Bill & Jodi's response to my response. This time with 100% Less Jodi.

Bill & Jodi

So I received this response last night, right before I went onstage for my first of two awesome shows at The San Francisco Punch Line. We were recording them for my next CD. (More on that soon.) You will notice that this E-mail is just from Bill this time. I guess Jodi has jumped off of the "make Kamau understand that he sucks" project. But you will also notice that it is still free of annoyances like grammar and correct capitalization. Enjoy...

"now that's funny did you know Vinegar kills infection and sugar causes infection. I hope you do well and become successful as well for everybody we just did not like your comedy. If it was free I would not complain. Please "rest of audience" Making wine is an art but sometimes a bad bottle appears if you don't complain it may not get better. I hope you had a great night and a great future Kamau." --- Bill

Awww isn't that nice? He wishes me well. Although maybe that's why Jodi jumped ship... Maybe she was like, "I REFUSE TO WISH HIM WELL!" or more accurately, "I NO TO WISH WELL HIM SUCK!"

My response to Bill & Jodi. Enjoy...

Here is my response to Bill and Jodi. I sent it to them a few minutes ago. It's a little wordy, but it was actually fun to write. Do you think I'll hear back from them? If you haven't seen their E-mail to me then you can scroll down. It is the post right below this one. And now my response... Bill & Jodi,

Hmmm? Interesting... There are so many issues with your E-mail. Let's go at them one at a time. Shall we?

1) I don't know if you are aware of this, Bill and Jodi, but comedy --- like all art ---  is subjective; therefore every individual has the right to like and not like whoever and whatever they want, but -- AND HERE'S THE KICKER!!! --- Just because YOU don't like the art, it doesn't intrinsically make that art bad. In fact, it is the strength of art that there is literally something out there for everybody.

2) Why would you feel the need to reach out in this manner? I was onstage for nearly an hour. You could have just gotten up and left. I'm sure the two of you could have found many more interesting things to do in San Francisco than think I suck. Holding those emotions inside isn't healthy. It can provide undue stress on your nervous system. I don't recommend it.

3) Artists -- and yes, I'm going to speak for all artists --- We don't actually care when individuals (or couples in this case) think we suck. Last night the overwhelming majority of the crowd enjoyed themselves, so you are outnumbered here. And I don't know either one of you from Adam. So you have to ask yourselves, "Why would we think that Kamau would care that we thought he sucked?" It's funny when you think of it like that. Your feelings about me seem inconsequential when stacked up against the rest of the audience, neigh the rest of my career. Funny isn't it?

4) These next set of questions are more rhetorical than the others. These are some things for you to meditate on... Why would you send me this E-mail to me? What am I possibly supposed to do with this information? Are you actually trying to hurt my feelings? What do you believe you have accomplished by sending this message? Do you actually think that it will help me "suck" less? I truly don't believe that you wanted to give constructive feedback, because you clearly chose to write in a manner that was at the very least rude and at worst insulting. Did you mean to come across this way? We all know that in this crazy, topsy turvy world you get much more with sugar than with vinegar. The only piece of constructive feedback that I can glean from your E-mail is that I should use my notes less. I will try to do so this evening. Thanks for this one thing.

5) Have you ever considered the fact that maybe you are not my target demographic? Everything is not for everybody. Again art's strength is its subjective nature.

6) Did you send E-mails to Edwin Li and Kevin Avery to tell them how much you liked them? I would highly recommend that. One thing artists do geek out on --- in fact one thing all people share whether artists or not --- is that we all love support and encouragement. That is actually way more effective than what you sent me. Be supportive of the things that you like. Don't focus on the negativity. Life is short. I'd really encourage you to send an E-mail to Edwin. He is still young in his career and I'm sure he would appreciate knowing that you enjoyed him. I can forward you his E-mail address if you would like. Just let me know.

Good luck to you, too. And in the future I would strongly entreat you to keep your negative opinions of artists to yourself. As we have seen, it just doesn't accomplish anything.

Kamau

---

Whew! That was fun. I'll let you know if I hear back from the legendary, Bill & Jodi!

And now a rebuttal to Margaret Cho from Bill & Jodi...

Bill & Jodi Just got this E-mail from Bill & Jodi. I don't know Bill & Jodi, but apparently they think their opinion is one that I should have. The punctuation and grammar mistakes are their own. Enjoy...

"Hey Man, was at your show last night to be honest I thought it sucked so did my girlfriend the two guys before you had much better material and were funny. and they didn't have to look at notes. Good luck to you." --- Bill and Jodi

My favorite part is"to be honest.." It's as if I asked for their opinion and they had this conversation, "Jodi, should we be honest? Yes, Bill, we should. Kamau needs to hear this."

I'm sending them a response. I'll let you know how it goes.

Here's what Margaret Cho says about ME!

Margaret Cho bringing it the only way she knows how. I just did a show in LA with Elon James White, Kevin Avery, and Margaret Cho... yes, THAT Margaret Cho. It was organized by Elon as a part of his "How To Be Post-Racial" series. We did it at The Improv Comedy Lab at 10pm this past Saturday to a very enthusiastic crowd in a small venue. Margaret told an awesonely funny story about... Well, I'll just wait until you see her do it in her next concert film. If she doesn't, then I'll tell you the story at that time.

Anyway, after the show we all went to hang out at The Improv and Margaret made clear how much she enjoyed my set. (We had met on several occasions before, and I had even done a couple sets on her shows at The Punch Line in SF yeeeeeeeeeeeears ago, but I have made some major overhauls since then.) She was so clear about how much she enjoyed my act that I asked her to give me a quote about me that I could share with the world. (For the record, I've never asked ANYONE to do this before... I've certainly wanted to, but I've been too shy.. or stupid... or....

ANYWAY, here it is in what I SWEAR are Margaret's own words (cut and pasted)...

"W. Kamau Bell is the most important guy doing comedy right now. Do yourself a favor and go see him. He's got the most astute, hilarious and completely righteous material going and he's going to be a legend in his own lifetime like richard pryor and lenny bruce. Think bill hicks but slightly taller."

Ok... obviously my response is JEEEEEEZ-US! And then... Wow! Obviously, these are just words and they there is no way for me to act like I am any of those things, but I certainly want to live up to all that. My favorite part is "Think bill hicks but slightly taller." Margaret should know... since she actually worked  with Hicks. GULP!

"The Post-Racial Show" featuring me in Los Angeles 11/21

Elon James White is a Brooklyn-based comedian, writer and creator of the award-winning web series This Week in Blackness; a satirical look at race, politics and pop-culture in a so-called “post-racial” America. White has been a featured commentator on VH1's Black to the Future & The Great Debate. His commentary on race and politics has been featured on The Huffington Post, Alternet and The Root. Praised as "The perfect comedian for the Obama era, talking race while exploding racial stereotypes" by Dr. Harris-Lacewell of Princeton on Politco.com and as "Precise, thought provoking and hilarious" by Daily Show Co-Creator Lizz Winstead, White continues to win accolades from critics, academia and audiences alike. He was the recent recipient of four 2009 Black Weblog Awards, including Best Humor Blog, Best MicroBlog (Twitter), Best Video Blog and Blog of the Year. Elon has been featured in The NY Observer, NY Post, Gothamist, Newsweek and Gawker and has appeared on ComedyCentral.com and Sirius Satellite Radio. White’s live stand up appearances include the DC Comedy Festival, the NY Underground Festival, University of Washington, Duke University and New York University. The Brooklyn Comedy Company is proud to present "The Post-Racial Show." Elon James White teaches us the power of being “Post-Racial” featuring comedians Kevin Avery, W. Kamau Bell, and a very special guest!

http://bit.ly/153ea1

Improv Comedy Lab 323-651-2583 8158 Melrose Ave., L.A., CA  90046

An excellent review of the show I directed... WOOOHOOOO!

I Heart Hamas: And Other Things I'm Afraid to Tell You Off Market Theaters, 965 Mission; www.ihearthamas.com. $20. Thurs and Sat, 8pm. Through Dec 12. An American woman of Palestinian descent, San Francisco actor Jennifer Jajeh grew up with a kind of double consciousness familiar to many minorities. But hers—conflated and charged with the history and politics of the Middle East—arguably carried a particular burden. Addressing her largely non–Middle Eastern audience in a good-natured tone of knowing tolerance, the first half of her autobiographical comedy-drama, set in the U.S., evokes an American teen badgered by unwelcome difference but canny about coping with it. The second, set in her ancestral home of Ramallah, is a journey of self-discovery and a political awakening at once. The fairly familiar dramatic arc comes peppered with some unexpected asides—and director W. Kamau Bell nicely exploits the show's potential for enlightening irreverence (one of the cleverer conceits involves a "telepathic Q&A" with the audience, premised on the predictable questions lobbed at anyone identifying with "the other"). The play is decidedly not a history lesson on the colonial project known as "the Israeli-Palestinian conflict" or, for that matter, Hamas. But as the laudably mischievous title suggests, Jajeh is out to upset some staid opinions, stereotypes and confusions that carry increasingly significant moral and political consequences for us all. (Avila) SF Bay Guardian Review (scroll down)

My CD Recording @ The SF Punch Line Thanksgiving Weekend. & YOU get in 2for1

StanfordI'm coming to The San Francisco Punch Line Thanksgiving Weekend. Four shows only. Friday, November 27th & and Saturday, November 28th. On the Saturday shows, I am recording my 2nd comedy CD. Which means Friday night, I'll be experimenting and Saturday night I'll come out guns blazing. Either way these are going to be epic shows. You have four opportunities to come out and see what I'm up to. I order you... DON'T MISS THESE SHOWS!

And as a special added bonus, YOU can get into ANY of the shows 2for1!

All you have to do is call the club at 415 397 7573 and use the password NEW BLACK!

Now it's truly BLACK FRIDAY!

Special guest on all four shows: my cohort, Kevin Avery ("Siskel" of Siskel and Negro)

Come out bring a friend and strap in.

Check Please, Bay Area! Seriously. CHECK PLEASE!

Was watching "Check Please, Bay Area!" this morning on PBS. WOW! I'd never seen it before. It's like Yelp LIVE. It features white people who don't have any real problems in their lives talking shit about independently owned businesses. I wonder if the white people feel like they have made a real and important difference afterward by slagging off local businesses. Way to ACT LOCAL! I talked about this on Facebook and then my friend, Webec sent me this clip.

This clip makes me happy for multiple reasons. One basic one is because I grew up in Hyde Park in Chicago.

For the record, the white woman (W/ DREADLOCKS!??!!) in the clip is EXACTLY what I was talking about. Maybe, Karen, you don't know what black eyed peas should taste like? Maybe Barack could tell you that southern greens are made that way on purpose. Maybe your opinion isn't that key in this one area. MAYBE THE WORLD ISN'T HERE JUST FOR YOU!!

The white dude is perfect Chicago... even though he might be from Boston.

I also love how Barack is clearly ALREADY running for president.

Whew. This morning turned a corner I wasn't expecting.

It's too early in the day for me to be this mad at white people.

Next Solo Performance Workshop begins Sept 13 & 15

Next Session Begins Sunday September 13, 10am-1pm OR Tuesday, September 15, 6pm-9pm. Click here for details.

Started in 2005, this 8 session course is designed to develop 15-20 minute professional level solo theater pieces using a variety of writing and performance techniques. Each student will create a unique and personal performance piece that will culminate in a public theater performance at the end of the course. The class is recommended for performers of all disciplines, including actors, writers, comedians, spoken word artists, musicians and dancers. People of all levels of experience are welcome, from those who have never been on stage before to those preparing a piece for a professional production or audition. Members of the workshop have gone on to perform their shows all over the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and recently two shows have been featured in The International New York Fringe Theater Festival.

WHEN/WHERE: Location: Stage Werx Theatre 533 Sutter Street @ Powell Street, San Francisco, 94102

East Bay Express 7/29/09

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Race from a Racy Angle

Newest iteration of The W. Kamau Bell Curve comes to La Peña Cultural Center.

W. Kamau Bell went down in history for telling the first-ever Obama joke on Comedy Central, way back in 2005. At the time, Obama was best known for his rousing speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention. He was definitely a looker on the US Senate, but his presidential ambitions were vague at best. Bell announced that there would never be a black president named Barack Obama. ("Black Osama? Ummmm ummmm," Bell jeered, imitating an incredulous Red State voter.) Bell kept the bit in his repertoire for another year and a half. Then he decided he was hurting Obama's chances.

It was the comedian's first brush with topical humor, which now constitutes the bulk of his new one-man show, The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in About an Hour. Kamau launched the show in 2007 as a response to a recent spate of celebrity racism (the Michael Richards and Don Imus meltdowns, Sarah Silverman's entire oeuvre, and Rosie O'Donnell's "ching-chong Chinese" comment, among others). The show consisted largely of personal anecdotes about his family, his childhood, and his adventures being black in a not-so-black Bay Area arts scene. In the two years since its inception, the Bell Curve did a 180-degree turn. Now it's light on personal testimonials, heavier on celebrity skewering, and towing a more difficult political line: Bell's challenging the quiet hypocrisy of our "post-racial" society. He used to sling mud at N-word-sayers, Middle Americans, and other easy targets; now he's goosing the left as well.

Yet the Bell Curve changes from week to week. To keep his humor up to the minute, Bell constantly revises his show, making sure to include all the day's biggest news stories and give them his own slant. Thus, most of his bits get a very brief window of opportunity before they become irrelevant. "If Sotomayor is on the Supreme Court and the guy who is grilling her is the renowned racist, I gotta put that in the show," Bell explained. "If Henry Louis Gates is breaking into his own apartment, I'd feel like a lunatic if I didn't include that." He keeps an autobiographical thread and a running gag about his marriage to a white woman ("Some people would say that's hypocritical. I would say to those people — maybe"). He's gotten a lot more tech-savvy since 2007, and now includes video clips as well as a photographic montage. And, now that the Obama joke has become one of his biggest claims to fame, he always uses it as an opener. Hey, Bell said, most of us aren't perfect: "Martin Luther King didn't open on 'I was wrong' — he had to be resolute every moment of his life. But I'm a comedian. We do things differently."

The W. Kamau Bell Curve runs Thursday through Saturday, July 30 through August 1, at La Peña Cultural Center (3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley). Bring a friend of a different race and get a 2-for-1 discount. 8 p.m., $15-$20. LaPena.org

Solo Writing and Performance Workshop w/Comedy Central Stage Artistic Director Paul Stein

Solo Writing and Performance Workshops with Comedy Central Stage Artistic Director Paul Stein Saturday July 18 10a-1p , 2p-5p & Sunday, July 19 10-a-1p, 2p-5p

San Francisco, CA

Description Two days of workshops on how to take your solo show and turn it into a piece that best showcases your story and your specific gifts. Taught by Paul Stein, the former Associate Producer of the HBO Workspace and currently Artistic Director of the Comedy Central Stage in Hollywood, this workshop will show you how to create and make decisive choices with your show... not obvious ones.  Through lecture, handouts, video presentations, discussion, and an opportunity for critical analysis of your work, this two-day workshop will touch upon writing, shaping, performing and producing your unique idea. Helpful to the beginner or experienced solo performer, these workshops are for everyone from stand-up comedians to performers with more dramatic pieces. Mr. Stein's unique look at solo performance, gained from a dozen years of working with solo shows in Hollywood and at numerous festivals, will provide a perspective that cannot be missed.

This workshop is proudly presented by W. Kamau Bell & The Solo Performance Workshop.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

Agency

William Morris Endeavor Entertainment

TV & Film
Ben Simone
BSimone@wmeagency.com
212.903.1100

Stand-Up & Speaking
Stacy Mark
SM@wmeagency.com
310.859.4108

Management

Brillstein Entertainment Partners

Tim Sarkes
t.sarkes@bep-la.com
310.205.5123

Alex Murray
a.murray@bep-la.com
310.205.5111