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SHOWS:
Platinum Package. Third Wheel. Friday, February 2nd @ 10pm.
some other exciting things coming uuuup
Sternal Journalists,
I exist on many oscillatory planes, and one of them is oscillating towards and then away from complaining that TikTok is ruining everything. This week was a “towards.”
Nothing really happened, but I just found myself in more conversations than I could handle about social media and whether to do it and how to do it right.
These are conversations that happen a lot amongst comedians, but also generally.
I had one comedy friend whom I respect very much and who is also quite a bit younger than me tell me that he thinks the hour-long special is played out for comedians. That people no longer really want to sit down and watch comedy for a full hour, that it would be better to cut it into two half hours.
This upsets me for many reasons, least of which because I had just been talking about wanting to film an hour long comedy special; most of which because I fear he’s right.
This isn’t new. Attention spans shorten, blablabla, tale as old as time. But the thing that feels novel (not in a “oOoh how novel!” so much as a “novel coronavirus”) is that I believe anyone who is making shorter stuff these days (I’ve seen many half hour specials and I’ve even seen at least one special that was ten minutes) isn’t endeavoring to make something that feels tight so much as trying to, or being forced to, make it feel as close to a short-form video (TikTok, reels, YT shorts, etc.) as possible.
I’ve heard quite a number of comics talk about putting out a special for the express of clipping it up to put on social media!1 That’s like making a movie just so you can cut a bunch of trailers. THAT’S THE WRONG WAY AROUND!!!!
THE TRAILER IS NOT THE THING.
It is “let’s make the poster first” thinking at its most insidious! Because there aren’t sleazy, wheelin’-dealin’ managers or execs or whomever pushing it. It’s us! We’re doing it to ourselves and each other.
And sure, everybody’s doing it. Every instagram feed is an ad campaign for someone’s life, keeping them top of mind for consumers (friends) who might otherwise forget them if they didn’t reach out.2
But artists are supposed to be the cool ones! Or at least the reliably trend-bucky ones. But here we are in the first time in history when I think most of my comedy friends think more about marketing and operations than my friends with MBAs.
So what I gonna do about it? I don’t know, keep being bad at social media? Keep having unfulfilling, abrupt ends to Sternal Journals?
Recommendations
Get On Your Knees. Stand-Up Special. In direct opposition to the trend ranted about above, Jacqueline Novak put out a 90 minute special. It is an epic poem, it is all about a certain sex act, it’s beautiful and hilarious, it’s fun for the whole (adult) family. Big rec.
Nardwuar vs. Tyler, The Creator (2023). YouTube Video. Any time there’s a new Nardwuar and Tyler interview, we have to watch! Also, he makes a strong argument for why New Music Friday should go back to New Music Tuesday.
Virtual Insanity. Song. Another part of why I enjoyed the interview so much is because I know officially know who Jamiroquai is.
Overwhelmingly Neutral. Jake Rush. BUT ALSO if you need a half hour comedy special, I watched this this weekend. I do not know Jake and he is not famous (I mean that in a good way), but it was recommended it to me and I enjoyed it and watched the whole thing.
Alrighty, that’s all this week! Much love! Don’t only make ads when you’re trying to make not-ads or be you!
Julian
Oops forgot a picture. Here’s an ad for how I don’t know how to smile.
This is all putting aside the fact that some people think a YouTube special is an oxymoron. I get it, but there are plenty of great Netflix specials and plenty of terrible Netflix/HBO specials so I think this argument is perpendicular to the existential crisis I’m talking about.
By the way, I’m so complicit in everything I’m ranting about. Just trying to shake myself free.