I love Stand-up Comedy

     Besides writing, reading and storytelling in general one of my passions is stand-up comedy. I don't do it but I listen to it, watch it, read about it and listen to podcasts that talk about it. So I know a lot of stand-up comedians to recommend.

     The only thing is I think of myself as a kind of "laughaholic." I remember in 9th Grade a friend Ken accused another friend Don and I of laughing at everything, that we would probably laugh at the word "shoe." When I repeated this story to my friend Don during lunch period he paused briefly before saying "shoe" in which we laughed hysterically, I mean to the point where we couldn't breathe. So with my recommendations you should look into these comedians first. Don't just go and buy a ticket to their shows and then report back to me that you didn't find them funny. 

     It's easiest to just name my favorites first as they come to the forefront of my brain first. Some of them are well known and others may not be.

     Paul F. Tompkins is my absolute favorite for at least two years now, followed by Pete Holmes. Bits of theres to check out include for Paul "Cake vs. Pie", "Elegant Balloons", "Potato Famine" and "Peanut Brittle." For Pete I'd recommend "Fun Dad", "Magic Sound", "Pierce" and "Good Time McDonald"s." These two I don't think a lot of people have heard of but definitely some people.

     Other favorites include some obvious ones like Louis CK, Mike Birbiglia, Mitch Hedberg, Brian Regan and Bill Burr. I'm actually running out of time before class starts so I am going to have to list them off and maybe edit this later.

     In no particular order... Nick Swardson, Nick Kroll, Dave Attell, Eddie Pepitone, DC Pierson, Kyle Kinane, John Mulaney, Kurt Metzger, Hannibal Buress, Amy Schumer, Greg Proops, John Oliver, Kurt Braunohler, Matt Braunger, Chris Thayer, Jimmy Pardo, The Sklar Brothers, Jonah Ray, Kumail Nanjiani, Eugene Mirman, T.J. Miller, Chris Hardwick, Bo Burnham, Rob Delaney, Marc Maron, Joe Mande, Anthony Jeselnik, Dana Gould, Patton Oswalt, John Hodgman, Myq Kaplan, Aziz Ansari and Daniel Tosh.

Disclaimer: I am recommending their stand-up comedy only. Whether you like their televisions shows or movies is completely different. I have to run to class now.

A Story about Three Other Stories

     Sitting outside in my parent's backyard, I've just finished reading for the second time The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss when I realize it was the first book of a trilogy of books I had completely about twenty days ago with The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.

     Along with Elantris by Brandon Sanderson, these three books were all bought at the Smith Haven Mall's Barnes & Noble. Since about 2007 my friend Keri and I have had a tradition where I pick her up from her house, we go to Barnes & Noble hunting down books to purchase, and then grab a bite to eat. All along the way, except for the moments when we're hunting down books, we catch up on what's going on in our lives.

     I can't say we're close friends but I also can't say we're not. We both have our own group of friends, jobs, and schools that keep our lives busy. I've been mulling it over as I drafted this blog entry on a legal pad, and I would compare our friendship to getting to hang out with that cousin at the big family barbeque, that cousin you have the most in common with but don't get to see that often. You're relieved to finally be able to talk to someone on a similar wavelength as you. Plus, with the amount of books she reads and the amount of years she's been writing I have always a new book she can recommend to me. Which is exactly what she did in this story.

     The stories goes, in I believe the summer of 2008 when we went on one of trips to Barnes & Noble I was looking for something new in the genre of Fantasy. This was after I had absorbed The Lord of the Rings into my being, was heavily read in Science Fiction, was too smug with my Literature Major classes to read Harry Potter (I have since read 1-6 and highly enjoyed them) and had yet the foreknowledge to try George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.

     So simply, I asked her "I'm looking for some fantasy books, more modern authors, something new." We were standing in the fantasy section, and without much thought she pointed out the three books I mentioned earlier, relatively near each other. "Patrick Rothfuss has been getting a lot of buzz, same with that book The Lies of Locke Lamora. Elantris is a good start for Brandon Sanderson."

     With that, I bought all three of those books that day but I had a bad habit of buying more books than I could read. A habit that has only started slowly waning this year. Those three books sat o the shelves as I pushed them aside for other books I had bought before them.

     It wasn't until 2011 that I finally said fuck it and picked up my copy of The Name of the Wind. I can't count on my hands the amount of books that have engrossed me into their world that quickly. The Lord of the Rings is my absolute favorite books but even I struggled with the Tom Bombadil chapters the first time through. This book I couldn't put down and finished it in a couple days.

     It just so happened at the time that a guy named Nick Fletcher at my job happened to be a big fan of the book. I don't know if I'm recalling it correctly but I remember asking him if he had read it and he immediately told me it was one of his favorite books, and that the second book had just come out. After the lengthy conversation we had about the first book, which I do think made us better friends, I took out my phone, opened the Amazon app and order The Wise Man's Fear as fast as I could.

     I didn't read it as soon as it came though. I have this strange habit when reading. Like when you let wine breathe for a bit I need to give a novel, especially one part of a series, time to breathe. I have enormous difficulty reading a book series back to back. I like coming back to it later, when I've read some other books in between. When I do come back to the series it's like a flood of memories comes rushing back like meeting up with an old friend, catching up while you go to Barnes & Noble.

     So in Summer of 2012 after I finished The Wise Man's Fear I picked up another one of those three books I had bought, Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. Again, another good book, not a favorite like The Name of the Wind was at that point but I still loved it. I'd later be disappointed by Sanderson's second Mistborn novel, The Well of Ascension, after highly enjoying Mistborn: The Final Empire. I think partially the reason I didn't enjoy it was because I forced myself to read the second one right after finishing the first one in a reading competition with my friend, the big The Name of the Wind fan.

     I wouldn't complete this trilogy of books until July 9th of this year when I finished The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch which almost engrossed me as much as Rothfuss's The Kingkiller Chronicle.

     Lesson learn. Trust the Keri. Read the books she recommends to you right away as some of them might become one of your favorite books. 

My Go-To Book Recomendations

     I haven't posted in awhile, mostly because I was thinking of this exact post. It started off with me writing a legal pad books I would recommend to people, or have recommended, until it was so long I had to break it down into genre. Then breaking it down into genre I gave a detailed paragraph of why I recommended it. 
     All in all, what started off as a fun blog post became more work, and not the fun kind of work writing a novel might be. So here is, straight off the top of the dome as no kids are saying ever, my go-to book recommendations that first come to mind in order of which I say most often. 
     To readers, these may seem obvious but most of the people who ask me for recommendations are non-reader and/or looking to become readers. I tried to limit to one book per author.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey
The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks
Embassytown by China Mieville
Dune by Frank Herbert
Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl

     Since I used to be a huge comic book nerd, I have a choice select comic books/ graphic novels that I recommend as well in same order of how often I recommend them.

Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps War by Geoff Johns
Planetary by Warren Ellis
Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis
Green Lantern: Rebirth by Geoff Johns
Kingdom Come by Grant Morrison
Sandman by Neil Gaiman
The Killing Joke by Alan Moore
The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke
Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
Watchmen by Alan Moore
Gotham Central by Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker
Planet Hulk by Greg Pak
100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello

The Problem with Storytelling in Ongoing Comic Books

     This thought has been lumbering around in my head since the announcement of the "Before Watchmen" limited series by DC Comics and was reminded of it again at the end of Geoff Johns's run on Green Lantern with issue #20.

     There's a problem with ongoing superhero comics from a storytelling perspective, they never really end. It's different with novels and limited series, those have a beginning and an end, then the story is over. Not with ongoing comics, and I find this problematic. The problem is great stories from great writer's usually sell really well and thus the companies that publish them, usually owning all rights to the characters, want to make more. I am not dismissing the quality of Before Watchmen but The Watchmen didn't need anymore than what it already was. It has a beginning and an end and everything in between is really fantastic.

     Spoiler alert for issue #20 of Green Lantern. At the end of that Geoff John's caps off with a glimpse into the future of all the Earthborn Green Lantern but the problem is there is still going to be an issue #21 and that writer is going to want to put his own spin on the mythos, changing what has been established and essentially either relegate that story to meaninglessness or tarnish it with half concocted plots. I am not insult Robert Venditti who is taking over Green Lantern but making an implication of all future writers of an ongoing series that takeover for another writer.

     Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis is another series that ran for a good 60 issues but it had a proper ending that Warren Ellis wanted to tell and then it ended. The same goes for Neil Gaiman's run on The Sandman for 75 issues. I'm sure with his new Sandman series he has written he has a set limit of issues he needs to tell his story because he knows stories need an end.

     The problem is with writers on runs of company icons like Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Spider-Man and etc. that no matter how good of a run you have on that series, someone else is eventually going to take over and undo basically everything you've done.

     Great characters can be ruining in comic books with oversaturation when they gain popularity. Wolverine had some of best comics in the past but now is in every Marvel book from the Avengers, to the X-Men to his own solo series. For the longest time Green Lantern had only one ongoing, then two, then three, now there are five ongoing comics related to the Green Lantern universe. All because a good writer wrote a good story and that sold a good amount of comics.

     It's never enough with superhero comics to say that's the end and be done with it. It's part of the reason death in comic books has become so meaningless. Killing off a character sells comics, bringing them back from the dead sells comics and new characters are hardly given the chance because we won't let the old character's stories be over with. Sometimes it's okay to say "The end" and move on and as along as comic books keep ongoing the stories of the past will become less and less meaningful.

What We Are Given, What Is Left Behind.

     This has been on my mind for about three or so weeks, about what people give to us. Not physical objects like gifts or presents on our birthday but the taste in things we like.

     I think of it whenever one of these things stir my memory. Like when I am searching the music on my iTunes library I'm reminded of who these bands came from, which person from my past or present told me "Hey, you should listen to this. I think you would like it." There are even some bands that I didn't like when I was knew the person, but who I like now or they double up where one person got me to casually listen to a band but another person got me really into it. 

     For awhile I just thought of this in terms of music but the same can be said for television, movies, and books. One of my favorite movies Hot Fuzz I saw the premiere with someone I dated who I haven't heard from in years and it just so happens that it's one of my closest friend's favorite movie as well. Game of Thrones will forever be linked to this group of friends I have now even though the future of that group watching it together may not be certain.

     With books this concept bears much more weight, being an avid reader. There are books and authors forever linked to people who I've either had long discussions about, read with at the same time, or either recommended or had recommended to me. One friend is linked just to the process of buying the books. I would pick her up from her house, drive to the nearest Barnes & Noble, buy a ridiculous amount of books, then go grab something for dinner. That experience will be linked to certain books every time I look at them.

     There are people in my past who I no longer speak to or think fondly of but will be reminded of them in a positive way by the impressions they had on my taste. I guess this is why I sometimes see on a musician's or author's webpage comment section you'll see comments like "Your creative-thing-you-made got me through a hard time in my life" even when that said creative-thing-they-made is not linked to whatever problem they had whatsoever. It's just a thought.

Living in Books More Than Anywhere Else - Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

     On Wednesday, June 19th, 2013 I received my copy of Neil Gaiman's new book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane at Symphony Space in New York, right after hearing Erin Morgenstern (author of The Night Circus, which I have never read but may pick up in the future) do a little interview with the author himself, followed by two readings from the novel and a little Q&A.

     I met the author, as in, I approached the author afterward to sign my copy of the new book, sign my copy of American Gods, and thank him for all the writing advice he gives on his blog, to which he responded something very humble along the lines of least I could do, just doing my part to help, I like to help anyway I can. I was honestly so tired and my feet and back were so ache filled that I can't remember exactly what he said.

     Immediately on the train ride home I began reading the novel, and then proceeded to finish it over the next two mornings.

     The Ocean at the End of the Lane is definitely a Neil Gaiman novel, and by that I mean it is a great novel. Every time I read a Neil Gaiman novel I think to myself This is THE Neil Gaiman novel. Really everyone of his novels is THE Neil Gaiman novel and so is this one. If you don't like Neil Gaiman novels I am not sure this one will convince you otherwise. I'll try to avoid spoilers but be warned I want to talk about this book so I may not try very hard.

     When I think of writing about this novel it's not actually about the novel itself, but what it makes me remember about childhood. On stage at Symphony Space Neil Gaiman referred to the "indignities of being a child" and "being able to enjoy the small things" and that is this novel evoke, memories of childhood. I remember telling a teacher I was being picked on in 1st grade to the response of having to "deal with it", when my father used to take me to McDonalds after religion class for the Halloween toys they had in their Happy Meals, of my sister telling me that voting in the Kids Presidential Election by calling into Nickelodeon didn't actually help elect the President of the United States, of how delicious it was when I'd eat two slice of pizza with Garlic Salt on it while my family ate Chinese food because all I would eat as a kid was Pizza and Steak for dinner.

     It shouldn't be a surprise that the book evokes memory, as it is about memory. The unnamed narrator is retelling a story of his childhood, filled with books, making new friends, fears of getting in trouble, delicious food, magic, monsters, and whimsy that only Neil Gaiman wizard-like use of language can summon. This is definitely an adult novel, but not necessarily only for adults. It's themes definitely carries with it something a child would not understand, nor would a teenager maybe fully appreciate it. 

     I shouldn't say that, what I mean is, as a teenager I probably wouldn't appreciate it. You know how it is, petty problems, thinking you're invincible. I don't think teenage me would quite know what to do with this book.

     A fear I had as a kid that Neil Gaiman writes so well is the fear of getting into trouble, of not being believed because you were a kid, of being told you're lying when you're telling the truth. When I was young I was good as much as I possibly could because I always thought I would be yelled at. Something about yelling as a kid filled me with fright and I don't even think I was yelled at that much. What I would see is my sister being yelled, being the rebellious teenager she was, by my mother and thinking there is no way I ever want that to happen to me. I used to defend my sister on car rides with my parents in hope that she would get yelled at less as well, thinking it had to be the worst thing that could happen to you. When teachers yelled at me, I became a mess, thinking oh no, they're going to tell my parents which will lead to more yelling.

     There's nothing more stressful for a kid then when you tell the truth and no one will listen, and the narrator of The Ocean... goes through that as well as I did. I remember my cousin cursing when he was three years old, which at five I was always taught was very bad to do so of course I told my parents. He immediately said that I was in fact the one cursing and that I was just trying to get him in trouble before he could get me in trouble. I could still see the look on my mom and aunt's eyes deciding on who to believe even though I was the one telling the truth. Like me, but not like me, the narrator tries to tell his parents the truth about what is happening around him only to find himself in deeper and more dire trouble as the novel progresses.

     There's quote in the novel about myths, it goes like this...

"I liked myths. They weren't adult stories and they weren't children's stories. They were better than that. They just *were*." 

 and like myths, all the magic in the book doesn't need to be explained, it just is and it works perfectly. You just accept it for what it is, you become convinced that there is indeed an ocean at the end of the lane where the narrator lived growing up. 
     Enjoying the small things in the book isn't just about food, it's about a certain part of your bedroom made just for you, that small crack of light in your open door that let you read past your bedtime, that secret way through your backyard that you think only you are aware of, but also it's about food.
     Now, this is coming from a guy who has no complaints about George R.R. Martin's description of food in his A Song of Ice and Fire series but the food in The Ocean... is quite different from a kids perspective. There's such a joy with every little thing the narrator eats that you sometimes forget as an adult. You're not thinking about calories, fat content, or worry you're eating too much or too little. It's just a matter of being hungry, and then enjoying the food you're given whether it's good or not. 
     This is definitely THE Neil Gaiman book, and so are the rest of them. If you don't like Neil Gaiman books then this isn't the book for you. If you've never read a Neil Gaiman book and can remember what it is like to be a child or want to remember then I highly suggest picking this book up. If you're not interested then...

An Experiment in Willpower - Not Previewing Anything

     On the April 22nd edition of The Indoor Kids podcast with Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon they discuss Bioshock Infinite. One of their guest Film Crit Hulk on the discussion of spoilers planted in my brain this radical idea that he's been doing. The idea is that he doesn't watch or read previews for television, movies, or video games.

     I tried this with Edgar Wright, Nick Frost, and Simon Pegg's new film The World's End trailer only to give in within hours of it being posted online. Similarly when I saw on Reddit that the trailer was going to be posted for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug on the following Tuesday I am pretty sure a noise came out of my mouth that registered a lot of happiness. This was for a trailer, not the movie itself. That's kind of sad, though honestly if it was the movie itself I probably would of made the same squee sound.
      After hearing this random guy talk about avoiding trailers and how it changed his excitement and reevaluated the idea of watching trailers at all.

     It's somehow easier for books because there's no real videos and I am not a fan of reading online. I know there's preview chapters of Neil Gaiman's new book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane and that George R.R. Martin has posted preview chapters for The Winds of Winter but they're easier to avoid. Some previews are unavoidable with the websites I visit. Just for an example, there is a new Super Smash Bros. in development for Wii U. I don't own a Wii U yet because there hasn't been any software that's really caught my eye. It'll be impossible for me to visit Tumblr, IGN, or Twitter without hearing of a character included in the game but I can avoid any video previewing what they're like. I'll apply this to other websites as wlel. Some of the subreddits I am subscribe to will have to be unsubscribed to I am sure.

      Unrelated but sort of related is something I realized about this year in movies. This year has been the least amount of times I've been to the movies than any year I can remember. So far this year I've seen the horror movie Mama and Star Trek Into Darkness. I think that's about it. I didn't see Iron Man 3 or The Great Gatsby and I probably won't see Man of Steel. 
     The only movies I know I will 100% go see is The World's End and The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. I definitely have interest in Pacific Rim, Elysium, Anchorman 2, Thor: The Dark World, Ender's Game, Oldboy, and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For but I was interested in those other three film I didn't go see and I don't know if I will be compelled to see these in the theater either.