Since we couldn’t be in Edinburgh this year, comedian and saucy songstress Jessica Delfino has sent dispatches through both the literal Scottish fog and the Festival Fringe alcoholic one.
Being a New Yorker in Scotland offers its own interesting set of issues. The very words New York City put glimmers in people’s eyes. They think the streets of NYC are paved with gold and that everyone there is obviously a movie star. Audience members who follow me outside after the show, hoping to catch a glimpse of me slipping into a stretch white limo and slinking off, are surely more than a little disappointed to instead see me get onto a rickety mountain bike and pedal away carrying my guitar and purse, like a pack mule. I feel as a New Yorker it’s my duty to live up to the polish and shimmer that I’m supposed to have, so I do dress up for shows, I do apply a shade of showbiz red lipstick every evening before my show, I do sign autographs after shows, and I do sip red wine all sophisticated like, while the brutish Scots glug down pint after pint and exclaim, “Oy!” and “Arr!,” both in awe—and in ugghhh—of my New York pizzazz.
Lots of my American friends are here: Kurt Branohler and Kristen Schaal, Ben Lerman, Jamie Kilstein, Mike Amato, Carolyn Castiglia, David Calvitto, Marshall Cordell. The list goes on and on.
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Carolyn Castiglia,
David Calvitto,
Desiree Burch,
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Jamie Kilstein,
Janeane Garfalo,
Jena Friedman,
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Lewis Schaffer,
Margo Gomez,
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Michael Iannantuono,
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Reggie Watts,
Stacy Meyer,
Stuckey & Murray,
Tanya O'Debra,
Todd Womack,
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Headdress pendant depicting a Dragon Master.
Art
“Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul”
The flasks, bowls and ceremonial plaques in this exhibition at the Met often feature fantastical creatures.
Comedy
Kurt & Kristen: Double Down Hearts?
The award-winning duo presents a sordid tale of gambling, death and harelips, with a touch of phone sex.
Music
Brendan Benson
The ex-Raconteur touts his cool ’70s-sounding album My Old, Familiar Friend.
Books
Darin Strauss
A reading from the author of the medical satire (impeccable timing) More than It Hurts You.
Lecture
“Sexuality, Politics and Spain”
When will historians (apart from tonight’s speaker, Patricia Grieve) realize it’s always been about sex? Everything is, including the Spanish Inquisition, the topic of this talk.
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Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler
You know how it’s great when a “friend” becomes successful because they’re really talented, but they have to move away to follow that success? Blows, right?
Well, we’re worried this might happen to Flight of the Conchords‘ Kristen Schaal and her comedic partner, Kurt Braunohler.
They’ve just recorded a pilot episode of their Web series, Penelope the Pet Princess, in Britain. In case they’re across the pond for a while, try and catch them while they’re hot.
The pair is hosting a one-hour radio show on Raw Dog Comedy (SIRIUS channel 104 and XM channel 150) on Wednesday at 5pm, ending next week. And in honor of the so-not-dead wireless medium, we asked Schaal and Braunohler for their top five favorite moments in radio history. They love it so much they gave us seven:
- The discovery of Planet Vultan after intercepting their good vibrations.
- Beet boxing.
- Caroline in the City radio play.
- Washington’s announcement of independence from Great Britain.
- 1968: The first radio that made it to the moon! (I loved when it hit that golf ball!)
- 1972: The first radio that made it to the Marianas Trench. Radio never sounded as good as when it was two miles under the sea!
- 2068: The first radio becomes sentient and demands to be listened to
If you’d prefer to see them in the flesh, Schaal and Braunohler are hosting their variety show, Hot Tub, at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre every Thursday.
