Hi. I'm Luke. I'll be your guest curator for Deadspin Comedy Week. Here are some FAQs about it you may or may not have about it, but I'll answer them anyway and introduce myself.
Who are you? How did you draw this plum assignment?
I'm a comic and writer originally from Philadelphia. I worked on the pilot of Sports Show With Norm MacDonald along with AJ Daulerio and Drew Magary. AJ remembered my invaluable contributions to that pilot- one MMA joke!- and thought I should get the keys to the site for a few days.
No, seriously, how'd you get the job?
AJ didn't want to do it. Last year things went so poorly that as long as this week doesn't end with accusations of cuntatry, we all come out ahead.
Comments section is usually where the bulk of the comedy is on the site. Can we take the week off?
No! There is wonder-working power in the starred commentariat. I fear you the same way I feared my Dad in 1991. I just want to make you proud. And it would be great if Hatey McLife didn't take my Genesis away because he caught me watching scrambled Spice Channel. (That decision made no technological sense, Dad.)
Why did the Norm show get cancelled?
Not enough people watched it and I'm not sure why. Norm is funniest dude alive. I've met lots of professional comics and Norm is by far the most naturally gifted. You can see it when he's a guest on any of the late night shows. He also knows sports. He wasn't faking it. To survive on basic cable you need to hit around a 1.0 rating. Norm was at .9 most weeks. It was close. I guess they're bringing back Krod Mandoon.
What's it like to work with Drew Magary?
Drew is deceptively handsome. Not to put a #humblebrag kibosh on every Fun Bag! But Drew is actually a good looking dude. Tall, decent posture for a guy whose back is made out of Dollar Tree pasta. Ice blue eyes. I'm getting al dente just thinking about him. GRRRRRR. He does have to lie down on the floor for at least 60 minutes every afternoon or he grows a tail. That was an interesting quirk.
How about AJ?
AJ goes from Zero to Party Tornado quicker than anyone I've ever met. I watched him single-handedly cause a dozen writers to loosen up at one of those unmarked bars in Southern Manhattan that feels like you've gotten in to the French Resistance. He also introduced me to Chuck Klostermann, who is HUGE. They must use the same shrinking technology on his book jackets that they use on Chris Evans in the first half of Captain America. Klostermann is a big, big dude.
What can we expect from Deadspin Comedy Week?
A lot of the weekly segments and columns on Deadspin will vaguely be about comedy rather than sports. Enjoy. Still welcoming contributions, send what you'd like to LukeXCunningham@gmail.com
Why is stand-up so bad?
It's not. Where are you watching it? With whom are you watching it? Stand-up is meant to be enjoyed live. There's a reason every comedy album is recorded live. The rhythm and cues of a live audience cannot be properly captured on TV. Go to the Deadspin Comedy Week at Gotham Comedy Club on 23rd Street tonight. You'll love it. Watching a 4min clip of stand-up on YouTube is guaranteed to make you dislike stand-up comedy. I'll introduce you to a new comic every day this week. There are plenty of comics you've most likely not seen or heard of that are killing it every night. Go see them.