The Funny Indian Newsletter, Vol. 193
October 2022: Comedy So Good, It's SCARY!!!
Welcome
Welcome to the October Funny Indian Newsletter.
NBC News reported last night that Ronny Chieng received some backlash for doing a comedy bit in which he said Indians are not Asians. I set up my mic and dropped this video in an hour…
Musings
From One RS to Another
2022 Diwali sees Rishi Sunak, a Hindu who took his oath as an MP at the House of Commons on the Bhagavad Gita, become British Prime Minister, an absolutely mind-blowing achievement, given the British ruled India for centuries. Diwali normally represents the triumph of lightness over darkness, but since he beat out a White person, I guess it's the other way around this year.
Oh, and he defeated Penny Mordaunt. Indians’ focusing on pennies finally pays off.
The Many
My wife doesn't like ANY Elton John songs. I really don't know how that's possible. And yes, we've covered this before.
That said, I would say this: he must be the artist with the greatest variability when it comes to how I resonate with his music. If I had to rank how I personally feel about his popular records, it's a range from 3 to 10.
I like most of what I hear on the radio. (I know I sound like David St. Hubbins in This Is Spinal Tap: "I believe virtually everything I read, and I think that is what makes me more of a selective human than someone who doesn't believe anything." Amazing.)
So, it's hard for me to rank any songs below a 3. I think most radio songs are in the 6 range, a bit better than average. Btw, when I write "popular," I mean stuff that's in the zeitgeist. I'm sure I'd abhor a lot of stuff to which I'm not exposed — and prolly like a lot of it, too.
Here goes: 10 - Your Song. 9 - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. 8 - Tiny Dancer. 7 - I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues. 6 - Bennie and the Jets. 5 - Circle of Life. 4 - Philadelphia Freedom. 3 - Wrap Her Up
Complete list. What about you? Who's YOUR Elton John when it comes to this kind of range?
Class Dismissed
Just curious: Why would anyone, under any circumstances, donate to their college?
I get calls and letters from my alma mater(s) to contribute money. Hey, you charged me tuition; I paid it and earned a degree. The transaction is over. And the tuition was likely exorbitant (and most of us don't use our degrees). I understand that you want your universities to prosper for your own personal bragging rights. But I simply cannot comprehend why I'd give money to a school when there are so many charities that need the dough: ones that help kids who are literally starving. How can you even justify giving money to an institution that probably already has enough?
But hey, that's just me. Perhaps there's a reason. I'm listening. Go ahead.
Click here for some great replies on Facebook.
Ins & Outs
Anyone else feel this way? I love postseason baseball but couldn't care less about regular season baseball. I can't think of any other similar things where I have such adoration for one and such apathy for the other.
Just Sayin’
Borrowed my cousin's pickup truck & it took 5 min to start driving like an asshole.
Updates
See
Future:
11/12: FOMAPI (Detroit, MI)
12/03: Namaste 2022 (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
12/04: Namaste 2022 (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
Past:
10/20: HaHa Comedy Club (N. Hollywood, CA)
Listen
This conversation is a game-changer. As an actor (well, auditioner, mostly), I'm privy to a lot of vulnerable conversations, whether scripted or in real life (IRL, as the kids are saying).
But what I haven't experienced is an incredibly successful business leader opening up so personally on a professional podcast.
James Michael Lafferty is one of my heroes. I quote him every few weeks. He's been a major influence in my life, certainly more than most "influencers" — and we'll address social media and its fallacies, as well. Listen at pgalums.com/podcast.
Listen
When you meet resistance — teach.
Because one of you doesn't have the context that the other one has.
Rather than debate and clash - better to explain why it is.
- Kyle Schlegel
Kyle Schlegel is a VP in Marketing at Weber Grills. He once led all marketing strategy and execution across the Wilson Tennis Racquet Sports portfolio, the #1 iconic name in tennis, after spending three years at Louisville Slugger. Kyle spent thirteen years at P&G in brand management on brands like Herbal Essences, Old Spice, Aussie, and Wella. This is a candid, vulnerable, and insightful conversation, hosted by Rajiv Satyal, about Kyle’s journey from Kentucky farmboy to the big city of Chicago.
And because this is my post, I'll add this: Kyle was the first businessperson to hire Standpoint Agency, my li'l shop that books standup comedians to help brands uncover insights. When comedian Bonnie Mcfarlane said, "Doing my hair should be a joy — not a job," we saw the pens scribbling on notepads and the fingers clacking on keyboards. That nugget became the basis for Herbal Essences' $50 million global restage. So, I probably love Kyle even more than you do. Listen at pgalums.com/podcast.
Listen
We’re honored to interview a very special guest, comedian Rajiv Satyal! Satyal is the first person ever to perform standup comedy on all seven continents, has worked with numerous comedians like Russell Peters and Dave Chappelle, and is all in all a fantastic, hilarious guy! Be sure to check out his talk show "What Do You Bring to the Table?" at watchrajiv.com.
Like
Ask
Circa 2010, we went to a bar in Brooklyn. Almost 100% of the regular clientele is Black. On the wall, they’d put up this amazingly beautiful collage of 100+ vinyl records. There was only one White face in this sea of Black faces. Which musician do you think it was?
Backstory: My brother used to live in the Ft. Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. He took me, our other brother, and our parents. That was quite a sight, considering my Mom & Dad have hardly ever gone to a straight bar. I mean “straight” as in without a restaurant. I don’t mean they frequent gay bars. Ok, I’m gonna stop writing now.
But really, I find this question endlessly fascinating. For extra points, which album was it?
Click here for some great replies (and the answer) on Facebook.
Ask
Your top 3 all-time favorite TV comedic series? Mine (and yes, I'm listing more than 3 again):
1. Seinfeld. 2. The Office (UK). 3. Curb Your Enthusiasm. 4. Extras. 5. Arrested Development
Series can be both dramatic and comedic (like Succession); one way you can tell the difference (not always but a general rule): If it's funny when someone dies, it's a comedy.
Click here for some great replies on Facebook.
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. “I'm sick of following my dreams, man. I'm just going to ask where they're going and hook up with ’em later."
— Mitch Hedberg
4. So true. And I can say that since I’m one of ’em.
3. “Halloween is the beginning of the holiday shopping season. That’s for women. The beginning of the holiday shopping season for men is Christmas Eve.”
—David Letterman
2. #savage
1. People falling is still my favorite form of low-brow comedy.
Close
THANK YOU to all of you for your support. You are my true core of fans — I couldn't do this without you. Happy Halloween!
Love,
- Rajiv