Allie Brosh on Perfecting Crudeness

If you’re looking for a good laugh, look no further than Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh’s autobiographical offering that manages to maintain its overall hilarity despite often dealing with difficult topics like crippling depression and anxiety. A mix of humorously written posts and intentionally crude drawings, Brosh has amassed legions of fans over the past decade, with her site often being called one of the funniest on the internet and her posts shared widely on social media. Brosh herself has even been called one of the most creative and influential people on the internet, this despite “living like a recluse in her Bend, Oregon, bedroom” as she puts it. Those crude drawings are often criticised, however. In 2013 Brosh sat down with NPR’s Terry Gross for an interview on Fresh Air. Asked about her drawing style, here’s what she had to say:

“I’ve drawn pretty much my whole life. It’s funny; people often give me a hard time about how crude and simplistic my art style is. I know how to draw realistic things. Really, a lot of time goes into this crudeness. There’s a huge difference between drawing the pupil a slightly different size — … a millimeter to either side can make such a gigantic difference in a facial expression, or shaving a tiny bit off the corner of the line of the mouth. So there’s really a lot of work that goes into “perfecting” this crudeness.”

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Dan Aykroyd Talks Fried Chicken, White Toast, and The FBI

Though it was released over 40 years ago, The Blue Brothers remains a timeless classic to this very day and still enjoys a cult following. As crazy as the movie was at times, however, some of the behind the scenes stories are even crazier. And so it was that Dan Aykroyd told the Guardian some of those stories, like the following gem, which touches on fried chicken, white toast, and of course, those classic costumes that made Aykroyd and Belushi look like FBI agents.

“Landis wrote the “four fried chickens and a coke” scene after seeing John Belushi [who played the other Blues Brother “Joliet” Jake] consume four fried chickens. Elwood’s dry white toast came from when I grew up in Ottawa and moved from my parents’ place – my toaster was a coat hanger on a stovetop. That was an old trick. We were inspired by John Lee Hooker’s House of the Blues record – he had the suit and the shades. Who wouldn’t want to look that cool? We put on a suit and tie and ended up looking like FBI agents. It was a universal look that worked so well.”

For those so inclined, the interview in The Guardian can be found online and contains more stories, not just from Aykroyd but from director John Landis as well. It’s a wild ride, and well worth the read!

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Oyinkan Braithwaite on the Stamina it Takes to Write a Novel

Released in 2018, My Sister, the Serial Killer was a breakthrough hit for author Oyinkan Braithwaite, one that brought about much critical acclaim. In fact, although the title suggests more of a murder mystery or thriller, her book even made it to Esquire’s list of the 32 funniest books of all time! But Braithwaite’s experience as a writer lied more in poetry and in short stories than it did in writing novels, and she was even a finalist for the Commonwealth short story prize. Asked about her experience writing poetry and short stories and how it informed her novel-writing process, here’s what Brathwaite had to say in a 2019 interview with the Los Angeles Review of Books:

“A novel requires stamina and grit. You need a certain kind of faith in yourself and in what you are doing to bang out 40,000-plus words. But I learned style from poetry and short stories. It is through those mediums that I discovered where my strengths lay as a writer.

I do hope to complete another novel soon. But it won’t be a prequel or a sequel, I have no immediate plans to go back into the story of Korede and Ayoola; though, I know exactly how I would do it, if I did!”

While we may not know when we’ll see more of her fantastic work, we’re looking forward to more big things from Brathwaite and her unique, darkly funny writing.

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Bob Servant Strikes Back at Internet Scammers

If you haven’t read a Bob Servant book yet, do yourself a favor and read one today. First introduced to us in Delete At Your Peril, Bob Servant is the fictional alter ego of Dundonian author and journalist Neil Forsyth. At the tender age of 62, Servant, a window cleaner and Dundee’s former cheeseburger kingpin wages war against internet scammers and their attempts to rob people of their hard earned money. Hilarity ensues. The book even spun out three sequels: Hero of Dundee (2010), Why Me? (2011), and Ask Bob (2015), as well as a TV series.

Interviewed for The Skinny back in 2011, here’s what Forsyth had to say about the people who served as a model for Bob:

“He’s an amalgamation of lots of old guys I grew up around in Broughty Ferry. It’s a place where old men seem to get issued with a new anecdote alongside their pension each week. Trying to walk down Brook Street in Broughty Ferry with my older relatives when I was wee would take about an hour.”

Forsyth also shared his strategy for finding scammers to correspond with:

“There’s sites online where they post hundreds of email addresses for scammers. I email about a hundred at a time saying “tell me more” and then slowly whittle them down to those who are properly engaging with me and sound suitably mental. I’d probably get two exchanges from that first 100.”

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Don’t Interrupt Tiffany Haddish When She’s Eating

Ever since her breakout role in the 2017 comedy Girls Trip, Tiffany Haddish has been tearing it up. She’s published a memoir, hosted SNL, had her own comedy special (Tiffany Haddish: She Ready! From the Hood to Hollywood), voiced a number of characters, hosted and produced a revived Kids Say the Darndest Things, and most recently, starred in Like a Boss, the first studio comedy of the 2020s, for Paramount Pictures. The fame, you can imagine, has taken some getting used to. As Haddish told Bazaar, however, she really doesn’t mind talking to fans, even makes it a point to check her DMs once a day. She doesn’t mind, that is, unless she’s eating… From the interview:

“I don’t mind anybody talking to me, but if I’m eating, that makes me mad because I have a serious relationship with food,” Haddish said between bites of her usual—shrimp and grits, with a side of collard greens. “When people come over to me when I’m eating, I’m always surprised they’re not like, ‘Tiffany Haddish is an evil bitch.’”

Far from being a b****, however, most fans report Haddish to be approachable, even kind, and of course, really really funny. Like a Boss was released early this year, before the whole world went into lockdown, and if you haven’t seen it already you’re certainly missing out on some good laughs!

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Will Ferrell Talks Eurovision

Officially out on Netflix for everyone to stream, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is every bit as fun as you’d expect a Will Ferrell movie to be, and every bit as ridiculous as well. Ferrell and co-star Rachel McAdams play a duo of aspiring singers doing their best to bring home the Eurovision prize to their native Iceland, but while the movie is full of music and love, there’s so much more to it making it a very worthwhile watch. Ferrell recently talked to Screen Rant about the film, here’s what he had to say about the film’s origins, and the Eurovision contest itself:

“You know, it’s funny. I literally was aware of Eurovision, like, it’s been 20 plus years. The first time I got any sort of whiff of it was visiting with my wife and her family in Sweden, and we happened to be there in Spring in May, during the contest. We were having dinner, and at the end of dinner everyone said, “Now it’s time to watch Eurovision.” I’m like, “Okay, what is that?” And then I don’t think I said a word for the next three hours. I’m just like, “What is this thing? This is incredible.”

Just between the staging, the costumes, the kitschy-ness of the songs – and then some of the songs are actually really good. And it was just such a [jump] from the sublime to the ridiculous, and I just remember in that moment thinking that would make a great movie. But I always thought that someone in Europe would have done it.

And around five years ago, two years before Lisbon, we went to the contest in Copenhagen, Denmark. That was the first actual time I was there, and that was the year Conchita Wurst for Austria won. And we were like, “We have to do this.” It took a while to get it going, but I’m so happy this moment is here. That people are finally getting to see the labor, the labor of our work.”

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The Enduring Friendship of Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner

Forever young at heart at the ages of 93 and 98, comedy legends Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner have something to celebrate: Their friendship, which has endured for over 70 years. In fact, in an interview published in The Guardian the two revealed that they see each other every single evening to have dinner together and talk.

“This is a great place because I got friendship, love and free food. Free eats are very important, you know,” said Brooks of Reiner’s home, as he and interviewer Hadley Freeman waited in Carl Reiner’s den for his arrival. Reiner has lived in the home for over 60 years, but he and Brooks have been friends for far longer, and their friendship is nothing short of inspiring.

The duo met in the 1950s while working on Sid Caesar’s TV variety show, Your Show of Shows. As Reiner recalls: “I’ll never forget it. I came in one day and I heard this guy say: ‘I’m a Jewish pirate. You know what they’re charging for sails these days? $33.72 a yard! I can’t afford to rape and pillage any more!’ I thought, who is this guy? This guy is the funniest single human being on the planet.” The interview features many such touching moments, and is well worth the read for any fan of comedy.

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Greg Daniels on John Malkovich Joining The Ranks of Space Force

Now streaming on Netflix, Space Force is the latest offering from Greg Daniels and Steve Carell, who had previously worked their magic together on the US version of The Office. But Space Force is far more than just another “Office” and boasts an impressive cast, which includes none other than John Malkovich. When Greg Daniels sat down with Collider for an interview, he talked about bringing Malkovich into the project, and his dynamic with Steve Carell. Here’s what he had to say:

“Well, I mean, we were very lucky to get John Malkovich. What happened was Netflix announced the show before we had a script, which was a little bit nerve-racking. But the thing about it was that John Malkovich’s agent called and said, “Hey, Malkovich saw the announcement, and he would love to be a part of it.” So we were able to write the character with him in mind from the beginning, which is a great benefit.

So, it’s really cool to have an actor of his stature for Steve to play off of. As we were working on it in the first episode, I remember being on set and having this insight that their relationship is a little bit of a blue state, red state relationship. When you think of it that way you go, “Oh, that’s cool,” that maybe if they can be friends, there’s hope for the rest of us.”

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Hilarious Woody Allen Quotes to Get Your Day Going

Though his life and career aren’t without controversy, few names carry as much recognition in Hollywood as Woody Allen’s. For over sixty years Allen has been writing, directing, and cating in some of the funniest movies many have ever seen. Allen’s accolades can certainly attest to his success: He has received sixteen nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, more than anyone else, winning the award three times along with an Academy Award for Best Director. Here are some hilarious Woody Allen quotes to help get your day going:

“I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work; I want to achieve immortality through not dying. I don’t want to live on in the hearts of my countrymen; I want to live on in my apartment.”

“I’m not afraid of death; I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”

“I’m such a good lover because I practice a lot on my own.”

“If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.”

“Marriage is like mushrooms: we notice too late if they are good or bad.”

“The difference between sex and love is that sex relieves tension and love causes it.”

“My one regret in life is that I am not someone else.”

“I’m not anti-social. I’m just not social.”

“I took a test in Existentialism. I left all the answers blank and got 100.”

“I believe there is something out there watching us. Unfortunately, it’s the government.”

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The Often Absurd Humor of Albert Camus

Algerian born French philosopher and author Albert Camus certainly had a serious side. In fact, some would argue that he only had a serious side. Through his writing and his novels, Camus helped push and develop the philosophy known as absurdism, and through those writing came some absurd statements that could occasionally crack a smile on the face of the reader. Here, then, are just a few Camus quotes that can be funny in their own absurd way.

“Some people talk in their sleep. Lecturers talk while other people sleep”

“It was previously a question of finding out whether or not life had to have a meaning to be lived. It now becomes clear on the contrary that it will be lived all the better if it has no meaning”

“The only serious question in life is whether to kill yourself or not.”

“The misery and greatness of this world: it offers no truths, but only objects for love. Absurdity is king, but love saves us from it.”

“Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.”

“People can think only in images. If you want to be a philosopher, write novels.”

Sadly, Camus died at the all too young age of 46 after a car accident. While not a Camus quote, the following certainly calls some attention to the absurdity of the situation.

“Some have speculated that the way [Albert] Camus died made his theories on absurdity a self-fulfilling prophecy. Others would say it was the triumphant meaningful way he lived that allowed him to rise heroically above absurdity.”

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