8 / it's fall which means fun is dead
hi all,
it's been a while since I've emailed. as it is my belief that no one should have to do work in the summer (and professional ambition is kind of suspect anyway???) I took a break from this newsletter to focus on eating nectarines and finding shorts that don't make me look like a gay frat boy.
probably the most exciting quasi-professional thing that happened to me this summer is that congresswoman alexandria ocasio-cortez responded to my joke tweet about the new york city subway. the full text of the tweet (about which i interviewed here lol) was "jay street and needless to say metrotech" the joke being that i put extra words in the name of a subway station. over 400 people, among them AOC, responded with their own little subway station jokes ("Hoyt, and I can't stress this enough, Schermerhorn Street," for example).
this was obviously insane and really cool, though i tried to keep it in context. AOC has achieved celebrity status because of her skill as an advocate for marginalized people, and that's not uhhh really what comedy does. i was helpfully humbled by my parents’ reactions: my father pointed out that it’s funny, but it doesn’t really matter given climate crisis and the accelerating US fascism (ok true), and my mother noted that if i had a website i could put that on it (also true). my stepmom said she didn’t get the joke.
AOC’s response did give me a bit of insight into the kind of vitriol that occurs online. i’m usually fairly shielded from this sort of harassment because i’m white and male (i’ve only had one person solicit a request for pictures of my feet, and when i didn’t respond within an hour they rescinded the request), but every time a tweet of mine finds a large audience online i get a peak into how psycho people in general can be. AOC's response brought dozens of people in my mentions accusing her of fascism (lol) and being dumb (lol).
@PunchMyJunk literally why are you saying this here.
like i'm sorry what could this mean
i can't emphasize enough that this is a response to her response to me, which doesn't even appear on your timeline if you follow me. Why this???? Why here???? what do these people do all day!!
Some of these people took it upon themselves to go through my other tweets.
and like. ok drag me lol.
often, people online aren't actively malicious, just pedantic and annoying. whenever i have a tweet that gets a lot of views, i get a mass of people coming into my mention to make the joke back to me, or explain why it's wrong. in another tweet of mine – a joke i made plant care yielded about a dozen pedantic responses like this one.
these are obviously soooo insanely tame relative to what some of my peers receive every single day – rape threats, death threats, credible threats of violence, etc etc etc. this kind of harassment and intimidation can ruin people’s lives (this collection of pieces about “Gamergate” from the New York Times is a really interesting primer on this kind of targeted harassment). even when it’s not threats of violence, most women online have “reply guys” who reply to all their tweets, with responses that range from pedantic to creepy. most women online can’t make a joke without dozens of men responding, making the exact same joke. just another structural barrier to participation in public life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this always makes me question the value of actually attaining a broad following. so often the tweets of mine that get retweeted are the most basic, simple things, whereas my better, smarter jokes get appreciated by far fewer people. what do we lose when we try to appeal to everyone? as AOC has shown, when you do work that's good, you really can't please everyone.
also: donate money
okay so huge news is that this saturday is my wonderful (talented kind funny cute) boyfriend andrés’ birthday. they’re an incredible comedian and writer and you should follow them on twitter (@mijoandres) and instagram (@mij0andres). BUT ALSO: they are asking for DONATIONS to the RGV Respite Center!!! to be completely frank i know at least a few rich adults follow me and this is wonderful organization working to assist asylum seekers in McAllen, Texas. i’m donating and so should you
SHOWS
EVERY WEDNESDAY / 8pm – August Exploration (Jones Beach Cafe, free)
The biggest update I have from this summer is that my comedy colleague AND friend (NOT a binary) Natalie Rotter-Laitman and I continued our "Weekly Exploration" series at Jones Beach Cafe. For the uninitiated, in June, Natalie and I hosted "June Exploration," a weekly comedy show dedicated to exploring what it would mean to host a weekly show in June by hosting a weekly show in June. July Exploration followed, and, come August, August Exploration as well. It's now September, and Natalie and I made the excruciating choice to admit to ourselves that we weren't quite done collecting data on what it would mean to host a weekly show in August. Introducing: August Exploration: In September: a show that explores what it would mean to host a weekly show in August (in September). [this is a weekly comedy show I host and it's so fun please come every Wednesday at 8pm! We always hang out after]
This Wednesday Rachel Kaly is also doing a half hour about 9/11 immediately afterwards. not a joke rachel's actually doing that.
Thursday, September 12 / 8pm – Stacy (Rebecca's, free)
My amazing and fun monthly show at Rebecca's. Come drink with legendary bartender Debbie Dahmer and see Marissa and I host Caroline Yost, William Banks, Milly Tamarez, and more :)
Sunday, September 15 / 8pm – Jessy's Little Bedroom Party (Jessy's Bedroom, free)
Jessy is hosting a weekly show in her bedroom. It's capped at 8 people and signups are in her bio week of. Really excited to step on her bed with my shoes on as punishment for her hospitality :(
Saturday, September 21 / 9:30pm – Fareeha and Brian Do Long Sets (Brooklyn Comedy Collective, $10)
Fareeha Kahn and Brian Bahe, two incredibly talented stand-ups are doing half hour sets and asked me to open for them, which I really really am unspeakably honored by. Come to see two radically talented but also radically different styles of comedy craft and also see me in advance of them.
Thursday, September 26 / 9pm – You Should Try Stand-Up (Ferns, free)
Another fun cute show :) come through.
Will maybe have more shows than this, so keep on the lookout of my Instagram stories. Much love <3
Other Amazing Shows To See Even Though I'm Not In Them Which Is Of Course Fine
Monday, September 9 / 8pm – Ellen Is The Only Ally (Union Hall, $8)
how many times do I have to say it. If you haven't seen Rachel's demented and perverted Ellen But Violent, you must. the lineup this month is absolutely incredible and I can promise you I will be there.
Friday, September 13 / 7:30pm – Max Wittert: Portrait Of The Artist Seated With Grapes (Union Hall, $8)
Max is an enormously talented artist and comedian and in his live work he puts the two together. I am so, so excited for this show <3