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The New Yorker Interview: Maria Bamford
After premiering at Sundance earlier this year, and serving as the opening night film at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival in April, the new doc from directors Judd Apatow and Neil Berkeley, Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story, hits Netflix earlier this month.
Correspondingly, the hilarious comedian from Duluth sat down for a lengthy conversation (paywalled, sorry!) with the New Yorker's Ava Kofman. The interview touches on her relationship with money and charity ("I never want to be a part of anything, because once you become a part of something, you realize how imperfect it is"), the death of her parents ("I could retire if I moved to Duluth, maybe. I could live pretty OK"), and her recent divorce ("I grew up in Minnesota, so I see everyone as a new friend ... And he’s from Philadelphia ... Everything is death asking him to play chess").
Bamford being Bamford, she of course also discusses her mental health and OCD and the process of filming the documentary—that sort of thing. Is friend/collaborator and Racket profilee Jackie Kashian mentioned by name? She sure is!
Piker x Ventura
We can't and really shouldn't tell you how to spend a rainy Monday evening. But if you find yourself with a few hours of free time after you read that very long Maria Bamford profile, Racket enthusiastically recommends yet another lengthy conversation—this one between Hasan Piker, the leftist streamer who strikes fear into the hearts of normie libs and right-wing nuts alike, and Jesse Ventura, former Minnesota governor and all-around hoot.
Maybe you've seen the local freakout about the Piker/Ilhan Omar/Omar Fateh event this week and wondered, "What should I know about this guy?" Maybe you've been like, "What's The Body up to these days?" Their chat will provide answers to both questions and then some, with ample discussion of Trump sucking, ICE sucking, and Ventura's attempt to organize a wrestler's union, among many, many other subjects.
You can watch the entire uncut and uncensored two-hour video on Twitter via this Hasan Piker clipping account, or find the slightly abridged 1.25-hour version of the interview below.
Chloe Radcliffe's New Special, Delightful Billboard Stunt
Aaaand elsewhere on the topic of "local comics on streamers," Prior Lake-raised comedian Chloe Radcliffe's first full-length special, Eyes Down Here, debuts Tuesday at 8 p.m. Central on Comedy Central's YouTube channel.
I did not realize, as Radcliffe tells KARE 11's Chris Hrapsky, that Comedy Central had taken a step back from standup specials during a period of acquisition and consolidation for the network. She'll be one of the first comedians with a special as they begin "re-staking their claim in standup," she says, before explaining a brilliant marketing stunt that involves putting up billboards advertising the special across the street from the homes and offices of former crushes. (Oh, but when I do it it's all "the court-mandated 100 yards applies to advertisements.")
You can watch that chat in full below. It's a lot shorter than the Bamford and Piker/Ventura ones, I promise.
RIP J. Todd Anderson, the "Hidden Hand" in the Coen Brothers-verse
Perhaps stretching the local-angle theme of today's Flyover a bit, but we've got to mention the passing of J. Todd Anderson, who died October 1 and was memorialized by the New York Times' Michael S. Rosenwald this weekend (gift link).
Anderson, an illustrator and longtime storyboard artist for the St. Louis Park-launched Coen brothers, was one of the last artists in Hollywood who worked with directors to create scene-by-scene sketches of their movies. They met while the Coens were shooting Raising Arizona, and Anderson would go on to work alongside them on films including Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and No Country for Old Men.
If you're not familiar with his work, here's how Ethan Coen describes the loss:
For more than 40 years, Mr. Anderson was the hidden hand in nearly every movie the Coen brothers made. It was a close-knit but unheralded working relationship that aesthetically defined one of the greatest runs in moviemaking history.
“If you like our movies, a lot of it is him — more than people know,” Ethan Coen said in an interview.
Asked who might replace him, Mr. Coen replied, “I have no idea. It’s too dismal to even think about.”
