Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen

Comedy historian and author Kliph Nesteroff joins Jay to answer one of life's great mysteries: Why are Canadians so damn funny? From Jim Carrey and Norm Macdonald to Kids in the Hall, Nathan Fielder, SCTV, Michael J. Fox, and countless others, Canada has produced an absurd amount of comedy talent. Kliph has a theory about why — and it might have something to do with being an outsider looking in on America. Kliph also tells Jay about growing up in rural Canada, obsessing over comedy and The Simpsons, becoming “California sober” before ever moving to California, and the legendary high school election where he roasted his teachers in front of the entire school, won the presidency 398–2… and promptly got kicked out. They also dig into the strange history of Canadian television, why some brilliant Canadian comedians never become famous in America, what actually makes something funny, and why Southern California apparently doesn't count as moving to the United States. Kliph's new book, Sorry, We're Funny: How Canada Became a Comedy Powerhouse, explores how a country once dismissed as humorless became responsible for some of the funniest people in entertainment. And after nearly an hour of discussing what makes Canadians funny, absolutely no progress is made toward explaining Jay. Bio: Kliph Nesteroff is the author of four books about comedy: The Comedians, We Had a Little Real Estate Problem, Outrageous and the forthcoming Sorry, We're Funny: How Canada Became a Comedy Powerhouse. He often appears in his capacity as comedy historian on CNN, HBO and Vice and has worked on projects with Judd Apatow, Albert Brooks and the late Rob Reiner. Born in Castlegar, British Columbia, he grew up watching Wayne and Shuster and the Kids in the Hall on CBC. Subscribe to Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen for more conversations with writers, comedians, actors, creators, and thought leaders exploring life, creativity, politics, and the human experience. Website: https://www.dontbealonewjk.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontbealonewithjaykogen/https://www.instagram.com/jaykogen/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dont.be.alone.wit Substack: https://substack.com/@jaykogen Merch: https://shop.app/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brent Forrester has written for The Simpsons, The Office, King of the Hill, and The Ben Stiller Show. So naturally, he says he wasn't born funny. Brent joins Jay to explain how he actually taught himself comedy by obsessively studying jokes, breaking them apart, and figuring out why they worked — a process that eventually landed him in some of the greatest comedy writers' rooms in television history. They talk about writing during the classic years of The Simpsons, what made The Office work, Judd Apatow and The Ben Stiller Show, why some brilliant comedy writers aren't particularly funny in person, and whether being funny is something you can actually learn. Then things get existential. Can AI replace writers? What happens to art when there's no human being behind it? Why should anyone keep writing when a computer can generate something in seconds? Brent and Jay don't completely agree. They also get into the mechanics of writing jokes, why beginning comedy writers should start with sketches, Brent's formula for funny, why "silly isn't funny," writing characters who are broken, and why Brent is now betting on YouTube instead of waiting for Hollywood to give him permission to make something. Basically, two comedy writers attempt to explain comedy. Which seems like a terrible idea. Enjoy.Subscribe to Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen for more conversations with writers, comedians, actors, creators, and thought leaders exploring life, creativity, politics, and the human experience. Website: https://www.dontbealonewjk.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontbealonewithjaykogen/https://www.instagram.com/jaykogen/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dont.be.alone.wit Substack: https://substack.com/@jaykogen Merch: https://shop.app/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Provenza has spent basically his entire life thinking about comedy. Which sounds exhausting. Paul joins Jay to talk about what actually makes someone funny, why George Carlin scripted his performances like a play, how Sarah Silverman seemed to figure out her comedic voice immediately, and why Anthony Jeselnik understands something most comedians don't: sometimes shutting up is part of the joke. They also get into The Aristocrats — the completely insane idea Paul and Penn Jillette talked about for years before finally buying some cameras and convincing a bunch of legendary comedians to tell the same filthy joke. Then there's MAD Magazine, Bugs Bunny, John Mulaney, Doug Stanhope, Set List, Paul's upcoming documentary, getting older in show business, losing people you love, and the surprisingly difficult question of what actually makes comedy... comedy. Basically, two comedy nerds spend 50 minutes talking about why things are funny. Which, somehow, is funny. Subscribe to Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen for more conversations with writers, comedians, actors, creators, and thought leaders exploring life, creativity, politics, and the human experience. Website: https://www.dontbealonewjk.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontbealonewithjaykogen/https://www.instagram.com/jaykogen/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dont.be.alone.wit Substack: https://substack.com/@jaykogen Merch: https://shop.app/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comedian Chloe Radcliffe gave up Target corporate for comedy club and has zero patience for people who can't say the word "birthmark" out loud. AND SOMEHOW managed to sell a movie before she really knew how to write one. Jay sits down with stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and actress Chloe Radcliffe for a funny, candid conversation about what it takes to make it in comedy, why being an outsider might actually be an advantage, and learning to own the thing everyone else notices about you first. Chloe talks about growing up with a prominent birthmark and how years of dealing with other people's reactions helped shape both her perspective and her comedy. She and Jay dig into why so many comedians seem to come from the outside looking in — and how developing a sense of humor can become both a defense mechanism and eventually a career. She also tells the wild story of accidentally selling a movie to Columbia/Sony off a verbal pitch before she really understood screenwriting. Suddenly faced with actually writing the thing, Chloe headed to the library, started reading screenplays and screenwriting books, and eventually found inspiration in scripts ranging from Groundhog Day to Jurassic Park. Chloe also opens up about the less funny side of the comedy world: bad auditions, bombing onstage, audiences that aren't always receptive to women, and an uncomfortable encounter with a male headliner that illustrates the calculations women — and other outsiders — sometimes have to make when power dynamics are stacked against them. Plus, Chloe explains how ten years of competitive speech and debate quietly trained her for stand-up, why getting laid off from Target may have been one of the best things that happened to her career, what writing for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon taught her, and why she's determined to star in her own story rather than watch somebody else play "Chloe." And somehow Jay and Chloe still find time for narcissism, hardcore crochet, shitty pop-country, Coldplay, and the possibility that maybe some people really are just boring. It’s comedy-industry war stories, sharp cultural commentary, and two funny people figuring out why anyone would willingly choose a career in show business.Subscribe to Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen for more conversations with writers, comedians, actors, creators, and thought leaders exploring life, creativity, politics, and the human experience. Website: https://www.dontbealonewjk.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontbealonewithjaykogen/https://www.instagram.com/jaykogen/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dont.be.alone.wit Substack: https://substack.com/@jaykogenMerch: https://shop.app/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Political arguments are everywhere. Productive political conversations? Not so much. Jay sits down with writer, poet, and political analyst Robert Arnold, author of Defiance Until Death, to talk about why America has become obsessed with winning arguments instead of actually solving problems—and why humiliating the other side probably isn’t changing anyone’s mind. Robert talks about growing up in rural Arkansas, why he thinks he can reach people across the political divide, the role of faith and identity in American politics, and what it actually takes to have a conversation with someone who completely disagrees with you. Along the way, Robert attempts something considerably more difficult: explaining all of this to Jay. They also get into rural America, MAGA, political burnout, money in politics, why local elections matter more than most people realize, and whether there’s still a way for Americans to disagree without treating every conversation like a fight to the death. Follow Robert Arnold and check out Defiance Until Death wherever books are sold. Subscribe to Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen for more conversations with writers, comedians, actors, creators, and thought leaders exploring life, creativity, politics, and the human experience. Website: https://www.dontbealonewjk.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontbealonewithjaykogen/https://www.instagram.com/jaykogen/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dont.be.alone.wit Substack: https://substack.com/@jaykogen Merch: https://shop.app/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices