Welcome
Welcome to the September Funny Indian Newsletter. As promised, we’re counting up to our 200th newsletter.
We finished releasing Season Two of my li’l independent talk show, What Do You Bring to the Table? Check out all episodes at WatchRajiv.com. We just crossed TWO MILLION VIEWS on all clips.
Read
I Was Attacked Online for a Gig.
The big news is the controversy around the program I did two weeks ago. It’s actually attached to a global blow-up that resulted in widespread chaos across the pond. Many of you read my 22 September 2022, special newsletter. All of the comments have been overwhelmingly positive. I seriously cannot thank you enough for your support. It’s one of the longest and most polemical pieces I’ve written so I’m so grateful that it’s my most-read Substack newsletter ever; it even got picked up by OpIndia. I’ll continue to stand for diversity, multiculturalism, and religious freedom. And as a comedian, I’ll continue to call out the BS no matter where it originates: Hindu/Muslim/Christian, liberal/conservative/moderate, Black/White/Brown… whatever it takes and no matter how lonely the road is. Thank you for being a part of my journey as we try to take the country (and the world) back from all the lunatics out there.
Watch
Would you believe it’s been 15 years since we recorded our Indian Invasion Comedy DVD? September 2007, five Indian comics stood on a Hollywood stage in front of a sold-out crowd of 300 people. Each comic got at least 100,000 views; I lost count of mine at something over 10 million. Now that it’s 2022, I’m releasing <1-min clips of some of my favorite jokes. You can follow along for the next few weeks at instagram.com/funnyindian. Here’s the TikTok version since Substack allows TikTok embeds.
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Watch
What a nice feeling for a hometown channel I grew up watching to invite me to drop in just for a chat... with no real agenda other than some laughs.
Thanks, Bob Herzog & LOCAL 12, WKRC-TV!
Listen
Can comedy be a source of deep insight about consumer behavior and human nature? My guest Rajiv Satyal takes the concept of “funny ‘cause it’s true” and turns it into a hilariously powerful approach to learn about what truly resonates with people. Rajiv learned to blend what he learned as a marketer at Proctor & Gamble with the skills he has honed as a professional comedian for nearly two decades.
In this episode Rajiv and I talk about what he learned working at Procter & Gamble, the difference between being a “perfectionist” and an “excellentist,” his journey going pro as a stand up comedian, observations on creative process and making comedy accessible for audiences, the difference in mindset between getting laughs and giving laughs, his disagreement with Yoda, transforming failure into gold, his approach to applying “Funny ‘Cause It’s True” (FCIT) with brand and marketing teams, and how we can make work more enjoyable and meaningful.
Click here to listen on Spotify.
Like
Ask
Sitting down soon with Smriti Mundhra, creator of Indian Matchmaking and A Suitable Girl. What should I ask her?
Click here for some great replies on Facebook.
Ask
Interviewing actor Danny Pudi from Community. What should I ask him?
Click here for some great replies on Facebook.
Ask
Popular song you hate? I'll start. "What's Up?" by 4 Non Blondes. (4 Non Talents.)
Click here for some great replies on Facebook.
Ask
Your top 3 all-time favorite TV dramatic series?
Mine: 1. The Wire (the GOAT). 2. Breaking Bad (what a ride!). 3. Succession (so far). 4. LOST (despite not loving the last many episodes).
Click here for some great replies on Facebook.
Love
R.I.P., Coolio.
My sophomore year (1995-‘96), I ran stage crew when he played our college, Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, OH.
As nearly anyone who’s texted with me knows, instead of writing “Cool,” I usually write, “Coolio.”
For the young’uns (or old heads), it’s difficult to describe just what a smash hit “Gangsta’s Paradise” was. Now, he’s livin’ there. We’ll miss ya, my dude.
For years, people asked me what he was like. He was cool.
I mean… Coolio.
Laugh
Since this is a FUNNY Indian Newsletter, I present here the 5 funny things that I saw, heard, wrote, or remembered for the last month... otherwise known as FIVE - Funny Indian's V Events.
5. These AI portraits of dead celebs blew me away. Which one was your favorite? I can’t stop staring at John Lennon’s.
4. They’re both still alive, for the record.
3. Bill Maher on-point again:
2. Twitter really killed it this month…
1. … here’s the best one…
Close
THANK YOU to all of you for your support. You are my true core of fans — I couldn't do this without you.
Love,
- Rajiv
R.I.P., Mrs. Carolyn Reinhart, my Language Arts teacher from 6th through 8th grades. I can trace much of my writing ability to her. We stayed in touch over the years, mostly on Facebook, and even once at the big show I did at the Aronoff Center in downtown Cincinnati. Thank you so much for all of your love and dedication to your craft of teaching.