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Posts tagged as Fast Company

Music

Fred Armisen and Other Comedy/Music People Discuss the Intersection of Comedy and Music

by | February 15th, 2013

"Comedy has run alongside rock and indie rock for a long time. John Lennon was funny, so were David Bowie, Ween, Lou Reed, and Devo. The Clash even wrote hilarious liner notes for Sandinista. I have found that even the most serious of bands have had their own inside jokes."

- Fred Armisen to Fast Company in an excellent piece on the intersection of comedy and rock that features quotes from Marc Maron, Tom Scharpling, Aimee Mann, Ben Gibbard, and, best of all, an awesome infographic.

Tweetin

Does Twitter Make Writing TV Comedy Harder?

by | December 18th, 2012

Do TV writers ever have to scrap jokes because people on Twitter beat them to it? "All. The. Time," says Weekend Update head writer Alex Baze in a new Fast Company piece containing interviews with several top TV comedy writers about how Twitter affects their jobs. Baze continues, "We were doing a run that scolded global warming deniers that used the line 'If you’re still denying global warming, you’re the mayor from Jaws.' I was pretty happy about that joke, written by Pete Schultz, and then about an hour before show time, Gary Janetti tweeted that exact joke, pretty much word for word. We ended up having to cut the whole [...]

Important Lists

Here's All the Fake TV Shows from '30 Rock'

by | January 31st, 2013

Fast Company has compiled a list of all the fake TV shows from the past seven seasons of 30 Rock, from Queen of Jordan to Bitch Hunter. Check out the list here, which is a pretty great trip through 30 Rock memory lane, even if they forgot to include the fake hit BET series Black Frasier.

Professional Advice

Dick Cavett Drops Some Hot Interview Tips

by | December 5th, 2012

"I didn't always remember everything we'd been talking about. I was forever thinking 'Oh shit–what was it I thought of a minute ago while this other person was talking?' Eventually, I developed a memory technique… of creating an outrageous image. Like if they were caught stealing an apple as a kid, but then they start talking about something else, you picture picking up an apple and throwing it in the face of, I don't know, Mitt Romney or some prominent person. And that sort of startling image will trigger 'apple' for you later on. But I wouldn't throw an apple at Romney. Or a vote."

- King of the Interview [...]

Local Guides

Check Out a Field Guide for the Residents of 'Portlandia'

by | January 25th, 2013

Fast Company just put out a field guide for Portlandia's recurring characters, showing the ins and outs of everyone in town from feminist bookstore owners Toni and Candice to entertainment-obsessed to Doug and Claire to Fred and Carrie, themselves. Flipping through the guide really show's how amazing Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein's abilities as character chameleons are and a reminder of how many different types of frustrating people they've managed to capture in a funny way.

Conan

Conan Is Fast Magazine's 100 Most Creative People

by | May 17th, 2011

Steve Jobs does wear a lot of black mock turtle necks, doesn't he? Got him! This month Conan channels Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People In Business, which apparently include Moses, Frieda Kahlo and, I don't know, I'm going to guess Teddy Roosevelt? The photo shoot video is Conan at his manic best; the cover is making me hallucinate that beautiful beard on the faces of every historical figure even more so than usual.

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