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Top Reads, Top Comedy and Top Pods of 2023 In The Opinion of Dr. De Veau
It’s the end of the year, and with that we get to consume top choices on lists of varied types from experts of questionable ilk. So, as I seek legitimacy, here are my top picks in random categories. Take a gander and get a deeper appreciation my taste, or lack thereof.
Top Reads of the Year
These reads may not be from 2023, but I read them IN 2023, making them a current read.
Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the '80s
Gary Gulman (2023)
Gulman is one of my favorite stand up comedians. He has been public with his personal battle with depression, and his 2019 special, “The Great Depresh” is worth a watch. This memoir provided insight into his life growing up on the North Shore(ish) of Massachusetts and gives the reader an appreciation of how sometimes, we don’t just ‘snap out of it.’
Pathways to Reform: Credits and Conflict at The City University of New York
Dr. Alexandra W Logue (2017)
I have become pretty much obsessed by the concept of credit mobility. I had the great and good fortune to host Dr. Logue on my podcast in Season 2 and she spoke to my graduate students this fall on the subject. This book is a fantastic look into the inner workings of transformational change in Higher Ed. A personal and honest take on the benefits and challenges that existing in politically charged change.
Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars
Kliph Nesteroff (2023)
2023 has been an interesting year for stand up comedy and I have immersed myself in my favorite art form, especially watching stand-up specials and reading books on the art form. Nesteroff is a bit of a comedy scholar, and he has written several excellent books on the subject. Outrageous is outstanding and really digs into what was offensive and why over the decades. It gives a new and more informed perspective on what is acceptable and what isn’t on the stage - and why what is happening in society has an impact.
Top Comedy Specials of the Year
Since comedy is such a focus of the books, I will go to the stand up specials. 2023 has been an interesting year for comedy, more comedians are going straight to YouTube to distribute their specials. I am not entirely enamored with the YouTube platform, but I am respectful of the comedians who are seeking a bit more independence in the production. However, none of the top specials of the year were from YouTube. YouTube was “fine”. just didn’t excel.
Bamford is one of the quirkiest and most authentic comedic voices out there. She has a memoir “Sure I’ll Join Your Cult”. Which I will be reading in 2024. She, like Gulman has been very public with her life and her mental illness. (See a trend here?)
Former Saturday Night Live writer and accomplished stand up, Mulaney had a very public stint in rehab for drug addiction. Mulaney has been drinking and using drugs since adolescence, and the honesty and insight into how important his community of comedians in helping him get help really gripped my heart when watching this special. Some of the special gets dark - but Mulaney’s spark is real, and he pulls the audience in with his incredibly well crafted jokes and story telling gifting us with an understanding of his lived experience.
Marc Maron: From Bleak to Dark
Speaking of dark, this one is DARK. But that’s ok. Marc Maron is - arguable - one of my favorite comics today. He has shown his acting chops in his self title sitcom, “Maron” and in the streaming ensemble show, “Glow”. His recent guest stint on “Reservation Dogs” was notable and his film appearance in “To Leslie” as Sweeney and in the Aretha Franklin bio pic, “Respect” as the legendary producer, Jerry Wexler was notable. As a comedian, I have enjoyed his look at the absolute insanity of it all when it comes to antisemitism, politics, the climate, all of it. Maron is a tactical comedian - and what I mean by that is that he WORKS the jokes. He fine tunes them to the point that they are running like a well oiled machine. This special may be DARK, but it is outstanding.
Top Podcasts
The medium that I absorb the most content is through Podcasts. I love them. They inform me, they entertain me, and they make me cry a bit. These are the three that I listen to every morning, without fail:
Up First: NPR
The Daily: The New York Times
The Powers that Be: Puck News
I start my day with these three pods because they give me what I need. A quick hit of News from NPR, the Daily allows for a deeper dive into one topic and Puck has a great format where they give listeners a glimpse into how Hollywood, politics and media are really driving our daily lives.
Limited Edition Pods that have blown my mind:
Wiser than Me: Julia Louis Dreyfus
The Big Dig: GBH
Murder in Boston: HBO/Boston Globe
“Wiser that Me” was a grand slam. Every woman between the ages of 45 and 65 should listen to this podcast. Every human who loves a woman between the ages of 45 and 65 should listen to this podcast. The “Big Dig” pod was a nerdy deep dive into the biggest infrastructure project in New England’s history since the building of the Back Bay with backfill. So much fun listening to this and remembering the traffic… and the elevated highway, and appreciating what it has turned into. “Murder in Boston” is nauseating. It is stirring up every emotion possible in the city right now, and it is about time.
Weekly laughs / entertainment
WTF: Marc Maron
Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend: Conan O’Brien
SmartLess: Jason Bateman, Will Arnett & Sean Hayes
I’ve Had It: Jennifer Welch & Jennifer “Pumps” Sullivan
Each week, these podcasts entertain me just enough to keep me smiling. They also help me keep my cocktail party / coffee shop conversations going. Which as a middle aged woman, I need all the material I can get.
Happy New Year
This will be the last new edition of “What’s Up in the Academy?” until the New Year. Please, take good care, laugh a little, cry a little and surround yourself with excellent humans. May the New Year bring you wondrous things.
Fortify Features
Dr. Laura De Veau is Principal & Founder of Fortify Associates, LLC. Fortify Associates, LLC is unique in the higher education, not-for-profit, and public service market. They provide comprehensive workshops, program reviews and project management services with a combination of in-person and virtual delivery. Fortify Associates is committed to creating experiences that are unique to the needs and culture of each of their clients. Dr. Laura De Veau is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education & Human Development.
As usual, your taste is excellent. Glad to have discovered a couple of new things above.