Kanye’s Cool With Jews Again
Kanye West claimed that watching a mid-budget comedy feature co-starring Jonah Hill — the 21 Jump Street remake, specifically — cured his anti-Semitism. Maybe if I watch Get Him to the Greek, I’ll finally make peace with my Ashkenazi ex. He’s married and lives in Forest Hills and sometimes I’m worried I’ll run into him on the train. Because he’s a white guy from the suburbs who loooves hip-hop, I’m sure the whole Kanye thing has been hard on him. I thought we were OK and then I realized he’d unfriended me (or whatever) on LinkedIn. Damn, Brendan. That’s cold.
Mine Is A Nielsen Household, So What I Watch On Television Is Extremely Important
It’s true; I take the surveys and everything.
Yellowjackets is back!
Succession is back!
I’m still watching RuPaul’s Drag Race as penance for something dark-sided I did in a past life!
I tried rewatching The L Word and it’s still bad!!! Just dour and makes lesbianism seem super un-fun. It’s also a gay show for straight people which is incredibly alienating?? In the first two episodes alone, I had to hear some guy jack off, see straight people have sex (disgusting) and watch a lesbian couple try to seduce a man. “How come every time two dykes want to have sex with a guy, it’s because they’re trying to steal his sperm?” he asked as my jaw dropped. No sativa is strong enough to quell the douche chills this show induces. Ilene Chaiken should be held accountable for her sins. Instead, she’s developing an L Word reboot for Showtime because God isn’t real.
Recommendations
This AI-generated photo of the Pope. See, you’re not a (justified) critic of the Catholic Church. You’re a PLAYER HATER.
Hot Takes & Deep Dives with Jess Rothschild
I don’t have to start podcasting (you’re welcome) because Jess Rothschild already created my dream audio project. She gets into some serious depth — and scores some serious tea — through conversations with producers, writers, actors, reality personalities, astrologists and psychics. My favorite episodes include those with writer/actor/Odd Mom Out creator Jill Kargman and Work Out’s Jackie Warner (an early celesbian crush of mine).
Comfortland in Astoria
I stumbled upon Comfortland after a doctor’s appointment and enjoyed one of the best breakfast sandwiches I’ve ever had (“2 Eggs, Avocado, Hash Brown Potato, American Cheese, Chipotle Aioli on Poppy Brioche Bun”). Next time I’ll try one of the mouth-watering donuts they’re known for. And truly, anything that provides a respite from Manhattan prices is a win these days.
Q&A
I asked Kath Barbadoro some questions.
Q: Why are comedians so drawn to professional wrestling?
A: Pro wrestling and comedy, especially live comedy, are both really purpose driven art forms - they're defined not so much by what the performer is doing, but by the response the performer elicits from the audience. With comedy it's just laughter, but with wrestling it can be cheering, booing, gasps of fear or shock, groans of disgust, - almost anything. I think a lot of live performers are drawn to wrestling because of that. It's really hard for me to really be present as an audience member at a comedy show because I'm thinking too much about my own work, but one of the things that initially drew me to stand up was my love of live performance. Wrestling is something I can enjoy without the various layers of academic interest or professional resentment I might feel watching comedy.
Q: Which show, movie or book do you feel like you should enjoy, but can't get into?
A: I feel really bad saying this because everyone I know loves it, but I never got into Party Down. I loved Ken Marino's character (I love all Ken Marino characters)and there were a lot of good jokes, but I felt like the main characters were jaded, ungrateful assholes and I resented feeling like I was supposed to identify with them. Then again, I watched it right when it came out, when I was really new to comedy - I might feel differently now that I myself am a jaded, ungrateful asshole.
Q: How long does it take someone to become a New Yorker after moving here?
A: New York has been in such a constant and dramatic state of flux for the last 150 years, I don't know how anyone ever really feels like their relationship to it can be static. As soon as you feel like you belong in New York, the city has turned itself over and belongs to a whole new group of people. "New York" as a concept is a moving target. Obviously people who were born and raised here are New Yorkers, but I don't know where or how to draw the line for anybody else. I've been here for five years and I love it, I can't see myself leaving any time soon, but I don't know if I feel like a "New Yorker".
Q: Which topic has been discoursed to death online and should be put to rest?
A: The ethics and/or necessity of Instacart shopping. There are enough nuances that allow people to "gotcha" each other about not considering (x) angle re: whether or not it's ok to be annoyed that someone fucked up your online grocery order, but it's the exact same set of arguments every time it comes up, which it does on twitter every 2 months or so. It's boring. I think the answer to it, and to most other problems in life, is "If you're going to do it, tip extravagantly."
Drop a name (i.e., share a celebrity encounter)
One time Patrick Stewart almost came to a comedy show I was on, but he was turned away at the door because it was sold out, so he just went home. He didn't even tell anyone he was Patrick Stewart (he's friendly with Rob Delaney, who I was opening for, and told him what happened later).
Follow Kath on Twitter and listen to her podcasts.
Shameless Self-Promotion
This weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) I’m featuring for Gary Gulman at Vermont Comedy Club. The shows have been sold out for months, so this is a straight-up brag. I’ll see if Gary agrees to any Substack-specific content. Stay tuned!
You Should Also Be Reading…
…Josh Gondelman’s That’s Marvelous! As you’d expect from Josh, his Substack is home to uplifting, excellent writing and pep talks.
That’s it! Hope you enjoyed this one!