Journalin' and Sternalin' into the new decade! A stand-up vid, a show, and some other recs!
Hiya Sternal Journalists!
(Or as the Brits would say: Sterno Journos)
Welcome to another entry and another year of the Sternal Journal. Before I say anything else, a quick announcement!
From today forward, the Sternal Journal will be arriving in your e-mailbox weekly every single Sunday morning, hopefully before you wake up.
I had a great time last year sharing things like an old conversation with Kevin Smith about death, a new conversation with my rabbi friend about death, and also poems and shit. I've had such a great time that I want to make it more of a practice.
I love reading on Sundays, and I grew up on Dave Barry's back page piece in Washington Post magazine, and it's always been a dream to do something similar, so that. is what. I'm doing.
You may already be saying, "Oop! I need to set a reminder to unsubscribe immediately." Which is totally cool. We all have different media diets, and I encourage you to follow your heart.
That's because some of you have actually reached out to say how much you love the Sternal Journal, so if I'm able to do it more, I think I'll get better at it and give you an even better product. Such a great product that perhaps one day, you'll recommend it to a friend so we can make up for all those motherfuckers who just unsubscribed.
Jk guys! Really do love ya! Anyway, if you wanna come to a show and you're on the East side, I'll be doing Max Mielecki's fantastic FURTHUR Friday 1/17 at 8pm. It's the greatest comedy show in a dance studio I know, and it's generally sponsored by a very generously pouring weed tea if you're into that sorta thing.
If you don't wanna come to a show, but you wanna see an example of what I do at them, check out my brand spankin' new stand-up vid, filmed at the Comedy Central Stage as part of my hour show, Julian Stern, As Per Usual, Blows You Away:
(it's gonna open in a new tab, apologies I don't have embedding powers yet)
If you like it, give it a like or share! If you dislike it, hey! Give it a dislike! I can take it! Engagement is engagement!
Hennywho, I'll leave you now with recommendations:
The Catch and Kill Podcast: I haven't read the book yet, but we all know Ronan Farrow is a quippy little badass and this is a rich and, at times, entertaining behind-the-scenes account of the reporting it took to take down Harvey Weinstein.
NLE Choppa's Cottonwood: At 31, I'm still clinging for dear life to my youth, and even though some very new rappers leave me feeling like (to paraphrase The Polar Express) this bell don't jingle-jangle no more, I can still get caught up in the new guard from time to time if I try way too hard. You could start with his smash single Shotta Flow, but if you're into this type-a thing, I found this whole album very fun.
7 Wonders / 7 Wonders Duel: First ever boardgames recommendation! I have literally no idea what terminology one uses to review boardgames, but my joyful nerd friends from home got me into the full version of this while I was home and my joyful nerd college friend (I am a joyful nerd. All of my friends are too) got me the 2-player version for Christmas, and boy is it fun! Again, if you're interested, look it up. I don't know how to describe these things.
Honorable mentions from 2019: In 2018, I started trying to keep a list of every entertainment unit I consumed. I have done an okay job, so here are things from my list I remember loving last year: Derry Girls, Into the Spider-Verse, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, RENT Live (seriously), Russian Doll, Broad City S5, The Other Two, The Turning Forest, Dead and Buried, Dix Pour Cent, Rap or Go To The League, Ladies of the Canyon, Marlon Brando (Alex Cameron music vid), Shrill, The Tennessee Kid, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, Casablanca, Killing Eve, Rami, I Think You Should Leave, Father of the Bride (Vampire Weekend), Good Time, Uncut Gems, John Wick trilogy, Buck Owens and his Buckaneers in Japan!, Oklahoma 2019, Nobody is Ever Missing, Los Espookys, Ecstasy: of Faith and Other Drugs (Jia Tolentino), Last Black Man in San Francisco, Parasite, Succession S2, The Plotters, Mean Streets, Atypical, Timequake, mis90s, Abbey Road (yup. Just listened to the whole thing for the first time).
If you have thoughts on any of those, I'd love to discuss!
That's all for now. See you next Sunday! They will hopefully be shorter in the future.
Julian