If you’re new, welcome! I’m Caitlin and this is my newsletter. I hope it convinces you that grammar is the key to saving your eternal soul.
Hey fam,
Happy President’s Day tomorrow (at least for our U.S. readers!) I hope you get to enjoy a day off with your loved ones.
Lincoln usually tops people’s lists of their favorite historical presidents, and I’ve always thought he seemed like an interesting dude. So I was fascinated to learn that the seemingly serious Civil War president also had a reputation for being quite a comedian when it suited him. He was well known among peers for his storytelling, ability to memorize jokes, improvised witticisms, and spot-on impressions (and all without taking a single UCB class.)
"In our walks about the little towns where courts were held," said Whitney, "he saw ludicrous elements in everything, and could either narrate some story from his storehouse of jokes, else he could improvise one.... In anything and everything Lincoln saw some ludicrous incident."
But as the Bible/Voltaire/Churchill/Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben says, “With great power comes great responsibility” and at one point Lincoln let himself get carried away by the thrill of the stage, roasting political opponent Jesse B. Thomas until the man cried:
"He felt the sting of Thomas' allusions," said Herndon, "and for the first time on the stump or in public, resorted to mimicry for effect. In this ... he was without a rival. He imitated Thomas in gesture and voice, at times caricaturing his walk and the very motions of his body. Thomas, like everybody else, had some peculiarities of expression and gesture, and these Lincoln succeeded in rendering more prominent than ever. The crowd yelled and cheered as he continued. Encouraged by the demonstration, the ludicrous features of the speaker's performance gave way to intense and scathing ridicule. Thomas, who was obliged to sit near by and endure the pain of the unique ordeal, was ordinarily sensitive; but the exhibition goaded him to desperation. He ... actually gave way to tears.... The next day it was the talk of the town, and for years afterwards it was called the 'skinning' of Thomas.... I heard him [Lincoln] afterwards say that the recollection of his conduct that evening filled him with the deepest chagrin. He felt that he had gone too far and to rid his good nature of a load, hunted up Thomas and made ample apology."1
So there you have it: even America’s favorite president had to learn the hard way that “punching down” is usually not a good idea. To me, this anecdote also illustrates the way politics in the 1800s were surprisingly similar to today. Sometimes I complain that people have started expecting comedians to be politicians and politicians to be comedians, and while I do think it’s true to an extent, this revelation suggests maybe comedy has always played a part in political success.
Moral of the story? Don’t get into a roast battle with Abe Lincoln.
Anyway, let’s get into it.
Big news: For a while I’ve been thinking about exploring different types of media, and thanks to a Substack drawing I now have access to Descript Pro, the audio and video editing software. So things are about to get FANCY in here, babyyyy!
Right now I’m doing a little research project to prepare for my impending Tech Revolution. And I need your help! My first step is to find the best stuff out there and figure out what those people are doing right. So leave a comment and tell me:
1. Your favorite podcast, and
2 . Something about it that you like!
Or if you want to tell me about one you tried and hated, that works too!
📖 Recommended Reading:
I’m William Henry Harrison, And It Seems You’ve Forgotten Me Again This Presidents’ Day (Gracie Beaver-Kairis in McSweeney’s)
“Every year on this hallowed holiday, I rise from my grave with a sense of hope. Perhaps this is the year when I, too, will be poorly impersonated by a local salesman promoting a blow-out sale on horseless carriages. But alas, it seems that again I am doomed for all eternity to be nothing more than a pub trivia answer that nobody can recall.”
This is just a silly one, pairing facts (and rumors) about the short, strange, and tragic life of America’s 9th president with the hilariously low-stakes ways people observe Presidents Day today.
📺 Recommended Viewing:
If you have HBO Max, check out “Trash White,” the debut comedy special from Moses Storm. I don't have HBO Max, so I haven’t seen the whole thing, but Storm was a recent guest on my favorite podcast and they played the audio of a five-minute story that was…absolutely wild (you can listen here). The special is an hour-long exploration of poverty and Storm’s experience growing up as “white trash.” Beyond the jokes, it’s an elaborately designed visual experience with a set and camera direction that has people buzzing. Watch the trailer, then watch the whole special, then tell me all about it so I can feel like I watched it too!
🗞️ What Happened This Week:
A new study found that child poverty in the U.S. has increased from 12.1% to 17% since the expanded Child Tax Credit expired at the end of 2021. But look at it as a good thing: an incentive for these kids to pull themselves up by their Payless Toddler Size 4 bootstraps.
Apple is rolling out new features to let iPhone users know if someone is surreptitiously using an AirTag to track them. In unrelated news, Apple will continue using location services to track us.
A Catholic priest in Arizona resigned after it was discovered that he accidentally said “we” instead of “I” during baptisms throughout his career, rendering thousands of baptisms and consequent sacraments invalid. The Vatican has also announced that people who write their instead of they’re are going to Hell.
💰 Jobs, Auditions, & Opportunities:
I have no affiliation with any opportunities posted here! If you’d like to list something, reply to this email and let me know.
Chicago
[BIPOC Performers] The Second City Chicago is proud to announce our annual Bob Curry Fellowship. This tuition-free, one of a kind professional development master program offers up to 16 fellowships to qualifying actors and improvisers from diverse multicultural backgrounds to train and study at the Second City Hollywood Training Center. [I think they mean Chicago] The Bob Curry Fellowship program is specifically seeking talent/applicants who are BIPOC.
Anywhere
[Humor Writers] The second monthly Humor Me open mic will take place February 27th, 2022 at 8PM ET/5PM PST. Performers will be given a max of 5 minutes to read their piece. The show is capped at 20 performers. Performers and viewers should register beforehand.
Stay classy and stay alive!
Love,
Caitlin and Frank 💁🏻♀️🐈
Thomas, B. P. (1981, January 1). Lincoln's humor: An analysis. Papers of the Abraham Lincoln Association. Retrieved February 20, 2022, from https://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jala/2629860.0003.105/--lincoln-s-humor-an-analysis?rgn=main%3Bview
People who write their instead of they’re are, most certainly, going to Hell 😂