Popular comics are tackling more serious issues these days, says Megan Garber in her essay, "How Comedians Became Public Intellectuals" (pictured: John Oliver); Joan Scheckel is a popular teacher for many directors, writers and actors, but what goes on inside her studio?; Australian singer Vance Joy talks about the ups and downs of life on tour.
How today's comedians get their message about social problems spread all over the Internet
At any point you're on Twitter or Facebook, there's a good chance you'll see a headline like "Jon Stewart Cuts Through the Hypocrisy of the RNC in Less Than 8 Minutes." Or it could be about Key and Peele, or Amy Schumer, or Larry Wilmore, or Stephen Colbert.
The list goes on, and it's indicative of a change in the comedy world — comedians are incorporating serious issues into their comedy. Like this John Oliver segment on the recent federal investigation of FIFA.
This trend prompted Megan Garber, a staff writer at the Atlantic, to take a closer look at what today's most popular comedians are doing in her recent article, "How Comedians Become Public Intellectuals."
We asked Garber about the different reasons today's comedians are tackling weightier subjects, as well as what she imagines the future of comedy might look like.
Interview Highlights:
One of the things that your article premises is that comedians are not doing stand-up anymore. I mean, they are doing stand-up, but they are going to something bigger. Are they filling a void, or are they creating a new role for themselves?
I think it's a little bit of both. I think that first of all, we want comedians on some level to be filling this role. If you look back, the comedy of the '90s was so granular and microcosmic in its orientations — Jerry Seinfeld complaining about airplane peanuts. Which was very funny, and that kind of observational humor is always going to have a role, but it didn't speak to cultural issues.
Right now, we do have a craving to talk about things that are relevant or even difficult to talk about without some kind of humor — racism, sexism, all these big things. In that sense, it is a new thing and a new role. In another sense, it's sort of what they've always been doing in some ways, and it is taking over where academics and journalists used to be as well.
Are they filling a void, or are they in some ways seeking to counter increasingly partisan news outlets like MNSBC and Fox News?
I think there is a little bit of that countering out, but certainly a lot of the comedians are themselves partisan — they definitely have a point of view, they have a political place that they are coming from.
But because it can be so hard to talk about politics without things escalating so quickly, comedy gives us this opportunity to have these conversations, and because it's through the guise of laughter it's OK. The stakes are not as high, and things don't seem as fraught or as personal. They can exist within that field of laughter, which is kind of nice.
Well, this clip from "Inside Amy Schumer" is not inherently funny; it's uncomfortable and it's a little bit awkward. Here's Amy Schumer acting as the legal defense for Bill Cosby.
You've described her act as comedy with a message. What is Amy after right here?
I think she is forcing the issue. So much of the Cosby story and all of the revelations and allegations against him were about this uncomfortable space around what we allow ourselves to accept from our celebrities. I think she distilled everything down to that profound sense of awkwardness and she really wanted to make us squirm. I mean, I'm still actually cringing just thinking about hearing that. [laughs]
It's not funny, and it is not fun or entertaining, but it is important to talk about. She is trying to make us reckon with ourselves and make us see the narratives that exist in the culture that can go unquestioned. She's saying, "You know what though? Really think about what you're advocating for when you say it's OK to ignore Bill Cosby or let him get away with what he is trying to get away with."
You quote in your article journalist Mike Sacks, who says that comedy can change people's opinions. In many ways aren't people like Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert preaching to the choir in a sense? And secondly, given the vast size of the United States, aren't the audiences for these shows relatively small?
That is definitely true. They do not have a huge audience, and certainly they all come at the world from a generally similar point of view, but these shows don't just exist as TV shows, they don't just exist for their late night audiences — they're also getting distilled on the Internet.
For example, the day after a John Oliver segment airs, news organizations will embed that segment and post it on their websites. A lot of sites do this. So what happens is, those segments and those ideas basically get filtered out into a wider public and into more of a mass audience than they would otherwise reach as just TV shows.
Then the ideas get talked about, journalists talk about the arguments that were made, and then other journalists go back and say, "No, that's not true." [laughs] There's a democratic discussion right there.
Do you think that this is in many ways the future of comedy, that comedians are going to become public intellectuals? And do you think that the backlash towards Trevor Noah, the new host of "The Daily Show," and what he has tweeted in the past is indicative of the larger change around comedy?
It's certainly indicative, but even the idea that the new host of "The Daily Show" would have this sort of moral guidance for the country is pretty profound — that's a pretty new thing. I do wonder if it will last for a very long time. I mean, comedy is always changing and it's always adopting new subject matters and new tones.
I'm not sure if this situation will stay the same for very long, largely because comedians will say that they don't want to have this role. I think a lot of them are adopting it, and gleefully so, but a lot of comedians — John Oliver, specifically — will also say, "You know, I'm just making jokes. I am not having responsibility over democratic discourse".
If that were the case, John Oliver wouldn't talk about the infrastructure problems of the United States. He goes on some tangents about some very obscure topics.
He definitely does. It's very nice if you can have it both ways — to sort of play that influential role but also say, "Well, I'm just making jokes." I think comedians have long tried to have it both ways in that sense.
But I do think a responsibility over democratic discourse is a big deal and I could see it wearing on comedians. They get sort of wrapped up in the partisanship of cultural conversations, and they might not want to have that role in democracy. I could see it switching back, but for right now it definitely does seem to be the trend.
Joan Scheckel coaches Hollywood stars with intense techniques 'simultaneously safe and scary'
Joan Scheckel works with writers, directors and actors to hone their craft. She’s been called "the director’s guru'"— Jill Soloway of Amazon’s streaming hit "Transparent" is among her clients, as is Rupert Sanders, who directed "Snow White and the Huntsman," and the directors of the indie hit "Little Miss Sunshine."
But in some industry circles there are varying opinions on Scheckel's approach. Some say she’s a master on par with famous acting coach Stanislavsky, while others say her teaching strategies — which for many require pushing physical and emotional boundaries — hurt more than they help.
KPCC got rare access to record inside Scheckel's studio, known as "The Space." It's a 4,000-square-foot warehouse, on Lexington Avenue east of La Brea in Hollywood.
During a visit in early April, Scheckel sat in the back of the warehouse in an area she calls "the garden." It’s a nook with hanging plants and a twinkling chandelier that dangles overhead.
Scheckel wore a T-shirt and shorts, and black Ugg boots that hit at mid-calf. It was Friday evening, just minutes away from the start of one of her sessions. Students pay $1,200 each to attend.
"What is about to happen is that I’m going to give a three-day lab," she said. "And what I hope to do is to give an experience to writers, directors, actors, filmmakers, producers, journalists about what stories mean, what that feels like, and how that’s embodied through action."
The June 3-Day Lab: Nugget, Action, Beats is coming up fast! June 5 - 7. Will you be attending? Spread the word! pic.twitter.com/u99ZQRtq4E
— Joan Scheckel (@filmmakinglabs)
The June 3-Day Lab: Nugget, Action, Beats is coming up fast! June 5 - 7. Will you be attending? Spread the word! pic.twitter.com/u99ZQRtq4E
— Filmmaking Lab Studios (@filmmakinglabs) May 27, 2015
As she describes her preparation process for the lab, she at times takes long pauses and closes her eyes mid-interview.
"I call it opening the empathic body," she said. "So already my head plates are opening, and my joints are softening, and I'm feeling my breath, and I'm just creating space in my joints, space in my mind."
Moments later, Scheckel gets up and walks off with no explanation.
Born and raised in Nutley, New Jersey, she says she wrote her first book of poems at age 7 and started writing plays around the same time. She later graduated with a theater degree from NYU and began her career on the stage. Scheckel doesn’t have any formal teaching training, but says she’s learned her technique by working on hundreds of films.
Filmmaker and longtime friend Lisa Leone, who met Scheckel during the late 1990s when she was working with Stanley Kubrick, said she's seen Scheckel develop her teaching technique over the years.
"It basically changed my life, I fell in love with it," she said, recalling her first encounters workshopping with Scheckel. "It just made me feel so alive."
Leone is now the vice president of artistic programs for the National YoungArts Foundation. In February, Scheckel worked with high school students during a YoungArts Los Angeles event for young artists. Scheckel has also expanded her work to studio executives — toward the end of last year she taught her technique to a group from Amazon.
Scheckel's IMDB page lists miscellaneous credits on titles going back to 1992, mostly for workshop development. Scheckel says she doesn’t pre-plan the workshops — it’s all about being receptive and in the moment.
During KPCC's visit, she instructed the group to begin by looking around. Soon, the class of about 15 students was grouped in pairs and trios, staring into partners’ eyes and touching strangers. She instructed the group to act out what she calls "resonate words" — things like "imaginative" and "ambitious."
No air conditioning or food was provided, and leaving the group for things like a bathroom break was questioned. That first day the course went well into the night, wrapping up after 11 p.m.
Holly Willis, a professor at USC’s film school who studies teaching trends, says Scheckel’s approach is completely unique.
"I think everyone is surprised, they’re shocked. They can’t believe what’s happening in the lab as it’s taking place," she said.
Willis — who’s taken several of Scheckel’s courses and is collaborating with her on a book project — said one of Scheckel’s talents is using the body as a teaching tool.
"I think that the process that Joan offers is a very intense, mentored experience that only someone like Joan can do," she said. "I mean, she’s incredibly gifted as a person who embodies, almost like a performance, the experience in the lab."
Some former students, who declined to be quoted for this piece, described the classes as a waste of money. They said they felt Scheckel was exploiting people’s vulnerabilities and pocketbooks.
Still, others credit Scheckel with helping them reach much-needed breakthroughs. Director Joshua Seftel — whose latest film recently premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival — has worked with Scheckel three times over the past 15 years.
"I feel like she creates an environment that is both sort of simultaneously safe and scary," he said. "But I think that there’s a reason for that, I think there’s an intention."
Seftel said Scheckel's methods work. On a recent shoot for a commercial, he heard Scheckel’s voice coaching him in his head. He said training with Scheckel teaches directors how to listen.
As for Scheckel, she describes her process this way:
"To really learn is a, is a felt experience and it's journey. And so when I’m giving a lab, I want to give you an experience. So the whole weekend is constructed like a ride, you know, a roller-coaster ride."
Scheckel offers 10 separate chapters to teach her technique. Willis, the professor at USC, said that for her Scheckel's strategies were "perfectly right."
Willis’ writing changed dramatically after working with Scheckel, but for some Scheckel may be too frank to handle. If you want to be treated like a customer, Willis said, look elsewhere.
Vance Joy goes from Australia to opening for Taylor Swift
The Australian singer-songwriter James Keogh, better known as Vance Joy, is already becoming one of the biggest acts in the music industry — and he’s only released one album, “Dream Your Life Away,” which debuted less than a year ago.
The single “Riptide” has sold more than 2 million copies in the U.S. alone and been streamed more than 200 million times on Spotify. We spoke with Keogh/Joy at the Coachella music festival.
Taylor Swift/Vance Joy mutual appreciation society
Along with all his other success, he’s moving on from Coachella to opening on tour for the one and only Taylor Swift. They're apparently fans of each other's music — they've both covered hits by the other.
Ahead of touring with T-Swift, Joy dropped his own cover of Swift's "I Know Places."
Touring for the first time
Joy told us about the difficulties of life as a touring musician.
"When I was writing my debut album, I suppose I was in a bit of a frantic emotional state in some ways, because I was torn in a lot of directions," Joy says.
Joy was starting to tour heavily, and says he hadn't previously experienced touring at all.
"It was all pretty new and I kind of had to adapt. And sometimes you think, 'Oh, it's so hard, do I even enjoy this?' But the overpowering feeling was that I just was passionate about the songs, and that I wanted them to be as good as they could be. So, that kind of guides you through, even though there's some tough times in terms of just wearing your body in, like accepting that sometimes you're going to be tired, sometimes you think you can't even sing, but you've got to do it."
What makes a quality song
"A lot of my songs, there is a thing — they're emotional, and they're often love songs. That's the kind of thing that triggers me, and that makes me excited about songwriting."
Joy says that when he hears a song that hits him in the heart, it's a combination of the music, the melody and the lyrics.
"I guess you try and emulate that with your own songs, and you don't necessarily have to be experiencing the exact story of the song, but it just has to be something that resonates with you."
He says that the impact of a good song is like when you read a strong emotional point in a book, and he's hoping to create that same feeling in his listeners.
Giving all of yourself to the audience
"At the moment, my favorite song to play live is a song called 'Georgia.' Which is, it's got a nice groove and it's slightly different in terms of the flavor and the instrumentation than the other songs on my album."
The song calls for Joy to commit hard to sell it to the audience.
"I guess there's no way of singing it without giving a lot of yourself. You have to really bring it for the vocal, because the vocal is quite high, and there's a couple of moments where I really, it's just me and my voice, and there's no other instruments."
Those moments are ones where Joy is forced to rise to the challenge.
"In those moments, I guess they require you to push, push yourself. And it feels good, and I think the people can connect with that when they're watching you give everything," Joy says. "Hopefully they think it's real."
The best feeling Vance Joy gets
While audiences may get lost in Joy's music, Joy hopes to get lost in it himself.
"Sometimes I find that the best feeling you can get is when you look around and you kind of forget that you're even performing, that you're even on stage. You're just in the song. I think if you can be in the song, however you get in it — I don't know how you do it, but sometimes it happens and it's nice. You go, 'Whoa, I'm performing,' and you snap out of it. But even just a moment of being in it is really good."
You can catch Joy on tour with Taylor Swift when they play five nights at the Staples Center in late August.