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Theories

The Rise and Fall of Dr. Frasier Crane

by | March 1st, 2013

Six months ago, I was living in Boston.  My wife had left me, which was very painful.  Then she came back to me, which was excruciating.  On top of that, my practice had grown stagnant, and my social life consisted of…hanging around a bar night after night.  You see, I was clinging to a life that wasn't working anymore, and I knew I had to do something, anything.  So, I ended the marriage once and for all, packed up my things, and moved back here to my hometown of Seattle.  Go Seahawks! [laughs] I took action, Russell.  And you can, too.  Move, change, do something; if it's a mistake, [...]

Theories

Steve Carell on Comedy: "I Don't Want to Overthink It"

by | February 8th, 2013

"There are no universal truths [about comedy]. I am very reticent about talking about what makes something funny. I love to hear these comedic minds talk about themselves and their careers and why they think things might be funny. But if something works, I don't want to overthink it. It might not work next time."

- Steve Carell explaining his comic philosophy to The Wall Street Journal in a piece about Inside Comedy, the Showtime interview series he produces.

Theories

The State is the Wu-Tang Clan of Comedy

by | April 9th, 2012

In late 1993, MTV premiered The State, a sketch show run entirely by The State, a comedy group from NYU. The same year saw Loud Records releasing Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), the first album by the Wu-Tang Clan, a hip-hop collective out of Staten Island. Although these two New York groups have no literal connections, they have had parallel influences on their respective fields of comedy and hip-hop, as evidenced through their respective outputs as both a whole and as individuals.

At the time of their debuts, the members of both groups (save for Wu-Tang’s GZA) were all under 25. They had even reached audiences prior, though under compromised circumstances. The [...]

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