future “Best Of” installments for years to come.   The puppet violence alone was the visual gag of the year.  Major props to Steven Castillo for writing- I’ll be pointing this out as example of the show at the height of its powers when people ask.

Thank you for reading, my fellow kid

Comedy Stray Notes May 9, 2021

• As an avid—nay, obsessive—SNL fan, it’s exciting when the show makes headlines outside of the comedy nerd circles.  Yes, it’s an institution that folks casually tune into because they know when it’s on (Saturdays) but rarely does it reach the zenith of the zeitgeist anymore.  It’s just always kind of there for people.  However, when tech mogul/mega troll Elon Musk was announced to host the show two weeks ago, SNL was at the center of the cultural conversation again and this became the comedy news of the year.  Anticipation hit what seemed like an all-time high.  A chorus of rightful negative anti-Musk rhetoric quickly made the rounds about his ignorance surrounding public health regarding COVID, outlandish joke-y accusations about one of the men who rescued young soccer players trapped in a cave from a few years back and many other wrongheaded statements he’d made.  Simply put, giving a platform to a billionaire (that, arguably, may have a few positive attributes with his devotion to a green future) who likes to run his mouth and has no comedic background (ugh, I guess he was on Joe Rogan’s pod) just felt gross.  Plus, the fact that Dogecoin’s constantly volatile value hinged on this appearance seemed doubly wrong.

However, despite all of the above, I was excited.  SNL rarely exudes danger and something this fresh could go a number of ways.  The show could a.) troll Musk back secretly skewering him OR b.) Musk could make an outright fool of himself.  Plus, even if you despise Musk, you have to give a show that’s been on the air for 46 whole years credit for surprising us this deep into its storied run.

It began innocently.  The first image was of Miley Cyrus singing an earnest ode to Mothers.  Not exactly the subversive satire one would expect from this appointment viewing.  The cast introduced their Moms as they do every season (shout out to Aidy’s Mom who’s friends with my Mom and promoted “Shrill”) and we were underway.  Finally, the Musk monologue we’d all been waiting for.

Elon called himself the first host with Asperger’s (Twitter was quick to correct him and rightfully give the title back to Dan Aykroyd) which was a tender moment.  However, the rest of his solo screed was more of a self-deprecating victory lap written by a team of apologists rather than secret agents of chaos.  I just wanted something that didn’t “celebrate” Musk or felt slyly preachy.  Yes, some of his jokes were good and performed with the right dose of smug aplomb but I wasn’t happy that I enjoyed this slimy PR.  I will say I thoroughly enjoyed his Tilda Swinton-esque Mom popping by in a sports coat similar to his own.  Makes me think they dress like that at home.

With arguably the buzziest part of the show out of the way, now Musk actually had to act.  Right out of the gate, he made Tommy Wiseau look like Brando.  You would think with all the money and talent invested into the show, every sketch would be a banger and the seasoned pros could work around Musk’s limited abilities but somehow, quite a few stinkers made their way through the cracks this week.  The first sketch, spoken entirely in Gen Z vernacular, showcased Musk ill at ease trying to commit to a doctor character who talked like “the kids.”  Perhaps this was the trolling?  To make him look bad?  The only argument against that is it also made the show look bad.  Yup.  This was the stinkiest of the stinkers.

Somehow, the next sketch, mining the awkwardness of post-COVID conversation hit the jackpot with Musk as host letting him be his awkward, troll-y self to great effect saying things out loud that he shouldn’t to acquaintances at parties.  Elon’s line, “Wow, that sounds like a unique experience you should tell everyone about” in response to the vaccine knocking his conversation partner (Heidi Gardner) out was excellent.  The sketch as a whole really sang even though SNL has covered material like this throughout the course of the season most notably in the Bill Burr episode when couples “forgot how to talk to each other.”

The pieces that followed were hit or miss and mostly succeeded when Musk wasn’t onscreen.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve achieved very little success in comedy myself and am the opposite of an authority on the subject.  That being said, I don’t think the Icelandic talk show would fly in a Sketch 101 class.  Broad, no clear game and light on jokes.  However, the fake trailer for “Murder Durdur” about a small town case in Philly complete with accents and crime show specifics down pat was a welcome surprise.  Plus, kudos for having Musk play an out and out villain. 

Finally, our last hope for a true takedown was Weekend Update.  As much as people badmouth Jost and Che, they often fearlessly skewer those in power unafraid of consequences.  Thankfully, they delivered.  When Musk came on as the “Dogefather” (one of the “skits” he proposed on Twitter), after a bit of badgering, the co-anchors got him to admit that “Doge” was a bit of a hustle.  In the real world, the stock plummeted almost instantly.  Now, I don’t want to see anyone lose money (Full disclosure, I was scared to sign up for Robinhood myself once they asked for my bank account’s Username and Password even though it’s “secure”) but this was a nice comeuppance and they let the troll “troll” himself.  Beautifully done satire.  Also, outside of “The Dogefather” there were a few fantastic CVS burns.

The back half of the show featured a silly Wario courtroom sketch with offensive accents, the return of the show’s only major recurring character, Pete Davidson’s “Chad” going to Mars and an old-timey Western playing on Musk’s “dreamer” sensibilities likening horses to Teslas, the development of an underground transportation system and a new monetary system that isn’t made up of gold.  Cecily Strong got in the line of the night here regarding Musk’s character as “Rich...I mean, smart!”

So, what’s the verdict?  My humble opinion is Lorne and Co. kind of succeeded.  It wasn’t close to the best episode of the season but Elon ended up looking silly in places and the show didn’t overly celebrate the guy.  Musk inadvertently promised “skits” instead of sketches and delivered.  

What will really be interesting here is to see how this one ages in five-ten years and hopefully he never hosts again.

• With that out of the way, that episode wasn’t the only thing to happen this week.  I also spotted a few noteworthy projects that are deserving of attention.  Here they are:

- The first is Elsa Eli Waithe’s sticker campaign that was written up in the New York Times.  Elsa, a top-notch NY-based comedian (I’ve watched Waithe destroy any kind of room with ease) and social activist has been hard at work putting up stickers on streets where the neighborhood’s namesake (like Nostrand) was a slave owner educating all those in the neighborhood who were none the wiser.  Simply put, I had no idea just how truly awful Peter Stuyvestant was before learning of this important project.  Nothing about this article is “funny” per se but Elsa has transcended comedy here and done something very few comics actually do by putting their money where their mouth is and not just mining important issues for jokes onstage but actual social impact.

- Another highlight comes from comic and friend Katie Goetsch’s YouTube channel which has been a consistent delight.  Songs making light of awful coworkers (“I Hate My Life And Am Taking It Out On You”) and wistful remembrances of pre-pandemic brunch (aptly titled “I Remember Brunch”) are a welcome entry into the musical comedy genre.  Plus, her voice and ukulele skills are on par with Zooey Deschanel.  Hoping there’s an album someday soon.

- Kentucker Audley is a favorite filmmaker of mine.  From his goofy, straight faced video essays about “She’s All That” to his feature films  like the charmingly low-budget “Sylvio,” he’s one of the few indie directors playing by his own rules.  That’s not to mention how much I’m looking forward to his wildly surreal feature “Strawberry Mansion” slated for release this year.  However, I think Audley’s most impressive and important contribution to the film canon is his fantastic Instagram “No Budge” curating excelling “no-budget” projects.  A simple scroll of his page displays a wealth of fascinating underseen projects giving them a well-deserved platform.  Should you find yourself looking for a fun, different IG follow with a bit of substance, this is it.

- I don’t know Scott Seiss.  However, two friends independently shared with me his ultraviral supercut of his videos where he plays a disgruntled, “over it” IKEA employee.  Anna Paone and I decided we’d trust our pals’ judgement and after multiple watches, both of us agree this more than lives up to the hype.  Every one of Seiss’ videos follows the same formula: an IKEA employee stands in front of a green screened background, he imitates a customer asking a dumb question (“Why do they have you work on holidays?”), a beat drops and Seiss serves up some truth that cuts to the core of what every retail worker/server/underappreciated employee has ever felt.  No need to give away a single joke; this is something you have to see.

Also of note: I read an interview with Seiss where he comes across as a humble guy who finally got his big break.  However, he said something that really stuck with me:

“I did a lot of listening to the feedback. When I finally got a video that got millions of views and a ton of comments, I read the comments, made sure I understood exactly what people liked about it. I saw people commenting about how I don't blink a lot in the video, like I don't let the viewer go. I'm staring right at the screen. I'm angry. They were suggesting other retail things to do videos about.”

There is a path.  Once you get to the top, figure out what people like and replicate it.

• Finally, I’d like to tell you about one legendary New Yorker profile, a movie that was way funnier than it had any right to be and a short sketch from a few years back I can’t help but share.  Here goes.

- Mike Sacks talks to comedians better than anyone else.  His books “And Here’s The Kicker” and “Poking A Dead Frog” are wonderful collections of conversations with writers ranging from George Meyer to Marshall Brickman to Merrill Markoe to George Saunders to Mike Schur to Amy Poehler.  Both left an indelible impression on me.  However, Sacks’ newest interview might be my favorite yet.  His New Yorker profile/interview on elusive/never photographed/prolific “Simpsons” writer John Swartzwelder is absolute comedy catnip.  Just unbelievably readable, funny and a fantastic portrait of a fascinating and private writer.  I loved learning how Swartzwelder writes for Homer like he’s writing for “a big dog,” Swartzwelder’s decision to build a diner booth in his home to write in and anecdotes about his year writing at SNL during the ill-fated 1985 season.  Plus, there’s a phenomenal writing tip that I won’t spoil here.  Give the piece a well-deserved click.

“The Wrong Missy” (2020): I unfairly judged this movie.  I saw the trailer where David Spade mixes up dates to bring on a trip accidentally taking Lauren Lapkus along for a corporate retreat weekend and thought, “There’s no way this can be good.”  Well, being fully vaccinated and with gyms opening back up, I needed something mindless to watch while I ran on the treadmill (fully masked the whole time, of course).  This seemed to fit the bill.  Started things up and immediately found myself nearly falling while running because Lauren Lapkus is so incredibly funny as a carefree yet clingy new romantic partner for Spade (He’s fine doing a watered down version of his snarky persona).  Get over the silly premise where three beautiful women are into Spade and stay to see a never-better Lapkus steal the show with her always on hand knife, mind games and overly graphic re-enactments.  It should also be mentioned that Nick Swardson is fantastic as a nosy coworker who seems to know all of Spade’s passwords on even his personal devices in one of the film’s funniest running gags.  Throw in some well-observed scenes skewering corporate retreats and you have what feels like a golden age Adam Sandler movie (I’m talking 1995-99) complete with a Vanilla Ice cameo.  I LIKED THIS WAY BETTER THAN I SHOULD HAVE (Streaming on Netflix).

- Finally, I wanted to point the spotlight on the innocuously titled short film “How To Lose Weight In Four Easy Steps” written by Aaron Bleyaert.  The title doesn’t sound funny at all.  However, this quick 7.5-minute video starring Beck Bennett and Britt Lower from “Man Seeking Woman” impressively uses second person narration to tell a story embedded in a self-help format.  I saw it five years ago and it’s been stuck in my head ever since.  You can use adjectives like innovative, heartwarming, cinematic and funny to describe this thing but it’s better seen than discussed.

I’d say it’s a nice antidote to Elon Musk doing comedy as well.

Happy belated Mother’s Day, all.  Make sure to like, comment and subscribe to all your Moms

Comedy Stray Notes May 2, 2021

• Prince once belted, then Sinead O’Connor covered, “Nothing Compares 2 U” and this whole time I was pretty sure they were referring to live, indoor stand up comedy.  The two shows I saw this week prove this adage too—nothing does compare to the way live standup feels in a venue in which it’s meant to be seen.  Remember that little shuffle the host did from the back of the room up to the stage in between comics?  Like the half run, half walk thing?  I’m excited to announce that it’s back, baby.

Firstly, I need to pronounce David Rey Martinez’s brand spanking new “Lonely, Sexy Thursdays” the “next great Brooklyn hang show.”  Taking place on a lonely, sexy Thursday in spacious Mexican restaurant Paloma’s off the Morgan L, Martinez hosts with his 13-year-old son stageside trading barbs back and forth with the youngster setting up a loose, friendly atmosphere that all the comics on the lineup coasted on.  From Dejen Tesfagiorgis’ material about getting roasted by teens while giving a Zoom inspirational speech to Rebecca Kaplan’s jokes about post-pandemic sexual liberation that inspired an applause break to Gabe Pacheco’s bit where he uses learning a new language as therapy to Monroe Martin’s extended tale of his Dad reconnecting with him later in life to Joey Dardanno’s show stopping post-set crowd work turned improvised clap-along jam to Marlenas McMahon-Purk’s free-flowing set where she had audience members call out premises from her setlist to Karmen Naidoo’s edgy yet whimsical anecdotes to headliner Chike Robinson’s polished chunk on being the oldest kid in middle school complete with different voices and act outs, there wasn’t a dud in the bunch.  I’ll admit I thought I was going to leave early but Lonely, Sexy was so fun, so lively, so right, that Anna Paone and I stayed until the bitter end and we were glad we did.

The other show I attended was Monday’s Frantic at The Stand to tape KP Burke’s tight ten.  In a socially-distanced, notoriously tough room, ol’ KP’s finely crafted punchlines and folksy, self-deprecating persona scored big.  Material about the military, family and finally a non-sequitur impression for this closer were all major crowd pleasers.  This was a pleasant reminder of just how good a “tape” can be.  Just banger after banger after banger.  Standup is back y’all and it feels like it never left.

- It should also be noted that if you’re looking to have your set taped, please holler at me and we’ll talk turkey.

• Best thing to spot on Instagram is a comedian friend making the leap from undeniable stand up to a new member of a writer’s room.  In this case, I’m referring to Bryan Yang’s bump up to writer on the new Robert Smigel show “Let’s Be Real” and what made the announcement even better is Bryan shared the first sketch of his he got on the air.  Said sketch is a very funny, star-studded commercial parody called, “I Got The Shot.”  No need to spoil the joke here but I will tell you that you won’t see it coming from a mile away and Jay Baruchel shows up in this thing.  It’s very much worth a watch.

• This may have been my lightest TV and movie watching week since February 2020.  In fact, I saw zero movies for the first time in over a year.  This is a change for the better but I’ll miss weeks at home where I’d catch five, six, sometimes 12 flicks from the comfort of my couch.  Anyhow, here’s what I got into:  

“Kenan” (2021): Ever since the eponymous “Kenan” show was announced, I paid close attention.  It seemed to be part of a growing trend of SNL’s to let senior cast members have a primetime side hustle (see “Portlandia,” “Shril,” “The King of Staten Island,” the upcoming Cecily Strong show being released this summer as Exhibits A through D) and as a fair weather Kenan fan, I wanted to see how he’d fare on his own.  Over the course of the ten-episode season, I’m happy to report, the show found its footing and became a reliably consistent 22-minute joke machine.  However, things started slowly in a surprisingly somber pilot where Kenan’s character is revealed to be a recent widower who lives with his brother Gary (Chris Redd; Anna said it should have been Kel and I can’t agree more), father-in-law Rick (Don Johnson, wearing an awful lot of tie dye hoodies) and precocious daughters who are so smart and witty that I didn’t believe a word they said.  Most of the season revolves around Kenan’s work/life balance and the struggles that come with being a single father along with a never ending “will they, won’t they” dynamic with his producer.  It’s about as conventional as sitcoms get.  In fact, the wife and I often predicted telegraphed storylines a minute or two into each episode.  There’s also a jarring lack of music; I’m not saying every show needs a score.  “The Office” never did.  However, imagine “30 Rock” without Jeff Richmond’s instrumentals and the show loses a bit of its magic.  This show never even got that chance to find its musical edge.

However, this sitcom has clever moves that separate it (like I said, I liked this star vehicle for Thompson).  Redd has never been as unhinged and aggressively weird as he is on this show, taking hypothetical “Shark Tank” pitches way too seriously and his job as Kenan’s manager as an afterthought.  Then, there’s the odd, artsy, cinematic aspirations that flow throughout the season.  In the first episode, a cleanly cut montage kicks things off and a few episodes later, a dream sequence in which our protagonist drifts through life on a conveyor belt while everyone he knows shouts at him felt more like it was from a stylish Fellini picture than an NBC sitcom.  While Kenan’s believability as a leading man is questionable at best, he does have a few, nice running gags; best of all was his love of Mondays treating them like Fridays since it meant time away from his packed house.   Plus, you get Fortune Feimster and cameos from Damon Wayans Jr, Maria Bamford AND Finesse Mitchell (yup, the guy who started on SNL with Kenan in 2003).

Most interesting of all though is Kenan’s co-worker Phil played by character actor Jeff Lewis.  Phil is a square who shows up sporadically and brought such a specific oddness to the proceedings that it was almost electric.  Inappropriate questions that felt like they were from a different show and lack of social graces felt anarchist in this geek’s hands.  Now that the show has been confirmed for a second season, I can’t wait to see if they give old Phil the screentime he so rightfully deserves (Streaming on Hulu).

“Ted Lasso” (2020): At the 2021 Golden Globes, Jason Sudeikis virtually accepted the award for Best Male in a Musical or Comedy for this show and in his acceptance speech appeared to be… quite inebriated.  Not interested in the show before, now I had to make it my number one priority, even going so far as to give in and subscribe to AppleTV.  

For this show alone, the $4.99 for the first month after your seven-day trial makes it all worth it.  To quickly get you up to speed, Sudeikis plays a happy-go-lucky, inspirational college football coach who is plucked by a cunning UK soccer club owner looking to sabotage the team’s chances of success from within.  If that sounds like the plot of “Major League,” you wouldn’t be wrong.  They’re kind of the same thing.  However, Lasso’s “never say never” attitude coupled with his assistant Brendan Hunt’s straight-faced, practical assistant, they lead their ragtag team to...well, they don’t win it all.  It’s a better show than that.

Eschewing typical inspirational sports cliches while still completely operating within the genre, the show is more about the importance of being kind than anything else.  Lasso always wears a happy face entertaining the tough press with goofy one-liners like “you can’t spell assume without making an arse out of u and me” which we all know doesn’t work but it’s fun to see him try with it.  There’s angry fans who take the piss out of him screaming “wanker” at his every move but he rolls with the punches; self serious players are broken down by assigned reading “A Wrinkle in Time” and finally, Lasso’s ace up his sleeve- biscuits every morning for the boss.  This is a guy that cares and it’s genuinely felt by other characters and viewer alike.

If you’re still not sold, I simply recommend watching Episode Six.  While most of the season is pure comedy comfort food, this standout is a gourmet meal.  Best of all is a scene where each player on the team has to place an item with significant meaning into a fire to rid the locker room of a curse.  It was emotional, funny and checked boxes that I didn’t know a sitcom could for me.  In fact, I’d say this is where the show found its footing and only started soaring higher after this (which I’ll let you discover on your own but want to tell you about the clubhouse assistant as well as what the assistant coach does for dates so bad).  You don’t need to know anything about soccer to understand what’s going on here; this show is a glowing smile waiting to happen.  In customer service, the goal is always to leave the customer surprised and delighted.  When the season ended, that’s exactly how I felt (Streaming on AppleTV).

WTF with Tom Jones: My Pops was always a big Tom Jones fan crooning “What’s New, Pussycat” every chance he got in my formative years burning “Whoa, Whoa, Whoa” into my brain forever.  That’s about the extent of how far my knowledge goes of the legendary act.  Honestly, I didn’t even really know what he looked like until I Googled him just a second ago.  Anyhow, I figured better late than never to learn about the man behind some of the catchiest 70s ditties (I classify most 70s tracks as ditties).  Without further ado, here’s what I got out of this 75-minute chat: Jones hails from Wales, he was there for the origin of panties being thrown onstage (followed by keys by fans who wanted him to meet up in their rooms after shows) and was kind of the British Elvis.  At the mention of Elvis, Jones shared an amazing story about how Elvis wanted The Beatles to be his backing band at the height of their fame.  Poor Elvis was sad to hear soon after the band had already broken up.  Toward the end of the pod, the 80-year-old crooner went into what it was like to meet Royalty.  He said he admitted to the Queen he’d spent quite a bit of time in America and Prince Philip told him he “sounds like he gargles pebbles.”  Somehow, that was a compliment.  What a way to cap this interview off.

Well, for New York, we’ve got what I call the best weather week of the year.  Because of that, I’m thinking next week will most likely be an even lighter edition than this entry.  Only time will tell though.  See you in seven days, pals.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna read some “Ted Lasso” quotes before bed

Comedy Stray Notes April 25, 2021

• Here’s a peek behind the curtain.  These “newsletters” are written Sunday nights on the couch while my wife Anna Paone watches “90 Day Fiancee.”  I occasionally glance at the screen for a bit of kooky international drama but tonight is the Academy Awards.  So, my apologies if this entry feels a bit lackluster.  I’m busy nerding out on the movies while writing about other things I nerded out about earlier in the week.

• Now that I’m fully vaxxed and more than two weeks removed from a second shot of Moderna, the time has come to see live, indoor comedy again.  My first foray back into good, old-fashioned entertainment the way it’s meant to be seen came courtesy of Artie Brennan and Anthony Giordano’s freewheeling, variety extravaganza “Super Crazy Funtime Show” at the spacious Player’s Theater in the West Village.  More than anything, the show evoked memories of “Pee Wee’s Playhouse” with a set full of talking inanimate Purell bottles (aptly named “Squirty”), paintings and bottles of scotch (“Scotchy”) but reducing the performance to just these bits would be doing it a disservice.  “SCFS” absolutely packed the runtime full of new and exciting gags like Camille Theobald as a conspiracy theorist speaking her mind on COVID’s “true” origins, an unbelievable Whitney Houston lip sync that received a standing ovation, audience members playing interactive video games (something I’ve never seen pulled off in a comedy show anywhere), fake ads, video interstitials and runnings gags about the venue being haunted by a well-known pair of 90s child stars.  Plus, everyone was given Playbills.  Like those little booklets you get when you go to a Broadway show.  It felt like a true event and I had the privilege of seeing it from the front row.  Comedy’s back.  Good show, old chaps. 

• Saw three top notch short form videos (all roughly a minute) that deserve your eyeballs on them.  They are:

- Incredibly serious dual screen CNN interviews were more than a fixture of our daily lives this past year as we all watched more than our fair share of breaking news.  That’s part of what makes Neil Rubenstein’s straight faced parody of the form so great.  In his TikTok video, he appears to be your typical, stammering, bemused interview subject but turns out to be anything but.  Stick around for more than ten seconds and the joke reveals itself to be simple, dumb and ridiculously funny.  There’s a reason this went super viral.

- If you’re not watching all of Ahri Findling’s Instagram sketches, you’re missing out on one of the most bitingly satirical accounts on the platform.  Many of his vids have made me laugh out loud but his latest series where he sends a letter every day to Ryan Reynolds (yeah, the guy from “Deadpool”) until he hears back is his greatest yet.  A great punchline comes at the end but what I admired most was what an excellent sendup of viral clickbait this was.  I’ve seen a million and one videos employing this format but I’ve yet to see anyone mock it so perfectly.  

- Occasionally, I kick myself when I see a simple idea executed so effectively it bugs me that I didn’t think of it myself.  I certainly felt that while watching James Hamilton’s slyly brilliant “What A Month.”  Throwing the “one second every day” format into a blender, Hamilton subverts all expectations of the rapid mundane images we typically see in this type of video and builds a wild narrative that has to be seen to be believed.  It’s not at all what you expect.

• Caught surprisingly little, long form, mainstream entertainment this week.  Well, for me.  This is probably a lot for a normal person.  Anyway, here’s what I saw, listened and geeked out to:

“On The Rocks” (2020): I saw someone make the point online that without box office to determine a film’s monetary worth and streaming services not revealing how many viewers they had, it’s hard to tell just how much of an impact a movie made.  As a result, I feel like one of the very few people who actually saw Sofia Coppola’s newest film.  Well, calling it a film is pretty generous.  “On The Rocks'' is a slight, sitcom-like trifle of a movie that mostly exists for Bill Murray to dispense old school chauvinist wisdom to his daughter (Rashida Jones) about whether or not her husband (Marlon Wayans) is cheating on her.  If you’ve seen the trailer or read the above summary, you’ve kind of seen the thing already.  Bland dialogue like Jones’ character complaining, “I can’t focus on my writing '' drag down the whole affair and it barely passes the Bechdel Test as characters only discuss Wayans’  extramarital acts.  The only true diversion is an extended cameo from Jenny Slate who can’t shut up spewing nonstop stories at Jones when she drops off her daughter at school.  Murray and Jones are fine as a comic pair but this is a FAR CRY FROM “LOST IN TRANSLATION” (Streaming on Apple+; first week is free on the platform).

“The Father” (2021): Can’t go into Oscars night without having seen every Best Picture nominee.  It’s sacrilegious to me.  Just under the wire, I caught Anthony Hopkins’ towering, vulnerable tour de force demonstration of dementia.  Far from my favorite film but one I’ll never forget.  “The Father” is a largely plotless, kaleidoscopic puzzle that puts the viewer in the shoes of an elderly man in decline with a fuzzy memory.  Hopkins’ character, conveniently named Anthony, resides in a flat and is frequently visited by his gentle and generous daughter (Olivia Colman).  They argue about events that have transpired in the recent past and we end up becoming just as disoriented as Anthony is with shifting settings and different actors playing the same part.  This immersive approach hurts your head a bit and makes you realize just how integral memory is to our sense of self worth.  Without it, we’re grasping at straws.  And, my God.  That finale.  Hopkins doesn’t die but what he does somehow even more heartbreaking.  IT LOOKS LIKE AMOUR, FEELS LIKE THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE AND IS ENTIRELY ITS OWN THING (Streaming on Amazon for $19.99; I won’t be forgetting the price of this movie anytime soon).

Gary Gulman on Mike Birbiglia’s “Working It Out” podcast: I casually take notes while listening to podcasts but this one was so fun and right for comedy nerds that it’s better you just discover it on your own.  

Not sold?  I’ll share a bit.  Gulman works out a joke about how he knew people wouldn’t wear masks since we’ve been complaining about “not eating peanuts on a plane when someone is allergic for years” that is a perfectly realized observation.  He also goes into great detail sharing how painful it is to have to field questions about “making a living at comedy” from anyone that asks him about his career.  Best of all, is a story he shares that took place at a grocery store checkout line that is the perfect encapsulation of everything that makes Gulman one of the best in the biz.  53 minutes whizzes by.  

Finally, now that we’re almost at a place where going back to the movie theater will become commonplace, movies that waited out the pandemic are slowly creeping up on us.  This week, two notable comedy previews dropped that I have to shout out.

First is Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish in Alan Zweibel’s “Here Today.”  The comedy team I didn’t know I needed my whole life.  “Here Today” looks like the rare, warm, crowd pleasing “comedy first, tears second” picture that works for the whole family.  Comes out May 7.  

Second up is Leos Carax’s “Annette.”  If you’re not familiar with Leos Carax, he’s the mind behind my favorite movie of the 2010s “Holy Motors.”  It’s one of the rare movies that’s so different and oddly familiar and life affirming that I had to see it twice in two days.  After a nine-year hiatus, he’s back.  This looks pretentious as hell, invigorating and electric.  Worst case scenario, Adam Driver looks goofy as hell.

That’s all she wrote.  Going to bed now very annoyed that Anthony Hopkins (who was admittedly great as discussed before) beat Chadwick Boseman for Best Actor.  It don’t make sense.

Enough griping.  See ya in May, pal

Comedy Stray Notes April 18, 2021

• I’ve been holding onto this one for awhile.  

As mentioned in past installments of “CSN,” my big 2021 goal was to make major strides toward making a feature-length film.  The movie was to be called “Shark Jumpers: The Movie Based On The Story Of The Short Lived College Sketch Show” and would be a fairly faithful re-telling of my first week at Arizona State University when I made a 22-minute pilot for a sketch show with the help of my newfound friends from the dorm.  It was an exhilarating time when anything felt possible; there was a mini DV camera, an ancient version of Final Cut Pro and what we had in our rooms for props.  Those were the ingredients.  I didn’t know what a tripod was.  The show itself was nothing special but the experience is something that I’ve wanted to bring to the big screen forever.

However, I figured that telling people about the movie wouldn’t quite do the tone, score, characters and jokes justice but a trailer would.  Plus, no one wants to read a screenplay.  For weeks, I scoured the ends of the internet for an animator since making a full-fledged live-action trailer seemed too daunting at the time.  I lucked out and found the incredibly talented David Fuchs through a friend who was able to bring my vision to glorious cartoon life.  Then, I did a voice recording session with the movie’s star C.W. Headley and Andrew Casertano back in January to get the lines just right.  Finally, my friend Jordan Chiolis’ band K. Sofia provided the title track “The Fool” and now a trailer for my dream movie exists.

Next step: making the actual thing.  If you want to be a part of this production in any capacity, let me know.  I’m trying to take baby steps to fund it and make this thing a reality.  Fingers crossed that we film two summers from now.

Now, send that link to all your indie producer friends that love low budget comedies.

• Two quick things I saw this week that knocked my socks off:

- My favorite form of comedy that’s blown up since the pandemic’s inception was the newsletter (in fact, you’re sort of reading one right now).  A personalized email from a writer you enjoy is an intimate break from the onslaught of infinite scrolling.  This week, I found myself moved by Adam Sokol’s bleak and darkly comic “That Spike Went In My Vein.”  I LOL’d right off at the bat at this excerpt:

“Pretty surreal but last week I went and decided to get myself a vaccine. Went with one against covid. Seemed like the smart choice. Already have a bunch of other vaccinations figured I’d get this one and round out my collection.”

From there, Adam dives into how we’re all expected to live post-pandemic as if nothing ever happened.  It’s not easy to just transition back and as he brilliantly put it, “I settled into doing pandemic.”  

This is a brief, wry piece that is very much worth your time as you try to dip your toe back into the old way of living.

- I’ve been participating in a fantastic, monthly SNL packet writing group and have met quite a few brilliant sketch practitioners as a result.  It’s been a treat to become familiar with each of these emerging writer’s voices and one of my favorites is Sophia Kinne.  This week, she released the subversive and aggressively funny faux infomercial “Raising Your Girls,” a 3:23 piece that goes into “what to tell your daughters about what it means to be a woman.”  Lessons like “Barbie Dolls: That’s What You Should Look Like” and “Ignore women’s soccer” evoke the sharp satire reminiscent of Tina Fey.  Fingers crossed that Sophia gets a platform like Fey someday to show off her outrageous talents.

• I caught five movies (in a perfect world, I would have seen 40) and listened to two podcasts this week.  I call it...research.  Probably going to use “research” as an excuse forever.

“About Schmidt” (2002): When I was 22, I was in an “Acting for TV and Film” class.  At the end of the semester, the class was tasked with performing a monologue from a movie.  Somehow, after a fairly lazy Google search, I thought I could handle Jack Nicholson’s monologue from the end of this film.  I practiced and rehearsed and ran it 30 times but it never quite clicked.  Plus, I’d never seen the movie.  It always rattled in my brain even though it never made that much sense to me.  I must have had “About Schmidt” on at least ten “Movies To See” lists I’d made over the years.  When I saw the poster with Nicholson’s weathered mug on Prime, I decided to finally kick it off the “To See” list and move it over to the “Movies I’ve Seen” list.  

“About Schmidt” is a moving, quiet bildungsroman (that’s a pretentious way to say coming of age) where the lead that comes into his own happens to be in his late 60s.  To kick things off, the eponymous lead Warren Schmidt (Nicholson) retires from accounting to hit the road with his chatty wife Helen (June Squibb).  When he returns home from an errand to find her dead, he suddenly has no idea what to do with his life.  Doesn’t exactly sound funny on paper but somehow the film finds humor and warmth in Schmidt going cross country in an RV corresponding with his sponsored African penpal Ndugu sharing all of his troubles and worries with a young stranger.  Better yet, the third act takes us to Denver where Schmidt’s daughter (Hope Davis) is set to wed Randall (a hilariously mulleted Dermot Mulroney), son of the never funnier, prickly and sensual Kathy Bates.  Her expired Percodan and hot tub scene she shares with Schmidt alone are worth the price of admission.  Finally, Nicholson delivers the speech I performed to my class way back in 2009.  I’ll admit it.  He’s a bit more right for the role than I was.  IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A FILM THAT UNINTENTIONALLY CAPTURES THE LISTLESSNESS OF QUARANTINE, HERE IT IS (Streaming on Amazon Prime for $2.99).

“Shimmer Lake” (2017): Just learned about this movie this week from my pal Ethan Lazar who had played a hand in its creation as a producer.  I entered the title into the Netflix search bar and my jaw dropped when I saw its all-star cast of comedy ringers.  Rainn Wilson, Adam Pally, Ron Livingston, Robb Corddry and John Michael Higgins?  Plus, it’s a mystery told in reverse?  Completely sold.  The film begins on a Friday with Rainn Wilson on the run in a basement and takes us back to Tuesday giving hints and clues about how the robbery on that fateful day unfolded and brought him to the basement on Friday.  Jokes are paid off in surprising ways (a bit where a cop played by Pally plays out is one of the most impressively structured concepts I’ve ever seen) and the ending took both Anna and me by surprise.  Having seen a billion and one movies, we like to think we can spot how the third act will play out ten minutes into the film.  Not here.  AN UNDER THE RADAR PUZZLE WORTH SOLVING (Streaming on Netflix).

“Thunder Force” (2021): I wanted to like this.  I really did.  The trailer promised a fresh take on the superhero genre where Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer are given superhuman powers and fight crime.  I thought, “This might be the McCarthy/Ben Falcone collaboration that bucks the trend of their ho-hum comedies.”  Nah, this ain’t the one.  The plot is, as promised, about lifelong comrades McCarthy and Spencer.  In a flashback sequence, McCarthy is the bully with a heart of gold and Spencer, the nerd incapable of standing up for herself.  The present day takes us where you might expect- McCarthy is hapless and Octavia owns a tech company with eyes on taking down the film’s baddies labeled “Miscreants.”  Through a series of mishaps at the lab, McCarthy ends up with powers and Spencer begrudgingly follows suit to supervise her reckless friend.  Cue training montage, first fight with minor henchmen (a half man/half crab played by standout Jason Bateman and reminds the audience what a comedy is supposed to feel like), battle with a major villain, etc.  You know these things, you’ve seen Marvel movies.

That’s not to say that there are a few well-played gags thrown in; Bobby Cannavale’s corrupt politician meddling with his henchmen is a welcome detour from obvious plot points.  David Storrs’ Andrew gives us a detailed explanation on how he sometimes goes by Andy, sometimes Drew, occasionally Andrew and by the time he gets to his Mom’s nickname, the movie had me.  Also, McCarthy bonding with Octavia’s daughter over Fortnite felt very authentic and appropriately goofy.  This is the kind of inspired lunacy I wanted the whole movie rather than soft, fairly obvious bits.  THE NUMBER ONE MOVIE ON NETFLIX AS OF LAST WEEK ISN’T THE BEST MOVIE ON THE PLATFORM (Streaming on Netflix).

“Frances Ferguson” (2019): Another rec by the way of fellow cinephile Camden Pollio.  Over text, he called it “almost like a female Lebowski.”  I clicked.  At only 71 minutes, our title character, Frances Ferguson (Kaley Wheless, bone dry deadpan) exits a loveless marriage to take part in a tryst with a minor from the school she teaches at.  Once again, not exactly fodder for a comedy film.  Somehow, director Bob Byington makes an uncaring sex offender sympathetic because everyone in this movie is gleefully unlikeable which in turns doesn’t make Frances seem that bad?  

In a weird way, all the actors in the film almost seem halfway indifferent to the film which gives it a really unique flavor.  Por ejemplo, Ferguson’s Mom visits her in prison and asks, “Did you even think about your daughter?” and our antihero doesn’t even react.  That’s a zag when you think the movie will zig right into societal expectations of Mothers.  It’s refreshing to see a movie with an imperfect, uncompromising female lead.  Also, meta narration by Nick Offerman that comments on the story (“this is the last time we’ll see this character”) plus cameos from Martin Starr as a romantic suitor and David Krumholtz playing a group counselor don’t hurt.  THIS MOVIE IS THE DEFINITION OF DROLL (Streaming on Amazon Prime).

“Life” (1999): Over a year ago, I asked people on Twitter what the “best underrated comedy of all time” was.  Got a lot of “Hot Rod” and “Cabin Boy.”  However, an Eddie Murphy comedy kept getting mentioned.  I hadn’t really heard of it.  I looked up the cast and saw the three leads were Eddie, Martin and...Bernie Mac.  Went straight to the never ending “movies to see” queue.  I’m so thankful for that thread now; this really is an “underrated comedy.”  Set way back in the Prohibition era, Eddie is a fast-talking con man always on the wrong side of the law and Martin is the sensible one.  Due to a chance encounter, the twosome find themselves unfairly imprisoned for...LIFE.  Once again, pretty heavy subject matter for comedy.  However, Eddie and Martin make it work.  You have Bernie Mac wilding out in prison as the insane Jangle Leg (helluva character name), old-timey baseball games, and so sad they’re funny scenes where Murphy reads letters to fellow illiterate prisoners about the tragedy that’s befallen their families.  First act setups are paid off satisfyingly in the end and I teared up at the film’s conclusion.  YUP, THIS IS SUPER UNDERRATED (Streaming on YouTube for $2.99).

“Working It Out” with Fred Armisen: The subject line for this episode was “The Secret Comedy Rules of Portlandia and SNL.”  I made it a priority immediately.  Armisen makes for an engaging, humble interview subject happy to talk about what it was like putting on wigs and prosthetics at SNL, how he auditioned for the show with a Vin Diesel and Sam Waterston impression, the name “Portlandia” was suggested by an assistant, his Ira Glass impersonation was cut from SNL because not enough people knew who the “This American Life” host was and the best nugget of all: he only plays characters he could be or would like in real life.  Amen to that.  Kudos to Birbiglia for two great stories he added to the discourse.  Number one was about NPR where producers are proud to “kill off” stories because that means the show is so good that getting rid of something quality is a badge of honor.  The second was about seeing “Portlandia” live and learning there was a higher ceiling for laughter from a live audience than he knew.  This is a breezy 48-minute listen that I could see myself coming back to learn from on an annual basis.

This American Life’s “What Lies Beneath” episode: Speaking of Ira Glass’ show, I listened for the first time in ages this week.  The show, split into segments, often covers a topic from a number of angles.  Heavy, light, eccentric and sometimes there might even be poetry.  No matter what though, it’s always a true slice of life though.  With “What Lies Beneath,” I was floored by the first act of the pod.  Through an interview with an elementary school teacher, we learn of a young class that mythologizes a drawing of a “Despicable Me” Minion dubbed “Bobssister.”  I won’t spoil anything else but what comes next is surprising and worthy of a feature film.  It brought me back to the pure naivete of being a child.  

The episode concludes with Chris Gethard talking to his Dad rather frankly about his depression.  His poor pops didn’t know about that side of him.  It’s gently moving and a bit funny.

I’ve got a few things in the pipeline this coming week.  You’ll see.

Nos vemos el próximo domingo* 

*Yeah, I’m 174 days into Duolingo; if I’m being honest I used Google Translate for this.  It simply says, “See you next Sunday”

Comedy Stray Notes April 11, 2021

• I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of surprise marriage proposal videographers.  You really have to get everything just right; the second take isn’t as magical.  It’s a one and done kind of deal.  With this idea in mind, I wrote a short sketch called “Wedding Proposal Gone Wrong” where the pompous videographer (played with gusto by Sam Zee) can’t get anything right for the happy couple (Anna Paone and...me).  At a brisk 1:15, employing montage style, repetition and a few classic comedy sound cues, we ask the important question- will you say yes to watching the sketch?  I’m sorry.  Couldn’t help myself.  

• Here are a few highlights of short/long form comedy found on the web this past week:

- NY comedy power couple Laura High and Dave Columbo have been consistently churning out top of the line comedy quickies on TikTok and Instagram for the entirety of the pandemic but the past few weeks have really found their stride.  Although they’ve made innumerable impressive videos, I was especially wowed recently by their swipes at how out of touch we’ve all become.  Laura’s “Practicing Being A Human Again” and Dave’s “What Pop Culture Sounds Like To People Over 35 Awards” are two worthy additions to our current malaise as we all reluctantly re-enter society.  I’d give these and their TikToks a view while we wait to dip our toes back into normal life.  

- As a former tennis player (doubles champion in the Phoenix Union High School District 2005 and 2007, don’t ask about 2006), I have a soft spot for comedy poking fun at the sport and the characters that inhabit the world of the game.  This week, while scrolling the ‘Gram, I stopped, turned up the volume and LOL’d at Peter Revello’s pitch perfect “Guy Who Takes Tennis Too Seriously.”  It’s all the attitude, competitiveness and sadness that brings out the worst in people played out in just a quick minute.  There’s a link in the comments and while you’re there, stick around for “Creepy Uncle at a Wedding.”

- Came across a video from Rizzle’s Stupid Music Videos channel that was so gloriously dumb that I can’t help but share it with the world.  The video?  A minute-long ode to “Bugs with big fat asses.”  The catchy tune, absurd joke and goofy visuals are reminiscent of the best of The Lonely Island and all have been playing on repeat in my head all week.  Plus, the blink and you’ll miss it “Mank”/”Minari” bit is the height of comedy for me- a sophisticated and stupid throwaway I’ll never forget.  Props to Brian Bahe for putting this on my radar with a retweet.  I’m so glad I saw this.  Hope you check it out too.

- I’m doing my best to make my way through all the independently produced YouTube specials; there’s a never ending stream of high quality, unique showcases of comics on the verge.  This week, I caught Tyler Fischer’s energetic, fast paced “Man Boy Unit.”  Using all the tools in his comic toolbox, Fischer shows off accurate and hysterical impressions of Burr, Robin Williams, and Maniscalco, self deprecating height jokes (the best one of all inspired the special’s title), goofy, pointed crowd work off the top and an A+ observation about the twisted logic behind how Netflix subscriptions work.  Also, props to the professional camera work by comic Danny Felts.  Enough reading about it; the link’s in that comment section.

• Saw a stone cold classic comedy as well as a few middling flicks with troubled production histories this week.   Here is my story:

“Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar” (2021): Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo are the ultimate peas in a pod in this movie that feels like one of those impossibly wacky yet grounded improv shows you never want to end.  Recommended by many, this is already the comedy to beat for best of the year.  Off the top, we meet off-kilter villains played by Wiig in bizarro white face (there’s an even stranger backstory inspired by “Powder” to explain this), Reyn Doi (a tween paperboy that’s inexplicably the group’s heavy) and Jamie Dornan of “50 Shades of Grey” flailing to win over the villainous Wiig.  The three of them have one goal: destroy Vista Del Mar.  Then, we’re taken to a failing furniture superstore and see Barb and Star on the job doing everything but work.  The two riff about going into the store on each other’s day off and soon learn they’re going to have a lot of time off.  To Vista Del Mar, they go.  What follows are spectacular Broadway show resort numbers, dire motels, Vanessa Bayer domineering a “talking club” with the bit part of the year, so dumb they’re great Richard Cheese songs serving as segues into secens, repeated montages that get goofier on rewatch, a mice orchestra (!) and left-field cameos too good to spoil.  My only major complaint is the third act was a tad on the nose but I’ll let it slide. For a movie where the characters innocently ask “Is this illegal” when they sneak into a resort pool, it more than gets a pass from me.  AMERICA WAS ROBBED WHEN THIS DIDN’T GET A THEATRICAL RELEASE (Streaming on Amazon for $6.99).

“Bad Trip” (2021): In a distant second for best comedy of 2021 comes “Bad Trip.” In this “Borat”/”Jackass” spiritual successor, Eric Andre and Lil Rel (no one plays a best friend better) follow the loosest semblance of a story hijacking Rel’s convict sister’s (Tiffany Haddish) car to travel from Florida to New York so Andre can meet back up with his high school crush.  There are the slightest of emotional stakes but that’s not what this movie is about.  This movie is about Andre’s clothes being stripped off his body at work or an intimate moment with an ape at a zoo or a mangled hand in a blender at a smoothie shop while unsuspecting, real people stand by and give reactions.  Best of all was a flash mob full of talented performers led by an incompetent Andre.  He lives for anarchy and this is a pure, unhinged nutso vision.  I didn’t laugh out loud a bunch here but YOU HAVE TO APPRECIATE THEIR WILLINGNESS TO GO THERE (Streaming on Netflix).

“The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” (2018): I didn’t think the day would ever come that Terry Gilliam would finish this movie.  Then, I took three years to see it.  Now that I have, I can say, it’s a fascinating, meta, compromise; this feels like a lesser, yet still vital film than the one we would have gotten years ago in the late 90s or early 00s.  It’s a movie of contradictions: I was simultaneously charmed and underwhelmed; it’s epic but not as grand as I imagine the original vision is.  The narrative kicks off with a self absorbed Adam Driver as a hotshot director who made his bones with a student film about Quixote that deluded his non-actor, cobbler lead (Jonathan Pryce) into believing he actually IS Don and Driver is his Sancho.  This serves as a nice commentary on the lengths method actors go to for their roles.  It’s not perfect but it is fun and grand in places; I was especially impressed by a sequence at the end with giant ogres and a miniature Driver.  I’LL ALWAYS WONDER WHAT GILLIAM’S 2000 VERSION OF THIS MOVIE WOULD BE THOUGH (Streaming on Hulu).

“Fatman” (2020): Mel Gibson playing Santa?  Yes, this is problematic.  However, this movie had a truly irresistible elevator pitch- “A precocious rich kid with a nasty streak hires a hitman (Walton Goggins) to kill a world weary Santa” and I couldn’t help myself.  What starts promisingly with a fleshed out universe that felt as if it had been workshopped for years slowly evolves into a less exciting full-on action movie that forgot it was a comedy.  Plus, it simply became a little too mean-spirited for my liking; Marianne Jean-Baptiste playing Ruth Cringle (a nice variation on Mrs. Claus) is the only character with any redeeming qualities here. IT’S A DIFFERENT FLAVOR OF “BAD SANTA” BUT NO CLASSIC (Streaming on Amazon Prime for $3.99).

*I guarantee at one point in time this movie was called “The War on Christmas.”  It had to be.

SNL hosted by Carey Mulligan: Just like that, the third consecutive week of live shows is over.  Lickety split.  They come and go so fast.  As a result, we got what I’d call a “B” level SNL with a few instant classics thrown in the mix.  To keep it brief, here are some bullet points:

• Kenan is much funnier on SNL than on “Kenan.” 

• The Cold Open featuring warring news anchors with varying POVs on the hot button Derek Chauvin case was a nice update on a format they’ve run before; other pleasurable formats they employed again tonight included a monologue where the host introduces a family member, a game show, a pre-taped rap music video, an IBS commercial, Mikey Day corresponding with his disinterested wife by letter from afar and a parody trailer (that feels just like Britanick’s classic “Academy Award Winning Movie Trailer”).

• The show’s intro with 20 cast members feels like it will never end.

• Mumford and Sons jokes would have hit much harder in 2009 (Mulligan’s husband is the one of the Mumfords).

• In a long standing tradition, the show has at least one poop fake ad per season.  This episode’s edition was fun, but it’s no “Oops, I crapped my pants.”

• Game show “What’s Wrong With This Picture” always has the oddest images for the actors to riff on; I always wonder if the bits or pictures come first.  A true chicken and the egg scenario.

• I’m guilty of stopping paying attention mid-sketch once I feel like I know where the game of the scene is going.  That said, the awkward flirting in “Study Buddy” perfectly captured the uncomfortable tension between young teens that felt more alive than anything else the show has done this season.  To me, it felt a lot like a tribute to the recently passed original writer Anne Beatts (RIP; she’s a legend behind so many of the show’s classic sketches like Murray and Radner’s “Nerds”).  There were also shades of the Nasim Pedrad show “Chad” and “Pen15.”   

• Kudos to the loopy, pre-taped “Weird, Little Flute” Redd/Davidson/Kid Cudi/Timothee Chalamet collab; just when I thought the show’s raps were getting stale, SNL ups their game.  Instant classic.  Definitely going to be on Pete Davidson’s inevitable “Best Of.”

• Weekend Update’s rips into Matt Gaetz’s Venmo, the requisite Mitch McConnell “looks like” gag and three (!) correspondents made for one of the most fun of the season in a season full of great Updates.  Come for Redd and Bennett as Obama and Springsteen (Beck even nailed the Boss’ cocked eyebrow), then stay for Punkie Johnson as the stripper from Paul Pierce’s video and finally Bowen Yang as the Titanic’s iceberg.  Also, going in Bowen’s “Best Of.”

• Fragile millennials on a “Star Trek” like spaceship made for a perfect sketch.  

• The show closed with Mulligan and Aidy as middle aged women inexplicably promoting their pantyhose to a group of teens.  At first, it seemed like a lost opportunity as the teens and ladies don’t “yes, and” each other and play the old “let’s point out why that character is weird” before they took on a funnier, more empowered stance.  I always say nothing on TV is more full of comic promise than the 5-to-1 and this sketch proved that again this week.

WTF with Hunter Biden: Every Monday morning, I check to see who Maron has on to kick off my week.  This felt like a can’t miss.  Clicked in, listened to the backstory about how Marc was hesitant to interview the “First son” and become entangled in his messy life story before deciding to grant him a chat in the garage.  Turns out the young Biden (on a promotional tour for his memoir) is not so bad.  He talks about how his life changed from being a Senator’s son to being a Vice President’s son to finally a President’s son (there’s more security) and how he’s a fan of WTF.  Things get heavy when Maron brings up Biden’s checkered past diving into his addiction to crack, childhood trauma surrounding the deaths in his family and an impending lawsuit that he was willing to actually discuss rather than sweep under the table like others of his status certainly would.  Not my favorite episode of the show ever but one I won’t forget.

That’s all I got for you today