comedy

There are a number of poets who use humor in their work. Some, like Ogden Nash, strive for it. For others, it just seems to come naturally. Derrick Brown is a naturally funny poet. While many of his best known poems are quite tender, a Derrick Brown show is guaranteed to include more than a handful of laughs. So it is not completely surprising that he has shifted over to comedy, releasing his first comedy album, A Close Shave with...

Sean White Dead & Gone (A Special Thing Records) If tragedy plus time equals comedy, then Sean White must have missed the memo. It takes great standup sets to really put into perspective what high levels the art form can take. In our modern times, Tig Notaro’s album Live probably is the best example of how tragic and introspective and hopeful and smart standup can be. And I’m sure Tig Notaro’s aware the kind of attention she’s gotten is bound...

The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels, and the History of American Comedy by Kliph Nesteroff Books like this one are what it’s all about, people. I am a comedy nerd and the current comedy boom is the sweet stuff that dreams are made of. My dreams, anyway. Yes, with any boom comes an excess of participants. Most will fade away when said boom goes bust, forever forgotten. Unless of course some avid fan (read: nerd) writes a book about them. Enter...

Brooks Wheelan Middle East – Cambridge, Massachusetts – May 7, 2016 Frequent readers of Ground Control (as you should be) know my love for Brooks Wheelan’s stand-up debut “This is Cool, Right?” We listen to a lot of records here on Ground Control and they just keep coming, but as of late, it’s becoming that stand-up albums are coming out faster than ever. On last year’s Best-of lists, I carved out a space for best Stand-Up album, and you can...