Front Page

Dealing With Cultural Differences – Example 1: The Two Ronnies

Obviously when you try to fit in to a new culture, there are some obstacles that will just not be overcome no matter how hard you try. This is one of the reasons that it’s so important to have friends from similar backgrounds, because completely severing the connection to your own culture can, I imagine, have some ugly fallout. This little bit of expatriate source code came up for me tonight when, feeling sad about the death of Ronnie Corbett, I pulled up of one my all-time favorite sketches from his legendary show The Two Ronnies and […]

Greg2016-11-20T14:52:16+00:00Comedy, Culture, Pop Culture|0 Comments

Can Thais Laugh at Themselves?

Want to hear my favorite Canadian joke? Here it is: Two Canadians, let's call them Bob and Doug, are snowed in and bored. Bob says, "I'm bored, eh. Want to play a game?" "Doug says, "Sure, why not - how about 20 questions? I'll go first." So Doug thinks of something that Bob couldn't possible guess - moose cock. Bob says, "Okay, animal, vegetable or mineral...is it animal?" Ummm, yes it is." "Is it bigger than a bread box?" "No, smaller than a bread box." "Is it something you can eat?" "Hahaha, well, yes, I guess you could eat it if you had no other choice." "Is it moose cock?" (Pause for laughter) Okay, maybe it's not a great joke, but I like it for its pure stupidity, and it goes to show something interesting: us Canadians love making fun of ourselves. I was thinking about this over the past few days when a story a friend wrote blew up online, showing that Thais most definitely do not like people - even Thais - poking fun at Thailand.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:02+00:00Comedy, Culture, Pop Culture, Video, Web Media|0 Comments

Louis C.K. & the Success of Digital Distribution

As I often do, let me start this post with a disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer or a copyright specialist and probably couldn't argue with any reasonably talented devil's advocate on this topic for more than 15 minutes before they out-debated me. But - I'm really fascinated by watching how technology is redefining and even destroying traditional models of production, distribution and consumption. It'll suck for a few old-school organizations for a while, but I really think we're on the cusp of a digital verison of the industrial revolution, and we've only scratched the surface. One particular aspect that fascinates me is how digital distribution is cutting out the middle man and letting entertainers connect with their audiences directly. There have been a few notable events in this slow-but-sure transition, but the one that really connected with me was the release of Louis C.K's new standup special, Live at the Beacon Theater, which he did wrote, hosted, produced and edited entirely on his own and made available online for $5 (150 baht).

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:13+00:00Comedy, Pop Culture, Technology, Web Media|0 Comments

A Bit of Comedy in a Grim Time

Whenever I’m feeling depressed or bored, or simply haven’t laughed in a while, I always turn to standup comedy to cheer me up. Despite the message I got from a clueless guy tonight who thought the goofy SCUBA mask on my header meant I didn't care about any of the flood victims, I think now is a perfect time to have a bit of a laugh - after all, the ability to laugh in even the most dire of situations is one thing the Thais are known for, right? Anyway, with a kabazillion cubic meters of water bearing down on Bangkok and the mood of the city best described as ‘moribund’, I thought it would be a good time to start a series of posts I’ve been thinking about for a while in which I profile a certain comedian that I like. A bit more of my thoughts on comedy and my first comedian below.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:14+00:00Comedy, Fun Stuff, Pop Culture, Video|0 Comments