Welcome to May, 2024
The Hustle + The Top Jokes of Last Month + Beavis & Butt-Head, Podcast Guest Appearances & more!
— This is a longer post than usual, so if you’re reading this via email, you might want to hop on over the the web version here to read the full thing! —
Paid subscribers get early access to this monthly update!
Table of Contents:
May Letter From African America:
The Hustle
The Top Jokes of Last Month!
You Are The Genre Episodes + Text Interview + Sci-Fi & more!
TV, film, audio, and text recs!
John Roy Interview
Primrose Hill by James McCartney
Letter From African America (May, 2024)
Dear readers,
You know that scene in Star Wars where Darth Vader feels the presence of Obi-Wan Kenobi?
DARTH VADER: I sense something, a presence I’ve not felt since…
This one mysterious line gives us three major things:
A compelling new insight into what’s possible through the force.
A question as to when Vader and Obi-Wan met last.
Escalated stakes for their fateful duel later in the film.
I’ve had a similar sensation lately. Not for a specific person, but for a certain something. The way I’m sure many of you have felt the phantom presence of a recession despite headline after headline suggesting “recession” isn’t a word at all. Why would you make up such a silly sounding term? What is that? An impression of recess?
What I’ve been feeling lately is the presence of my old enemy: The Hustle.
No, not the dance, which seems quite fun:
I’m referring to the concept itself. The philosophy we write songs about. The thing which we are all encouraged to do (hustle), and never have done to us (get hustled). To hustle is to swim up a body of water that’s trying to keep you down, sometimes to the detriment of other fish. And, in many ways it is a good thing.
My early letters (which I’m afraid to look back at) have documented a sense of search I’ve had since the COVID-19 pandemic to re-discover my voice, sharpen my creative impulses, and pursue projects with clarity and intention.
When I moved from California to Chicago in 2012 to pursue the craft of comedy — I was introduced to an alluring permutation of the hustle known as the grind. Specifically, the comedy grind — which is the act of going anywhere and everywhere no matter the personal consequences to be seen, heard, and thought of as the funniest person of all time. The grind is the hustle with a marketing degree. And everyone I know in comedy has wrestled with the adrenaline, guilt, and pride that comes with it. In fact, one of the pleasures of interviewing comedy friends on my You Are The Genre podcast has been learning how they have escaped the grind and sewn themselves back together.
2023 was the year of many things I didn’t expect or quite know how to deal with. But, luckily, I had the financial freedom to not pile “the hustle” on top of it. Now, for one reason or the other, that freedom bubble is dissolving and the water around it gaining more mass. Less opportunity… Less room for risk… Higher stakes… But I think it’s important to remember it isn’t the bubble’s fault. It’s the water around it. And I’m grateful that I have at least used my time in the bubble wisely.
So now, as I attempt swimming up stream, I hope to be guided by the voice I have re-discovered… To be motivated without a bloated ego… To be inclusive while also taking care of my own needs… To separate my wants from those needs… And toss the wants that are petty, malicious and resentful so that I can fill that space with more of my truer self.
And I wish the same for all of you. Wow, I really make these dramatic, don’t I?
Best,
-Tim
P.S. Speaking of Star Wars I’m excited to announce that Yub Nub (the Star Wars podcast that I co-host) is joining the Sonar podcast network! We’ve been gearing up for a fresh new start with a debut season that’s all about exploring the media that inspired George Lucas to create the Star Wars franchise as well as the media that Lucas made leading up to it.
I’m technically not supposed to announce this until May 4, but since this is going to my paid subscribers first — I trust you.9
The podcast now also has a corresponding newsletter which you can subscribe to here.
last month right now! (best jokes)
Each weekday, I email five jokes and subscribers vote on the ones that make them laugh the most! Here are your favorite jokes from April, 2024!
TUESDAY: 4-2-2024
The winning joke this day was technically a two-parter, since it relied on a callback to a previous joke! Here there are:
Google will destroy the private browsing history of millions of people who used "incognito" mode in its Chrome browser as a part of a settlement filed to federal court on Monday in a case over the company's secret tracking of web activity. Meaning at this very moment, Warner Bro.’s deleted files of Batgirl and Coyote vs. Acme are muttering, “There goes the neighborhood…”
Bloomberg Economics ran a million forecast simulations on the US debt outlook. 88% of them show borrowing on an unsustainable path — while the remaining 12% somehow show the private browsing history of millions of people who used "incognito" mode in its Chrome browser.
[read the other jokes from that week here]
WEDNESDAY: 4-10-2024
A rare comic featuring Superman’s first appearance has sold for $6 million at auction. It’s new owner, a bald man who refused to share his name, laughed maniacally while exiting with the comic, shouting, “I have you now, Superman! Now, face my BIC lighter of doom!”
[read the other jokes from that week here]
FRIDAY : 4-19-2024
The U.S. Air Force confirmed the first successful AI dogfight between an autonomously controlled aircraft and a human pilot.And just yesterday, Elon Musk accomplished something similar between himself, a glass of wine, and a robot shaped like Jessica Rabbit.
[read the other jokes from that week here]
I’d also like to shout out the hilarious Mike Poole who wrote 25 jokes for the newsletter all of last week!
Here’s one of my favorite jokes of hers from that run:
THURSDAY: 4-25-2024
Yesterday, a number of runaway horses galloped through London, causing injury and alarm as they raced through the city streets.Luckily, they were recovered before Vin Diesel could get an idea for another Fast and the Furious movie”
[read the other jokes from that week here]
stuff you might’ve missed
Listen to the latest four episodes of You Are The Genre!
Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever else you get podcasts!
[Zach Cherry] Is The Genre: How Zach Cherry centers himself throughout his genre defying acting career.
[Madeline Moitozo] Is The Genre: How a lifelong fascination with ads and a passion for finding the truth inspired journalist Madeline Moitozo to launch the social impact company, Juniper Media.
[Ian Abramson] Is The Genre: How a childhood love of 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' and aspirations of being a swimming cartoonist trash man laid the path for Ian Abramson's comedy career.
[Kerry Coddett] Is The Genre: How Brooklyn, Whoopi Goldberg, and a dash of anger inspired Kerry Coddett's unique career as a TV writer, fashion designer, musician and more.
PODCAST: Killed To Death Podcast
I was a guest on this hilarious improvised podcast hosted by Griffin Toplitsky and Steve Cooke.
Upon returning to his child’s daycare to sneak his son out early, Clark Benson (Tim Barnes) discovers the teacher/owner dead in his cot. Along with the deceased’s mother, they talk Jackson Pollock, lunchables, and Red Bull urine!
POST: OVERTHINKING That SNL Sketch w/ Beavis & Butt-Head
I wrote about the swirl of conspiracy theories I have about that SNL Beavis & Butt-Head sketch.
PODCAST: Doin’ It with Mike Sacks
I was also a guest on the podcast, guest-hosted by !
When Mike’s away the Rob will play. Producer Rob Schulte interviews writer and comic Tim Barnes and plays the first chapter of the new audio book he produced, KILL THE RICH.
current obsessions
SOUNDS:
PODCAST: 2 Writers Talking Shit with TV Writer Rah Johnson
If you’re in the TV writing world, 2 Writers Talking Shit is a great podcast for getting the inside scoop from both scribes and reps. This recent episode is a great example of how hosts Melanie Maras and Saeed Crumpler get candid with Hollywood insiders about how they navigate the industry.
SONG: “Bumpin’ On Sunset” by Wes Montgomery
I’ve been listening to a whole lot of Wes Montgomery lately — working my way up the timeline from his earliest work. But even still, I made sure to give “Bumpin’ On Sunset” a few repeat listens.
PODCAST: The Town “The Rise of Tubi and If ‘Free’ Is Really the Future of Entertainment”
This pairs well with a video I highlight below, but stands on its own as a unique glimpse into what’s happening behind the scenes with streaming services and how great suits are at dodging soft questions about Rupert Murdoch being their boss.
SIGHTS:
Follow me on Letterboxd here!
YOUTUBE: “Tubi: The New Blaxploitation” by Pillboy
I started following Pillboy on Instagram for his art, and was pleasantly surprised when I saw that he also engages in the video essay space on YouTube. This piece crystalizes something that I’ve never been able to narrow down; essentially: The digital chitlin’ circuit. But what I love most is how he doesn’t just criticize the concept of a Tubi movie or the people who make them. He also builds the case for what’s possible in the Tubi space if we use it’s potential fro the greater good.
TV: Sugar (AppleTV+)
This is one of those shows that feels like its moving TV and cinema forward despite the fact that the speed of change these days likely means it’ll never be recognized for it. It’s really hard to make a love letter to L.A. but rare shows like The Fool, Insecure, and now Sugar pull it off — each of them in completely different ways. Every frame, editing choice and acting nuance in Sugar is fascinating, alluring, and a little jarring.
DOCUMENTARY: Ethiopiques - Revolt of the Soul
This doc was a nice reminder of how easy it is for art and culture to be obliterated in times of war and social strife. Sometimes the obsessions as a fan can double as the preservation of a people’s innovations.
FILM: The Hidden Fortress (1958)
I watched this for the first time in preperation for an upcoming episode featuring . There are shots in this film that still rival the big budget pictures of today.
DOC: I’m George Lucas *a Connor Ratliff story
I had the pleasure of watching this doc in a theater surrounded by fans of Connor Ratliff and his George Lucas Talk Show. There’s a point about half way into this doc where it shifts from being a great document of a hilarious live show where a guy pretends to be George Lucas—to a brilliant exploration of inter-generational pursuits within the arts. As someone who grew up equally fascinated with George Lucas as both person and character, this was cathartic and life-affirming to watch.Thank God! I’m not the only one!
READS:
The Family Photographs That Helped Us Investigate How a University Displaced a Black Community (Logan Jaffe for ProPublica)
Andy Daly Mines Art From Hack-Comedy Criticism (John Roy for Vulture)
SUBSTACK: has turned news-lettering into a fine art at
Falling down the MC Escher stairs — mixing essays, journals and jokes told to a bird who keeps showing up at her house.
somethin’ else
Speaking of John Roy, check out my 2015 interview with him!
upcoming shows
SHORT FILM: Chemistry Test
A few years back, told me about an odd chemistry test experience. I’d never even heard of one, which added to the strangeness. I said “hey, you should write something about that” and now it’s a short somehow starring me and co-directed by Jim Fagan that you can finally see May 31st in Brooklyn for TOOTSIE'S VIDEO VAULT at Littlefield! 7PM Doors 8PM Show (TICKETS)
song of the month
With all of the talk we have about nepo-babies, one batch of them that I never seem to judge are the children of The Beatles. I listened to this new track from James McCartney (in collaboration with Sean Lennon) with caution only for its melody to get stuck in my head for all of April. The art associated with this song is very fitting because it feels like waking up on a nice dewy morning and sifting through memories.
🎶You disappear forever / Forever's a long word / But never's not long enough / To be loving you / Forever and a day🎶
Until next time, remember YOU ARE THE GENRE!
PAST LETTERS:
December, 2022 / February, 2023 / March, 2023 / April, 2023 / May, 2023 / June, 2023 / July, 2023 / August, 2023 / September, 2023 / October, 2023 / November, 2023 / December, 2023 / January, 2024 / February, 2024 / March, 2024 / April, 2024