DELRAY BEACH – Finally, an excellent use of Twitter.
Leave it to comedian Steven Wright to turn the short-form social media platform into the incubator for a novel.
Wright started his account in 2011. Tweets over the past decade or so grew into Wright’s first novel. Released in May, “Harold” is about a 7-year-old boy’s bizarre take on life – delivered one observation at a time.
Some of the Amazon reviewers include comedians Bill Burr (“Like ‘Catcher in the Rye’ in mushrooms.”), Conan O’Brien (“Really funny and touching.”) and Michael Ian Black (“A strange and wonderful book.”).
The New York Times story below stems from an interview with Wright and is well worth the read.
Keeping with the book theme, today’s Stand-Up Spotlight also includes a look at Tom Papa’s book. Then there’s a feature on former Vine superstar Brittany Furlan, who says she’s getting back into comedy, along with a dive into the Ugandan comedy scene, which includes this great quote:
“Comedy is now a career option and it is no longer looked at as an art form for failures. Comedians have made a face for themselves and are hosting events, weddings, radio shows etc. We have comedians representing across borders,” he says.
Ponder that one for a while as we get the week off to a funny start.
STAND-UP SPOTLIGHT – June 5, 2023
Steven Wright, Master of the One-Liner, Tries His Hand at a Novel
If there’s one living stand-up legend whose jokes are perfect for Twitter, it’s Steven Wright. Not only are they concise (“Lost a buttonhole”) but so meticulously absurd (“I like to reminisce with people I don’t know”) that rapid shifts of context don’t distort their meaning.
So it was a surprise that when he started an account in 2011, he didn’t use it to try out punch lines, but to write a novel — very slowly. It almost sounds like a Steven Wright joke. But more than a decade later, this larky experiment has turned into a book, “Harold,” about a meandering, bizarrely charming day in the life of a 7-year-old boy.
Comedian Tom Papa’s new book explains why ‘we’re all in this together’
Tom Papa’s new book “We’re All in this Together . . . So Make Some Room” (St. Martin’s Press), is a collection of comedic essays that just might also be a roadmap to a better life.
Papa, whose recent standup special is “What a Day,” now streaming on Netflix, joined The Post for a Zoom chat to talk about what it all might mean.
Brittany Furlan Talks Using ‘Comedy to Cope’, Life with Tommy Lee and Mental Health Struggles
Brittany Furlan is used to working an audience.
For years, as the most-followed woman on the now-defunct Vine app, it was a virtual one, as she’d mastered the art of six-second slapstick for more than 9 million followers.
“A few months ago I said to myself, ‘What do I really want to do?’ Well, I want to perform. OK, what is stopping me? Well, I’m anxious to go put myself out there,” she tells PEOPLE on a recent phone call. “Then I thought to myself, ‘We’re all going to be dead one day. Who cares? Go do it. Live your life. What are you afraid of?’”
Is Ugandan comedy heading in the right direction?
Process by process: Comedy in Uganda is among the fast growing sectors on the entertainment scene. It has been a gradual process to get to where it is now. Isaac Ssejjombwe explores the comedy industry over the last 10 years to where it is today.
Ten years ago, stand-up comedy was only limited to just a few platforms. There was mic check at Theatre Labonita, Pablo Live and probably Brain Wash of Omukebete, Smart Ayokyayokya, Ken Van Muk, Dickens Perv and Ronnie McVex.
Click here to view original web page at Is Ugandan comedy heading in the right direction?
