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The Shark deck me man, I’m Johnny mac with your Daily Comedy News. Is the South China Morning Post? Say it with me, it’s your home for comedy news. They were talking to John Clees. You remember that I mentioned yesterday?
Well there was more to that article. Why is Klees still working? John addressed that. He said, I have a look at the figures of my third divorce, but they’re like surely by now, Alice, his American ex spouse of sixteen years, has been paid off. John said, not really, have you ever paid anybody twenty million dollars?
It’s not the matter of an overnight success. I’m living in an eleven thousand square foot property in London. When I divorced, I had five properties. Switching topics, John said, the only thing I know is that in any interview I do now, even if it’s about the sexual meeting habits of a lemur, cancel culture will come up with the next few minutes. I think there are more important things than cancel culture, and if I keep feeding it by talking about it, we’re gonna forget about the important things.
If people ask, do you think it’s okay for people to shout nasty things at each other. The answer is no. I agree, it’s not okay. But the question is what do we do about it? Do we try and legislate to make people be better human beings?
Because that’s been trying the past by other forms of Puritans. It hasn’t worked out very well. Klees talked about his time in Jeames Bond and said, you know, they’re caught up in a world we’re the Only thing that matters is each film makes more money than the last one. And if you discover that the audience for Bond films is in the Philippines and Indonesia and South Korea, then there’s not much point in putting humor in that’s only going to be appreciated by an audience that speaks English, and I think that’s sad. Did you watch this season of The Bear?
It was fantastic Now. I think Hulu lost out on a lot of buzz by just dropping it all at once. I think that could have had a lot of sustained conversation around it this season, especially if they had put it out weekly. In that sixth episode with John Mulaney and it, it could have been a lot of talk around it. I did not know romy Yusef directed the fourth episode of The Bear this season.
That’s the episode Honeydew, in which Marcus makes a trip to Copenhagen. While prepping for the episode, Usf and Lionel Boys, who plays Marcus, studied at Noma, largely considered to be the best restaurant in the world. Romy tell GQ, I kept telling everybody at Noma I’d worked at a restaurant before, which I had, but I had worked at Panera Bread when I was sixteen. It was just really funny to be a Noman talk about working at Panera. Will Poulzer, who guest starred in the episode, said I heard him tell these five people that he worked at Panera Bread.
Over the course of our two days shoot. Exclaim, a cool Canadian website, caught up with Harty Konnabulu and he said the problem with Upoo and it’s ensuing controversy of a race and representation was a dividing line in his career. He doesn’t hesitate when he feels if his life, working and otherwise has been altered by the film and its reception. Her he said, I did. It’s frustrating, but the reality is what my career was before and after it is completely different.
Before that, I was certainly less known. I did fine in the comedy world. But and I’m yawning while I’m talking about this because I’m bored of the topic. For the people who knew my stand up, doing the documentary wouldn’t have surprised them that I’d do something like that. My stand up is more aggressive and brutal than what the documentary was.
That’s a pop culture documentary about a cartoon character, but it doesn’t delve into the depth of racism like a warmly I’d want to. Certainly wasn’t the documentary I intended to make either. I wanted to make something where I wasn’t the central figure in it. I wanted to be about the history of that accent, but also the history of minstrelsy in this country and the hazing process that people of color have to go through. And I wanted it to be a bunch of interviews cut together with me maybe doing a voiceover.
But once you sell it to a cable network, that’s not going to work. It’s a different vehicle. It’s certainly got watered down for what I wanted to do, and it was still an interesting process for me to go through. But it certainly wasn’t interesting in terms of the content. Wow, it’s not complicated.
The idea of having approved to people that this character is racist and has racial overtones, It’s obvious. The idea that I had to prove that in the film was almost insulting in a way if you actually grew up with it. Why does this need to be proven? Just listen to the character. The Simpsons didn’t really do anything with the character and kind of just hid from it.
It’s frustrating because people tell me I wanted to kill this character, which I don’t give a hoot about the character. Nobody will watches The Simpsons anyways, what I thought till I realized around the world they still do because I get death threats in Spanish and Portuguese. Now Paced magazine and did there ten best comedy specials of twenty twenty three so far, and I thought I’d click on it. I’m looking at this for the first time as I record, because I like to react to these. Let’s see who paste has on there.
Number ten. Mark Marin from Bleak to Dark. I like Marin a lot, been into his podcast a lot lately. I did not love this particular special. Number nine, Josh Johnson’s up Here Killing Myself.
I haven’t seen this one Paste Rights. New York based comedian Josh Johnson describes growing up poor with candor and of course, humor. During the first part of up Here Killing Myself. Whether recounting his seamless bag as family serial came from where the questionable quality of their local pharmacy, He paints an effective picture his turner phrase, his conversational yet inventive, elevating stories that were ready funny to begin with. Number eight, Brad Wenzel’s a joke joke joke.
I’m not familiar with this one. Let’s see joke joke joke is just that, a succession of hilarious bits without any seguys, Wenzel’s good nature laughter acting as the glue that holds it all together. The special’s forty minute length is just right for Wenzel’s type of comedy. Not overstaying it’s welcome, we’re leaving us feeling short changed. I’m gonna add that to my must watch list.
Number seven John Mulaney’s Baby Jay I didn’t love it, it was okay. Number six and eight Bergassi’s Hello World. I think that’s one of the best of the year. Five May Martin’s Sap not the target audience there. I didn’t enjoy it, didn’t make it through.
Number four Emma Arnold’s Myself. I haven’t seen this one. Paste Rights. Sometimes you can watch a comedy special and I just want to wrap it around yourself like a warm blanket. She takes to the stage with the ease and joy of someone who loves what they do.
Myself is thoroughly hilarious and disproves the tired thinking that artists must suffer to make something great. She jokes she should just quit comedy now that she’s so happy. All right, I’m gonna add that to my list. Two Wanda Sykes. I’m an entertainer.
I don’t think I have checked that in. Well, I know I haven’t checked it out. I don’t remember why. Number two Harry Knobolo’s Vacation Baby. I like that special lots, although I like Nate’s better, and they have number one John Earle’s now more than ever.
I know people are buzzing about that one. I think it’s for a younger crowd than me. I do have a few gray hairs, and I watched it and I was like, is this brilliant? Is this horrible? And I couldn’t tell.
Vulture has their list. Let’s take a look. This was updated on June twenty seven. There’s are listed from newest to oldest. They have John Early all right, Ali Sadik’s The Domino Effect Part two Loss, John Mulaney, Monique’s my name is Monique May Martin sap again.
Kyle Knaine Shocks and Struts. That is, at the time of this recording my number one of the year. Marlon Wayne’s God Loves Me. I try that one and I lasted I don’t know five minutes, and Mark Marrin’s from Bleak to Dark. I already addressed that one.
I’m actually recording this on July fourth. Why Johnny mack Well, it started to poor rain and I had this script already and I’m like, might as well go down and record it. So my plan here on July fourth, two weeks ago to you is actually to watch Tom Sigourt tonight. I suspect that’s going to make my best of list. I’m really excited about it, and I might check out some of the others, but prior to recording those, here’s my list.
Kyle Kana Nabrigassy, Jay McBride, Daddy’s Girl, Jim Jeffries. That was on Amazon back in February, Hary Conabolo, Chris Rock. Remember that that was a big deal. Nobody talks about it. The roast of Mister Peanut, which everybody looks at me like I’m crazy, and then they take my advice and they watch it.
You’ll find out on YouTube. Watch the full fifteen minute roast of mister Peanut. It’s really good. Big Jay Okerson, Sarah Silverman, and I have John Narrowley on my list. Okay, I have him at number ten.
But like I said, I’m planning on watching Sigora later today and you’ve probably heard me talk about it in the last two weeks, and that I’ll probably make the list as well. And that is your comedy news for today. Follow the show for free on Apple, Podcast, Spotify, YouTube, smash All like button See tomorrow.