Don't Sit in the Front!

Kari Assad (Twt: @kariassad; IG: @assadkarirocks) came back to help me wrap up the year and talk about some of our favorite moments from the year standup returned from quarantine. We talk a LOT about Pen15's final season just cause I like it a lot. We talk about new live booked shows we liked, specials/albums that stood out, and finish it all up with new year's resolutions for our experience of standup in 2022. 

Happy New Year! 

1. Always punch up

2. Keep swinging  

I racked my brain thinking of a Christmas-related standup special or album to talk about and the closest thing I could come up with is David Sedaris's reading of "Santaland Diaries," a humorous essay about his time working as a mall Santa's elf (link below). I talked to my friend Michael back in WI about it and a little about fun standup things just on the horizon. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5XLjG_S6eE 

1. Always punch up

2. Keep swinging 

I talked to my friend Victoria (@nureonjongi) who is an encyclopedia of current British standup. We talked about Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Korean standup comedy and its potential, and a bit about Ahir Shah's "Dots" (HBO Max). 

Here is a list Victoria provided of comedians she saw at the 2018 Fringe Festival, many of whom are now putting out specials and the like: 

Kiri Pritchard-McLean — twitter: @kiripritchardmc | Instagram: @kiri_pritchard_mclean | podcast + twitter: All Killa No Filla @killnofillpod

Suzi Ruffell — twitter: @suziruffell | Instagram: @suziruffellcomedy

Sindhu Vee — twitter: @sindhuvfunny | Instagram: @sindhuvee

Mawaan Rizwan — twitter: @MawaanR | Instagram: @mawaanr

Nish Kumar — twitter: @MrNishKumar | Instagram: @mrnishkumar

Graham Dickson — twitter: @GDogged | Instagram: @grahamdickson

Abigoliah Shamaun — twitter: @abigoliah | Instagram: @abigoliah

Steen Raskopoulos — twitter: @steenrasko | Instagram: @steenrasko

Athena Kugblenu — twitter: @athenakugblenu | Instagram: @athenakugblenu

Nina Conti — twitter: @athenakugblenu | Instagram: @theninaconti

Special Mention: Sofie Hagen — twitter: @SofieHagen | Instagram: @sofiehagendk

Ahir Shah — twitter: @AhirShah

A couple weeks ago I ran into Katie Novotny (IG: @kathnovotny) at a comedy show and we chatted about being from the midwest and why we like LA. We talked about comedy and then I invited her on the show and here we are! She's great! We talked about standup vs. sketch and improv, Chicago and NY vs. LA, all kinds of comedy nerd stuff. It was fun! 

Check out her set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mydFbq4LeGw&t=2s 

I talked to Monique Moreau (Twt: @bigbadbutt, IG: @moniqueandjiminy) about standup, taking a break and coming back to it, neuro diversity, getting out of rural hometowns and how standup is and isn't like being a concert pianist. 

Monique has a show coming up at the small room at Largo that we should watch out for and also a show coming up at the Glendale Room on Dec 9th at 8pm. 

1. Always punch up 

2. Keep swinging 

I had my good friend Ed back on the pod to talk about more representations of standup with a 1998 episode of the Simpsons, "The Last Temptation of Krust." Krusty the Clown performs discovers that his offensive material is out of date and becomes a Carlin-esque rant comic but ultimately sells out. It's a nice time capsule of 1998 with some connections to be made about the current kerfuffle with cancel culture. 

Happy Halloween! Pow and I watched an episode of Ghost Adventures about the Comedy Store and talked about our own ghost near-sightings. 

I talked to Joe Raines (@joemfraines) about his old outdoor show, Yellahammered, I asked him the questions I ask every comic, and we both watched Eddie Izzard's "Dress to Kill" (1999). Joe had some new insights to updating the club vs. alt distinction and good stories from doing the road some years back. Thanks to everyone who listens and look out for a very special Don't Sit in the Front Halloween episode next week! 

I convinced Kari Assad (IG: @assadkarirocks, Twt: @kariassad) to watch this little-known movie about standup, This Is My Life (1992). The movie is directed by Nora Ephron and stars Julie Kavner as standup comic Dottie Ingels. It's a weird little time capsule of 90s notions of what a standup career is like for working moms. 

We didn't hate it! Kari also talks about her standup show, This is Different. I love this show because it has amazing lineups, outdoor setup and cheap tickets. The last one of the year is Nov. 7 with Dana Gould, Sheng Wang, Teresa Lee, and Monique Moreau! 

Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/this-is-different-a-comedy-show-tickets-189903806397

Pow moved back to LA so they came over and helped me work through listeners' questions. We take two steps forward and three steps back in figuring out the alt vs. club distinction, make some predictions for comics that will be big in the coming year, and dig a bit more into my origins of liking standup. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions! Follow @dontsitinthefront on Instagram to submit questions and reach out to me. 

1. Always punch up

2. Keep swinging 

I talked to Mike Mulloy (IG: @fakemikemulloy; Tw: @niceonlineboy) who runs my favorite comedy show in LA, Faded (@fadedcomedyla). We talked about his storied career on social media platforms, smart-assery, and a whole lot about the recent history of Faded. 

fadedcomedyla.com for tickets. 

fadedcomedydenver.com for CO friends. 

I had a delightful conversation with Anna Valenzuela (@annavisfun) about being honest with bummer topics, straight edge vs. sobriety, standup and antiquated terminology, and a whole lot else even before getting into the questions I ask every comic. You can check out Anna's podcast 12 Questions (@12Qpod) for more discussion about recovery and applying the recovery perspective to just about anything. Hope everyone's doing well! 

1. Always punch up 

2. Keep swinging 

I had a really fun chat with Christine Medrano (IG: @chrissymeds) looking back at the horrors of zoom, the bright spots of comedy outside, growing up in America and Canada's respective Midwests, and the questions I ask every comic with some new ones sprinkled in. Hope everyone's doing well. Check out Christine on social media, stay safe, take care of each other. 

Please rate and subscribe, share the podcast with friends who like comedy. Send me a message if you like the show: @dontsitinthefront on IG. 

1. Always punch up 

2. Keep swinging 

I hopped on Zoom with my good friend Michael Egly for another Labor Day Weekend installment of Thicc WI Accent (that's what I'm calling the episodes when I talk about a new special, show, what-have-you in the standup world with a non-comic friend). We talked about Tig Notaro's "Drawn" (HBO), a collection of her bits set to animation. Hope everyone's doing well!

1. Always punch up 

2. Keep swinging 

I nerded out about comedy at Nathan Lund (@nathanlundcomedy on IG, @nathanlund on Twitter). Nathan is a Colorado-based comic and cohost of the Chubby Behemoth podcast with Sam Tallent. I told him ahead of time I want an oral history of the Denver comedy scene and he delivered! 

Check out his recent set from the Jokechella festival in Fort Collins, CO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUNDehzUvq0 

...............

1. Always punch up

2. Keep swinging 

Pow and I talked about the end of Hacks Season 1, the state of the pod, and broke down the whole first season of PAUSE with Sam Jay (HBO Max). 

The live standup shows I shouted out in the intro are This Is Different! (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/this-is-different-a-comedy-show-tickets-167501486455?aff=erelexpmlt) and Salty AF (@saltyafshow on IG for tix and info on upcoming shows) 

1. Alway punch up

2. Keep swinging 

I had a blast talking with Candy Lawrence (@comedylawrence) about coming back to standup after a hiatus and why comedy should be at 9am. Her pug, Buster also showed up on the Zoom call and I love him. Go look at Buster on her IG and meet Beverly while you're at it.  

Candy's opening for Maria Bamford at Comedy on State in Madison, WI in September. Wisconsin listeners get these tickets: 

https://www.madisoncomedy.com/events/47023

1. Always punch up

2. Keep swinging 

I had Casey Gates Frey (Twt: @caseygates, IG: @theladybrain) on to talk about Vir Das's "Ten on Ten." I also had Casey turn the questions I ask every comic back on me. Thanks so much for everyone who's listened so far and new listeners I've gained along the way! 

Link for the first of four available episodes by Vir Das: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5hS8vzmQXI 

Vulture article on best 2021 specials so far mentioning Vir Das's Ten on Ten: https://www.vulture.com/article/best-comedy-specials-of-2021.html 

Casey's short film, Crystal: https://vimeo.com/389112184

1. Always punch up

2. Keep swinging 

I talked to Kaitlyn Jeffers (@jeffernaut, IG: @_kaitlynjeffers) about comedy and punk, her work with the Hard Times punk news satire site, and the questions I ask every comic. Kaitlyn hosts and produces a booked show,This Is Different! with friend of the show, Kari Assad. 

Their next show is coming up if you're in the LA area: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/this-is-different-a-comedy-show-tickets-162708831495 

Also, check out Kaitlyn's hilarious articles over at Hard Times: https://thehardtimes.net/author/kaitlyn-jeffers/ 

1. Always punch up

2. Keep swinging 

Carter Glascock (@carter_glascock) returns to give updates about doing sets in person, taping a set in Vegas for Laughs After Dark (Amazon), and to indulge me in talking about King of the Hill S02E16 - "Traffic Jam" aka the origin of Booda Sack. 

Joe Felix (@joefelix92) returned to talk about going back on stage, the open mic atmosphere and more. I asked him about the possibility of his definition of alt vs. club, if socialism and standup comedy are commensurable, and we both watched the 2011 documentary, American: The Bill Hicks Story (on Tubi now for free). 

1. Always punch up

2. Keep swinging 

I recorded an episode in Milwaukee, WI with my good friend Michael. We talked about his work with a food pantry, not so ideal conditions to see standup, and Beth Stelling's "Girl Daddy" (HBO Max). 

1. Always punch up

2. Keep swinging 

I talked to standup comic Kane Holloway (IG: @kaneholloway) of Well Actually (@wellactuallypod) and Don't Take Bullshit From Fuckers about comedy in Washington vs. LA, knowing when to leave a city, and a pretty gnarly "worst comedy memory" road story. Check out Kane's Album, "Can't See Straight" https://open.spotify.com/album/5f2CaM8qyR2lwQD799vJKL?si=bfPw7-0iTQyd5uoKKd1AXA&dl_branch=1 

Pow returned for another installment of Thicc WI Accent. We watched Bo Burnham's "Inside" (Netflix). We talked about this musical and darkly comic chronicle of quarantine life while contrasting it with our own lives spent inside. 

1. Always punch up 

2. Keep swinging 

3. Go outside 

Episode 42 - I talked to comic Terence Hartnett (IG: @hahartnett; Twt: @terencehartnett) about his experience doing Down by the River (@downbytheriverpod) where he lived in a van and drove around interviewing comics displaced by the pandemic. Down by the River is a great podcast to hear what comics are doing in and out of the big standup hubs and the same kind of granular analysis of standup we crave here at DSitF. Check out Terence's podcast, it's great. 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/down-by-the-river-with-terence-hartnett/id1543278214 

1. Always punch up 

2. Keep swinging 

I watched the first two episodes of Hacks (HBO Max) and talked about it with Kari Assad (IG: @assadkarirocks; Twt: @kariassad). Kari updates us on her experiences doing open mics and going back onstage. 

Diana Hong (@wellhongd) returned to give some updates about going back on stage. We talked about being ready to go outside or not, the in-between we're in of regular standup shows, what's going to come back and how, and a general in-between weirdness. I also made her talk about King of the Hill. 

1. Always punch up

2. Keep swinging 

Ep 39. This was a silly one. I talked to my friend Pow for an experimental (hopefully recurring?) segment called "Thicc Wisconsin Accent," where we analyze how comedy hits different coming from different corners of the US. We watched John Mulaney's 2018 Netflix special, John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City. 

DSitF is hosted by James Hillmer (IG: @jdhillmer). Music by: @chrishellking and cover art by @memorybloomstudio 

1. Always punch up

2. Keep swinging 

I talked to standup comic and host of The Goods From the Woods podcast, Rivers Langley! (@riverslangley). We nerded out hard. This was a long one. Rivers talked about comedy in Alabama, running shows in Los Angeles, and doing the "Corona Diaries" episodes documenting dissent into quarantine madness.  We also talked about Kyle Kinane's "The Death of the Party." 

Rivers is also a commentator for Wrestling Pro Wrestling, a spectacular display of wrestling madness live from the Burbank Moose Lodge and on Youtube: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGazEwauaUSWmai8b9SMZlw 

1. Always punch up

2. Keep swinging 

This was a lot of fun! I talked with standup comic, impressionist, and voice actor Julian Fernandez (@julianfcomedy). I talked with them about standup, their gift of manipulating their voice, and how they approach writing material incorporating all that into their set. They have a new podcast  starting next week (Genderless Wanderer), so stay tuned for that! 

This week I watched the new documentary, Hysterical (Dir: Andrea Nevins, 2021; FX/Hulu) and talked about it with return guest, Casey Gates Frey (@caseygates). The documentary is an awesome look at some history of women standup comics and issues facing women in comedy still today. I highly recommend it for standup fans. 

 You can find Casey's comedic short film, Crystal on her Vimeo page at http://www.vimeo.com/ladybrainfilms. 

Reach out to the show at @dontsitinthefront (IG) and @dont_sit (Twitter) and let me know more documentaries and books about standup I should check out. 

1. Always punch up

2. Keep swinging 

This week I talked with Kyle Ayers about his album, Happiness which you can find anywhere you find music OR pick it up as a vinyl LP at kyleayers.com. It was my favorite standup album of 2020 and reminds us why we miss live standup. Kyle also has his podcast, Never Seen It. Check both out. 

Kyle Ayers, Happiness on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/album/2ZIMMqTUZv9v8H6agXSNpG?si=Qvttwz93QLK60w_ZTyUAew&nd=1

Kyle's Conan set: 

https://youtu.be/9K5z_kYd6Sg 

1. Always punch up

2. Keep swinging 

This week I talked with Angie Stocker! (@highlyangie) She’s a comic who has an Etsy shop centered around weed culture, Highly Crafty (@gethighlycrafty) She also has a series of Youtube videos doing crafts while high with other comics. She’s done comedy in New York and LA and is also an awesome mom! We had a great conversation!

Highly Crafty Youtube Channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuffyNndWuZm4VlvGyrhwKw

1. Always punch up
2. Keep swinging

This week I watched the 1988 Sally Field and Tom Hanks vehicle, Punchline, an interesting time capsule of the 80s comedy boom. I'm joined by returning guest, Holly Anabel Brown (@hollybrowncomedy) and one of her Well Actually (@wellactually pod) cohosts, Brad Lewandowski (@braddoesntgram). Check out their wonderful podcast as well as Holly's business making custom shoes and clothing: @hellohollygoods. Holly also has her standup shows and dates updated at https://www.hollyanabelbrown.com/ 

This was really fun! 

1. Always punch up 

2. Keep swinging

Ep 25: I talked to science fiction novelist and screen writer, Dan Frey (@wordsbydanfrey). His novel, The Future is Yours is out 2/9 on Del Rey, but you can pick it up for preorder at links below. It is also available as a full cast audiobook on Audible. The book is a very innovative look at what would happen if “two best friends create a computer that can predict the future. But what they can’t predict is how it will tear their friendship—and society—apart.” We also watched Mike Birbiglia’s The New One on Netflix because Dan also just became a father! We talked about standup comedy, tech and social media's impact on society, and just how damn creative and brilliant Mike Birbiglia is. 

*We talk about it in the episode and I did confirm that Eddie Izzard does now go by she/her pronouns. Cool, good for her. 

The Future is Yours hardcover pre-order: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/633970/the-future-is-yours-by-dan-frey/

Audible Version: https://www.amazon.com/Future-Yours-Novel/dp/B08BGBHRS9/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

1. Always punch up. 

2. Keep swinging. 

This week I talked to Carter Glascock (Twt/IG: @carter_glascock) about coming up in the Nashville comedy scene and recording his album, "The Crystal Pistol" (Out now on Radland Records (link below). We also watched Richard Pryor's "Live in Concert" (1979). Check out Carter's album, one of my favorite releases of 2020. He also has a podcast with Rivers Langley called The Goods From The Woods. 

The Crystal Pistol on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5sbCd8UtmaJ04saWBZ3vHL?si=UcEbMfXZQ0OZuc8Cc1mdCA

A video that went viral with Carter's impeccable Ray Liotta impression: https://twitter.com/carter_glascock/status/1348727651586871298?s=20

Reach out to the show at @dontsitinthefront on Instagram and @dont_sit on Twitter 

In this episode I talked with my good friend, Joseph Harris-Johnson (@helloneverhurts), a PhD student who studies queerness, social media and gamification. We reminisced about one of our favorite live shows, Smart Funny & Black hosted by Amanda Seales. We also watched her special "I Be Knowin." 

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1. Always Punch Up

2. Keep Swinging