Performance Revue

In these outtakes from Amy Sumpter's episode, we discuss the duplicitous toilets of Manhattan, working a day job, dating as a comedian, and a lot more. Timestamps: 01:00 – Dissecting Comedy at Open Mics 01:28 – “I love a good poop joke, but…” 01:58 – The Legend of Kyle Parris 03:45 – Selling the Hell Out of a Dad Joke 04:38 – New York and L.A. 05:00 – The Toilets of New York 05:52 – Moving to Chicago to Wait Tables 07:38 – Reflect on Your Decade 08:19 – “If you want me, come and get me. You fly me out” 09:35 – No Shame in Having a Day Job 11:07 – I Do Not Run Las Locas Comedy (Janice Rodriguez Does) 13:28 – Entitled White Women at Open Mics 14:36 – “Everyone feels this ownership of what is funny” 16:50 – Absorbing Positive Messages Before a Performance 17:54 – Rachel McCartney is a Genius 18:20 – Relatable Material? 20:40 – She’s Crafty 20:58 – “So, you’re famous, right?” 21:44 – Building Women Up 23:00 – Wisdom vs. Age 24:36 – The Weird Dating Cycle Redux 25:37 – Sex and Self-Respect 26:15 – You Deserve a Sexy, Famous Gentleman 27:45 – I Spill Water on Myself 28:25 – Brittany Meyer’s ‘Cats’ Story 28:50 – A Kid Keeps Farting During ‘Beauty and the Beast’ 29:38 – Gym Momentum 30:15 – Hair vs. No Hair 30:46 – Wait, You Found Love? 32:25 – I Don’t Want to be Objectified 33:00 – Tips for Going on a Date with a Comedian 33:40 – Kelsie Huff Kicks Ass 34:32 – “Scott Duff is magic”

Co-founder of The Kates on Broadway and acclaimed Chicago comedy vet Amy Sumpter goes over her amazing 2019 set at Strip Joker in this season 3 finale! We discuss making space for women in stand-up (and in the world), the time her breast ended up in an old lady's mouth on the subway, and what not to do when your gynecologist shows up to a pelvic exam dressed as a pirate. Timestamps: 01:00 – Set from Strip Joker 14:00 – “I come from a pretty funny family” 16:35 – “I want to be the weirdo; I want to be the character actor” 17:45 – “…And that’s where I met Kelsie Huff” 18:55 – The Kates Origin Story 21:40 – “Chicago is very small” 22:25 – “Whenever I have issues [with someone], it’s usually a white dude” (SPOILER ALERT) 22:55 – “I have been getting onstage since I was twelve” 23:21 – “Open mics just make me want to quit comedy” 24:37 – “Talk about what you know” 24:54 – “Don’t try to emulate your favorite comics” 25:30 – Bad Sitcom Writing vs. ‘The Office’ 26:10 – Amy’s First Open Mic Story 32:02 – Moving to Chicago vs. LA 32:42 – ‘The Kates’ Begins 35:11 – Getting into the Set 35:13 – The High Kick 36:57 – Underwear Covered in Pubic Hair 37:54 – 3-Year Old Nephew, Bear, Trying to Swear 40:11 – The L-Cup and “You’re Welcome!” 43:40 – Midwestern Politeness 44:20 – The Subway Incident 46:27 – Mom Is Taller Than Dad 48:30 – The Tom Green Digression 50:20 – “I’m not a virgin and that’s sad” 52:11 – “Why do some people just get to live in Pound Town?” 54:57 – The Gynocologist 57:10 – Revealing The Pasty 59:58 – Reviewing the Set 1:01:21 – “I don’t necessarily believe in ‘suffer for your art’” 1:01:45 – Advice for Aspiring Comedians 1:03:18 – Where Can We Find You? 1:04:28 – Final Words

In these outtakes from Brittani Ferguson's episode, we discuss the queer coding within 80's and 90's action films, 'Little House on the Prairie', and, of course, the 'X-Files'. Timestamps: 00:00 – “The Burbs” 00:48 – Del Close and Sharna 02:18 – All 80’s and 90’s Action Films Were Softcore Gay Porn 03:16 – “I published an essay in college about all action films as gay romcoms” 04:32 – Telling Inside Jokes Onstage 04:56 – The Kyle Parris Story 06:47 – “Generally people around the age of thirty just seem to be kind of sad” 07:08 – “Nobody got their porn from Tumblr” 07:38 – Little House on the Prairie 09:36 – A Sexual Awakening to the X-Files 12:50 – “What do you call fans of Gillian Anderson? Lesbians” 13:28 – What Happens in Florida Laundry Rooms

In the Before Times of Yore, comedian and cast member of The Lincoln Lodge, Brittani Ferguson stopped by to discuss her interesting set at Strip Joker. We have a fascinating conversation about her military upbringing, reciting Mel Brooks films as a child, the context of the words "gay" and "queer," her childhood (and current) obsession with Gillian Anderson, and a lot more. Timestamps: 01:00 – Opening Set @ Strip Joker 13:45 – ‘History of the World: Part I’ 16:33 – Moving to Chicago 17:10 – A Military Kid 18:50 – Improv Classes at Second City 19:13 – “I wish you were a diversity candidate” 19:55 – “They will forgive any crime that anyone commits” 21:25 – “Stop playing” 21:55 – “You need to go do stand-up” 22:20 – Kelsie Huff and Fem Comique 25:01 – “A lucky idiot” 27:13 – Getting into the Set 28:32 – The Graveyard at Clark & Irving 31:33 – Gay vs. Queer 34:49 – ‘Top Gun’ 35:26 – All Comics Are Recently Single 39:17 – Gay Christmas 40:29 – Hosting Your Own Straight Pride Parade 41:16 – A 90’s Kid is a Sad Adult 43:32 – The Need to be Validated 43:47 – “I’ve already met all the people I want to meet” 45:10 – “I don’t know what a healthy, intimate relationship looks like” 47:38 – Old-Timey Doctor 50:07 – Factory-Made Lesbian 51:13 – An Incredible Gillian Anderson Fetish 55:32 – “I would put on ‘The X-Files’ instead of music to f*ck a guy” 56:30 – The Cheerleader Circle Jerk 1:01:33 – Set Review 1:03:43 – Advice for Aspiring Comedians 1:05:33 – Where Can We Find You? 1:06:23 – Parting Words

In these outtakes from Spencer Blair's episode, we discuss the unceremonious closing of Uptown Underground, how he used to cheat audience members into the Chill As Fuck show at Second City, the time I learned about secondary sex mattresses, gay dating app etiquette, and more.

In the Before Times of Yore, podcaster/producer/comic Spencer Blair chats about his mostly-improvised hosting set at Strip Joker. We discuss his improv background, how he got into hosting/producing shows all over Chicago, the internal dynamics of Strip Joker, and being terrifyingly confident onstage, all before we dive into the set. Spencer can be found on the podcasts 'Desks & Dayjobs' as well as 'Please Make This', and is currently a co-producer of Strip Joker. Timestamps: 01:00 – Hosting Set @ Strip Joker 10:36 – “When did you realize comedy was a thing you could do?” 12:33 – “Maybe you should stop trying so hard” 14:03 – The Funny Friend 15:05 – “I went to a small, Christian university” 17:30 – “Doing the Chicago thing” 18:41 – “I’ve never consistently mic’ed” 21:25 – Stand-Up vs. Improv 23:10 –The Chill As Fuck Show and Strip Joker 27:57 – “The trick is being terrifyingly confident onstage” 29:09 – “The Scientific Method, but applied to humor” 30:54 – Getting into the Set 30:55 – Ad Libs 31:22 – “Are you as horny as I am?” 32:10 – “I don’t write comedy down” 34:00 – “Everybody’s gay dad” 34:58 – Seasonal Depression 38:29 – “A hot guy and his boyfriend” 40:37 – Coming Down from Lexapro 43:18 – Gay Dating Apps 44:00 – Crying at a Movie Poster 48:30 – Losing the Audience 50:10 – The Oppressor in the Safe Space 52:16 – “Two white guys unpacking it on a podcast” 521:54 – Self Awareness 53:23 – Spencer Shaved His Legs 54:27 – Wrapping It Up 57:25 – “I’m definitely more comfortable with queer comedy” 59:40 – Advice for Aspiring Comedians 1:00:25 – “The reason we do open mics is to see, meet, and network with people” 1:02:49 – Asshole with Great Jokes < Cool Person with Mediocre Jokes 1:05:25 – Where Can We Find You? 1:08:14 – Final Words and Pandering

Trigger Warning: Personal Story of Sexual Assault In these outtakes from Jamie Shriner Biddle's episode, we discuss the tragedy that is Louie CK at length, which prompts Jamie to reveal that she is a survivor. We also discuss the wounds of conservatism, the life of Valerie Solanas, Ellen Degeneres and her relationship with George W. Bush, and a whole lot more. This is the longest and heaviest outtakes episode to date. Time Stamps: 01:30 – Punching Down 03:13 – Coming Back From Being Cancelled 04:39 – “Everyone is the hero of their own story” 04:49 – “I don’t think that [Louie CK] was righteously masturbating in front of those women” 05:23 – The Tragedy of Louie / His Lost Chance For Redemption 09:31 – Louie Becomes the Villain 11:06 – “I have been… Raped” 11:30 – “His material is no longer relatable to me” 14:03 – Liberal Karma vs. Conservatism 16:20 – Speaking as a Survivor of Sexual Assault 19:30 – “I see the best in people, to a fault” 20:36 – Presenting as Queer 23:30 – “I am will to forgive [Chappelle]… You’re just old, baby” 24:35 – “You are not as ‘Other’ as I am” 26:25 – ‘Valerie Solanas; The Woman Who Shot Andy Warhol: The Musical’ 33:12 – Ellen DeGeneres is a Tarnished Icon 36:45 – “He [George W. Bush] is a coward” 37:05 – Awkward Family Gatherings 40:35 – “People change, things change over time” 41:34 – Back to Comedy 42:15 – Rapping About Cows 42:30 – “Being hard as fuck about a silly thing is the only way white people can get away with [rapping]” 45:31 – Writing and Performing Musical Comedy 48:55 – Skylar Higley and Political Discourse 50:39 – “This got serious…”

In the Before Times of Yore (2019), actor/singer/composer/comedian Jamie Shriner Biddle breaks down her hosting set at 'Naughty Thoughts', her monthly Laugh Factory show. This set includes her original song 'In My Butt', the story of her sexy cat costume, some crowd work, and a parable about unprotected sex. We discuss how she went from writing musicals to performing stand-up, her international marriage, how to make music funny, and a lot more before digging into the set. Jamie has written and performed the musicals 'Little Miss' and 'Wife Material'. She is currently working on a musical about the life of Valerie Solanas (known for shooting Andy Warhol). Watch the performance here: https://youtu.be/z--uwtDjJxM Time Stamps: 01:00 – Naughty Thoughts Opening Set @ The Laugh Factory 11:29 – “I wrote a one-woman musical” 13:30 – Moving Back to Chicago 16:19 – ‘Wife Material’ 20:07 – “Just go to a mic” 22:29 – Punching Up vs. Punching Down 23:33 – Yet Another Discussion About Louie C.K. 26:00 – Writing ‘Wife Material’ 30:50 – “Queerscapades” 32:02 – A Stand-Up Career in Reverse 32:32 – How to Make Music Funny 33:40 – Getting into the Set 33:48 – Technical Difficulties Onstage 36:18 – ‘In My Butt’ 37:02 – Crowd Work 37:24 – Sexy Halloween Costumes 39:04 – “If I go onstage and look hot, it’s difficult to like me” 41:04 - Back to Sexy Halloween Costumes 42:26 – “People get mad when women dress a certain way to get something” 43:18 – More Crowd Work 45:10 – Learning a New Venue 45:22 – Hearing Impaired 49:20 – Producing and Hosting Naughty Thoughts 52:50 – The Broken Condom 57:49 – Advice for Aspiring Comedians; “Create your own opportunities” 59:44 – Comedy Scene Cliques, Friends, and Advice 1:02:10 – Where Can We Find You and Final Words

In these outtakes from Devin Middleton's episode, we talk about the various reactions of Star wars fans to his set, accountability in the stand-up comedy scene, how the Walt Disney Corporation is destroying public domain, the X-Men comics, and a discussion of queer coding in the Dragonball Z series leads to the foundation of his next project. Timestamps: 01:45 – “How many times have you done this bit?” 01:45 – “How many times have you done this bit?” 03:05 –Recording ‘The Haggard Unicorn’ 03:45 – “What inspired you to do an analysis of the Star Wars movies?” 05:51 – “The Sith and Jedi are street gangs” 07:46 – Star Wars fans 08:58 – Lando is *the* Black Person in the Original Trilogy 09:48 – “One person told me that seeing this piece changed the way they thought of doing comedy” 10:16 – “This could be a sketch” 11:15 – “Comedians should have some solidarity” / “We’re used to being burned” 12:56 – Real-Time Accountability in the Comedy Scene 14:51 – The Duality of Stand-Up Comedians 16:05 – The Walt Disney Corporation Has Destroyed Public Domain 18:00 – The X-Men Franchise 19:42 – “If I may make a suggestion… Dragon Ball Z” 21:38 – Queer Characters in Dragon Ball Z 22:25 – “Every black character is actually a green character” 23:31 – How Capitalism Abuses Manga Authors 24:45 – James Earl Jones Narrates ‘The Bible’

Devin Middleton engages in a socially-distanced interview about his opening set during KJ Whitehead's 'The Haggard Unicorn' album recording in January 2020. Devin summarizes the first nine films in the Star Wars franchise in about nine minutes through a socially-conscious lens. He uses this framework as a way to critique the franchise's white-washing of the pop-culture science fiction landscape, as well as it's clumsy handling of the topic of slavery. Devin is a musician who releases albums under the stage name Debonair Status. His most recent release, 'Black Genderfluid Depression Jamz, Vol. 563' is available now. Time Stamps: 01:10 – Opening Set from KJ Whitehead’s Haggard Unicorn 10:31 – “I moved to Chicago in 2015…” 14:32 – “I’ve never thought of myself as a comedian” 16:49 – Exposure is a Scam https://jezebel.com/progressive-performer-jamie-kilstein-ousted-from-citize-1792945836 18:15 – Introvert Tendencies 19:35 – Music Production Background(s) 21:25 – Moving 22:35 – “Do you consider [this] stand-up?” 24:39 – “My comedy is lazy” 25:08 – “I always want to make being thoughtful cool” 32:08 – “Getting into your set” 32:35 – Shock Humor vs. “Edgy” 34:03 – Why Was Dave Chappelle’s Audience Laughing? 37:28 – Getting into the Set (For Real This Time) 38:03 – Breaking the Fourth Wall 39:15 – Reviewing Star Wars Episodes VI through IX 43:50 – Conceptualizing the Bit 45:45 – Racial Bias in Star Wars (and America) 49:00 – The Walt Disney Corporation Kowtows to Twitter 49:20 – Murder is Just a Phase 50:10 – The Lion King is a Better Movie, “Anakin is black!” 52:46 – “The Sith and Jedi are street gangs” 53:31 – “Leia is sold into slavery, but it doesn’t matter” 54:06 – Darth Vader Keeps Forgetting That He Loves His Son 55:23 – “Han Solo is a fuckboy” 56:53 – “The ‘Dragonball Z’ set is coming” 57:26 – Evaluating the Set 58:24 – Social Media, “Everything is @Debonairstatus” 59:00 – Final Words

In these outtakes from the Rodescu Hopkins episode, we divulge many personal tales from the Trigger Warning Open Mic (these stories include Rodescu's first time hosting and a man who tried to sell him a fiefdom in Africa), and we cap it off with the full report of his would-be business dealings with Cards Against Humanity. Timestamps: 01:20 – My Kyle Parris Impression at Trigger Warning 3:00 – Rodescu’s First Time Hosting Trigger Warning 06:33 – One More Trigger Warning Story 08:54 – “That guy tried to convince me to be a dictator once” 11:06 – “That guy caught me up in a Nike store” 11:45 – “All those reps don’t matter when 400 pounds of dude grabs you by the shoulder” 13:01 – The Trigger Warning Documentary Series [In Progress] 15:25 – The Cards Against Humanity Story

Rodescu Hopkins engages in a socially-distanced interview about his set at We Still Like You in the before times of July 2019. his stories include peeing in a crowded car during Wrestlemania, getting caught stealing from Whole Foods, and discovering his dead father's porn collection. Rodescu runs The Trigger Warning Open Mic with his co-host Ed Towns, which has been described as "Stand-Up Boot Camp," and is currently studying film full-time. Time Stamps: 01:00 – Set from ‘We Still Like You’ 11:55 – “When did you realize comedy was a thing you could do?” 15:20 – “I was definitely ready to run” 15:58 – My first time performing stand-up [Jeremy Arroyo] 17:30 – Starting out in Cleveland 19:30 – Trigger Warning Open Mic, or “boot camp for comedians” 22:36 – The Drop “Cave,” Explained 24:45 – “A corporate party showed up” 27:05 – Trying to Move to New York 28:25 – Moving to Chicago 31:02 – Ed Towns: Teddy Bear, “We’re trying to crush souls” 33:10 – Getting into the Set 34:33 – “Problematic” 36:00 – “Now that we’re going steady, I think I’m ready for you to see my act” 37:40 – “You can’t fight the wave” 39:40 – Cards Against Humanity https://www.vox.com/2020/6/26/21301488/cards-against-humanity-allegations-ironic-humor-racism https://www.polygon.com/2020/6/23/21300435/cards-against-humanity-max-temkin-report https://www.businessinsider.com/cards-against-humanity-ceo-max-temkin-resigns-racism-sexism-allegations-2020-6 41:15 – Peeing in a White Girl’s Car 49:33 – Stealing from Whole Foods 52:45 – “Is that sense of shame powerful?” 55:35 – Part I. Finding Your Dead Father’s Porn Collection 58:15 – Part II. Your Dead Father Was A Sugar Daddy 1:02:33 – Part III. Your Dead Father Was A Pillar of the Community 1:06:00 – Reviewing the Set 1:09:47 – Current Projects and Final Words

Timestamps 02:00 – What have you been doing since the pandemic started? 02:58 – Sending Packets to Late Night Shows 03:41 – Pitching Ideas in the Writer’s Room vs. Performing a Stand-Up Set 04:00 – “If you can pitch, but can’t write, you’re still useful” 06:01 – “A good producer will cut a good joke just because it doesn’t fit in the show” 07:05 – “Conan’s people are smart as shit” 08:48 – “I’ve got a political science degree” 09:40 – “[Ed Towns] thinks I’m a hack” 10:39 – “How many pounds ago did you buy it [the speedo]?” 12:25 – “A lot of good music is from Olympia” 12:55 – A Brief Summary of the Northwest 16:36 – Chicago vs. Seattle Restaurants 20:43 – The Impromptu Hobo Tasting Menu Sketch 23:11 – The Origin of the Fez 23:51 – “A lot of cool shit doesn’t happen to me” 24:26 – “I don’t like political jokes” 25:22 – From Maz Jobrani to Bill Hicks

Sohrab Forouzesh engages in a socially-distanced performance review on a set from Strip Joker in 2019. He performed this set wearing a speedo, sunglasses, pasties, a fez, and nothing else. Sohrab is a comedian, producer, and writer. You may recognize him from The Love Below comedy show, or his work on Group Therapy and 'Hello, It's Hobert!' Find out more about Sohrab on his website sohrabisbrown.com View the set at the Performance Revue YouTube channel: Time Stamps: 01:00 – Strip Joker Set 16:04 – Early Influences (ugh, including Seinfeld) 18:51 – Starting Stand-up in College 22:50 – Academic Troubles 33:28 – Quitting Comedy in Chicago (and getting back in) 26:12 – “When you first move here [Chicago], it’s intimidating” 27:25 – “You’re being defensive because it’s difficult to accept a compliment” 28:53 – “I have to drag myself to mics” 30:03 – The Science of Stand-Up 31:30 – “Your goal should be to do as many mics as possible until you don’t have to do them anymore” 34:35 – “Host your own show. That’s the best advice I was ever given” 36:53 – Getting into the set 36:58 – The Speedo 37:55 – “I wasn’t even born here” 38:12 – The Fez 38:28 – “My mom is the most badass person I know” 40:26 – “Jared Kush-ner” 41:29 – “White people” and crowdwork 46:46 – “You’re bad at racism” 48: 35 – “Don’t call Amish people ‘Farm Jews’” 50:20 – “Amish people are just cute fundamentalists” 50:34 – “If I was a terrorist, I would have screwed everything up on September 8th” 51:57 – The greatest gift you can give a comedian is material 53:29 – [Factual Error: There were no dinosaurs during the Paleolithic Era] 53:45 – Folding the Flag 53:54 – The Pasties 54:32 – “I need more fat friends” 55:35 – Reading the Room 56:29 – “No exit strategy” 56:55 – “Wares, silks, and spices” and “Please, my friend, buddy, come on…” 1:01:30 – Advertisements in Pornography 1:01:43 – Big Dick Pills [End Footnote/Rant] 1:04:20 – “Middle Eastern people can’t lose their temper at airports” 1:04:57 – “I want to hire a white Sherpa” 1:05:58 – “One titty out on an airplane” 1:07:24 – The Set Revue Youtube Channel 1:09:25 – Final Words

Winslow Dumaine reveals the myriad of projects he has undertaken during the pandemic, from organizing, donating, and protesting, to taking another deep dive back into his ever-growing Tarot Restless universe. Winslow is a writer, artist, comedian, and merch wizard. You may recognize him from opening for Kyle Kinane, his Tarot Restless project, or art featured on his website. His new Kickstarter launches soon. Check it out here, when it's available. Time Stamps: 01:07 – Useless advice on getting booked 02:30 – A goth and a metalhead discuss Marilyn Manson’s album ‘We Are Chaos’ 05:40 – “He’s a hair’s breadth away from being actually cancelled” 06:04 – “Is the ‘Trump Effect’ actually the Marilyn Manson Effect?” 08:12 – “Mike Pence is irrelevant” 11:39 – How fascists infiltrate nerd sub-cultures 14:04 – “When I was a kid, I was obsessed with the apocalypse” 15:03 – A brief history of the Tarot Restless Universe 21:28 – “…And you’re also a comedian” 22:14 – The Lost Summer of Winslow 24:03 – Protesting and other civic duties 26:07 – “Not doomsday prepping…” 27:33 – Violent Social Justice Fantasies 28:00 – End-times currency 30:38 – Naked Cowboy Summer 32:31 – Awkward, aggressive flirting 35:20 – Scrutinizing online receipts and how to apologize 37:27 – “We live in a world that demands constant apology and gives no forgiveness” 40:31 – “People see your crimes, but they don’t see you doing the time” 41:13 – How to apologize on Twitter; James Gunn edition 43:44 – Silly thirst traps 44:49 – I was the fat kid 45:59 – Winslow was the skinny kid 49:04 – “When I started lifting weights, heavy” 49:47 – Working through depression 52:10 – “How has your approach to social media changed?” 53:05 – “Gatorade Should Be Thicker” 53:45 – Mayor of Silent Hill 55:09 – Gatorade Should Be Thicker, explained 59:49 – Success is not overnight 60:55 – Water bottles labelled “CUM!” 1:04:19 – “Judge ask me if I regret I name my son Barp…” 1:06:12 – Media Diet 1:11:06 – I pitch ‘The Wire’ to Winslow 1:15:44 – “Where does comedy go from here?” 1:19:05 – My son Barp, Redux 1:20:04 – Final Words

Sabeen Sadiq updates us on her life during the lockdown and takes a stab at the question 'Where Does Comedy Go From Here?' Sabeen is an actress, producer, and stand-up comic. You may recognize her from the series 'Code Switched', her commercial work, or her time on the 'Wallah, She's Funny' comedy tour. Time Stamps: 01:30 – “I’m a skincare addict” 01:45 – “I didn’t have the funding until the pandemic relief” 02:06 – Dermatologists on Tik Tok 02:23 – “You’re THIRTY?!” 02:36 – ‘Sex and the City’ 02:49 – Online backlash against female creators 04:40 – Cancelled schedule due to COVID 07:39 – The Lottery Commercial 09:08 - The ‘Wallah, She’s Funny’ Tour 10:40 – The gradual COVID performance shutdown 11:29 – “Um…What’s your job?” 12:51 – Corporate gigs on Zoom 15:32 – Audience members throwing on tags without heckling 17:56 – Socially-distanced live shows 20:35 – Trying to find the funny in COVID times 22:01 – Jim Gaffigan’s Twitter Tirade 24:55 – “Everyone’s cracking a little bit, and it’s coming out in weird ways” 25:45 – Self-taping auditions when you live with your parents 26:50 – What is the entertainer’s role right now? How have you been helping? 29:34 – “You’re doing the work” 31:45 – Internalized Capitalism vs. COVID Lockdown 38:53 – [This bit was stolen from Rachel Feinstein] 39:26 – Meghana Indurti and the Inadvertent Social Media Cleanse 40:44 – Does social media have any utility? 43:12 – Media Diet 44:10 – “I have gotten into… Anime” 46:58 – ‘American Horror Story’ 47:27 – Losing hours to relationship coaches on Tik Tok 51:20 – ‘Space Force’ 54:08 – “I left and I don’t know why” 55:08 – I pitch ‘Watchmen’ to Sabeen 56:12 – Sabeen stans for ‘Baskets’ 59:28 – Maria Bamford’s ‘Weakness is the Brand’ 1:01:57 – “Where does comedy go from here?” 1:03:15 – “There was never just one path into comedy” 1:03:55 – “It was so nice meeting you” (our version of “Aloha”)

The first installment of Performance Revue's 'Where Does Comedy Go From Here?' is a conversation/interview/check-in with Jillian Ebanks. Jillian is a comedian, actor, a Bob Curry fellow, a co-producer of B.A.P.S., and a brilliant black woman just trying to survive during a global pandemic in a regressive country. Jillian's waxing video is now on YouTube! Give it a look: https://youtu.be/-_0sikMMaZQ. Time Stamps: 01:20 - Recap of Previous Episode Begins 01:55 – “I’ve toned down my love of rappers” 02:16 – “I’m trying not to idolize celebrity” 02:52 – “I think celebrity is dangerous” 03:00 – Recapping the “Drake Rant” 04:01 – Recommending ‘Unlocked’ by Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats 05:14 – Harry Potter and the Curse of the TERF Author 08:03 – Lauryn Hill, ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’ is a slut-shaming song 09:42 – Kanye West is a mental landmine in my randomized playlists 12:20 – “I host weekly support meetings for people who have given up their favorite rapper” 13:58 – The Covid Waxing Video 17:20 – “Covid Chic” 19:43 – Chicago Winters 21:17 – Will all performances be online? 23:31 – “I got invited to do a stand-up show in a back yard” 24:38 – “Broadway is closed until January” 25:14 – COVID Begins; the impact on gigs and jobs 27:25 – The governmental response, or lack thereof 30:40 – How has COVID changed your comedy? 32:21 – “I haven’t been able to find anything funny about Corona Virus, itself” 33:13 – Impact of the George Floyd protests 33:45 – “Even white people are protesting now” 34:14 – “I’ve never watched any footage. Ever.” 36:30 – “Being black in America was hard enough” 38:05 – Mention of Colorism 38:30 – Mentions of Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland 39:25 – “Where does comedy go from here?” 40:48 – “We are living in farce” 41:51 – “I write from a source of insecurity” 43:53 – Sidebar on Marxism 44:43 – Fuck Starbucks 44:57 – Internalized Capitalism 46:37 – “I was up for a promotion and I didn’t want it” 48:26 – “I feel like I wasted this stay-at-home order” 50:00 – Jillian has a hard time accepting compliments Life During Quarantine 50:34 – Dating during quarantine 51:49 – Intimacy (or lack thereof) during COVID 53:10 – Addressing priorities and FOMO 54:00 – Roommates and companionship 56:30 – The creative process 57:10 – Jillian accepts the compliment 57:40 – Pay people a living wage (unions are good) 59:28 – “This is the most money I’ve ever had, and it’s because I’m on unemployment. That’s not fun for me” 1:01:28 – “This feels like 2008 all over again” 1:02:10 – My biggest investing win 1:03:30 – How industries and jobs are changing 1:05:06 – “We have no national guidance” 1:05:44 – “I’m not a sharp enough satirist to satirize what’s going on right now” 1:06:52 – Political false equivalency, “Why are we appeasing racists?” 1:08:30 – Mitch McConnell can die 1:08:36 – Media Diet 1:09:35 – Jillian Recommends HBO’s ‘Watchmen’ and ‘Gentefied’ 1:09:55 – We review ‘Veep’ 1:11:31 – Jillian’s criteria for consuming quarantine media 1:12:16 – For the record, ‘Insecure’ is an amazing show 1:12:25 – Jillian recommends ‘Rami’, ‘Snowpiercer’, ‘I May Destroy You’, and ‘Killing Eve’ 1:14:35 – Jillian does not recommend ‘Ozark’ 1:14:45 – I recommend ‘The West Wing’ 1:15:49 – “It’s hard to watch newer shows right now” 1:16:02 – Jillian enthusiastically recommends ‘Hamilton’ 1:16:48 – We both recommend ‘Blindspotting’, ‘Black Panther’, and ‘Into The Spiderverse’ 1:18:10 – We both recommend ‘Always Be My Maybe’ 1:18:53 - Jillian pitches me on ‘The Lovebirds’ 1:20:17 – I pitch Jillian on ‘The Witcher’ 1:21:30 – No black main character in ‘The Witcher’ (Mimi Ndiweni as Fringilla Vigo notwithstanding) 1:21:54 – “Storse material” 1:22:28 – Jillian recommends the new ‘Charmed’ reboot 1:23:07 – First impressions of ‘Space Force' 1:27:23 – Jillian can’t stop watching ‘Hamilton’ 1:27:56 – I stan for ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ 1:28:20 -...

A short primer for Performance Revue's 3rd season. The first 3 episodes will revolve around the question "Where does comedy go from here?" Featuring Jillian Ebanks, Sabeen Sadiq, and Winslow Dumaine. Episodes 4-6 are socially distanced interviews featuring Sohrab Forouzesh, Rodescu Hopkins, and Devin Middleton. The last 4 episodes were recorded in the Before Times with Jamie Shriner-Biddle, Spencer Blair, Brittani Ferguson, and Amy Sumpter.

The ever-hilarious Marilee discusses Tiffany Haddish, auditioning for 'Empire', creating a fantasy draft for potential husbands, plans for her future wedding, and more!

Season 2 is going out in style with the amazing Marilee! Marilee Pheniece Dale-Williams, colloquially known as Marilee, can take any premise and push it well beyond anyone’s comfort zone. All with an irreverent, biting, anti-patriarchal edge. View the performance: https://youtu.be/Xu4qeYNew8s View the performance with commentary: https://youtu.be/uBqLC44s2a4