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Tag: essays

The conundrum of comedy criticism in 2017
Reviews

The conundrum of comedy criticism in 2017

Sean L. McCarthyby Sean L. McCarthyJuly 28, 20171

This is my 11th consecutive year covering Montreal’s Just For Laughs, but the first in which I’ve experienced serious blowback while still at the festival. What’s going on here? A few different things, and I’ll try to clear the air …

10 Things I’ve Learned in Comedy, by Tom Clark
News

10 Things I’ve Learned in Comedy, by Tom Clark

Sean L. McCarthyby Sean L. McCarthyJune 20, 2017June 20, 2017

Tom Clark is a stand-up comedian and actor who has been in comedy for 23 years. His comedy credits include TBS’s Conan, CBS’s Late Late Show, The  Bob & Tom Radio Show, and Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, Montreal’s New Faces at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival, The …

The State Of Women In Comedy According To One Woman In Comedy, by Sara Schaefer
News

The State Of Women In Comedy According To One Woman In Comedy, by Sara Schaefer

Sean L. McCarthyby Sean L. McCarthyJune 19, 2017

This essay originally appeared on Medium and is republished here with permission by the author. What are female comics doing these days? What’s the situation? Did we solve it yet? I’d like to check in and take stock. But before …

News

Patton Oswalt’s GQ essay on suddenly becoming a single parent

Sean L. McCarthyby Sean L. McCarthyDecember 2, 2016December 5, 2016

The December issue of GQ includes its annual “Men of the Year” profiles, and among them, this essay from Patton Oswalt on becoming both a widower and a single father when his wife suddenly died in her sleep in April. …

Matt Ruby: “What I’ve Learned From 10 Years of Doing Stand-Up Comedy”
News

Matt Ruby: “What I’ve Learned From 10 Years of Doing Stand-Up Comedy”

Sean L. McCarthyby Sean L. McCarthyDecember 1, 2016December 1, 20161

Longtime reader, first-time contributor. Matt Ruby was one of the first people in New York City to come up to me and email me to acknowledge his support of The Comic’s Comic when I launched the site independently more than …

Things That are More Likely to Ruin Stand-Up Comedy Than “Political Correctness”
Uncategorized

Things That are More Likely to Ruin Stand-Up Comedy Than “Political Correctness”

Sean L. McCarthyby Sean L. McCarthyJune 17, 20152

By Will Weldon 1. Popular Youtube acts with no live performance experience getting booked on big shows 2. The marginalization of not-white performers into “specialty acts”, thus segregating important new voices away from mainstream communities that could use the infusion …

Stand-Up Comedy, the Bible, and the 10,000-Hour Rule
Uncategorized

Stand-Up Comedy, the Bible, and the 10,000-Hour Rule

Sean L. McCarthyby Sean L. McCarthyAugust 19, 2013August 19, 20133

By Caleb Synan Good comedians do stand-up every night. Sometimes a wedding, a broken-down car, or some other emergency can get in the way of this, but as a general rule, the good ones work more nights out of the …

What Jealousy and Bitterness Can Do For Your Comedy Career
Uncategorized

What Jealousy and Bitterness Can Do For Your Comedy Career

Sean L. McCarthyby Sean L. McCarthyAugust 8, 2013August 8, 20133

What Jealousy And Bitterness Can Do For Your Comedy Career By Andy Sanford Jealousy and bitterness exist in just about every pursuit, and especially artistic ones. I can only speak from a comedian’s perspective, but I’ve watched it ruin people. …

Uncategorized

Read Patton Oswalt’s “Closed Letter to Myself About Thievery, Heckling and Rape Jokes”

Sean L. McCarthyby Sean L. McCarthyJune 15, 2013June 15, 2013

Patton Oswalt wrote “a closed letter” to himself yesterday on the Internet, which means we all can read it, hopefully identify with at least part of it and take away lessons ourselves from it. Oswalt’s letter is an essay in …

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