Abel Brainz Digest, Vol. 95 - October 2026 (watch old s***)
Welcome to 95!
Let’s get to it.
cool(?) “there’s a reason why you need to watch old shit” stuff
TL;DR - Watch old shit.
By now, we’ve all heard something about the wackness that was on SNL this past week. Lots of opinions, etc. And yes, the set was hack. I also have to quote one of my favorite songs, how did we get here?
Most of the time, it doesn’t matter, because “no matter where you go, there you are.“ This time feels different because somehow the “comedian” is one of the most popular in the country which can bring up a lot of feelings.
I saw and heard a little of this “comedian’s” set and thought, “oh. He and his fans don’t really watch stand-up, do they?”
I used to do a lot of stand-up, and in doing an art, you consume the art. You familiarize yourself with the art as much as possible and expand your horizons. It helps!
I remember my days as a Universal Studios Tour Guide being absolutely baffled when fellow tour guides would almost brag about not seeing movies like Jaws or Star Wars. Actors bragging about not watching certain films.... Imagine guitarists bragging about not listening to Robert Johnson, Steve Cropper, Jimi Hendrix, etc. Why wouldn’t you listen to them? Why wouldn’t you watch “old” movies??
And then I remembered this quote I often think of in a book called Breaking Bread with the Dead:
“The first step to liquidating a people.. is to erase its memory.“ -Milan Kundera’s novel The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
As a kid, I remember having a great deal of art that was just for me. G.I. Joe, Jem, Transformers, etc. I also had Looney Tunes, Laff-A-Lympics, Rocky and Bullwinkle. The last three were in syndication and were shows my parents watched when they were kids.
Old shit.
I had Land Before Time, Oliver and Company. and more. I also had The Bad News Bears, Buckaroo Banzai, Remo Williams, and other random cable tv shit that was not really for kids, but hey, it wasn’t not for kids.
When I was old enough, Eddie Murphy RAW was on heavy rotation, as was Coming to America. George Carlin, Steven Wright, and more were on HBO. In high school, my best friend and I rented Carlin at Carnegie.
You’re probably figuring out where I’m going with this:
We didn’t watch stuff that was only for us.
We watched old shit, new shit, random shit... The old shit, particularly.
Which brings us back to...
“The first step to liquidating a people.. is to erase its memory.“
Whether we like it or not, old shit is our history. We have to keep watching it. When we don’t, bad shit happens, as we saw on SNL. Had this “comedian” been exposed to “old shit,” he would’ve known better. More accurately, he probably would’ve never made it past bringer shows like yours truly. He’d be recalculating inventory at a Staples on the verge of closing. (No shade to Staples or Staples employees)
So watch some old shit. I have plenty of recs if you need ‘em.
cool improv stuff
Neon Cigarette at Onward Theatre was canceled this past weekend. Bummer, dudes. The next one is on December 11th at Onward Theatre so we’ll see you there. And stay tuned for how special the night is going to be.
cool Your Favorite Improv Gym stuff
Since the holidays are looming, November and December are combined. Both months for $100 unlimited and you get notes with no extra charge.
Click HERE to sign up. A friendly reminder that your spot is not confirmed until payment is sent :)
That wraps it up for me.
Thoughts? Questions? Hit me up!
Click here for all the past volumez.
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Much love,
Abel