10 Good Things: Bombing, Greta, Giraldo, and the Brady Roast

Also: The third rail, Mulaney on movies, funny songwriters, and more.

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Aparna Nancherla

: “Bombing doesn’t bother me the way it once did.”

It’s an inevitable part of the process. When it’s happening now, I just think, “Well, let’s cha cha slide through this barren wasteland as quick as we can since none of us are gonna be needing a selfie here.” I used to try and morph and shift as best I could into something the audience found more amenable, but now it’s like, “Sorry, this is the brand. I cannot deviate from my mission statement. Failure is an option.”

💥 Comedians Can’t Stop Doing Jokes About Greta Thunberg:

That comedians can’t seem to stop pulling from the Thunberg well says as much about Thunberg as it does the comedians who reference her. Watch enough of their jokes back-to-back and identifiable patterns start to emerge.

💥 “There Really Is Nothing Funnier Than a Fart Joke”: Ramy Youssef, Taylor Tomlinson, Alex Edelman and the Stand-Up Roundtable.

Is there a clear third rail for each of you?

TOMLINSON I don’t do jokes about people in my family or friends of mine or people I’m dating without running it past them. Because I just don’t think it’s worth destroying your relationships for 90 seconds. When I was 21, I was like, “Burn it all down to be a legend.” But then you get older and you’re like, “Oh, I’m alone.”advice rethinking old positions, seeing blind spots, and recognizing that they have their own work to do.

💥 Dark Side of Comedy at Hulu. A Vice series “featuring different comics and their personal journeys while exploring the internal battles, unexpected fame and societal pressures in the comedy world.” Warning: Don’t watch the Greg Giraldo one while on the road in a hotel room.

Watched this after back in my hotel room. Not a good idea lol. Can’t get over how he was seemingly consumed by the idea of his career being a failure. Dude was one of the best comedians of his era and selling plenty of tix yet only saw what he wasn’t getting.

💥 James Clear:

"Mastery requires lots of practice. But the more you practice something, the more boring and routine it becomes.

Thus, an essential component of mastery is the ability to maintain your enthusiasm. The master continues to find the fundamentals interesting."

Up ahead: Tom Brady regrets the roast, Norm Macdonald roasting athletes, John Mulaney on movies, funny songwriters, and more.