11. Journalists should not give money to any political campaigns, participate in any political activities or even vote. Former ABC political director Mark Halperin and Washington Post editor Len Downie don’t vote, which is why they are so trustworthy and so respected by other journalists. Just as Catholic priests give up sex, journalists should give up their right to participate in the political process so that they will not have to think too much about whether one side or another is correct. Thinking too hard threatens their objectivity. (See Rule No. 1.)
Please read the rest…
It’s brilliant timing, as I’m currently composing a presentation called “All I need to know about journalism I learned from the ‘Ghostbusters’ movie.”
Incidentally, I may be giving a version of that presentation this Friday at Jimmy’s No. 43; 43 E. 7th St., between 2nd and 3rd Aves., N.Y., N.Y. The evening starts at 7:30 p.m. and there’ll be live performances, videos and beautiful, wonderful people.
At the recommendation of ukulele sensation Ballard C. Boyd, I checked out the striking WGA-E writers’ blog and found some great stuff. First of all, you should check it out and learn about what they’re saying.
Seriously, writers, comedians and actors — and probably musicians, for all I know — get screwed all the time and there’s really just not that much they can do without risking their jobs.
Now, once you’ve given some good thought to buying drinks for your comedians and going to support live comedy and live music and live theater, and sent a lot of good solidarity vibes to writers who should be getting better compensated for their work, you can have this hilarious post from the aforementioned WGA-E strike blog.
This week I shot a video with my friends in Better Than The Machine. Christina and I wrote the thing, then got all weird in my home with Reid operating the camera. Check it out:
And Uncoolkids.com (very cool kids incognito) has a nice little listing of the ol’ Secret Sideshow. So that’s like one more vote of confidence, right? Come see it.
Hey, I’m just starting to get the hang of this New York thing, so the jokes will come a-flying your way once more quite soon. Meantime, here is a video that some friends in a comedy troupe called Better Than The Machine made using techniques, evidently, from the future.
OK, this is the post where I admit I’m a fool. A buffoon. Whatever you like. When I leave Boulder for New York City, these are a few (and only a few) of the things I’m leaving behind.
Telling Stories
This is an essay-and-music series at the Laughing Goat, a coffeehouse on Pearl Street. The series is the brainchild of my friend and colleague, Jennie Dorris. I met Jennie working my first job out of college, a newspaper called dirt. dirt was doomed by its own awesomeness. Everyone who worked there was totally fantastic and I’m always telling stories about the fantastic times I had working there.
I first saw Jennie’s music series when it was hosted at the Boulder International Hostel. It’s grown quite a bit since then (and now Liz Dinwiddie, another musician extraordinaire is co-producing), but still has a wonderfully intimate feel. Here’s a clip of Ms. Dorris playing one of the first pieces I ever saw her play on marimba. It’s called “Michi.”
Geeks Who Drink
A popular pub quiz night that I hosted when it was at the Republic of Boulder. Now you can catch Ballard C. Boyd hosting on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Catacombs. What else does Ballard do? Well, I’m glad you asked, but I’m not sure how to answer. He does damn near everything, including directing and editing killer videos. Here are two examples of his work:
Freak Train
FT is a great, great show that definitely kept me performing when I’d nearly quit it on several occasions. There are all kinds of ways to describe the show, but instead I’m just going to insist that you go see it. And I’m also going to insist that Ballard goes and performs at it because he just might be made for it.
Very funny comedians
I could only find one video on YouTube, but there are some really great people telling jokes around here, including Ben Kronberg (see video below), Greg Baumhauer, Adam Cayton-Holland, Andrew Orvedahl… all these jokers and more. Many came to perform at my last show in Boulder, which turned out to be a really nice night. So if you’re in Colorado, see them now. If you’re not, you’ll see them soon one way or another.
Friends, mountains
Yep. And more things, obviously. But it’s about time for this post to end. The nice thing is that the world is getting smaller. The Information Age! Yes! So I do plan on keeping in touch, by email or whatever else, with the mountains. And some of my friends.
Dave Horwitz & co. are very funny. I was just talking about them yesterday. Pretty recent, huh? Check this clip (not of me talking about Dave, but of Dave and other people saying things):
