Truth to Power, an Update from Jennifer Hansler
Jennifer Hansler of CNN compiled a list of some of the legal (and illegal) action taken against comics around the world (8/10/2017). While some would have us be...
Tag: Kathy Griffin
George Lopez on Being a Truthsayer
George Lopez gave an interview to NPR’s Stacey Vanek Smith for All Things Considered (8/5/2017). in which he talks about the limits on his comedy. The ex...
Sara Schaefer on Stand-up in the Age of Trump
Sara Schaefer wrote a poignant article for The Herald (7/29/2017) about telling Trump jokes in the current era. Burnt out vs. ready for more She notes that some...
David Misch on Five Jokes
In his article for Splitsider.com (7/6/2017), comic, critic, writer and teacher David Misch brings up five jokes to make a point about authenticity in comedy: L...
Carnival II: Real Action
In a previous post, I discussed a common, simple model of carnivalesque that was based off the idea of a Roman Catholic celebration of Carnival prior to Lent wr...
Mike Birbiglia on Jokes
I’ve been a fan of Mike Birbiglia for a long time now, bought his merchandise, watched all his specials and both his movies (Sleepwalk with Me, 2012 and D...
Jay Leno on Anti-Political Funny Stuff
Tim O’Shei interviewed Jay Leno for The Buffalo News (6/23/2017) about his philosophy on stand-up, and in Leno’s responses I see a few popular notio...
Wise Fools Speaking Truth to Power
When talking about stand-up comedy, a lot of attention is given to the figure of the wise fool. This concept is traceable back to at least the middle ages (for...
Kathy Griffin Produced Art, and Art has Consequences.
I should begin by saying, I’ve never really been a fan. She had moments and jokes, and I’m always in favor of people who advocate for gender and sex...