Headlining Princeton's Catch a Rising Star August 13th.
Carpetbagger's Comedy Night Featured on NPR
More NYC shows!
Some Nice Press About The Carpetbagger's Comedy Night
Read the full story here.
Headed Back to NYC for Some Shows, Including my First NYC Headlining Set!
ONE YEAR IN CHATT
I’ve been in Chattanooga just over a year now, after unexpectedly (and abruptly) moving out of New York City. Big thanks to my friends who've checked in to see how life’s been here so far.
Gotta say, I’m the happiest I’ve been in an awfully long time. The people here are some of the warmest and welcoming people I've ever met. I’ve made some genuine friends here, both in and out of the comedy community.
A lower threshold for bullshit was an upside to lockdown. After standing up for myself against faceless ad agencies that demanded countless hours of work beyond what they were paying for, I was able to eliminate these bullies from my life. This has opened up a lot of space to work with decent and talented folks. While the work may not be as regular, it's a lot more satisfying. Lots of gratitude to the agencies that continue to hire me, in spite of me.
Of course, I miss my NYC friends. But I’m fortunate to share time with my New York comedy pals every two weeks when they stay with me and do the Carpetbagger’s Comedy show. I’m so grateful to all the comics (with one exception) who have visited and helped make the show, and my life, a fun event.
Huge thanks to Steve Maloy for being up for heading down to Chattanooga for two months on zero notice. And thanks David Littlejohn for inviting us down to be "Comedians in Residence." That's how this whole thing started.
One of the great parts of this whole adventure has been having my New York comedy friends meet the comedy community here.
While putting the Carpetbagger's show together, some talented folks with a great track record in TV and film (Nick McKinney and Lorian James Delman) showed an interest in documenting this meeting of the cultures.
They were interested in a series that follows the northern comedians as they meet and mingle with their southern counterparts. They’ve been “shopping” it around. Thought I’d share a trailer they cut together (in comments). If you know anyone in the market for a show, let them know! LOL.
I’m glad to see a lot of my other friends have found their own ways to pivot during the pandemic and make changes that make them happier. If you’re reading this, I hope you’re one of them.
Some Friends and I are Featured in This Piece on the New Blood Oozing Into Chatt
The Captured Project Getting Some Love
Honored to see The Captured Project, where Andy Tider and I asked people in prison to draw people we felt SHOULD be in prison, got a whole chapter devoted to it in this new book.
Andy and I were toying with the idea of making the pieces in this collection NFTs (eye roll, I know). But we figured rules could be put in place so each time a piece was sold, the incarcerated artist would get a cut. If you or someone you know wants to help us make that happen, hit me up.
Carpetbagger's Comedy Expands to Nashville!
I came to Chattanooga seven months ago to run the Carpetbagger's Comedy Night-Chattanooga in the lobby of the Bode Hotel.
When the show started out, the audience was almost all hotel guests. These were people who really only showed up because there wasn't much else to do due to Covid.
It's since grown to be a consistently sold-out show. More importantly, the audience is now entirely locals (or people from outside the hotel). This means folks who show up are there to see comedy, rather than just coming downstairs because it's convenient. It makes the whole night so much more fun.
Excited that starting in June, the show will be expanding to the Bode in Nashville (third Thursdays) and the Common House in Chattanooga (first Wednesdays).
Thank you to the comics (especially Bridgette Martin & Steve Maloy) and all the audience members who have made this thing great.
Coming back to (and then leaving) NYC
This whole Chattanooga thing was supposed to just be for one month. 8 months later, I’ve sold my place in Brooklyn and bought one here. Headed back to NYC to pack up and ship off. Crazy.
Chattanooga Update
Been down here in Chattanooga for a bit now. It's going well so far. I got to feature at the local club here for a weekend, and have been picking up longer and longer sets across the South.
And psyched to see that The Brand Roasts are taking off, with three clients locked and loaded!
The shows I'm running here at the hotel are also going strong, with most of them selling out (yep, everyone's distanced). It's always a treat when the NYC comics roll through to be on the lineups. Last week, Charlie Dawson, Matt Bowman, Igor Martinez, Leland Long, and Steve Atkinson brought killer sets (and puzzle skills). Looking forward to Kyle Mara and Dan Pulzello on the show December 4th.
Think I'm staying down here a few more months. Hope all my friends and foes and doing well.
American Booksellers Association Work scores "Highbrow/Brilliant" on Approval Matrix.
Happy Prime Day!
LAUNCHED ON AMAZON PRIME DAY: To help keep local bookshops in business, we teamed with the American Booksellers Association to mount a coordinated attack on Amazon at bookshops all across America. Big thanks to the DCX team for the chance to do work on something for people who don’t suck .
AOC liked it. Cool.
Chattanooga Update
I've been down in Chattanooga for a little over a week. Been pretty okay so far. Did a show in Alabama and a couple around town. Getting ready for the first of a series of shows I'll be hosting at the hotel. Some highlights so far:
• A woman in Alabama took me outside after a show to "show me something I can't see from New York." She pointed up at the sky and asked me what was next to the Moon. I told her it was Mars. She said "Nah, it's Pluto. You see, Pluto used to be a planet but now it's a star." I asked if she taught school in the area (she doesn't) and we agreed to disagree.
• Went to Gold's Gym to start up a membership. They had a massive sign outside that read "$10 A Month. No Catches. No Surprises." As I was signing up, they casually drop that it's 10 bucks a month only if I sign up for a year. I said "That's the very definition of a catch and I'm actually quite surprised." She asked why. I explained about the sign. We agreed to disagree. I now belong to the local Y.
• Ribs.
• Met a Christian chaplain who works with those close to death at the hospital. We talked for about 20 minutes while we were stuck under an awning together in the rain. She explained how her relationship with god centered her and gave her a path forward. I told how I felt the same way about comedy. We both agreed religion and comedy both require faith. In the end, I wound up converting her. She's gay now.
I keep looking for my absentee ballot in the mail. Go vote. They definitely will be doing so down here.
At This Point, I May be Doing Standup Just to Make the Posters.
Doing My Part to Help Make Killer Babies
