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Author: nwilson

Ramblings

Gearing up and changing gears

Posted on April 20, 2018 by nwilson

Hey all, Long time, no talk. I know, it’s on me. I got into the semester and lost momentum and never picked it back up. However, I’m back now, and I...

Cases and Current Events/Comics Talking Shop/Stand Up Comedy

Phil Wang Isn’t Trying to Be Political

Posted on September 19, 2017 by nwilson

Question: Can a comic talk about politics without it being political? What about race? Class? Sex? Gender? Sexuality? What differentiates jokes on a political (...

Cases and Current Events/Comics Talking Shop/Stand Up Comedy

Collin Williams on Jokes and Outrage

Posted on September 18, 2017 by nwilson

A lot of ink & pixels is given to the question of what is or is not an appropriate topic for humor. Collin Williams, in an interview with Rachel Jensen of S...

Cases and Current Events/Comics in the News/Stand Up Comedy

Jesse David Fox on the Age of a Persona

Posted on September 17, 2017 by nwilson

I talk a lot on here about a comic’s persona, how they create it, whether or not it differs from their person/self, if so, in what ways, and whether or no...

Cases and Current Events/Comics in the News/Stand Up Comedy

Jay Willis on the Limits of Humor in Politics

Posted on September 16, 2017 by nwilson

I write a lot here on the value of addressing political ideas through humor, it’s pretty much the sole purpose of this blog.  Well, GQ‘s Jay Willis ...

Cases and Current Events/Comics Talking Shop/Stand Up Comedy

Aakash Mehta’s Sometimes Contradictory World

Posted on September 15, 2017 by nwilson

Full disclosure: I find fodder for this Blog via both my stand-up persona’s Facebook feed, and a Google Alert for the term “stand-up comedy.” ...

Cases and Current Events/Comics Talking Shop/Stand Up Comedy

Alex Stypula on Pushing the Envelope

Posted on September 14, 2017 by nwilson

It’s a common theme in discussions of comedy, which I haven’t yet gotten around to addressing here: Is comedy all about pushing the envelope, and at...

Cases and Current Events/Comics in the News/Stand Up Comedy

Making Stand-Up More Sensitive

Posted on September 13, 2017 by nwilson

Audrey Carleton writes in an Opinion piece for McGill Tribune.com (9/4/2017) that audiences and comics should be more sensitive, not less.  Carleton begins with...

Humor Theories/Stand Up Comedy/Theories About Audiences

Sense of Humor (soh) and Insult Comedy

Posted on September 12, 2017 by nwilson

Daniel Wickberg, in his book, The Sense of Humor, talks about the importance of having one. In Western culture, it has only been since the mid-eighteen hundreds...

Cases and Current Events/Comics Talking Shop/Stand Up Comedy

Leighann Lord on Relief and Laughter

Posted on September 11, 2017 by nwilson

It’s sad when I picture it.  As some describe it, there are vast masses of people living in a state of constant psychological and emotional pressure, on t...

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