Welcome to African America!
Hey!.. Uh… You totally forgot that you subscribed to this, didn’t you? Welp. I can’t really blame you, but I hope you don’t regret it. Welcome to a set of updates I’m calling Letters from African America!
Why that title? I’m glad you asked. “African America” has defined the past decade of my life. Before getting started in comedy, “African America” became my go-to response to anyone who asked where I’m from. The casual insistence that I was born there reliably elicited confusion, followed by delightful, situation-easing laughter. Later, it became one of the first real jokes I told on stage—
—and ultimately crystalizes the absurd, conversational style I’ve expanded upon ever since. “African America” might not be a physical location, but it is real. It’s a quagmire made out of the the same social DNA that turns being alive and Black at the same time into a political act. It’s also silly. African America exists simply because I do. And this is my way of giving you a passport.
Letters from African America will be many things. Essays, interviews, personal journals, things that would be better as late night desk pieces, etc.
But for now, let’s keep it simple. Here’s the rundown:
Wow, who am I? Ira Glass?!
Let’s dive in.
2023 PREDICTIONS
In this year 2023…
Everything Will Merge Into One Company Called “We Own You+”
The Real Kamala Harris Will Disappear And No One Will Realize She’s Been Replaced By Wanda Sykes Until It’s Too Late
Zelle Will Pivot To Video
Will Smith Will Release A Popular New Song That You Can’t Help But Describe As “Really Slapping”
Raphael Warnock Will Be Confronted By His Nemesis, Raphael Warlock
Due To A Mountain Of Evidence From TMZ, The Red Hot Chili Peppers Will Finally Admit They’ve Been The Rolling Stones The Whole Time
Moviegoers Will Pay Extra For 2D Glasses At 3D Screenings Of “Avatar 2”
She Still Won’t Text You Back
Joe Biden Will Launch A Cryptocurrency Called Malarkey. Surprisingly, Everyone Will Be Really Into It
By Popular Demand There Will Be A Twelve-Episode Star Wars Prequel Series About This Guy (retweet if you’re into it)
This has been… 2023 PREDICTIONS!
PERSONAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2022
“Written by Tim Barnes”
It finally happened this year. The words “written by Tim Barnes” appeared on television. Not once! But twice! And both times for the one-season-wonder Warped!, on Nickelodeon. It was a pleasure working with show-runners Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert again since they first hired me as a staff writer on the All That revival a few years back. And it was pretty surreal having a guest appearance from the legendary Kevin Smith in one of “my” episodes.
“Maurice on Mars”
I wrote and created a cartoon! And I learned so much in the process. It was an incredible experience working with producers at Comedy Central, character designer @Ucheomaaa, animators/background designers/sound designers/voice directors at Cartuna, voice talent, and more. What is it? Described by Vulture as striking “just the right note of animated playfulness and sci-fi cynicism,” Maurice on Mars focuses on a struggling artist who sneaked onto a utopian Martian colony only to realize it’s repeating the same old Earth problems.
Comedy Central (2022) We made three episodes, which you can watch below!
EPISODE ONE: “Radical Earth Theory!”
EPISODE 2: “Foul Cube!”
EPISODE 3: “Mars Money, More Problems!”
“See Spock Run”
I have a dog now! His name is Spock. And he even has an Instagram account!
“Starring Tim Barnes?”
This one is a highlight of the year and also a peak into the new one. I had the opportunity to be part-director, part-actor, part-camera for an upcoming short called Chemistry Test. Written by Andrew Sanford and co-directed by Jim Fagan, Chemistry Test will hopefully be as mind-bending for you as it was for me wearing this helmet. It was really fun to make and I can’t wait for you all to see it!
She Said “Perhaps”
Just kidding. She said “yes!” I’m officially engaged to the love of my life.
RECENT PODS
Life during Covid has lead to me appearing on more podcasts than usual. This section is my attempt at finally promoting them properly.
A New Season Of “Yub Nub”
Did you know that I co-host a Star Wars podcast called Yub Nub? Well, now you do! A recent highlight was an episode that Greg Iwinski, Jim Fagan and I recorded with SNL’s James Austin Johnson! Give it a listen here:
“I’ve Been Meaning To Listen To That”
I recently joined Andrew Ambrose Lee, Michael Limentato, and Sean Wilkinson on their delightful podcast dedicated to the albums people have been meaning to listen to. It was a great excuse for me to finally hear Prince’s “Batman” album. Spoiler alert: I really enjoyed it!
“God Pod”
Nothing is more flattering than getting a Twitter DM from God asking you to be a guest on their podcast. We talked about comedy, current events, and even Maurice on Mars!
“Ready 2 Retro”
Had a fun conversation with Ready2Retro to cap off their #NickNovember series of episodes. We talked all things Nickelodeon and even dived into some of my experiences writing for The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon and more!
UPCOMING SHOWS
“Oh, Such A HUGE Show, Oh!” - JANUARY 15th, 2023
I’ll be performing with the likes of Josh Nasser, Ethan Beach, Phoebe Robinson, Jo Firestone, Drew Michael, Alison Leiby, Molly Kearney, Jake Letizia, Manolo Moreno and Kyle Gordon at The Bell House in Brooklyn! TICKETS: bit.ly/3BiAOx9
CONSIDER CONSUMING
Elvis Mitchell’s Netflix documentary, Is That Black Enough For You?!?, is one of the best explainers of Black cinema and the zeitgeist of “blaxploitation” that I’ve ever seen. It avoids the many cookie cutter tropes that docs tend to fall into. The editing, shot composition, and choice of words by Mitchell and his team make this an informational thrill ride that’ll change the way you think about movies. Elvis’ interviews with Larry Wilmore and Marc Maron about the documentary are also worth checking out.
SOMETHING FROM THE VAULT
Digi-Lips
This is a sketch that I wrote for Comedy Central in 2019. I’m sure this technology will exist someday…
That’s all for now. Until next time, don’t forget to eat your veggies!
