Last week, we discussed the nature of parody, the challenges associated with doing it well, and why it feels like the type of comedy we really need right now. This week, I want to take an in-depth look at a higher education-specific example of the form, in (the award-winning) Humans of Higher Ed. Developed earlier this … Continue reading Parody in Practice: The Gentlemen of Humans of Higher Ed [Interview]
Surely You Can’t Be Serious: On the Necessity of Parody
What's it called when you read a diagnosis and its symptoms, and immediately determine that you have the disease in question? Whatever the technical name, I've got an ailment to add to my hypochondriac's litany of likely diseases: witzelsucht. Witzelsucht is a neurological condition in which the sufferer is essentially a nonstop fountain of jokes and … Continue reading Surely You Can’t Be Serious: On the Necessity of Parody
Rumbling with Difficult Laughs
WARNING: This post contains mild spoilers for season 2 of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, streaming now on Netflix. From Episode 3: KIMMY: You're playing a Japanese woman? TITUS: Playing? I was a Japanese woman! KIMMY: Well, if Aisha Tyler can play a white woman on Friends, then I guess it's okay! I love rumbling with jokes. … Continue reading Rumbling with Difficult Laughs
My #The100DaysProject Is a Joke
Well, to be precise...it's 100 jokes. Or, it will be. Let me back up a little bit. For the past few years, artist Elle Luna has facilitated an initiative called the 100 Days Project. She sums it up (artfully, as she would) here: Last year, I made an attempt to participate in the project, and … Continue reading My #The100DaysProject Is a Joke
Drunk History’s Guide to Black History
One of my favorite, and most popular, posts is about the empowering nature of Derek Waters' Drunk History for women. It creates a safe space for them to drink without the dire consequences frequently befalling women on television, and positions them as both reliable narrators (for the storytellers), and as figures of historical significance (for the story subjects). … Continue reading Drunk History’s Guide to Black History
Fighting Fun, with Lessons from the Roast (Battle)
Hannibal Buress is having one hell of a moment when it comes to speaking truth to power. While most of the world now knows him as the comedian who reigntited the fire around Bill Cosby's storied rape allegations at a time when they could, at last, mature into the present inferno, he has another moment … Continue reading Fighting Fun, with Lessons from the Roast (Battle)
Panel Review: ACUI Live, on Offense + Triggers
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of serving as a panelist for ACUI Live in a conversation about trigger warnings and offense on campus. I came to this topic wearing the dual hats of “campus activities talent booker,” and “recreational comedy enthusiast.” But the conversation we had examined the issue through several lenses- … Continue reading Panel Review: ACUI Live, on Offense + Triggers
Lorne Michaels, Reach Over the Line
As I write this, I am currently burning time in my sister's apartment while she does homework, before we strike up our version of a tradition started with our parents over twenty years ago- watching Saturday Night Live together. If we were home on Saturday night at 11:30, it would take all of 30 seconds … Continue reading Lorne Michaels, Reach Over the Line
BoJack Says the Darndest Things
Since last October, when standup comedian Hannibal Buress told a crowd at Philadelphia’s Trocadero Theater to look up the allegations of Bill Cosby’s sexual misconduct, it was a matter of time before popular culture decided to take on the topic. An unlikely candidate stepped forward to address the controversy with humor and gravity- Netflix’s BoJack … Continue reading BoJack Says the Darndest Things
The CATASTROPHE of Creative Relationships
I spent three hours of my past weekend laughing at the smart and wickedly funny Catastrophe (now streaming on Amazon Prime). Starring a comedian I have expressed my appreciation for previously, Rob Delaney, and Sharon Horgan (of the UK's Pulling, IFC's deliciously awkwardThe Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, and a cameo on Moone Boy), it … Continue reading The CATASTROPHE of Creative Relationships
