Below is my — once again — exhaustive response to his previous note to me.

For those of you who aren’t caught up with ths saga yet. Bill (& previously Jodi) had sent me an E-mail telling me that I “sucked.” I responded with logic, grammar, and an anaogy about getting more flies with sugar than vinegar, which he promptly… Well, you’ll see. I’m not really trying to change his mind or even piss him off. This has become quite a fun writing project for me. Thanks, Bill (and maybe Jodi)! Enjoy…
Read More…

This picture was taken of me a few years back by Shannon Casey Splain to promote a birthday show that I did. Enjoy…

by Shannon Casey Splain

Here is my response to Bill and Jodi. I sent it to them a few minutes ago. It’s a little wordy, but it was actually fun to write. Do you think I’ll hear back from them? If you haven’t seen their E-mail to me then you can scroll down. It is the post right below this one. And now my response…

Bill & Jodi,

Hmmm? Interesting… There are so many issues with your E-mail. Let’s go at them one at a time. Shall we?

1) I don’t know if you are aware of this, Bill and Jodi, but comedy — like all art —  is subjective; therefore every individual has the right to like and not like whoever and whatever they want, but — AND HERE’S THE KICKER!!! — Just because YOU don’t like the art, it doesn’t intrinsically make that art bad. In fact, it is the strength of art that there is literally something out there for everybody. Read More…

Bill & Jodi

Just got this E-mail from Bill & Jodi. I don’t know Bill & Jodi, but apparently they think their opinion is one that I should have. The punctuation and grammar mistakes are their own. Enjoy…

“Hey Man, was at your show last night to be honest I thought it sucked so did my girlfriend the two guys before you had much better material and were funny. and they didn’t have to look at notes. Good luck to you.” — Bill and Jodi

My favorite part is”to be honest..” It’s as if I asked for their opinion and they had this conversation, “Jodi, should we be honest? Yes, Bill, we should. Kamau needs to hear this.”

I’m sending them a response. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Elon James White is a Brooklyn-based comedian, writer and creator of the award-winning web series This Week in Blackness; a satirical look at race, politics and pop-culture in a so-called “post-racial” America. White has been a featured commentator on VH1’s Black to the Future & The Great Debate. His commentary on race and politics has been featured on The Huffington Post, Alternet and The Root. Praised as “The perfect comedian for the Obama era, talking race while exploding racial stereotypes” by Dr. Harris-Lacewell of Princeton on Politco.com and as “Precise, thought provoking and hilarious” by Daily Show Co-Creator Lizz Winstead, White continues to win accolades from critics, academia and audiences alike. He was the recent recipient of four 2009 Black Weblog Awards, including Best Humor Blog, Best MicroBlog (Twitter), Best Video Blog and Blog of the Year. Elon has been featured in The NY Observer, NY Post, Gothamist, Newsweek and Gawker and has appeared on ComedyCentral.com and Sirius Satellite Radio. White’s live stand up appearances include the DC Comedy Festival, the NY Underground Festival, University of Washington, Duke University and New York University.

The Brooklyn Comedy Company is proud to present “The Post-Racial Show.” Elon James White teaches us the power of being “Post-Racial” featuring comedians Kevin Avery, W. Kamau Bell, and a very special guest!

http://bit.ly/153ea1

Improv Comedy Lab
323-651-2583
8158 Melrose Ave., L.A., CA  90046

I Heart Hamas: And Other Things I’m Afraid to Tell You Off Market Theaters, 965 Mission; www.ihearthamas.com. $20. Thurs and Sat, 8pm. Through Dec 12. An American woman of Palestinian descent, San Francisco actor Jennifer Jajeh grew up with a kind of double consciousness familiar to many minorities. But hers—conflated and charged with the history and politics of the Middle East—arguably carried a particular burden. Addressing her largely non–Middle Eastern audience in a good-natured tone of knowing tolerance, the first half of her autobiographical comedy-drama, set in the U.S., evokes an American teen badgered by unwelcome difference but canny about coping with it. The second, set in her ancestral home of Ramallah, is a journey of self-discovery and a political awakening at once. The fairly familiar dramatic arc comes peppered with some unexpected asides—and director W. Kamau Bell nicely exploits the show’s potential for enlightening irreverence (one of the cleverer conceits involves a “telepathic Q&A” with the audience, premised on the predictable questions lobbed at anyone identifying with “the other”). The play is decidedly not a history lesson on the colonial project known as “the Israeli-Palestinian conflict” or, for that matter, Hamas. But as the laudably mischievous title suggests, Jajeh is out to upset some staid opinions, stereotypes and confusions that carry increasingly significant moral and political consequences for us all. (Avila)

SF Bay Guardian Review (scroll down)

Here’s the interview I did on KPFA with the AWESOME Aimee Allison. On health care, politics, Barbara Lee, & Twitter. Enjoy… http://tinyurl.com/ykvmsdp

I’m coming to The San Francisco Punch Line Thanksgiving Weekend. Four shows only. Friday, November 27th & and Saturday, November 28th. On the Saturday shows, I am recording my 2nd comedy CD. Which means Friday night, I’ll be experimenting and Saturday night I’ll come out guns blazing. Either way these are going to be epic shows. You have four opportunities to come out and see what I’m up to.

I order you… DON’T MISS THESE SHOWS!

And as a special added bonus, YOU can get into ANY of the shows 2for1!

All you have to do is call the club at 415 397 7573 and use the password NEW BLACK!

Now it’s truly BLACK FRIDAY!

Special guest on all four shows: my cohort, Kevin Avery (“Siskel” of Siskel and Negro)

Come out bring a friend and strap in.