January 2010
1 post
Coincidence?
Things both George Washington and Sir Mix-A-Lot Can’t Do:
Lie
December 2009
3 posts
WSJ Says We're Famous...
Check out this clip to see multiple Comedy Studies people…studying. You’ll also see a rehearsal where Bobby, Alex, Shannon, and I perform our hit sketch: “Grandpa”
http://online.wsj.com/video/cornering-the-market-on-comedy/522D2604-8CF1-4DB5-9E76-35C406C54487.html
I invented a drinking game...
I invented a drinking game at a party last night. Throughout the evening, it went through various different names. It was, at one point or another, called: Safe or Fuck, Paper or Fuck, and Safe Sex. These names are misleading, because, really, the game is based on the Prisoner’s Dilemma. Now, also, I’m changing the rules a bit because as I read more about the Prisoner’s Dilemma,...
McSweeney's!
Luke and I wrote an article for McSweeney’s. Here it is, in all it’s glory.
It is entitled:
NORTH KOREA’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL STANDUP COMIC PERFORMS AT THE PEOPLE’S SHACK OF LAFFS.
November 2009
3 posts
One of the 3 people that reads this blog...
So, that regular posting idea didn’t really come to fruition. To be fair, I did write one post that, mysteriously, was never added, and then wasn’t saved…so, that’s got to count for something. Also, I’ve been doing great with 3 Jokes a Day so at least I can be consistent on one blog.
Comedy Studies has started to resemble real school over the past few days....
An All-Access Pass to my Brain...
I really need to get back to regular posting. Things have quieted down a bit, so that should leave me more time to update people on happenings and what not. I remember when I first started this blog, I thought to myself, “I’m not going to become one of those guys that blogs regularly for a while, and then stops.” That kind of happened, but no more! I’m back, with a...
An update
Clearly, there hasn’t been much updating in a while. That’s not to say interesting things haven’t been happening here. Far from it. We’re kind of in the middle of what I guess could be called “midterms”, so that, and Halloween, have been taking up most of my time. After class today, I’ll get back on track. In the mean time, here are a bunch of people with...
October 2009
15 posts
Armando!
I went to the Armando Diaz show tonight at iO (as is quickly becoming a Monday night tradition.)
Dan Bakkedahl did the monologue. For those of you not super-in-the-know (lame-o’s) he’s the guy on the left.
Dude’s got some amazing stories.
If you're funny, you'll do well...
I’ve really got to get back into updating this thing regularly. If I can update 3 Jokes a Day regularly, I should be able to do it here as well.
I’m watching pre-game football right now, and Frank Calliendo is doing a bit. He has somehow parlayed his success as pretending to be John Madden to doing things as a football analyst. He’s literally making predictions in the middle of...
2 Things
There will be a full update later today, but in the meantime, I have 2 things for you:
1. At the T.J. and Dave show last night, the 2 main characters were, for all intents and purposes my parents. This was complete with a love of Proseco, not wanting to go to a restaurant because there isn’t a line outside—thus meaning it can’t be good, and doing random people watching/gossip at...
A brief recap...
A brief recap of my night: -I saw an improv show featuring, among other things, one of my teachers and a current writer on SNL. -On the bus ride home, a guy named Wes introduced himself and then told me about the visions he had of cone-head people in Col. Sanders tuxedos and something about the grass in Yeshua. Apparently it all had to do with Jesus. -I guy tried to sell me weed outside the...
Dick knots
Glenn and I wrote a sketch a few days ago that we’re going to try and film next weekend. For the sketch, we coined a new phrase: Dick knots. Here are the proper ways to use it:
Dude, untie your dick knot and make a decision. Coke or Pepsi?
You guys are being real dick knots, you know that? Stop hitting me with that hornet’s nest!
We want this phrase to sweep the nation. Spread the...
It was both an experience, and a hootenanny...
A lot has happened since the last update. In fact, I think a week’s worth of things have happened. I won’t go into great detail on everything, but rather, I’ll give you a succint recap of the week…with color commentary provided by yours truly.
Monday: We did some clowning work in Jet’s class. When I say clowning, I don’t red nose/big shoes (although that would...
Jamie Foxx should play this guy...
So, before I get going, I’ve got to say this: I’m watching Casino Royale right now. Bond is such a champ. That said, some of his lines are the corniest things ever, and at times, highly inappropriate. I don’t think they would ever actually work in any situation. Actually, scratch that, they would work in one situation…if you were James Bond.
On Wednesday I saw T.J. and...
A Teaser
So, I’ve got plenty to write about, but at the moment, I have to go run out and carve pumpkins. But, I’ll give you this as a teaser until my next post: We did some long-form on Friday and I played what is definitely my favorite character of the program thus far: A homophobic moose.
Splatter may not be a strong enough word...
So, before I start the highly anticipated chronicle of my past few days, I just want to do another plug for 3 Jokes a Day. It’s being updated 3 times a day with new, topical jokes. Chris, Alex, and I, are really trying to get this to take off. So, if you can spread it around, that’d be great. At the end of the day, it’s just for us. It’s really just a way for us to work out...
Tufts is Famous!
Tufts was referenced on The Simpsons today. That’s now two amazing shows that I would kill to write for that have talked about Tufts. If 30 Rock does a Bacow joke, the trifecta is complete.
I like timing...
I presented my Meth Lab/Spanish Study Group sketch on Thursday. I’m really happy with it, mainly because I love the premise. I’d talk about it more, but it needs some editing, so I want to take some time to work on it. I’m also considering turning it into an essay for PIC or CollegeHumor or something. The basic premise though, is this: A girl comes to her Spanish study group and...
Neil Cumpston →
At the Big Fan screening last night, Patton Oswalt told us stories of him writing reviews for AICN as an idiot 13 year old. Here are the reviews, written by the amazing character: Neil Cumpston.
3 Jokes A Day →
Chris and Alex from Comedy Studies, as well as myself, started a project to write 3 topical jokes a day. We decided to make said jokes public. The link, dear reader, is above.
WatchTufts has made it to SNL. The next time something from Tufts makes it so SNL, I’d like it to be me. A kid can dream, can’t he?
This will come into play later...
Monday equaled not eating. It was Yom Kippur, and I feel pretty repented. I went to Kol Nidre services with Jake, Sunday night. I went to class on Monday which is something I don’t generally like doing…but I really like going to comedy class. I’m actually surprised we didn’t have classes canceled, what with Jews running the comedy world and what not. The hunger itself...
September 2009
30 posts
I'm all for cursing on TV...
Bobby and I saw Baby Wants Candy on Friday night. They were pretty damn amazing. Right off the bat, I knew it was going to be a good show after they took the suggestion of “Disney Presents: Helen Keller on Ice.” What I was most impressed about though was that if you take away all the improvised music and dancing, it was still a good longform show. The story had a narrative arc and...
WatchGlenn Beck, you’re all sorts of idiotic.
Alan Arkin was in it...
So, remember that vaudeville sketch I did full of awesome puns? Well, I get to perform it again! Anne (the program head, and my History and Analysis of Modern Comedy teacher) is doing some showcase thing for some people and Columbia, and she said she was picking two vaudeville sketches to be performed for all the bigwigs at the thing. She picked mine and Steven’s sketch, as well as Steph and...
Moving Boston Forward →
I like to think my summer interning on the campaign helped, even a little bit, with this.
Puns! I can do that...
I did a Vaudeville sketch today. Think old timey comedy. Abbot and Costello type of stuff. This was a tough one to write. As I had learned in Comedy College, Vaudeville sketches tended to be very skill based, and often involved singing and dancing. Now, anyone that knows me knows that none of those things fit any description of what I’m feasibly capable of. But, I soon realized that Abbot...
A Moment for The Wire
I’d like to take a moment to talk about The Wire. I had often heard that The Wire was the best show that no one watched. Well, for the longest time, I knew that half of that was true…I didn’t watch it. I felt kind of guilty for this. I’ve always considered myself someone who both knew and appreciated good television. I’m consistently bothered whenever a reality show...
I know, shocker!
Oh boy is there a lot to talk about. I don’t think I’ve done a full update in a few days, so the stories have been bubbling up inside me. If I had a therapist he would tell me to release them, as it’s better to get them out. Also, he would tell me to count to ten before getting angry, but come on, who hast the time to do that?
I saw T.J. and Dave on Wednesday night. It was,...
“If you talk about beating up an old guy, and then don’t do it....”
– Norm Holly
Giver of Comedy Wisdom
That's what rooftop drinking is for...
On Monday we officially split into our two groups for Comedy Studies. These will be the the groups that we will do our final revues with. The split is a double-edged sword. The good part is that the classes are smaller, more personal, and I’m very quickly becoming closer with the kids I’ll be writing and performing in. The bad part is that I don’t get to see the Group 2 kids as...
WatchBoomboxes. Funny? Shitty music. Funny? Boomboxes playing shitty music? Very funny. I saw this a year or two ago, but for some reason, it popped into my head tonight as I was busy procrastinating.
It could be the sequel to Must Love Dogs...
I did homework for the first time in 4 months today. Now, granted, I had to read part of “The Almanac of Improvisation” and write a response comparing 2 Second City revues, but it was still homework. The whole thing was somewhat idyllic actually. I went to this tiny park a few blocks away from my apartment, got something from the local coffee shop, and did my work there. The weather...
“You know me. I like to make jokes about…hats.”
– Norm McDonald
“The Arlington Independent School District in Texas decided not to show President...”
– ThinkProgress
Things I don’t like:
Spiders
Hypocrisy
Spiders that tell me not to do something and then turn around and do the very thing they told me not to do.
Debate-comedy supernova of mental masturbation...
It’s official. The first week of Comedy Studies is now over. It’s been a rush, to say the least. I can tell that one of the most important things I’m going to get from this program is a change in how I view comedy. Comedy is fun. Performing it is fun, and writing it is fun. The problem with that though is that sometimes it translates into me not working as hard as I could with...
If you haven’t seen Second City’s Brad...
“Why did we get into comedy? It’s because we got fucked over in high...”
– Michael Gellman
This is what I was taught in class today. I had a pretty great high school experience, but to an extent, some of this applies to me. If any comedian says that they can’t relate to any of this, they’re lying.
I should not be allowed to do this...
Yesterday felt like a very “comedy-type” day. I went to run some errands (bank, post office, etc.) but none of these things were open because it was Labor Day. When you don’t work or go to school, you forget that every day isn’t like Labor Day. I wanted to feel productive, so I made myself do some writing. I really should be writing every day. I have a few classes that I...
But there's a reason...
The roof of Jake and Bobby’s apartment building is clearly becoming the official Comedy Studies hangout. Both of my previous two nights have culminated there, and for good reason. The view is just amazing. It’s an obstructed view of the skyline on the river. The roof itself is great, with chairs, tables, benches, and deck chairs. There’s something very cliche about it, but...
WatchSo, I’ve always really liked the movie, Sleepers. This video is a really amazing parody of this scene. Both the scene and the movie are super dark, and not many people have heard of it, so I think doing a parody of it is super ballsy. Also, things with Bigfoot are always funny.
“I think comedy is about surprise and honesty,” said Novak. “And ideally you...”
– Alt comedy as the new mainstream — latimes.com (via rickyv)
I could really get behind doing this…
Comedy nerds...
So, I finally figured out how to add comments to the blog. Now, I can know what you think of what I think! Funny comments will be rewarded with gold stars. Mean comments get demerits. I also give demerits to people I don’t like. Also, I’m instituting Demerit Wednesdays…so keep that in mind.
It’s been a busy and exciting couple of days. I’ve started meeting all the...
People of Walmart →