#80. Caitlin Clark and You

Indiana Fever has seized America in its corn-adjacent grasp!

Hi everyone,

It was a hectic week over this way! I had a terrific weekend in Burlington, VT at the Vermont Comedy Club, one of my favorite clubs in the country, doing shows and walking around drinking iced coffee by a lake. The shows were a ton of fun, and I’ve started making some little trims to this hour(-ish) of jokes to get ready for my recording in June. During the early show Friday night, I was accompanied by two sign language translators (and a captioning system on a screen behind me) to make the show more accessible for deaf audience members. The interpreters were (as far as I could tell) excellent, and I was told that they prefer just to do their jobs and not have attention brought to them, so I tried not to watch them too much for fear of commenting. Although I did glance over a couple of times and see that our hand motions were nearly in sync. I’d sent over an audio file of my set from last week’s show in Portland, and apparently they really did their homework. There was a pretty sizable deaf crowd, and instead of clapping/laughing, they did a sign for applause, which was pretty neat, to see people appreciating comedy in a new (to me) way!

I ended up coming to Vermont a day later than I’d originally planned because I was asked last minute-ish to perform at a big fundraiser gala for Undue Medical Debt (formerly known as R.I.P. Medical Debt, so R.I.P. to their old name I guess). They’re an organization that purchases and retires medical debt to relieve some of the burden on people who can’t pay back medical bills. They were featured, by their old name, in a segment on Last Week Tonight while I was working there. It always inspires me to get to be around people who are working hard to alleviate some of the worst hells that humans have invented for each other/ourselves, whether through protest or union organizing or (in cases such as this) nonprofit work! Adam Conover was a great host for the event, and we had a nice time eating our little dinners backstage and catching up. A good night for a good cause! (You can donate if you want!)

Incredibly punny title for a nonprofit.

My other big recent news is I calibrated my new beard trimmer wrong and cut my facial hair alarmingly short. Will I grow out my traditional 10 o’clock shadow? Is this the new me? Only time will tell!

THIS WEEK: I’m guest co-hosting Butterboy for another two weeks with my buddy Alison Leiby! Come by Littlefield in Brooklyn for the last two Mondays of the month. It’ll be so fun. Here was the vibe last week:

Alison, indulging my stupidity. (Photo by the great EnemyPixels.)

I’m also running through my hour of jokes again THIS TUESDAY 5/21 at Union Hall! I’d love for you to buy up the last few tickets for my special taping on 6/21, but if you can’t make it then, come see me do mostly the same set a month earlier! (Later that night I’m running over to catch Gladie playing music in Williamsburg, which I also recommend!) I’m also doing my pal Chris Duffy’s super fun science/comedy panel show Wrong Answers Only at Symphony Space on Thursday night! It’s always a good time. (I’m doing Gary Gulman’s show at Union Hall on Wednesday too, but that’s sold out already. I’m just mentioning it out of personal enthusiasm.)

ONE MORE THING: I’ve got three more road dates before I film this hour, and I would be so psyched to see you if you live in Philly (6/8), Stamford (6/13), or Pawtucket, RI (6/15)! I’m having a good time with this material, and I’m excited to put it on wax (not really on wax) and then start to build the next show.

SOME OTHER FUN STUFF

Maris and I got to go to the NYC premiere of Babes last week, and seeing a movie in a big full theater full of invested, excited people always gives the experience a little extra juice, but with that said, Babes is really funny and super tender, and I recommend it enthusiastically. I laughed out loud many times, and I teared up a couple of times which is as much tearing up as I want to do, frankly!!! It’s so cool to see comedy pals be real deal legit movie stars. Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau are great and so is the supporting cast. The one scene with the Lucas Brothers is perfect. Shout out to Josh Rabinowitz who I have not seen in years, who co-wrote the movie with Ilana. Hell yeah, Josh Rabinowitz! I wish a movie like this came out every month!!! Go see it in theaters!

Also: My friend

Katie Heindl

who writes the great Basketball Feelings newsletter (linked above) is writing a column for the Believer about the WNBA! I consume a lot of basketball media (what is he running from???) and nobody does it like Katie. She’s so informed and sharp as an analyst of the game, and her writing is also so rich and full of limitless humanity.

MOST IMPORTANTLY?!!?!? I can’t believe I haven’t said this here yet, but

Maris Kreizman

has a newsletter now called The Maris Review (linked in the link)!!! I know I am en extraordinarily biased source, but Maris does more thoughtful and worthwhile coverage of books than anyone in the game. I am constantly blown away by the enthusiasm with which she devours and recommends books she loves, and the forcefulness and clarity with which she calls out bullshit in the publishing industry. If you have ever been like: “I love to read, but I just don’t know where to go for smart book recommendations I can trust,” Maris’s newsletter is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL READING!!! If you already read too many newsletter, unsubscribe from this one, and subscribe to hers instead!!!

PEP TALK FOR CAITLIN CLARK

It’s always Clark-est before the dawn. Wendell Cruz/USA Today Sports/Reuters

Hello, beloved basketball star Caitlin Clark! Congratulations on finishing your first week at the new job! There were a few hiccups during your onboarding process, but that’s do be expected. A few of your coworkers (if you can call opposing teams’ players “coworkers” despite them having adversarial professional goals to yours even while occupying the same space) seem pretty determined to bust your ass, which I have to imagine is frustrating with a heaping side of flattering; so much attention, even when hostile, can make one feel like the belle of the ball. And the ball, as they say, don’t lie.

You don’t need to hear from me that your Indiana Fever will get better with time and so will you. I am not worried about your adjustment to the professional game after a record-setting college career. (Between the women’s NCAA bracket and the protests, university students have done a lot of compelling stuff that has really pissed off the world’s worst losers lately.) I am saving all my WNBA worry for the fact that the Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu (famously from the Bay Area) announced her second signature shoe would be launching in the colors of the (also recently announced) Golden State Valkyries. And also the fact The Aces’ A’ja Wilson (who recently teased a signature shoe of her own, at long last) still stands between the Libs and a title.

You, I am not nervous about. Honestly, thank goodness the WNBA is back. The NBA Playoffs have trickled down to one game a night, and that is frankly not enough televised basketball to distract my brain from thinking too many thoughts late in the evening after I get home from doing shows.

PEP TALK FOR A READER

I’ve done some slight editing of this request for my own purposes and that’s okay!!!

Josh! I would love a tiny pep talk if you have time. I’ve been querying my short story collection for the past 6 months and honestly feel like I keep stalling out. I keep saying everything happens for a reason to myself, but it’s hard not to feel like I should shelf the whole thing after so many rejections lol. Anyway sorry if that’s too much detail!!!
- Query Weary

Here’s your first pep: This is absolutely not too much detail! This is exactly the right amount of detail! Any less detail, and I would not be able to respond so specifically. Perfect pep talk request! Great work! A classic within the genre!

It’s very mindful of you to consider the reasons you may be having trouble getting your collection in the hands of an agent who it really speaks to. Maybe you haven’t found the right person yet. Maybe another couple of tweaks to the manuscript or the query letter is what the project is itching for. It can be a psychological balm to consider ways you could give your work the best possible chance at success, and also why the folks who have read it so far haven’t been the right fit. Good job being sensible and thinking about things from many angles.

I also would like to offer this: We live in a world that is largely random and often cruel. The downside of that is: pain. The upside is: Fuck it, we ball. You may be up against surmountable obstacles that can be overcome by leveraging logic against effort for the sake of practical improvement. But also, investing too much into the practicality of the publishing industry and making what people think of as sellable work isn’t a guarantee of success either. So, as entropy continues to cause our universe to decay, you are free to embrace the chaos and make whatever art you want. It is no less valid when people doubt its commercial value. Obviously too much illogic risks relegating your work to the realm of “art for art’s sake,” but as long as your bills are paid somehow, that might be preferable to applying too much reason and turning into a small business that sells commercial-grade whimsy (which is also fine to do, but may not be what you want from this project).

Whether you find a home for this collection or leave it in a desk drawer and push the desk off a cliff, you are no less of an artist! One resolution feels better now, but the other is not a blemish on your permanent record. It’s a way station on the way to where you’re going, and maybe there are some good snacks or a roadside attraction to take a picture next to while you’re stopped. (Also though fingers crossed for the best, most gratifying, and most lucrative news asap!)

So while everything happens for a reason, everything also happens for no reason at all, and you are free to do whatever you want, artistically, without constraint or doubt.

PICK-ME-UP SONG OF THE WEEK
The Avett Brothers - “Love of a Girl”

I am sorry, but I am a sucker for a new Avett Brothers release (hat tip to Maris for the heads up about this one). My friend Ethan got me into the band in college, and I always give their new stuff a listen; I even watched the extremely sweet and gentle documentary that Judd Apatow made about them, which I remember having come out during the pandemic but actually showed up on HBO in 2017. What the heck, my memory?

The up-tempo songs are almost always more up my alley than the ballads, but that’s more of a me thing than a them thing. Vibe-wise, “Love of a Girl” is kind of a smoother version of what they were doing on “Talk On Indolence” off of their uhh…yikes…2006 album Four Thieves Gone. Some fast singing and then some nice singing, backed by twangy guitars and/or banjos.

When I was younger, I resented how certain artists or works of art became institutions through what felt like entrenchment alone. Now, a couple of decades older, I have a new appreciation for longevity. In any field that prizes novelty, it’s worth noticing who is able to continue carving out a space to thrive (as well as who is given opportunities to keep doing what they do). Consistency and tenacity are, in fact, commendable! Who knew? (Everyone over 30 years old knew.) Do you have any artists that make you feel like: “Oh heck yeah! They’re still at it!” rather than having to return to their hometown to work in a coal mine with their father like Derek Zoolander? Let me know! (Oh! Also! In exactly-the-same-emotional-resonance news, Guster has a new album out as well!)

UPCOMING SHOWS

I’ve got some really fun shows coming up! Come see one! More NYC spots are listed on my website, and more road dates are coming soon!

5/20: Butterboy at Littlefield in Brooklyn

5/21: Running My Hour Set at Union Hall (Brooklyn)

5/22: Pizzazz with Gary Gulman at Union Hall (Brooklyn)

5/23: Wrong Answers Only at Symphony Space (NYC)

5/27: Butterboy at Littlefield in Brooklyn

5/28: Pretty Major at Union Hall (Brooklyn)

6/7: Whiplash at Union Hall (Brooklyn)

6/8: Helium Comedy Club (Philadelphia) (4:30pm show!!!!)

6/13: New York Comedy Club - Stamford, CT

6/15: Kismet Improv Theater (Pawtucket, RI) (EARLY SHOW SOLD OUT! LATE SHOW ADDED!!!)

6/21: NEW SPECIAL TAPING AT THE BELL HOUSE IN BROOKLYN (Late show tickets on sale now!)