I f***ed up! Sorry, cities I won’t be coming to now.

Yesterday, I went to two birthday parties for four year olds. Two in one day. Separated by enough time to go home take a deep breath and head back out again. Now, I’m not a creep. I had an a reason to be there. I was with my 3 and a half year old daughter. I’m happy that my daughter’s social schedule is so packed. It helps validate why me and the family returned to the Bay Area. But normally I wouldn’t be at both parties. Me and my wife would have roshambo’ed for who went to which party. Or we would’ve picked out parties based on the activities at the parties. (My wife would’ve loved the second one. It was at a gymnastics school.) We didn’t split the duties this time because our new daughter is two weeks old and my wife is currently embedded in breastfeeding. Which brings me to why I’m writing. I am canceling some dates on the tour. I have no idea what I was thinking in booking such an aggressive schedule so soon after the birth of my second child. (Oh wait. I remember. I had no idea how hard this would be.) I guess I thought two kids would only be twice as hard. Two kids isn’t twice as hard anymore than getting hit by a second train right after the first train is twice as hard. So sorry, Kansas City, Des Moines, Omaha, Ferndale, and Cincinnati. I’ll be back soon when we have time to figure this all out. And when I’m (hopefully) going on more than five hours of sleep a night. I talked about this recently on the Pete Holmes podcast. I said when you are a comic and a parent, parenting takes up like 80% of your brain whereas before comedy could pretty much get all of it. Well with this second kid so far parenting has taken up 99%. She’s a greedy one, being all newly born and all.


Also — and this doesn’t sound cool or funny I know — but I like my family and this seems like an important time to be there. Going nearly three weeks without being home seems more than crazy. It seems dumb.

So please forgive me Kansas City, Des Moines, Omaha, Ferndale, and Cincinnati. I fucked up and I need to scale back some. I still love you. I just love my family more.

Updated FULL LIST of TOUR DATES here.

W. KAMAU BELL ANNOUNCES OH, EVERYTHING! TOUR

W. KAMAU BELL ANNOUNCES OH, EVERYTHING! TOURFan Presale Starts Thursday Sept 18, 10am PT Time Tickets Onsale Friday Sept 19, 11am Local Time

W. Kamau Bell announces dates for his Oh, Everything! Stand-up Comedy winter tour, which kicks off in November and runs through the end of January 2015, taking the comedian from coast to coast and everywhere in between. A fanclub presale begins today, Thursday, September 18th at 10am PT time www.wkamaubell.com. General public presale starts tomorrow, Friday September 19th at 11am local time. VIP Packages are also available at $50 to benefit Race Forward. These packages will include a post-show meet and greet with W. Kamau Bell and an autographed, personalized tour poster. Dates below. All tickets are available at www.wkamaubell.com.

Socio-political comedian W. Kamau Bell’s Oh, Everything! promises to be a comedic attack on everything he can’t stop thinking about, including but not limited to homophobia, the ’N” word, gentrification, President Obama, why the borders should be opened, his mixed race kids, your “friends”, your “followers”, why he could never be an atheist, why his God looks like Denzel Washington with dreadlocks, guns, guns, guns, and of course Kamau’s old buddy racism! The title of Kamau’s tour dates back to his days on Totally Biased. Kamau and the writers would often sit back and find gallows humor in the dark subject matter they tackled. At the end of a big laugh about a difficult subject, someone would sit back and say, “Oh, George Zimmerman!” OR “Oh, The GOP’s War on Women!” OR “Oh, Donald Trump!” And eventually these recurring expressions just morphed into, “Oh, Everything!”

Kamau has emerged as the post-modern voice of comedy, hailed by the New York Times as “the most promising new talent in political comedy in many years,” and voted San Francisco’s best comedian by the SF Weekly, the SF Bay Guardian, and 7×7 Magazine. Kamau may be most recognizable for his critically acclaimed FX/FXX comedy series Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell. Kamau was creator, writer and host of the show, which was executive produced by Chris Rock who became a fan of Kamau’s after seeing his one man show, The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in About an Hour. Totally Biased was nominated for “Best Talk Series” at the 2012 NAACP Image Awards and Salon.com listed Kamau on their “Sexiest Men of 2012” list, calling the series “surreptitiously revolutionary in its effortless diversity and humanism.” The San Francisco Chronicle raved, “it makes The Daily Show seem like something your dad watches.” Kamau’s writing has appeared on Salon.com, Buzzfeed, and colorlines.com. His recent Buzzfeed article on the lack of diversity in mainstream late night talk show hosts was quoted (and misquoted) all over the Internet, including in The Hollywood Reporter. Kamau’s TV, radio and podcast appearances include HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, Conan on TBS, WTF with Marc Maron, The View, NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and Comedy Central’ s @midnight and John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show.

Race Forward advocates for racial justice, focusing on issues such as immigration, LGBT liberation, and economic equity. Race Forward accomplishes its impactful work through leadership development, research, and via its award-winning daily news site, Colorlines. For more information visit: www.raceforward.org.

W KAMAU BELL’S “OH, EVERYTHING!” COMEDY TOUR

Preview Shows 9/21 – Tempe, AZ @ The Tempe Improv 9/22 – San Diego, CA @ Mad House Comedy Club 9/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ Largo

The Tour 11/4 – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar 11/5 – Columbia, MO @ Mojo’s 11/6 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center 11/8 – Austin, TX @ Fun Fun Fun Fest 11/9 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live 11/11 – Des Moines, IA @ Wooly’s 11/12 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room 11/13 – Iowa City, IA @ The Mill 11/14 – St. Paul, MN @ The Turf Club 11/15 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon 11/16 – Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall 11/19 – Ferndale, MI @ Magic Bag 11/20 – Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre 11/21 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Garfield Artworks 11/22 – Washington, DC @ Sixth & I 11/23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts 12/3 – Manchester, NH @ Shaskeen Pub 12/4 – Burlington, VT @ Nectars 12/5 – Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall 12/6 – Providence, RI @ Fete Lounge 12/7 – New York, NY @ SubCulture 1/6 – New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina’s 1/7 – Little Rock, AR @ Juanita’s Cantina 1/8 – Jackson, MS @ Duling Hall 1/9 – Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall – 1884 Lounge 1/10- Nashville, TN @ Exit In 1/14 – Athens, GA @ The Melting Point 1/15 – Knoxville, TN @ The Pilot Light 1/16 – Birmingham, AL @ Zydeco 1/17 – Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl 1/21 – Portland, OR @ Hollywood Theatre 1/22 – Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall 1/23 – Spokane, WA @ The Bartlett 1/24 – Seattle, WA @ Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute

http://www.wkamaubell.com/

https://www.facebook.com/wkamaubellofficial

https://www.youtube.com/user/wkbonline

Press requests to Sheila Kenny at Right On! PR sheila@rightonpr.com // o. 512-487-5005 // c. 917-847-9977

Shows Added in Tempe & San Diego + NEW Uppity Tee + My Mom's Book!

Hello Peoples! I know you just heard from me a week ago, but now that I'm back in the Bay Area for good (READ MORE ABOUT THAT HERE.) and we've found a new home... and a new pre-school... and a new mid-wife... and most excitingly... A NEW TRADER JOES(!) I'm ready to get back to work!

Last week, I told you about my residency in San Francisco at The Cynic Cave (It's almost sold out). I also told you about my return to Largo in Los Angeles. (Get your tickets here.) And today I am adding two more cities to this growing "tour."

SHOWS ADDED IN TEMPE, AZ AND SAN DIEGO, CA

Today at 11am PT, advance tickets will go on sale on my site for shows in Tempe, AZ on 9/21 and in San Diego, CA on 9/22. And both of these shows will be for just 15 bucks. THAT'S A 2014 SHOW AT 2004 PRICES! I'm practically giving the comedy away! As I add more shows, I'm really trying to keep the ticket prices low in my effort to be stand-up comedy Fugazi. (Now there's a musical reference worth Googling.)

Get your PRESALE TICKETS HERE for one day only (and then they will be on sale to the public tomorrow at 11am PT):

MY MOM'S NEW BOOK!

Also please continue to support my mom's Kickstarter for her new book, like you've been doing. There are only five days left and we are still a good ways off from hitting our goal. Even a dollar will help, and/or just spreading the word on your social media Internetic platforms and devices.

BLOGGITY

And in case you didn't know, I'm a huuuuuuge basketball fan, so I wrote a blog recently about Team USA and Paul George's broken leg. If that means something to you then check it out here. If that doesn't well there are still a lot of things for us to talk about.

NEW T-SHIRT!

Thank you for your time.

Kamau

So That Happened Pt. 2: I was on Bill Maher and...

Last week I had what I knew going in was a rare showbiz occurrence. I was booked to appear on Comedy Central’s @midnight with Chris Hardwick and on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher. For now, I believe that I alone hold that distinction. Call the Comedy Hall of Fame and bronze my parking passes! When I realized I was going to do both shows in the same week, I knew I was up for a challenge. Before the week began I couldn’t imagine two more different shows for a comic to appear on. But now that the week is over I know that they have one thing in common. Both are basically game shows. Sure there are differences. Bill doesn’t scream, “POINTS!” like Chris does on his show. And you don’t get bathed in red light when you lose on Real Time, although you do get bathed in Bill’s red glare.

ICYMI, here’s the clip.

So yeah, I (apparently) lost a game on Bill’s show that I didn’t know I was playing. The game was “Gotcha!” And according to the Internet (and the number of misspelled and nigger filled --- the word, not the people --- tweets in my timeline), I got gotcha’ed!

Here’s what went down from my (totally biased) perspective. Bill read a Paul Ryan quote from a radio interview on Bill Bennett’s show. The panel had been given the quote before the show. And then he asked if it was okay to infer that Ryan was talking about people of color without saying the words. The panel had also been told that this was going to happen. In fact, I had been told right before the show taped to jump in first on this one because --- and I quote --- “As an African-American Bill is going to want to hear your perspective.” Anyone who knows me knows I’m a sucker for conversations about race and racism in America. Well, I got played for a sucker.

After the question came up, I basically said (FIRST!) that the quote was clearly about race, Bill read a second quote that he said was from Paul Ryan, and I snickered. And then Bill made that famous Bill Maher face that we all know (and many love). And he declared that the second quote was from Michelle Obama. Duh, duh, duuuuuuuh!

The studio was silent at that. But Bill seemed to believe it was the kind of stunned silence that followed when (Breaking Bad spoiler alert) that blonde dude killed that kid on the bicycle on Breaking Bad. But I believe it was the stunned silence of...

“DUUUUUUUUDE! Why did you just lie to us like that? We trust you! Now we’re confused! What’s next? Are you going to say Kim Kardashian said it?”

Then Bill put the quote to me... Well on me more accurately, he put it on me. As if I was a representative of The Obamas. When I know he's a waaaaay bigger Obama fan than me. How do I know that? He gave them a million bucks. I gave them $30. Even by percentage of our incomes he's more into them than me.

But that was when I realized I was in a game of “Gotcha!” And then my private school high school diploma kicked in. I needed more information. So I asked where Michelle Obama had said that. Bill answered that it was at Bowie State University. Then my Blackness sensor kicked in, and I surmised knew it was an historically black college, even though I had never heard of it before. Thanks for all the training, mom! I knew I wasn't a sucker!

And my response to Bill got my biggest laugh of the night. I said to Bill that Black people talk to each other differently when we aren’t around white people. (True. Sorry, White people.) I thought that would be that. But this clip has turned out to be a Rorschach test for ignorance. If you think he gotcha'ed me or the panel, I feel sorry for you.

And the real freaking bummer of all of this is that there is an awesome conversation to be had in the two different quotes from Ryan and the First Lady.

1. Is there a difference between what Paul Ryan said and what Michelle Obama said? (Yes, it’s called context.) 2. What is the difference between “othering” and “identifying”? (In one you are outside of the group of which you speak – Ryan. In the second you are a member of the group you are talking about – Michelle Obama was raised on the South Side of Chicago. It doesn’t get much “blacker”.) 3. Does context change the meaning of rhetoric? (Yes. Dramatically.) 4. Does Michelle Obama’s quote being pulled out of the middle of a commencement address that was in front of an audience of people who likely have direct relationships to the issues she is referencing play substantially differently than two white Neo-Cons in the echo chamber of conservative talk radio? (Umm… Yes.) 5. Is Michelle Obama's quote potentially problematic? (Sure. But let's discuss and... Oops, Bill says we're moving on.)

But Bill obviously didn’t want to have that conversation because if he had, he woulda had his awesome and gracious staff give the panel the Michelle Obama quote, too. He wanted to play “Gotcha!” Hey, good on him. It’s easy to trip people up if that is your sole intention. Go outside right now and see how many people you can trip while they walk around. I guessing it’s damn near 100%. Does it feel good? Not to me.

But again, who am I to judge? Bill’s got the rightfully acclaimed, long running hit show, and mine was canceled. I’m not even sure why he would waste his time gotcha’ing me. Was Al Sharpton not available?

Last week before the show I jokingly started a hashtag, #LetsAllHaveAThoughtfulDiscussion.

You know what hashtag is never going to trend? #LetsAllHaveAThoughtfulDiscussion

— W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) March 28, 2014

The joke being that it would never trend. It didn’t. But that’s actually what I am totally into. I have been closing my current stand-up tour talking about how the one sure way to initiate change is to have more awkward conversations. (Don’t worry. There’s a dick joke mixed in there to thin out the sure to come Nobel Peace Prize nomination.) But I believe in the power of the awkward conversation to bring people together. But this thing was just awkward.

VIP Tour Upgrades to Benefit Race Forward!

I am trying to help out my friends at Race Forward (formerly the ARC; they produce Colorlines, which many of you know) with some fundraising this year (full disclosure - I am a member of their advisory board). So I'm offering these special VIP Upgrade Packages in every city of my tour, to benefit Race Forward. If you already have a ticket, you can buy one of these packages for $55* and it will include a VIP meet and greet with me after the show, and an autographed, personalized tour poster. I love these posters. My friend Dima Drjuchin made them! But most importantly you get to help an amazing organization that is on the frontlines of racial justice.

*Apologies for the typo in Kamau's recent mailer. The price for the VIP upgrade is $55, not $50. - Team WKB*

"Oh, Everything" Comedy Tour Begins + New Cities!

It's time to head out on the first leg of my new stand-up comedy tour, “Oh, Everything!” I’m excited…. And nervous… And I don’t know if I’m elated or gassy but I’m somewhere in that zone. (FROZEN REFERENCE! I have a 2 1/2 daughter who is addicted to it… Screw it. As am I.) Tonight the tour begins in Bloomington, Indiana! Then we go to St. Louis, Chicago, Denver, Portland, OR, and Oakland. And today I am also happy to announce the second leg of the tour featuring several cities that I have never performed in before: Chapel Hill, NC, Charleston, SC, and Cambridge, MA. And yes, there is finally a New York date… Well, actually BROOKLYN! Because… Brooklyn.

For the new tour cities, I was able to get a limited number of fanclub tickets for you guys that will be on sale TODAY at 10am ET. These tickets are direct-from-me with no fees! Full list of tour dates and ticket links HERE.

Bloomington Book Drive

If you are coming to my show in Bloomington tomorrow, I am doing a book drive with this local non-profit called Pages to Prisoners. By providing free books upon request, they hope to promote rehabilitation and reintegration, and to stimulate critical thinking behind bars. If you want to support, bring a book* (or 2 or 3!) that you don't want anymore to the show. Local bookstore, Boxcar Books, will be on hand to collect your donated books, which will get you entry to a VIP meet and greet with yours truly after the show.

If you don't have tickets yet, there are still a few left here!

* Here is some info on what kinds of books they need and don't need:

What We Don't Need

Romance Novels Popular Fiction geared only to a female audience (the majority of the people who request books from our project are men) Books about popular culture that are older than 10-15 years old Reader's Digest condensed versions of books "Gift" books Very advanced/specialized textbooks or other academic books Multivolume Encyclopedias Books for young children Travel guidebooks True crime (many facilities prohibit these books) GRE test prep books Legal theory books, property, business law

Note: As many prisons and jails prohibit hardcover books, they are much less useful to our project than paperback ones.

What We Always Need

These are books that are often requested but not often donated.

New or like new books Mystery/thriller/suspense/horror/adventure Sci-fi/Fantasy Westerns African-American studies or fiction with African-American characters "Life skills" - personal finance, job skills, etc. Entrepreneurship/Real Estate/Small Business Spanish language books Technical and Vocational Skills (carpentr, auto mechanics, electronics, HVAC, etc.) Basic high school level textbooks for math and science Criminal and civil-rights law books, criminal case law, self-help legal books GED test prep books

In addition, we can always use these materials: clear packing tape, packing tape dispensers, packing paper, pens and blank white paper.

"Oh, Everything!" Stand-up Tour Poster

HeyEverybody! Check out my awesome new poster for my new stand-up comedy tour, called "Oh, Everything!" It was made by Dima Drjuchin. I love it so much! Please share it with THE WORLD!

Bloomington IN, St. Louis, Chicago, Denver, Portland OR, Oakland CA, Miami...