E28: What's funny (and what's not) about place and culture? (Rhetorics of Comedy, Pt. 2)

This week, we’re keeping the laughs going with the second installment in our Rhetorics of Comedy series! In this episode, Calvin speaks with two comedians he met doing stand-up in Beijing, who are now performing comedy in other international locales: Greg Hutt (in Sofia, Bulgaria) and Paul Creasy (in London, UK). In each of these conversations, Calvin and our guests discuss their experiences performing comedy for a diverse array of different audiences around the world, exploring how ideas about place and cultural norms affect their processes of writing and performing comedy.

Comedians, Works, and Concepts Referenced in This Episode:

John Mulaney

Shortform vs. longform improv

Zwarte Piet (blackface character associated with the Christmas season in the Netherlands)

The President Show (feat. Trump impressionist Anthony Atamanuik)

Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Tim Vine (UK pun comedian)

Anti-comedy

James Adomian (US impressionist)

“Knock Yourselves Out”, an article by Ben Schwartz that explains the distinction between “punching down” and “punching up”

Plugs:

Greg Hutt Comedy on Facebook