Howdy folks. Jay here, back at my desk after surviving the humidity of NYC, bracing myself for the June Gloom of Southern California. Today is actually not particularly June Gloom-y at all. Looking out the window to my left I can see beautiful blue skies and golden sunshine. My LA friends asked me to bring the nice weather back with me; looks like I might’ve pulled it off.
It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks. I did some yard work. I watched my desktop computer get bricked by a routine software update and panicked for a few days about losing all of my various digital things. I saw a bunch of comic friends and a few non-comic friends. I witnessed a racist heckler get chased out of a club by comics and management, his hat brought back to us like a hunting trophy, ready to be defaced and serve as a reminder to other audience members who feel like getting mouthy. I went to a Keanu Reeves-themed birthday party. I ate too much pizza and not enough pasta.
In the midst of all this, I saw a handful of funny things that stuck with me. Let me tell you about ‘em!
THINGS I’M GLAD I’VE SEEN
“BODEGA RUN” FT. SHAUNAK GODKHINDI
Y’all know I’m a sucker for game shows, and this new one hosted by my hilarious friend (and recent NYC transplant) Shaunak Godkhindi is social media-ready genius. This high octane, low stakes take on Supermarket Sweep makes for a thrilling watch in less than 90 seconds. Give it a follow wherever you watch your vertical videos and be ready to yell at people for not finding snacks in a timely manner.
STEREOPHONIC
Everyone is raving about this play, and for good reason: it rocks. One of my favorite things about comedy is that it fits in pretty much anywhere as long as you’ve built the right context for it, and the laughs that David Adjmi’s script and the actors’ performances elicit – especially in a play that the average theatergoer would certainly not classify as a comedy – are big and boisterous. But more than that, they’re necessary.
At its core, Stereophonic is an examination of the creative process, displaying how art can disrupt the lives and affect the the relationships of its creators. Following an unnamed band in the 70’s as they record the album that will propel them into the stratosphere of superstardom, the audience becomes flies on the wall to the beauty and ugliness on display in the recording studio. We see fights and backbiting right alongside joy and celebration, sometimes within moments of each other. The lighter moments aren’t one-off jokes just there to undercut the seriousness; they make the heavier moments have greater weight.
If you have a chance to see it, take the shot and buy the tickets. And if you’re not going to New York anytime soon, lucky you: it just got extended through January.
JERRY SEINFELD’S RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION “WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PORSCHE?”
Last Tuesday I did a show at Gotham Comedy Club where I had to follow Jerry Seinfeld.1 At the end of his set, he did a Q&A with the audience – a now-classic move to generate new premises and clips of hecklers getting owned. A lot of people asked him breakfast-related questions, but it was his response to this car-themed question asked by a guy in the front row who looked like he still believed in NFTs that tickled me the most:
“What an obnoxious question. Moving on.”
AKEEM WOODS’ PROVINCETOWN PRIDE STORY
My first night in New York I ran into my friend Akeem, who was fresh off of doing a Pride show in Provincetown.2 “I’m just popping in to try out a story about something that happened this weekend,” he told me. As soon as he got to the stage and launched into the story, it became apparent that this story would absolutely become a part of his act.
All I’ll say: it involves a threesome and the dirtiest Rock Paper Scissors game of all time. Keep your eyes peeled for whenever he tells the fleshed out version himself. It’s a doozy!
JONATHAN KITE DEALING WITH A NUTJOB HECKLER
Last night I hosted a show at the Hotel Café with a very light audience. 5 people, to be exact. One of those people was an older guy who gave off strong bootleg Richard Branson vibes named Jerry. Jerry wanted to be the star of the show. I indulged him a little bit as the host, doing some crowdwork and light roasting to get people engaged, then got moving with the lineup. My buddy Jonathan went up third. I hadn’t seen him go up in a while, and boy was I glad I got to tune in for this one.
First and foremost: he dressed down Jerry through patient, present crowdwork that gave us all more information than we thought we’d ever get out of our least favorite audience member.3 He also wove in some of his signature impressions, mocking Jerry by reframing his ramblings in the voice of Donald Trump. And after all that, he stayed in the pocket with some outstanding stream-of-consciousness commentary on the strange circumstances that all the comics found themselves in that night.
It’s tough to kill in front of 5 people, but Jonathan Kite put on a clinic last night, and I’ve gotta say something about it.
A BRIEF DISPATCH FROM RECOVERYLAND
“You know the four rules of engineering? Show up, pay attention, tell the truth, deal with the consequences.”
- Grover, Stereophonic
When I can, I like to hit meetings for artists in recovery. I always appreciate the focus shift at these because, among other things, they remind me that I don’t need to be tortured to be an artist. Between the two I hit last week and a debrief on my feelings about Stereophonic in therapy, the bit I’m happy to have at the forefront of my brain today is the importance of awareness.
I drank and used for a handful of reasons, but one of them was to tap out from feeling. In my alcoholic mind, celebrating can be as intense as wallowing, and I still feel the desire sometimes to put some distance between myself and whatever feelings I’m experiencing in any given moment. What I try to remember when that desire to distance myself comes up: it is, in fact, pretty nice to be alert and present and not covering up all your bullshit. I’m better at alchemizing life into art when I’m an active participant and not standing in the corner, waiting for someone to ask me if I want to join the dance.
WHAT ABOUT ME?
You can find me:
most Tuesdays at the Comedy Store hosting the Roast Battle pre-show
in and around LA for the next couple weeks - full show calendar is here
doing WRONG! at the Comedy Store on 6/30, get tickets here
Until next time, friends. Thanks for reading, I’m glad you’re here.
my set went great, thanks for asking
if you’re not familiar with Provincetown, it’s basically gay Cape Cod.
I certainly didn’t expect Jerry to confess to being abducted by aliens during the show last night, and I don’t think anyone else did either. Especially not ol’ Jer-Bear!