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[brap]

Damn... So powerful...

The Tasmanian writer, actor, and global comedy star’s visceral detailing of her experience of misogyny, homophobia, sexual assault, pain and trauma dismantled and rebuilt the very form of stand-up, imploring the audience to witness, share, and empathise. On stage, she detonated something, and people are still picking through the debris.
Multiple facets of contemporary culture were projected onto the show. Everyone had an opinion, and Nanette was labelled many things: genius; the manifestation of confessional culture; staged Millennial narcissism (hardly, Gadsby is 41); solipsistic; performative pain; not even stand-up.

Gadsby had “broken” comedy, apparently. Two curious emotions underpinned much of the commentary: fear and anger. People were genuinely enraged by Gadsby’s audacity. The conservatism of stand-up was exposed as a crumbling male skeleton.
In the mushroom cloud that dissipated in the aftermath of this detonation, Gadsby took a step back. Speaking over the phone from New York ahead of bringing her latest show, Douglas, to Dublin later this month, Gadsby describes that period. “First of all, I got a team around me who shielded me from a lot. It was sort of overwhelming. I went to ground. I went into hiding. What have I done?

One of the problems with stand-up culture is that “it’s such a boys club”, she says. She hopes shows like Nanette, and now Douglas, “can shake it up a little, and create a less competitive environment on the ground”.

Despite the maelstrom of commentary, Gadsby isn’t mad at the internet. “The internet is one of the reasons many women finally have a voice, because media gatekeepers are men,” she says. “Nanette wouldn’t have been made in any other time, simply because of how I had direct access to a huge audience, and the audience decided very democratically.”

Hannah Gadsby: People were angry that I ‘wasn’t doing comedy right’. I’m angry I got raped

Comedian coming to Dublin with Douglas, the follow-up to her groundbreaking show Nanette

www.irishtimes.com

 

[infinitys_7th]

Saying traditional media gatekeeped Nanette is like saying traditional publishing gatekeeped Sonichu.

It didn't. You just fail as an artist.

 

[bitbydeath]

Just another two headed Tasmanian.

 

[Nymphae]

global comedy star’s visceral detailing of her experience of misogyny, homophobia, sexual assault, pain and trauma dismantled and rebuilt the very form of stand-up

These people are so hyperbolic.

 

[bitbydeath]

These people are so hyperbolic.

And that was just from her brother.

 

[ExpandKong]

*cue Seinfeld theme song*

 

[cryptoadam]

My Vagina!

 

[off duty ninja]

These people are so hyperbolic.

I was writing up this whole post about the same thing but deleted it. These ideologues talk about their heroes as if they are performing miracles like modern day messiahs or something. It is really disturbing to me.

“I’m not interested in creating work like men,” she says. “The way we communicate, the way we invented ourselves has only been done through the prism of the male experience for centuries, millennia...

“The problem with male narratives is that they have always excluded the collaboration; art history, invention, every single heroic male artist has what they call a muse. History only ever looks at the muse as somebody who was there and was nice to look at. These women actually were intimate to these men’s lives, and therefore they influenced the aspects of their art. A lot of them were artists themselves, and a lot of their work was taken by the men. These grand narratives always put one person at the top. It’s simply not true.”

If she doesn't want to do things the male way

why is she appropriating our culture?

 

[Nymphae]

Gadsby had “broken” comedy, apparently.

Confused comedy fans asking "what was funny about that?", does not mean you upended comedy. It means you failed at the primary goal of your profession.

“I think it’s so funny,” Gadsby says. “People are going: we’re really angry! You’re not doing comedy right! I’m angry I got raped. Let’s have some context here fellas!”

Lets. How does a rape confessional fit into a comedy show? No one is telling her she can't perform this act or talk about these issues. It's the context that matters, and this was not the appropriate material for a stand up comedy special.

 

[infinitys_7th]

*cue Seinfeld theme song*

Is there is a cut of her with the Seinfeld music in the background? Please tell me there is.

 

[DanteFox]

 

[Amory]

The internet is stupid and anyone who hassled this woman over her shitty Netflix special needs professional help. Seriously find something more constructive to occupy your time.

That said, Nanette has a perfect 100% score on rotten tomatoes from professional reviewers. So I'm really not trying to hear that standup is an impenetrable medium for women, lesbians, whoever. It's actually one of the few meritocracies left. Her problem is she's not funny. And she still got a HELL of a bigger push from the media in the form of stellar reviews for a show that was frankly, well, bad. Or if not bad, at least not standup comedy.

It's like she mostly wasn't even trying to be funny. Which is fine! But don't get up there and do whatever the hell that was, and then act like you're disrupting standup. You weren't even really attempting standup.

 

[off duty ninja]

"He looks just like his Daddy!"

 

[ExpandKong]

I was writing up this whole post about the same thing but deleted it. These ideologues talk about their heroes as if they are performing miracles like modern day messiahs or something. It is really disturbing to me.



If she doesn't want to do things the male way

why is she appropriating our culture?

Is that the fat kid from Hot Tub Time Machine

 

[King of Foxes]

Wheres the bloody jokes!?!?

 

[DeafTourette]

That was painful to watch! She doesn't understand comedy at all!

 

[bitbydeath]

Is that for real?
Edit: Just read it was a parody, honestly couldn’t tell...

 

[Phase]

Well, is she funny?

 

[-Arcadia-]

If you want to do this, go on a proper tour speaking to rape survivors, to heal them and you. Mix in comedy to lighten things up, and give a bit of hope.

Don’t try to get up on a comedy stage and give them... this, however, and complain you were somehow oppressed.

It just shows how messed up the definition of ‘comedy’ has become, in addition to trying to ban everything funny. We went from people sprinkling in personal anecdotes about their lives and politics, to some people thinking a show should be entirely that, and that’s comedy.

 

[Soltype]

I can understand trying to make comedy more inclusive, but why try to make it less competitive. Competition should be a motivator, not a deterrent.It seems like this is just a distraction for her.

 

[Weiji]

Cue ten thousand “Does comedy have to be funny?” articles doing everything in their power to convince us that the answer is and always was “no”.


Well at least her desperate gasping attempts at relevancy are funny. You know, in context.

 

[Phase]

*cue Seinfeld theme song*

This only makes me think of Curb Your Enthusiasm's.

 

[Airola]

Just as being a man doesn't always mean being a male, comedy isn't always supposed to be funny.

I'm waiting for them to also realize that you can also make porn without a single sexual scene and a drama that is actually a sitcom.


I've said it before but it was quite telling when my girlfriend started to watch Nanette and had this slight smile on her face, looking forward to laugh and be entertained by an applauded comedy act, and as the show progressed the small smile slowly vanished and at some point without saying anything she just pressed stop and went on to do other things. I don't think she has any recollection of even watching it at all anymore.

Honestly though, she loves to watch Bill Burr talking on talk shows but stopped watching his stand up comedy act as she thought it wasn't as funny as what he says in talk shows, but at the very least there was clear disappointment in Burr's case whereas the reaction to Nanette was just cold indifference.

 

[Papa]

Just another two headed Tasmanian.

Ahem.

Queenslander has entered the chat.

 

[Papa]

I was writing up this whole post about the same thing but deleted it. These ideologues talk about their heroes as if they are performing miracles like modern day messiahs or something. It is really disturbing to me.



If she doesn't want to do things the male way

why is she appropriating our culture?

Who the hell is raping that?

 

[brap]

Who the hell is raping that?

WHO SAID THAT

Spoiler

 

[Stilton Disco]

What I don't get is why this stuff is always presented as new and subversive, when the unfunny angry femenists yelling about how awful men are has been a chliche since at least the 1970's, going by actual comedy of that era taking the piss out of it.

Hell, the Edinburgh Fringe wouldn't be the same without these exact same 'comedy doesn't have to be funny' acts I've been walking out of since the 90's.

Even her look is a cheap knockoff. Sue Perkins was rocking that style while having to actually be funny decades ago.

 

[royox]

One of the problems with stand-up culture is that “it’s such a boys club”, she says.


Is that true in the USA? Cause where I come from (spain) is usually a 50-50 stuff now with loads of amazing and super funny women doing stands.

One of the best I know is Eva Hache and was in charge of the most important comedy show here.

 

[Deleted member 1159]

One of the problems with stand-up culture is that “it’s such a boys club”, she says.


Is that true in the USA? Cause where I come from (spain) is usually a 50-50 stuff now with loads of amazing and super funny women doing stands.

One of the best I know is Eva Hache and was in charge of the most important comedy show here.

I'm not sure what the ratio is in the US but I'd say it's mostly a boys club. That being said, I'll give anyone who's actually funny a chance. Wanda Syke's Netflix special was hilarious. This broad's comedy is pure cringe.

 

[DeafTourette]

Wanda Sykes
Ali Wong


Two women who are funny as heck AND they're feminist.

This woman in the OP is NOT funny at all!

 

[Southern Gentleman]

Just ignore her and sing that new song from Frozen 2. She can't harass a grown man singing a Disney princess song.

 

[drganon]

Saying traditional media gatekeeped Nanette is like saying traditional publishing gatekeeped Sonichu.

It didn't. You just fail as an artist.

Dont you dare besmirch the fine name of Chris Chan and his magnum opus.

 

[spandexmonkey]

Women have been doing good stand up for years, Gadsby is just awful.

 

[Schrödinger's cat]

Victoria Wood - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Julie Walters - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Joyce Grenfell - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

French and Saunders - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Caroline Aherne - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Including Joyce Grenfell, the UK alone has well over half a century of highly revered, successful, funny female comics and comediennes (and Julie Walters is an incredible actress as well).

People like Victoria Wood and Caroline Aherne broke new comic ground with their writing and observations. An ability to be female-centric whilst being genuinely funny. Aherne's social commentary and pathos are beautiful.

Some of these ladies genuinely faced a far more oppressive and prejudicial society and managed to not only succeed but to effect change with their success. Not compromising their ability to engage with their audience and deliver the goods.

If you're taking more away from your audience than you're giving to them, you are failing at the core dynamic.

And, whilst I believe comedy is a brutal profession to take, you have to have material and skill to work any crowd. Heckling and getting called out is part of stand-up. If you lack the skills or preparation to deal with it then you are simply not good at your job.

 

[off duty ninja]

Who the hell is raping that?

C.mon Matt, there's a lot of fish in the sea! I'm sure the right rape culture enthusiast is out there.

 

[GymWolf]

people really pay money to watch this shit?

 

[highrider]

There’s been plenty of funny women, Lucille Ball is widely recognized as a truly great comic and physical actor, and this was largely when there really was an old boys club. If you’re killing it on a nightly basis, trust me you’ll rise. You’re not funny, maybe a spoken word artist for people that hate their lives

 

[appaws]

Broads aren't funny. Well, I guess maybe a few. I used to chuckle at Lisa Lampanelli and sometimes Whitney Cumings.

I love that crowd at the Apollo. Hadn't she ever watched a good black comedian to try to get a sense of the crowd expectation?

 

[Insane Metal]

Is that a man or a girl? Who is that?

 

[Nymphae]

Is that a man or a girl? Who is that?

That's a woman in her prime baby.

 

[Nymphae]

I used to chuckle at Lisa Lampanelli

I don't know why I ever found her funny, she just makes low hanging racist/stereotypical jokes and self deprecating stuff about how she likes black guys and is fat. She just strikes me as mean overall and "the queen of mean" can't take the heat herself, Patrice Oneal made her cry in some stupid debate they were having on a radio show. She hated him, and that's all I need to know about her. Patrice is a legend.

 

[ExpandKong]

Dont you dare besmirch the fine name of Chris Chan and his magnum opus.

Isn't Chris Chan a xer now?

I don't know why I ever found her funny, she just makes low hanging racist/stereotypical jokes and self deprecating stuff about how she likes black guys and is fat. She just strikes me as mean overall and "the queen of mean" can't take the heat herself, Patrice Oneal made her cry in some stupid debate they were having on a radio show. She hated him, and that's all I need to know about her. Patrice is a legend.

Patrice Oneal has been dead for years and this person is here talking about blue stoplights and getting raped. There is no justice in the world.

 

[BigBooper]

Can you guilt your way into being funny? Has that ever worked?

 

[Papa]

C.mon Matt, there's a lot of fish in the sea! I'm sure the right rape culture enthusiast is out there.

 

[highrider]

matt404au, I struggled with the lol or triggered reaction emoticon. I laughed disturbingly.

 

[DeepEnigma]

matt404au, I struggled with the lol or triggered reaction emoticon. I laughed disturbingly.

Same.

 

[off duty ninja]

 

[LegendOfKage]

Wanda Sykes
Ali Wong


Two women who are funny as heck AND they're feminist.

This woman in the OP is NOT funny at all!

Is Ali Wong a feminist? She has some material in her shows that I wouldn't think fits that description. Both her and Sykes have done some good comedy, though.

Anyhow, this is a simple "one woman show," the same as has been done for generations. The main difference now is the insistence that this is stand up comedy. If you want to hear a difficult topic tackled with humor, I'd recommend "God Said, Ha!" which is a one woman show about terminal illness and a family dealing with the situation.




And another female comedian I'd recommend is Kathleen Madigan:

 

[Katsura]

The only reason i've heard of her is because the woke morons at Netflix gave her a special and the even more woke and moronic people at shitty websites signal boosted her

Semi relevant Babylon

Man Who Posts 'OK Boomer' In Response To Everything To Receive Netflix Comedy Special

U.S.—Looks like there's a new giant in the competitive world of modern comedy: local Portland man Bill Patterson, who goes by the name "Billy Pants" on social media, is receiving his own Netflix comedy special after replying "OK boomer" to hundreds of different posts over the past week.

babylonbee.com

 

[DeepEnigma]

Maybe you’re just not that funny.