Tag: television

W/ Bob & David Out On Netflix

A year or so back, a friend told me about Mr. Show with Bob and David – that I should check out some grainy Youtube recording of it. I had never heard of the thing, but I knew of David Cross from Arrested Development and Bob Odenkirk from Breaking Bad. I just thought they were actors and never knew they did sketch. I thought they were both fantastic and so the existence of a Mr. Show blew my mind!

I did start watching that grainy Youtube video and I couldn’t stop. I watched Mr. Show for hours and it was unlike any other sketch show I’d seen. I had fun. But I was also extremely amazed and excited that anyone else actually enjoyed what Bob and David were doing.

I’m glad they’re back with five Neflix original episodes, W/ Bob & David. Watch the trailer. Also, Mr.Show on Youtube is below. Have fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyZ9l8anS9I

 

 

The Meltdown With Jonah And Kumail Is Great

Do you want to know what it’s like to hang out in the back of a comic book store with all the best comedians in the world? That’s exactly what Meltdown is: a weird, almost fantastical place where comedians just come to hang out and shoot the shit. Oh, and tell hilarious jokes.

When I first heard of Meltdown, I was like, “Whoa, this is just like The Creek and the Cave, but, like, with really famous comedians.” The Creek and the Cave is a comedy club in Long Island City where I and a bunch of other fledgling comics hang out and talk in between sets and shows, but the somewhat huge difference is that none of us are quite famous yet. The comedians at Meltdown are doing the same thing, except it’s comedians who are on TV all the time, touring the country, and doing their own bigger and better things. But they like to come to Meltdown every week to hang out in the back room because, well, it’s fun.

It’s a hilarious concept for a comedy show: to have two hosts who take way too long on stage at the top, just messing around with the audience and riffing with one another. Like, way too long. And then they bring up all of their friends to do stand up after. Typically, an absolutely awful format for a show. But Jonah and Kumail do it so well and go on for so long that the actual length of their banter becomes funny.

The show is also especially cool for me, because my first show in New York was in a tiny, cramped comic book store. This one is much bigger and cooler. But, it’s totally the same in my mind.

You can watch the show on Comedy Central.

Tig Notaro Doing What She Does Best

Tig Notaro is best known for her album “Live!” But I like her best for her typical stand up: silly, stupid commentaries on everyday things. And doing stupid things like pushing a stool around the sage for two whole minutes.

Watch out her Conan set from 2012. It’s fun. It’ll be good for you! You’ll like it, I swear!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo1oyoRGkCg

Nathan Fielder Interviews With an Interviewer’s Mom

I posted a little while ago about Nathan Fielder’s new season of Nathan for You. A writer for the AV Club, John Teti, asked Fielder to do a traditional interview to promote the show, but Fielder had a different idea.

Teti had previously reviewed Fielder’s show on his podcast Mom on Pop, where he discusses pop culture with his mother.  Teti’s mother gave scathing reviews of Fielder’s work on the podcast, saying that Fielder wasn’t funny and she didn’t think he was a very nice guy.

So, what did Fielder suggest for the interview? He wanted to meet up with Teti’s mother to try to convince her that he was a good guy.

The interview with Teti’s mother is hilarious, at least to me. It’s definitely not your average type of funny. But it reminded me of conversations I have with people who aren’t really connected to the comedy world and are pretty ignorant about what can and can’t be funny (even though they’re generally nice people). The idea that some guy’s mother is trying to tell Fielder, who runs a successful comedy show, what is and isn’t funny is a pretty funny idea.

Spoiler: Fielder is successful in the end.

Jerry Seinfeld on Halloween

Happy Halloween!

I’ve gotta go with sharing some classic Halloween material from Seinfeld today. I had a “Jerry Seinfeld Halloween” book when I was a kid that was based on these jokes. You might have heard the jokes a million times before, as is how Seinfeld operates, but the jokes are still classics…

The Comic Who Amy Schumer “Stole From”

A lot of people who aren’t as knowledgeable about comedy today – especially the younger audiences – have never heard of Patrice O’Neal because he died young in 2011, at which time he hadn’t produced a ton of material. But comics pretty much all know and love his work. And I’m one of his fans.

He recently came up in the news for being the original source of a joke that Amy Schumer allegedly stole…which comics think is ridiculous.

Know Patrice for what he should be known for: good comedy. Check out his special Elephant in the Room.

 

Jim Gaffigan’s Show on TV Land is Great

If there’s anyone who deserves his own show it’s Jim Gaffigan. He’s been around forever and he’s such a big and well-liked name. Finally, he’s got one. And although it isn’t 100% about Hot Pockets, it’s pretty much what you would expect: a funny take on family life with a lot of food sprinkled in. Sprinkled in pretty much everywhere.

The show is actually super easy to find online since it’s on TV Land, a primarily online network. I didn’t know that TV Land existed until now, but it seems like a really cool space with a few different interesting-looking comedies.

As far as the Gaffigan Show episodes go, they are all pretty darn well written. They’re probably funniest to an older “I am a parent” audience, but I’m young and I still think they’re great. One thing to mention is that the show addresses comedy (Jim plays a comedian) but there’s no actual stand up in the show. I think it’s a cool balance between TV and stand up, since most comics who do a show either tend to one extreme or another in terms of incorporating stand up comedy.

It looks like they’ve taken away some of the episodes on the website, but you can still get a taste for the show! Below is a little clip.

Comedian Wins Guatemalan Presidential Election

Look, I’m no fan of politics. But I am a fan of comedy. Which is why I think it’s pretty cool that a former television comic, Jimmy Morales, won the national election in Guatemala. Apparently he didn’t just win; it was a landslide.

It is interesting because comics are often known for their social and political commentary. And they can be really brilliant people who are efficient communicators. So in a way it kind of makes sense that they could be elected to government positions.

I’m reminded of senator Al Franken, who I really know nothing about (was on SNL before my time), but I remember being a big deal when he was elected.

Anyways, here’s an article about the election. I think I found this on r/nottheonion on reddit. I really wanted to find some of Morales’s material on video but I couldn’t find anything. I guess that could have been expected.

Tim & Eric & A Super Bowl Commercial

You might have heard of Adult Swim comedy duo Tim & Eric and you might have seen Loctite’s crazy popular Super Bowl XL commercial Positive Feelings (where middle-aged people dance around awkwardly with fanny packs, singing along to a song about glue). But you might not know that Tim & Eric had anything to do with the TV spot.

The advertising agency that launched the ad, Fallon, hired Tim & Eric to direct the shooting of the commercial, as they wanted a weird, goofy feel that would catch the eye. They certainly achieved that; it’s one of the most memorable spots of the year.

I loved the commercial. And I only recently found out that a couple of comics had anything to do with the production, which makes me wonder why more comics aren’t sought out for consultation in advertising.

You can read more about the commercial here.

Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Ricky Gervais, and Louis CK Talk Comedy

Here’s a fifty-minute round table conversation about comedy between some of the best stand up comics of today. I’ve listened to this video several times over. It’s always fascinating to hear different perspectives on the nuances of comedy, from how jokes are written to how comedy compares to other art forms to whether sound checks are worth it. Apparently this happened on HBO and the segment is called Talking Funny, but I don’t know much more about it than that.