This week marks the 25th anniversary of my first foray into original online reporting about comedy! Believe it or not, on Nov. 5, 1998, before we even had a word for blogging, I was a newspaper reporter in Bremerton, Wash., who competed in the Seattle International Comedy Competition, and my editors somehow not only agreed to let me spend six nights in a row driving all over Western Washington to sling jokes, but also granted me access to the newspaper’s Web page to keep an online journal each morning for me to very publicly process my journey. A condensed version then appeared in print the following Thursday. I may not have won that contest, but Scripps Howard did pay me a bonus for my innovation, and all of these years later, just look at us!
I’m finally returning to Seattle next week to commemorate this pivotal moment in my life by helping judge the semifinals of the 2023 SICC. Consider me quite happily surprised at how things have turned out. Someone should pay me to write a book about it all! Moving on to this week’s top story…
It’s always a great time to share a comedy book, but this holiday season seems especially bountiful and perhaps for very sound logistical reasons. From book deal to publication typically takes a year or two. So while you may have learned to make sourdough or banana bread during the pandemic, comedians without gigs suddenly found themselves with more than enough free time and incentive to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboards) and attempt to compensate for their lack of paying gigs with the stipend from a book deal. Resulting in this bounty of comedy books in 2023.
Last Things First! Among those who have appeared on my podcast with new books on the shelves right now? Scott Aukerman’s “Comedy Bang! Bang! the Podcast: The Book,” Maria Bamford’s “Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere,” Mike Bridenstine’s “The Perfect Amount of Wrong: The Rise of Alt Comedy on Chicago’s North Side,” Sarah Cooper’s “Foolish: Tales of Assimilation, Determination, and Humiliation,” Jena Friedman’s “Not Funny: Essays on Life, Comedy, Culture, Et Cetera,” Gary Gulman’s “Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the ’80s,” Dave Hill’s “The Awesome Game: One Man’s Incredible, Globe-Crushing Hockey Odyssey,” Lane Moore’s “You Will Find Your People: How to Make Meaningful Friendships as an Adult,” Aparna Nancherla’s “Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Impostor Syndrome,” Tom Papa’s “We’re All in This Together . . .: So Make Some Room,” Aida Rodriguez’s “Legitimate Kid: A Memoir,” Tara Schuster’s “Glow in the F*cking Dark: Simple Practices to Heal Your Soul, from Someone Who Learned the Hard Way,” and Reggie Watts’s “Great Falls, MT: Fast Times, Post-Punk Weirdos, and a Tale of Coming Home Again.”
Out today is Jesse David Fox’s “Comedy Book,” which joins these other tomes on sale from funny authors: Fern Brady’s “Strong Female Character,” Rob Delaney’s “A Heart That Works,” Joey Diaz’s “Tremendous: The Life of a Comedy Savage,” Hannah Gadsby’s “Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation,” London Hughes’s “Living My Best Life, Hun: Following Your Dreams Is No Joke,” “Leslie F*cking Jones,” Keegan-Michael and Elle Key’s “The History of Sketch Comedy: A Journey Through the Art and Craft of Humor,” Jason Klamm’s “We’re Not Worthy: From in Living Color to Mr. Show, How ’90s Sketch TV Changed the Face of Comedy,” Seth Rogen’s “Yearbook,” George Schlatter’s “Still Laughing: A Life in Comedy (from the Creator of Laugh-In),” Kenan Thompson’s “When I Was Your Age: Life Lessons, Funny Stories & Questionable Parenting Advice from a Professional Clown,” Kountry Wayne’s “Help Is on the Way: Stay Up and Live Your Truth,” Zach Zimmerman’s “Is It Hot in Here (or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth)?,” Ziwe’s “Black Friend: Essays,” and Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker’s “Surely You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane!“
Disclosure: If you purchase any of these books through my affiliated shop on Bookshop, I do receive a slight reimbursement, so helping them helps me, too, thanks!
Problems With The Comedy Brand
Another woman has come forward with sexual assault allegations against Russell Brand.
This guy. Oof.
Almost two months have passed since Channel 4’s damning investigation carried out by Dispatches, the Times and The Sunday Times in London, revealing, as this YouTube description writes: “shocking accounts about Brand’s alleged predatory sexual behaviour between 2004 and 2013. During that time Brand was a household name, as a presenter on Channel 4’s Big Brother spin-off programme, and then a DJ on BBC Radio 2.”
I first interviewed Russell Brand in 2008 for Time Out NY, previewing Brand’s first headlining stand-up performances in America. Among the things he told me then over the phone, this part rings louder now, naturally: On coming to North America to win over new audiences, Brand found a comparison here, saying: “I know sex is a delicate proposition, but that doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be undertaken with delicious enthusiasm.”
His colorful braggadocio display of vocabulary is well known, and some of his earliest viral moments in the States I recall came from his appearances on TV newscasts, where he’d invariably overwhelm the anchor (usually a woman) steamrolling over them verbally. Meeting him in person, I also can attest that he’s imposing physically, too. That’s no excuse to take advantage of women in situations in front of cameras and/or live audiences where they’re too afraid to say no. Brand’s predilection for pervertedness and his openness about sex addiction don’t get to cover for boorish behavior. And several women claim he crossed the line criminally.
The latest allegation comes from a woman who worked on set of the Arthur movie remake in 2010, telling The Times that Brand exposed himself to her in front of the crew, then later assaulted her in a bathroom. She feared speaking out then would get her fired or even blackballed from show business, saying: “Everyone usually turns a blind eye to bad behaviour on a set. If I had come forward and said something to, say, even a production assistant on the set, what are they going to do? Are they going to fire Russell Brand, or are they going to fire me?”
It’s no secret that Brand played drunk while filming Arthur and enjoyed employing his method acting to behave boorishly in public. Brand told MTV News while promoting his movie: “I loved pretending to be drunk. I had a real hoot. Could sort of stagger around, we’re filming in New York, there’s crowds of people everywhere hanging out, so I could just wander among them, pretend to be drunk, beg for change occasionally.”
Before the pandemic, Brand might not have quibbled with critics such as myself who pointed out his narcissism, how his ego and vanity get in his way, and he outwardly appeared to be trying to build his own cult following in recent years. The pandemic pivoted him into one of these “just asking questions” guys, except all of his questions somehow only seemed to support the likes of Donald Trump or Peter Thiel or Elon Musk.
Brand still has 11.3 million followers on X/Twitter, for whatever that’s worth, and broadcasts weekday afternoons over Rumble (aka MAGA Twitch/YouTube) where he has 1.74 million followers. He can monetize on both X and Rumble but YouTube stopped him from making money directly off of videos there where he still has 6.7 million subs. Thiel, of course, is a major investor in Rumble, which also owns Locals (where Brand released his most recent stand-up special) and partners with Truth Social, all complicit with Trumpian MAGA.
Some comedians and critics point out that allegations about Brand have been known for many years, reading between the lines of old interviews with Dannii Minogue or Brand’s ex-wife, Katy Perry.
More will be revealed.
Laughing Together
In happier news…Chris Gethard has launched Laughing Together, a division of Wellness Together, School Mental Health, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Gethard says: “For the past six months I’ve been working to build a system where comedians can go into school environments to help. It’s been a mind blowing mix of finding comedians who care, linking up with some of the best thinkers in child psychology and education, and figuring out how these talented comedians can apply what they do in a way that will be really beneficial to young people. Psyched to try and do some good. Visit www.laughingtogether.org for more info, and if you want a workshop use the contact form there.”
In Other News
Put down the phone (unless you’re reading this on your phone). Sometimes we need a gentle reminder to detach from social media, that not every moment in history requires us to weigh in incessantly, to repost or boost every unhinged piece of information we see. I don’t know what else to say about Amy Schumer’s Instagram account that I didn’t already think or say when her former Inside Amy Schumer writer Kurt Metzger couldn’t stop his Tweeting and Facebook posting in 2016. For now, I’ll just say this with regards to Schumer’s IG claim on Nov. 2 that “I’m the most successful female comedian of all time.” By one specific metric, she can stake that claim: As I posted in June, Schumer is so far the only female stand-up to headline Madison Square Garden.
What else?
- Russell Peters has a deal to star in a film backed by Beacon Media and Parmar Entertainment, to be written by Erik Olsen.
- Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s season 12 will debut HBO in February 2024.
- Season 12 of Futurama also will arrive in February, part of a two-season order from Hulu.
- But Season 12 will be the last chapter for Letterkenny on Hulu.
- “In the spirit of Matthew Perry’s enduring commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction, we embark on a journey to honor his legacy by establishing the Matthew Perry Foundation, guided by his own words and experiences, and driven by his passion for making a difference in as many lives as possible.”
- Comedy Central’s 14th season of “Comedy Central Stand-Up Featuring,” the short-form stand-up series debuted Nov. 1 only on Comedy Central’s Stand-Up YouTube and Facebook. Season 14 of the weekly digital series will include feature Tommy Brennan, Ayanna Dookie, Holmes, Grace Kuhlenschmidt, Sam Morrison, Randall Otis, Usama Siddiquee, Ethan Simmons-Patterson, Kate Sisk, Mark Smalls, Chinedu Unaka, Mav Viola, Asha Ward, Eagle Witt and Lucas Zelnick.
- Hartbeat CEO Thai Randolph has left Kevin Hart’s production company, with the comedian stepping in as interim CEO.
- CBS, which already re-airs Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen in late-night, also will broadcast the 2nd annual Byron Allen Presents TheGrio Awards on Saturday, Nov. 25, co-hosted by Sheryl Underwood and Roy Wood, Jr., with honors for Mariah Carey, Don Cheadle, Misty Copeland, Dr. Kizzmekia S Corbett-Helaire, Tamron Hall, Kevin Hart, Steve Harvey, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Eddie Murphy, the Reverend Al Sharpton and Denzel Washington. Musical Performers Include Boyz II Men, Jennifer Hudson, Coco Jones, Patti LaBelle and Smokey Robinson.
- New tours announced: Randy Rainbow, BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon, and Andrew Schulz, who’ll become the newest comic to headline MSG come May 2024.
- And last but not least, Night of Too Many Stars will return, Dec. 11, 2023, at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, with Rachel Bloom, Stephen Colbert, Ron Funches, James Austin Johnson, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Amy Schumer, Jon Stewart, the cast of How to Dance in Ohio.
Seen & Heard
Late Show with Stephen Colbert welcomed Taylor Tomlinson to introduce her as the new host for After Midnight, which will premiere in the post-Colbert timeslot in 2024!
Jesus Trejo performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Jimmy Kimmel Live sat down last week with Pete Holmes, John Wilson, Mike Birbiglia, and Alex Edelman.
Late Night with Seth Meyers, meanwhile, welcomed Sarah Cooper, James Austin Johnson.
In podcasts, I enjoyed listening to Dan Soder on WTF with Marc Maron, Craig Ferguson on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard (with Kristen Bell!), Nate Bargatze on Fly on The Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade, and Tyler Fischer on How To Be Tom Shillue: The Podcast.
OK. I’m sure I missed something, so I’ll have to catch up and then catch you up next time!
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