It’s back-to-school time (yaaassss!), but that means it’s also the time when you have to tackle those super-long, super-specific school supply lists (uggghhhh!).
You know what I’m talking about — the 15-plus-items-long list of things your kids need for school.
As a bonus, they’re often brand-name specific. Seriously. Because Elmer’s glue is apparently just that different from generic store brand glue.
Based on the venting ( “OMG, everyone is sold out of pre-sharpened Dixon Ticonderoga #2 pencils!”) and cries for help I’m seeing from my fellow parents on social media (“Where did you find three wide-ruled draw-and-write composition books?” — OK, I admit that was my question), a lot of our public school kiddos are being given supply lists quite similar to this one:
Sample school supply list created from actual lists I’ve collected. Some items have been switched between lists to protect the innocent.
While many public schools send these lists to parents, in certain states they’re “requests” not “requirements” (even when not clearly presented that way) because some states cannot legally require students to provide their own school supplies.
Optional or required, however, these school supply lists are important.
I know, I know — lots of us parents have many feelings about them, like:
We didn’t have to buy a specific list of supplies when we were kids (walking uphill both ways, two miles, in the snow).
This is public school, not private school! Can’t the glue sticks come out of my taxes?
This list is so name-brand specific. Are Elmer’s glue sticks reallllyyyy that superior to these cheaper, generic ones?
Seriously?? So many glue sticks?! Just … what?
And we can all agree that it’s not right that public school budgets are regularly slashed and aren’t big enough to cover the basic necessities essential for our kids’ success. (You know, like pencils.) And in some cases, budgets are misused, and that’s not right, either.
But as much as parents dread shopping for school supplies, our children’s teachers probably dread having to ask.
Katie Sluiter, a mom of three and teacher of 13 years, shares in parents’ frustrations about supplies — just from a different perspective. “I struggle every single August with having to ask for [supply] donations. I hate it,” she says.
She’d love to stop asking parents to bring in a combined total of 800 pencils and 1,000 glue sticks and just buy them herself. But as a teacher, she simply cannot afford to do it.
“I hate that we have two full-time salaried workers in our house. … I have an advanced degree, and we are still living paycheck to paycheck. It feels shameful to have to ask every. single. year. for donations. Teachers don’t want to ask for handouts. We just want to teach.”
“Teachers don’t want to ask for handouts. We just want to teach.” — Katie Sluiter
Nicole Johansen, a mom of two who was a teacher for 12 years, echoes Sluiter’s sentiments. She cites never ending budget cuts as well as the need to stretch other funds, like PTO-raised money, further and further as the reasons supply lists exist and adds, “It is frustrating knowing that schools should be appropriately allotted funds for supplies — this said from the parent AND teacher standpoint.”
So most of us are on the same page here. Class supply lists are the pits … for everyone!
The most significant thing to remember, though, is that if your budget allows, it’s important to purchase the items on the list.
If you’re not purchasing the supplies, it’s very likely your child’s teacher will have to — with his or her own money.
Image by Thinkstock.
And we’ve already established that teacher salaries aren’t cutting it when it comes to taking care of their families and their students.
And maybe it’s not so much that teachers have to spend their own paychecks on classroom supplies, but they want to because an overwhelming majority of teachers genuinely care about their students.
“I wish all parents knew how much teachers love and sacrifice for their students,” Johansen said. “Pretty much all teachers I know will be spending for their classroom despite having to cut back the grocery bill for their family.”
“I wish all parents knew how much teachers love and sacrifice for their students.” — Nicole Johansen
“No, we don’t have to spend all that time and money on our classrooms, but it makes it a quality experience when your children have things like science experiments, books, art supplies, and a comfortable, cozy classroom environment.”
OK, but seriously, what do they do with all of those glue sticks?!
I know I’m not the only one who opened up that list when my daughter was in first grade, choked on my coffee, and exclaimed, “THREE DOZEN GLUE STICKS?! What, are the kids eating them? [Probably. Little kids eat all kinds of gross stuff.] Are the teachers selling them for profit? [I wouldn’t blame them. See above about teachers’ salaries].”
Image by Thinkstock.
“We glue kids’ mouths shut,” Sluiter told me when I asked.
“Totally kidding. They last like 12 seconds … [and] no matter how vigilant we are in supervising the picking up and putting away of supplies, each time we get the tub of glue sticks out, there are about three to five dead soldiers and lone caps rolling in the bottom of the bin.”
(I love teachers with senses of humor!)
But back to the actual issue.
My friend Shannon summed up the class supply list conundrum perfectly, if bluntly:
She wants parents who can budget in school supplies without experiencing a financial burden to “quit complaining about some of the items being communal. Vote for politicians who will quit cutting money from schools. I don’t remember my parents having to buy 20 glue sticks, but I certainly don’t think any more should come out of teachers’ pockets.”
There it was, clear as day, two blue lines staring back at me from the small pregnancy test I had just purchased.
I double-checked…
One line = not pregnant.
Two lines = pregnant.
Photo via iStock.
Yup, I was definitely pregnant.
My heart was pounding.
My head was spinning.
My stomach was churning.
I was nervous, excited, scared, and ecstatic all at the same time.
This was actually happening! After years of dreaming, preparing for, and anticipating this day, it was finally here. I was going to be a mother.
Little did I know that in nine short months, I would begin the most exhausting, life-changing, heart-wrenching, but indescribably rewarding journey of my life.
In nine months, I would learn the price of motherhood firsthand. I would know exactly what it takes to be a mother. I would gain a whole new understanding of and gratitude for the beautiful woman I call Mom.
I would learn about things mothers experience that their children often know very little about.
Here are 10 things your mom never told you.
1. You made her cry … a lot.
She cried when she found out she was pregnant. She cried as she gave birth to you. She cried when she first held you. She cried with happiness. She cried with fear. She cried with worry. She cried because she feels so deeply for you. She felt your pain and your happiness and she shared it with you, whether you realized it or not.
2. She wanted that last piece of pie.
But when she saw you look at it with those big eyes and lick your mouth with that tiny tongue, she couldn’t eat it. She knew it would make her much happier to see your little tummy be filled than hers.
3. It hurt.
When you pulled her hair, it hurt; when you grabbed her with those sharp fingernails that were impossible to cut, it hurt; when you bit her while drinking milk, that hurt, too. You bruised her ribs when you kicked her from her belly; you stretched her stomach out for nine months; you made her body contract in agonizing pain as you entered this world.
4. She was always afraid.
From the moment you were conceived, she did all in her power to protect you. She became your mama bear. She was that lady who wanted to say no when the little girl next door asked to hold you and who cringed when she did because in her mind no one could keep you as safe as she herself could. Her heart skipped two beats with your first steps. She stayed up late to make sure you got home safe and woke up early to see you off to school. With every stubbed toe and little stumble, she was close by; she was ready to snatch you up with every bad dream or late-night fever. She was there to make sure you were OK.
She stayed up late to make sure you got home safe and woke up early to see you off to school.
5. She knows she’s not perfect.
She is her own worst critic. She knows all her flaws and sometimes hates herself for them. She is hardest on herself when it comes to you, though. She wanted to be the perfect mom, to do nothing wrong — but because she is human, she made mistakes. She is probably still trying to forgive herself for them. She wishes with her whole heart that she could go back in time and do things differently, but she can’t, so be kind to her and know she did the best she knew how to do.
6. She watched you as you slept.
There were nights when she was up ’til 3 a.m. praying that you would finally fall asleep. She could hardly keep her eyes open as she sang to you, and she would beg you to “please, please fall asleep.” Then, when you finally fell asleep, she would lay you down, and all her tiredness would disappear for a short second as she sat by your bedside looking down at your perfect cherub face, experiencing more love than she knew was possible, despite her worn-out arms and aching eyes.
7. She carried you a lot longer than nine months.
You needed her to. So she did. She would learn to hold you while she cleaned; she would learn to hold you while she ate; she would even hold you while she slept because it was the only way she could sometimes. Her arms would get tired, her back would hurt, but she held you still because you wanted to be close to her. She snuggled you, loved you, kissed you, and played with you. You felt safe in her arms; you were happy in her arms; you knew you were loved in her arms, so she held you, as often and as long as you needed.
Her arms would get tired, her back would hurt, but she held you still because you wanted to be close to her.
8. It broke her heart every time you cried.
There was no sound as sad as your cries or sight as horrible as the tears streaming down your perfect face. She did all in her power to stop you from crying, and when she couldn’t stop your tears, her heart would shatter into a million little pieces.
9. She put you first.
She went without food, without showers, and without sleep. She always put your needs before her own. She would spend all day meeting your needs, and by the end of the day, she would have no energy left for herself. But the next day, she would wake up and do it all over again because you meant that much to her.
10. She would do it all again.
Being a mom is one of the hardest jobs anyone can do, and it will take you to your very limits sometimes. You cry, you hurt, you try, you fail, you work, and you learn. But, you also experience more joy than you thought was possible and feel more love than your heart can contain. Despite all the pain, grief, late nights, and early mornings you put your mom through, she would do it all again for you because you are worth it to her.
So, next time you see her, tell your mom thank you; let her know that you love her. She can never hear it too many times.
“So just recently I went out on a Match.com date, and it was fantastic,” begins Dr. Danielle Sheypuk in her TEDx Talk.
If you’ve ever been on a bunch of Match.com dates, that opening line might make you do a double take. How does one get so lucky?!
But don’t get too jealous. Things quickly went downhill two dates later, as most Match.com dates ultimately do. This time, however, the reason may not be something that you’ve ever experienced.
Intrigued? I was too. So here’s the story.
She’s a licensed clinical psychologist, an advocate, and a model — among other things. She’s also been confined to a wheelchair since childhood. And that last fact is what did her recent date in.
On their third date over a romantic Italian dinner, Sheypuk noticed that he was sitting farther away from her than usual. And then, out of nowhere, he began to ask the following questions:
“I’ve been thinking, how are you gonna be a mother? How are you gonna do the duties that’s gonna be required of you? And even as wife — how … I’m not sure how this is gonna work.”
Used to this line of inquiry, she had the perfect quippy reply: “Well that’s simple: I’m just gonna hire someone like every other New Yorker.”
But despite her witty answer, he’d already made up his mind. She never heard from him again.
“I tried to convince myself that this was like any other relationship, but deep down I knew the reality. Who wants to date someone in a wheelchair?”
Dr. Sheypuk knows that that single question is evidence of a really serious problem —not just on the dating scene, but in society in general.
Society has factored out an entire group of potential romantic partners: people with disabilities.
In her words:
“We are completely left out of the dating picture. Society, media included, seems to ignore the fact that we have the same emotional needs and desires as everyone else. Is this injustice born out of the concept of the poster child and his or her duty to induce pity to raise money?
Or maybe it’s a conclusion drawn form mainstream porn where we have actors performing, like, gymnastic stunts with the stamina that none of us have of bucking broncos and jackrabbits.”
Um, yes. So much yes. She continues:
“The silent message: The more in shape your body, the better the sex. The unspoken conclusion: If you have a disability, you are too sick to have sex.
The silent message: The more in shape your body, the better the sex. The unspoken conclusion: If you have a disability, you are too sick to have sex.
“Now let’s look at the continuum in our society where sexual is measured. On the one hand, we have humans that are the ultimate sex appeal object. So on that end, we have Victoria Secret models, Playboy centerfolds, people like that.
On the complete opposite end, we have people with physical disabilities. And it seems like the more we deviate from this ultimate sex icon, the more desexualized we become, the more taboo the topic, and the more damaging the consequences.
Now, for most people there are quick fixes, right? We have Hair Club for Men, Botox, Spanx, butt implants. But for people with disabilities, there are no quick fixes. There is no magic pill.”
“And we are hit hard.”
Watch the rest of Dr. Sheypuk’s talk to hear her important insights about what dating and relationships are like when a person has a disability — and how much of society is limiting itself.
If you asked me to name two rappers who were very likely to beef, Meek Mill and Trippie Redd would be very low on the list. They just run in such disparate circles — only ever crossing over occasionally — that before today, I’d have been willing to bet that Meek didn’t even know who Trippie is, let alone have beef with him.
And yet… here we are.
Apparently, Trippie did something very irksome to Meek — which hasn’t proven to be extremely difficult in recent years — resulting in the Philly rapper going all the way off the handle on Trippie via Instagram. In a series of since-deleted posts, Meek threatened the Ohio rapper, demeaned his street credibility, and told him he “look like you repping the devil” (which is in my top-ten rap fan tropes that need to die by New Year’s Eve).
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod (@big_business_) November 21, 2023
Is Meek Mill an activist or gangsta this week?
He has sent a warning to Trippie Redd:
“This guy no good.!! I ain’t even know you said my name…. If you f—k with me f-k this guy right here…. I wanna stand on n—s freely saying my name make it tight outside! I ain’t even know… pic.twitter.com/QO9CE5M1tx
Rap fans on the whole seem pretty confused by the whole thing, wondering what exactly sparked the tirade from Meek, to which Trippie has yet to respond. Was Meek’s (often hilarious) account hacked? Did Trippie say something about him behind-the-scenes? Are they hyping up some sort of collaboration (unlikely, but entirely possible this week)? No one seems to know, but if things continue or escalate, we may have a chance to learn more.
The badass animated series, Blue Eye Samurai, is racking in rave reviews after debuting on Netflix. Blending a unique animation style with an epic tale of revenge, series creator David Green and Amber Noizumi have opened up about the creative process behind the samurai series.
While fans have picked up hints of Kill Bill and Mulan, Noizumi revealed in an interview with Emmys.com that, actually, Blue Eye Samurai‘s biggest influence: Yentl. Yup, the classic 1983 musical starring Barbra Streisand. At first glance, the animated samurai story and Yentl seem nothing alike, but underneath the action, the stories are both built around female characters striving for acceptance in a male-dominated world.
Both Mizu and Yentl are concealed women living in a world where men dominate everyday life. Mizu isn’t accepted anywhere she goes due to her “impure” blood which deems her a demon to society. She is a victim of the community’s ignorance of mixed races from the lack of knowledge during Edo’s period of isolationism. Similarly, Yentl also faces sexism in her country which leads to her being frowned upon for her desire to acquire more knowledge. When becoming a man, Yentl and Mizu are able to have more choices in life and, most importantly, freedom.
Noizumi also revealed that Blue Eye Samurai took inspiration from genre classics like Lady Snowblood, but Yentl was definitely the big one as she and Green, who’s also her husband, collaborated on the series while stuck at home during the COVID pandemic.
Blue Eye Samurai is available for streaming on Netflix.
Spotify officially announced some changes to their royalty system today that will be affecting artists: The streaming service will adjust the goalpost for the number of streams needed to start earning royalties.
Starting in early 2024, a song would need to reach at least 1,000 streams within the past 12 months before it can start to earn money. For comparison, the current royalty system finds Spotify paying $.03 a month to any song that earns between 1 and 1,000 plays.
As the company pointed out in a statement, this money reportedly doesn’t even typically reach the artist between the fact that “labels and distributors require a minimum amount to withdraw” and “banks charge a fee for the transaction.” In total, these small royalty payments add up to about $40 million per year.
However, Spotify brings up that “99.5% of all streams are of tracks that have at least 1,000 annual streams, and each of those tracks will earn more under this policy.” The post also notes, “We also believe the policy will eliminate one strategy used to attempt to game the system or hide artificial streaming, as uploaders will no longer be able to generate pennies from an extremely high volume of tracks.”
Spotify is also adding other changes, like devaluing noise tracks: Tracks with just “whale sounds” or “static” will need to be at least two minutes to be eligible for royalties.
More information on the changes can be found here.
If you haven’t started doing it yet, now is the time to begin stocking up on bottles of booze for the holiday season. And while we suggest having various types of liquor on hand at all times for mixing and sipping, you can’t go wrong with a well-made flavored gin. Whether you use it as the base for a holiday punch or mix it into a refreshing gimlet or gin & tonic, the holidays are the perfect time for piney, herbal, botanical, and flavored gins.
And while you might shrug at the thought of flavored alcohol, gin is a spirit that can benefit from an added flavor or two (and basically all gin is infused/ flavored on some level). Moreover, the aroma and flavor of juniper and the various herbs and botanicals can be heightened (in a good way) by the addition of floral, citrus, and other complementary flavors.
Obviously, as with any spirit (and flavored spirits in general), not all flavored gins are worth your time. Some are overpowered by the additional flavor (or flavors), making them an unappealing mess. Luckily, the professionals that bide their time behind bars from Santa Monica to St. Petersburg have agreed to help. We asked a handful of well-known bartenders and mixologists to tell us the best flavored gins to mix with this holiday season — keep scrolling to see all of their seasonal selections.
Citadelle Jardin d’Été Gin
Citadelle
Nick Jackson, head bartender at The Rum House in New York City
Citadelle Jardin d’Été is a new flavored gin that captures the fresh, brightness of a French summer garden. This gin is amazing for a martini with a twist or served simply with a tonic. It’s a great choice for the holiday season.
Tasting Notes:
It is infused with twenty-two fruits and aromatics, led by upfront flavors of fresh lemon, yuzu zest, and melon, followed by a hint of baking spices to round out the light citrus and pine aromas.
Malfy Con Arancia Gin
Malfy
Alex Fitzgerald, beverage director at Paseo in Louisville
My favorite flavored gin is the Italian blood orange expression from Malfy spirits, the Arancia Gin. I love to use this gin in a bitter context or as a sweet complement to a blanc martini.
Tasting Notes:
It offers a lovely sweetness and a full body. Unlike other citrus gins, the Malfy Arancia has a richness and depth that creates a lot of complexity in a cocktail.
Tattersall Rosso Gin
Tattersall
Kevin Tester, beverage manager at Momento in St. Paul, Minnesota
Tattersall Rosso Gin is a great pick for the holidays. Typical Gin botanicals distilled with rose petals, then rested on strawberries and raspberries make for an exceptional mixing and sipping gin.
Tasting Notes:
Bright juniper and citrus with hints of summer fruit and a touch of honey are delicious on the rocks. In a cocktail, it just adds another layer to any great gin cocktail you might want to enjoy.
Tanqueray Sevilla Orange Gin
Tanqueray
John Cassanos, director of food and beverage at The Outsider in Milwaukee
I think Tanqueray Sevilla Orange might have been my first ‘flavored’ gin. For a long time, I considered myself a gin purist and I lumped flavored gins into the whole crazy-flavored vodka nonsense that was popular for a minute (birthday cake vodka anyone?).
Tasting Notes:
But Sevilla Orange was a revelation. On the rocks or with a splash of soda or tonic (which plays up the slight bitter-sweet flavors of the orange). It transports me to a sunny place every time. No matter the weather.
In my opinion, gins are already packed with so much flavor that I don’t see the necessity to add additional flavor to most of them. If I had to choose one, I would go with Hendrick’s Lunar.
Tasting Notes:
The additional night-scented flowers and exotic fruit are well-balanced with the traditional botanical flavors. It’s a good sipping gin that’s a great choice for the holiday season.
Porter’s Old Tom Tropical Gin
Porter
Alex Barbatsis, head bartender at The Whistler in Chicago
Porter’s Old Tom Tropical Gin is from a small distillery that uses vacuum distilling at low temperatures, which gives the botanicals a fresh zip. Try it in a modified Chi Chi and you’ll be in heaven.
Tasting Notes:
The tropical flavor comes from mangos, passionfruit, and guava. It works great with tropical drinks with lime and pineapple.
While I’m not a huge fan of flavored gin, my favorite would have to be Sipsmith Strawberry Smash. It’s a beautiful fruit-forward gin that still maintains its Juniper-forward identity. One of the few flavored gins that works both in cocktails and as a sipper.
Tasting Notes:
Juniper, mint, and citrus peels are heightened by the addition of real strawberries. It will add freshness to any holiday cocktail.
Hendrick’s Midsummer Solstice Gin is a favorite flavored gin for some. It features floral and fruity notes, including hints of orange blossom and juniper. The unique flavor profile sets it apart and makes it enjoyable in a variety of gin-based cocktails.
Tasting Notes:
This extremely floral and cucumber-driven gin is well-suited as a base for your favorite holiday drinks. It’s so fresh and floral, it will bring new energy to every cocktail.
Bayab African Rose Gin
Bayab
Keith Meicher, beverage director at Sepia in Chicago
My favorite flavored gin at the moment is Bayab African Rose Gin. Floral leaning gins can often be a distractingly dominant flavor in a cocktail, but Bayab mixes in a subtly complex way that’s very interesting for gin lovers. Works equally well in a gimlet as it does in a negroni.
Tasting Notes:
Made with baobab fruit, African rose petals, and grapefruit, it’s a touch sweeter and more floral than most gins, but not overwhelmingly so.
Malfy Rosa. I’m more partial to infusing gin on site, but pink grapefruit and Italian lemons speak to Italian terroir and Malfy is reliably good quality.
Tasting Notes:
Unlike some faddish flavors currently added to gin, citrus has traditionally been paired with juniper, and like the grapefruit in Tanqueray Ten, the grapefruit here lifts the anise and juniper notes and the lemon provides a pleasing astringency.
Today (November 21), the outlet revealed that Swift secured yet another top spot as the No. 1 overall artist of the year on their year-end charts. However, just like the night of the award ceremony, Swift was overshadowed by another entertainer; the same goes for the publication’s top song of 2023 position.
What Is The Top Song Of 2023 on Billboard?
During the 2023 Billboard Music Awards, Morgan Wallen walked away with 11 total wins, the most of anyone that evening. Now, Wallen beat out Swift again for the coveted top song of the 2023 title. Wallen’s “Last Night” has been crowned the top song of the year. The track was released in February, and by March, it reached No. 1, where it stayed for 16 weeks. In total, the single has spent 42 weeks on the chart.
“Last Night” is followed by Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” in the No. 2 spot. SZA’s “Kill Bill” is snuggly positioned at No. 3. Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” is placed at No. 4, with Metro Boomin’s “Creepin’” featuring The Weeknd and 21 Savage rounding at the top five.
The second half of the top ten included (in this respective order) Rema & Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down,” The Weeknd’s “Die For You (Remix)” with Ariana Grande, Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” SZA’s “Snooze,” and David Guetta & Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue).”
One of the first jokes in comedian Matt Rife’s Netflix special Natural Selection is about a waitress he met in Baltimore with a black eye. “It wasn’t like, ‘What happened?’ It was pretty obvious what happened,” he said. “And my boy, who I was with, was like, ‘Yeah, I feel bad for her, man, I feel like they should put her in the kitchen or something where nobody has to see her face.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, but I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye.”
That joke about domestic violence — and others like it — has led to a backlash against Rife, who has over 18 million followers on TikTok. He responded on Instagram by writing, “If you’ve ever been offended by a joke I’ve told, here’s a link to my official apology.” It leads to a website for special needs helmets.
Comedian Matt Rife is facing backlash after posting a fake apology link on Instagram.
Intended for those offended by jokes in his Netflix special, he actually linked to a website selling special needs helmets. pic.twitter.com/b6c8lpNe41
A clip from a 2015 episode of MTV’s Wild ‘N Out has also resurfaced since the special premiered last week. In it, Rife tries to make Zendaya laugh while she has a mouth full of water. “Look, you’re mixed, I want to be Black, let’s make a lifestyle movie,” he jokes, unable to crack a smile from the future Emmy-winning Euphoria actress. Rife then cups her face with his hands and instructs her to “spit that water out so I can get your number, please.”
The Euphoria star was visibly unimpressed with his attempts and wagged her finger to deny his advances. His co-stars also jumped to her defense and told him to back off. “Keep your hands off her, Matt,” one cast member yelled, while another said, “She’s too young.”
yall just realizing Matt Rife isn’t funny? do yall not remember when he was on Wild n Out and completely creeped out Zendaya?? mans a whole ick and definitely got a chin implant
When I spoke with Ronny Chieng last week he said that “the true job of comedians these days as professionals is to not overreact to other people overreacting,” and I think that’s pretty informative about the man and his operating system. At the time we were discussing the cultural importance people put on comedians and the way the internet can freak out over this or that. But it (and the following conversation) shows Chieng as someone who is aware of the moment and the hype but at ease amidst the noise.
Fresh off numerous high-profile film and TV projects (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, M3GAN, American Born Chinese) Chieng is about to embark on an epic tour of the US at the start of the new year with his Love To HateIt comedy tour (tickets available here). Might he have to find a way to mix in duties as the new host of The Daily Show? Who knows, but he doesn’t seem too concerned with whatever choice the suits at Comedy Central make after nearly a year of guest host tryouts. Chieng, one of the Daily Show‘s All-Star correspondents, is in that chair tonight, as it happens, but this isn’t an interview about what could be considered a very important audition. It’s about a guy who seems to love his job(s), who is humbly taking things as they come, and just trying to be funny and unique while finding affirmation about the non-awfulness of the American public as he meets and greets them on the road.
I’ve had a couple of people associated with The Daily Show tell me that you have said that “the Daily Show correspondent’s job is the best job in comedy.” Do you want the hosting job or do you want to stick with this job that gives you, I imagine, a lot of flexibility to do other things?
I think Jon Stewart set the standard of how much dedication you need for the job to do it properly. The machine of the show is so strong, meaning the support staff and the producers, the writers, the editors. The institution of the Daily Show is probably its greatest strength, because they know how to do that show so well. So you can make a show of news with jokes, and you can get by on that pretty well. You can have a good life, whatever, but if you want to really make that show great, you need a point of view and you need to be very dedicated to the show, anticipating where the culture is right now and commenting on it.
I’m happy with whatever they choose. I still think working at that show is the best job in comedy. I don’t want to speak for the other people working there, but correspondent is, I think for sure, the best job in comedy. You come on, you learn a lot. I think I’ve always said that it’s almost like the Harvard Business School of Comedy. Forget the fame. Even if you don’t become one follower more famous, you learn how to write comedy, you learn how to perform, you learn how to edit, how to produce, how to direct, how to do improv TV production. Every field piece is like an indie film and you have a lot of support. Producers and writers and editors and everyone helping you out, versus this new economy of one person does everything; you are your own cameraman and writer. But The Daily Show is very old school in terms of priding itself on having high production values. So in that sense, it’s the best job in comedy.
I think it’s equal parts ambition and dedication to do what Jon did. Do you feel like you have the want to put that much of yourself into it? Obviously, Jon did it for however long — 14 or 15 years. I interviewed Roy Wood Jr. a few months ago and he was like, “No one should do it for more than seven or eight years.” I think that’s right. I feel like Jon got toasted a little bit because I think he cared so much. Outside perspective, obviously.
I can’t speak for Jon. I think he himself said that he was feeling a little burnt out. I think that’s fair to say. I guess it is a show that you can get burnt out on. It’s every day.
Like you said, you could mail it in, but if you do want to do it right, you have to put so much into it. At this stage of your career, if they came to you and were like, “Do you want this job?” Do you feel like you could do that for the next six, seven years?
I’m lucky that I’ve been getting a lot of cool work outside of hosting a show. You’re right.
That would go away if you have the show.
It would have to be a choice. If they came to me and they asked me, it would be giving up (that work). Yeah, I’m not sure. I’m lucky to be in a position where I’m not just on the show, but outside the show, I’m doing the stuff that I like doing. It would be something I have to consider. I don’t know. It’s hard to answer.
I get that. Also, to your credit, there are ways to answer that question that are campaign-y, and you’re not obviously interested in campaigning.
I’m not American, so I don’t know how to campaign for stuff. I look up to all the other correspondents. All the correspondents I ever worked with I think are much better than me. It’s very un-American, but if you ask me from a pure skillset point of view, all these other correspondents were way better than me. When I first joined the show, I was like, “Man, if I could be 10% of any of the correspondents who’ve ever been on this show, if I could be 10% as good as them, I will be extremely happy with myself.” So that was my goal. So I look at the other correspondents in awe. I look at everyone in awe, everyone currently on the show.
How do you gauge improvement in terms of as a correspondent, as a comedian? In terms of your career, how do you look back and say, “I’m doing something right” or “I need to work on this?”
That’s a good question.
I’m assuming it’s not just from the volume of the crowd.
Absolutely. I think you can divorce art from fame, first of all, and you can definitely divorce skill from fame. So independent of fame, I think fame is a reasonable indicator, but you and I both know that just because something’s popular doesn’t mean it’s good and vice versa. Just because something’s not popular, doesn’t mean it’s not good. So in terms of judging my own, I think good comics have their own internal barometer of a joke that they write and they go, “This is just hack.” Then they know when they’re writing a joke where it’s like, “This is more satirical, this is more elevated. This is the voice I aspire to. These are the kind of jokes and this is the kind of material I aspire to write.”
Sometimes I get lucky. I have a bit that I really enjoy and I’m like, “Man, I hope all my bits could be like this.” I don’t think I’m there yet. I think it’s very much an internal barometer. Standup comedy and being a correspondent, almost two different skill sets. But standup comedy, there is an element of audience response to it. So you can tell when you’re saying something that is getting a good response, but it’s also because of your internal barometer. You know it’s not a hack-y joke, it’s kind of elevated, you’re saying something unique. I think that’s the measure of good comedy is when you’re saying something unique that’s hilarious.
So I think everything I do, if I push towards those two things, which is being unique and hilarious, I can feel myself get better. So that’s my metric, I think, for being good at comedy.
Are you hard on yourself, do you think? And has that intensified over the years or lessened?
I like to think I’m pretty hard on myself. I think all comics are, though. All the good comics I know. I can’t remember who told me this. I think Sam Morril said this. He was like, “All the good comics think they’re a hack. All the good comics hate their own routines.” They’re just like, “I made them laugh, but this is the same old stuff that I’ve been doing for months now. Where’s the new bit?” It’s almost like only the bad comics will walk on and be like, “I’m the freaking greatest of all time.” Obviously, that’s public persona and then how you feel internally. So publicly if your standup persona is the greatest of all time, then that’s different to how you feel inside. Do you believe your own act or are you just saying that just for comedic effect? So I think all comics are just trying to write better jokes, they feel like their own material isn’t the best. I think that’s a fairly common denominator among all the good comics I know.
Honestly, I think that extends to a lot of creative people.
I hope so. I think if you’re good, you would never be satisfied with where you’re at, right?
In the course of researching I read some of the past interviews and saw some of the stuff you’ve done and the spreads in Vogue; you’ve done some great stuff. Obviously even the poster for the new tour, it’s very nice with a nice suit. It looks like you’re using John Mulaney’s tailor. Do you feel a pressure to be a brand beyond just being, “I’m Ronny, here’s my comedy?”
Not really. I feel pressured to do good jokes and express myself in the way that I want to express myself. So I feel a lot of pressure about keeping my artistic expression, the integrity in it. I want to put out the poster that I want to put out. I don’t want other people to make a shitty poster for me. I think it’s important for Asian people in America to perform in show business with dignity and with class and at a high standard. So I put pressure on myself to do that, that’s why I like to put out my poster materials. I like everything to look slick. I like the show to be good. That’s why I go out every single night in New York City trying to work on this material, because I don’t want to show up and bomb. I want people to go away going, “Oh, that was a really good comedy show.” So I don’t feel pressure about the brand per se. I feel more pressure about my self-expression. You can argue those are two sides of the same coin, right?
No, I think they’re different.
Well, I appreciate that. I hope they’re different too, but I put pressure on the self-expression, not the brand.
I think the brand can chase self-expression, but to me that means it comes from a more authentic place than if you’re just chasing an ideal of what you’re supposed to be as a comedian in 2023, as opposed to being who you are and that’s the vision of who you are.
Yeah, I think so. I think on that note also, what I like to do is I like to go quality over quantity in terms of my output. Less is more, if that informs anything I’m saying. So it’s not that I hate social media or whatever, it’s more that I’d rather put out something good once in a while than having to churn out just average stuff every single day. That’s where I’m at.
That’s a good policy for everybody.
I hope so. Less is more. Quite frankly, I mean a lot of it is because I’m not talented enough to do something great every single day. So I wish I was better at it.
What is behind the title of the tour? Love To Hate It.
I just wanted something cool that was a little bit funny. I’m sure you know, it’s hard to think of titles for things. So I was brainstorming for a few weeks. It’s almost like part of me is like, “Why am I caring so much about something that doesn’t really matter?” It doesn’t need to describe anything.
It does sound cool though. It’s a good title.
It actually ended up being a good title because it actually does describe where I’m at. Sometimes you complain professionally as a standup comedian. In other words, you love to hate it. As a comic, we complain about stuff, but we do it because we love doing comedy.
Perhaps I dug too deep when I read the title. I thought it was some kind of reflection on culture and art because right now I feel like we’re in a moment where everybody just loves to hate everything.
Oh, that too. Thank you. Yeah, I’ll take that.
There you go. Take it.
No, it’s true. The great titles have more than one meaning, right?
You’ve been all over, you lived in Australia for 10 years. This tour is expansive. Going out and seeing the country, just telling jokes to people of many different political persuasions, does that make you a better comedian? A better person, in your opinion?
Yeah, definitely. You hit the nail on the head. I actually talk about it in the show a little bit, about knowing people with extreme political views in America and being friends with them. I get to travel around America. I talk about it a little bit. It does inform who I am because first of all, I am grateful to be here. I had to fight to be here, you know what I mean? So me, every day I’m in America is a choice. It’s a choice by me to be here and it’s also not something that came easy. So it was a challenge and a choice every day to want to work in America and have to prove myself, not just culturally, but literally immigration. I came here on a 01 Visa, which is an extraordinary ability visa. So I had to prove that I had extraordinary ability.
I came here with a lot of gratitude. So part of gratitude is also loving seeing a lot of different parts of America. I love traveling around America and seeing towns and cities that people shit on. I go there and I’m like, “Oh, this is great.” Everyone’s been always really nice to me on my tour. The fans have always been really nice to me for the most part. So I get to meet a lot of people. I meet, obviously different ethnicities, but different political backgrounds as well. They’ve always been cool. I like to think I’ve shown mutual respect back. It’s why I say in the show, I talk a little bit about how face-to-face, everyone in America seems fine. It’s just when you go on the internet, it seems as though we’re always on the borderline of Civil War. But face-to-face, there’s a lot of decency in America. There are more good people than bad people here.
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and definitely got a chin implant
