McSweeney’s List (15 November, 2023)
Accessible Audio for McSweeney’s List will be available soon!
There’s something about humans that makes us love the sound of our own voices. Not that we all enjoy speaking per se, but given the opportunity to shout into a cave or canyon, most will. We enjoy the way our echo floats back to us. We know that there's science involved, but really, we don't consider how it happens, only that it's nice when it does. Maybe there's some comfort in hearing the landscape call back to us when we're humbled by the extent of nature. More likely we’re just entertained by our own power, like aural territorial pissing.
Everywhere we wander on the world wide web these days allows us the option for echo chambers. And I'm not sure that's a bad thing. Sure, we should all do thoughtful research about the issues that matter to us, and yes we should be open to well thought out criticisms of the ideas we hold dear. But my IG feed is for art and cute things and jokes, so ya, I'll cull the accounts that stray from showing me exactly what I want. That's basic online etiquette. That's how we get the Online Overlords to show us the guinea pigs we want, and the ads for the things I genuinely might buy. What seems strange is how this tendency to unfriend is seeping into real life.
In the past few weeks I've had different people come to me lamenting the differences of opinions that they have with friends. And I thought yeah, that happens, just dodge the topic, but not everyone is ready for that. While some people aren't capable of letting sleeping dogs lie, others are apparently incapable of maintaining friendships with those who disagree.
Both politics and religion used to be off the table in polite conversation. I'm as guilty as anyone of wearing both on my sleeve, and yet I'm careful about how far to take it. Some of my favorite conversations about religion and spirit have been with people who hold different views than myself. I've had deep and wonderful talks with atheists, and I've had some of my worst talks ever with the subset of angry atheists who will not be satisfied until all belief has been stripped from every heart. And those were terrible because they were trying to convince me. There was no reading of equal opinions, just one person railing about how the other is wrong and their opinion is stupid. Well, that's no damn fun. It changed how I perceived them, perhaps irreparably, but I didn't delete them from my life. Years of knowing them had given me enough basis to know that one glitch in our communication could not be enough to justify banishment.
When election time rolls around, my social circle zeroes itself out. One votes Conservative, one votes NDP, the Green Party catches a vote every now and again, and I’ve even got a friend who voted for Trump in the primaries. I've never felt compelled to sit any of these people down and tell them that they should agree with me, that they're wrong in their choice, that voting against each other doesn't help either of us. I realize that at the end of the day, we all want the same stability and comfort, and that we have different visions of how to get there. My friends’ political tendencies don't come up in my everyday life. What's harder to digest is the fact that some of my friends like comedians that I don't, and now Hannah Gadsby’s screwing up my algorithm. Or that my buddy who likes long drives also has awful taste in music. (No one asked for an EDM Kelly Clarkson cover. Ever.)
I'm not suggesting we avoid conflict at all costs. In fact, when it comes down to standing up for what you believe in, I'll protest for your right to do it even if I disagree. And I understand the pleasure of debate when it's done for sport or cerebral exercise. It can be invigorating, stimulating, at its best it opens possibilities in your mind and expands your perception. But to fight about a difference of opinion with a real friend to the point of jeopardizing the friendship itself is pretty drastic. Realistically, it should be reserved for grand discretions of character, or things gone awry that impact you directly.
I don't always quote a TV Doctor, but when I do it's usually Dr. Phil saying that the word divorce should never come up in an argument. “Whatever we’re arguing about”, he often said, “it's not the marriage.” I would invite us to apply that to our friendships. When we're disagreeing about politics, the best bar, or music (seriously though, not everything needs a cover, especially an EDM cover), let's take a deep breath and take a step back. Let's remember that these are the same people we laugh and cry with, call when we need to move furniture, celebrate successes with. And hopefully with all that in mind, we can agree to disagree and move on to brighter things.
GETTING WITTY WITH IT
Elspeth Wright is a JFL artist, a Ladyfest Alum, a funny human, and the keeper of obscure knowledge. This last bit is thanks to Battle of Wits, the comedy trivia show she started in 2019. I spoke with her this week to find out what that's all about.
I was inspired by British panel game shows…like Never Mind the Buzzcocks. I have really difficult-to-answer trivia questions in the first round. I try to find things that no one could possibly know the answer to and then the comedians have to make up answers. I've done quite a few shows at this point…probably 50 shows, and I think we've had two correct answers.
So now I obviously want to pick her brain about all the random things she knows, but that's not what we're here for. We’re talking about how cool this show is, and frankly, how cool Elspeth is. She writes Battle of Wits, hosts it, produces it, and does all the social media.
It's a lot of work, but it's really fun.
Each show has a panel of 3 or 4 comedians riffing on these nearly impossible questions, and yes, there are points.
The points are very arbitrary. Each round there are different points, and then at the end I have a one minute lightning round. It's pretty stressful because music's blaring, and I'm just shouting questions. But the questions for the lightning round are really easy, like what letter is after A in the alphabet, or something like that. So they can get a lot of points if they can handle the pressure. But yeah, somebody could be winning the whole game and then lose in the lightning round. It also just really depends on who I feel like giving points to at the moment.
The show was monthly before the pandemic, and during the lockdown it was a weekly YouTube show.
[Now it's] more or less just when I feel like it. I wish I could do it more often, but it's been a little hard to nail down a venue. This will be the first time I'm doing it at the Comedy Nest, and I'm so excited that they're letting me do it there!
This episode will feature returning guests Carly Baker and Viveth K, along with Joey Elias making his Battle of Wits debut. It's bound to be a laugh riot, and you might accidentally learn something too.
WHAT: Battle of Wits
WHERE: The Comedy Nest, 2313 St. Catherine St. W., 3rd Floor, Montreal, H3H 1N2
WHEN: Sunday, November 19, Doors @ 715 PM, Show @ 8 PM
METRO: Atwater (Green)
TICKETS: Eventbrite
DOUBLE THE LAUGHS
Comedians Al Val and Walter Lyng join forces for a magical evening of unbridled wonderment and insanity, live on the boulevard of broken dreams in the hallowed confines of MainLine Theatre. These are local legends, People! Don't miss the chance to see them both at once and fully double your laughter. Hosted by Troy Stark, this evening will offer headline-length sets from both acts, who have been featured at comedy festivals and clubs across the country.
WHAT: Al Val and Walter Lyng: One Night Only
WHERE: MainLine Theatre, 3997 Boulevard St. Laurent, Montreal, H2W 1Y4
WHEN: Saturday, November 18, 9 PM
METRO: St. Laurent (Green)
DETAILS: Facebook
Radical Action
Hosted by local comedian Caro and burlesque/drag artist Mina Minou, this show puts the FUN in fundraising! Since this is all for Press Start Co-Op, I reached out to bodacious beauty Mina Minou to find out what the co-op means to her.
Press Start to me is a beacon of possibility and growth, a place where not only our youth, but everyone who comes through our doors or to our events are encouraged to think outside the boxes of capitalist culture, and oppressive systems to reimagine a world with collective care and a solidarity framework that not only lifts up marginalized voices but also creates leadership opportunities for them. Press Start engages youth in every step of the process truly collaborating for a “by and for” youth space that we rarely see but desperately need in our world! Press Start is a living and breathing example of radical direct action in the works and keeping that alive for our youth and the well being of all the communities we touch means the world to me!
I mean, how fab is that?! That's the stuff I love to hear. Plus, the lineup is stacked with performances by Dot Dot Dot, Malinka Molotov, Ray Resvick, Big Daddy Queen Power, Mehdi Agnaou, Sacha Pérusse, and Timothy Toxic.
Tickets are sliding scale 10-25 dollars available for pre-purchase OR at the door!
Remember: This is a fundraiser! Please come, be generous, and enjoy a fun night of entertainment!
WHAT: Press Start Cabaret Bénéfice
WHERE: Bâtiment 7, 1920 Rue le Ber, Montreal, H3K 2A5
WHEN: Friday, November 17, 730 PM
METRO: Lionel Groulx (Green)
DETAILS: Facebook
McSweeney’s List drops every Wednesday with the best events, workshops, and more, each week in Montreal!
