Fun night at the Comedy Store; Ruha Benjamin challenges Trevor Noah's AI optimism; Bill Burr was a jerk on NPR

Fun night at the Comedy Store with the fellas

A few weeks ago I was back in California for the AI K12 Deeper Learning Summit held in Anaheim. Lots of great lessons and insights, old and new connections. But this post isn't about the conference. I went to high school in Anaheim, and several of my closest friends live between OC and LA, so I was hoping to sneak in some quality time with my guys in between conference events. I made a few calls and found out my childhood friend, LA-based comic Hormoz Rashidi, was performing at the legendary Comedy Store on Sunset Blvd. He casually mentioned that the lineup for the night included Ali Wong and Marc Maron.

I snuck out early from the conference reception, caught an Uber to Hollywood, and next thing you know, I'm enjoying a cocktail, belly laughing with two of my closest high school friends, while awaiting Hormoz's set. Ali Wong, whom I never knew but went to UCLA at the same time as me, was absolutely brilliant. So was Marc Maron. I'm a fan of the WTF With Marc Maron podcast, but I had never seen Marc perform live. His set was razor sharp and unapologetically political, but not at all preachy or predictable. The best part of the night was seeing our buddy Hormoz do an outstanding set. My favorite joke was a bit he does on the ethical dilemma of loving Kanye West, the artist, amidst his increasingly intolerable public stunts and moral violations. Chefs kiss of a night out. My cup is full.

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Ruha Benjamin on Trevor Noah's What Now? podcast

Next up is Ruha Benjamin in conversation with Trevor Noah on his What Now? podcast. I was really, really excited when I saw this episode pop up in my feed. I'm a massive fan of both of these brilliant humans. Wife and I've seen Trevor a couple of times live - once in Austin when I was a fresh assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and once in Chicago. If I'm being super honest, I'm a bigger fan of his podcasting than his standup, but that’s neither here nor there. Ruha Benjamin, Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, has been one of my unofficial mentors and inspirations for years. Her writing and scholarship have been a tremendous source of insight to me and so many others concerned with the future of tech and society. One of the big honors of my career came a few years ago when she asked me to be in conversation with her about her new book Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want at the legendary Haymarket Book Store in Chicago, where I also had a chance to meet and chat with her lovely mother.

And as you may have heard, there is a bit of drama these days in the world of higher education, so I couldn't wait to see how Trevor, Ruha, and Christiana (who co-hosts the What Now? podcast and is brilliant in her own right) would get into all the things. Their conversation was wide-ranging and dynamic as expected, and started with reflections on the current attacks on DEI. But the part I was most keyed into was their discussion on the ethics of AI. They veered into debate territory at times, with lots of good, productive tension laced with moments of comedic relief. Plenty of Ruha gracefully checking Trevor's unbridled AI optimism with facts and context. You'll have to listen for yourself. But I think it's exactly the kind of balanced, honest, and forward-looking conversation we need right now about the future of AI and tech in society.

Bill burr on NPR's Fresh Air with Terri Gross

Last up, Bill Burr as a guest on NPR's Fresh Air with host Terri Gross. I need to preface this one. I'll start by saying Bill Burr is one of my absolute favorite comedians. I was at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles a couple of years ago, and he was the surprise guest on a Friday night lineup. He went for at least 45 minutes straight, all new material. An amazing experience. If we were nominating people to counter Joe Rogan, I'd put my money on Bill. He's a lovable, angry, straight shooter with progressive politics, working-class sensibilities, and is married to a Black woman. And he's been fearless in his support of Palestine. In recent days, he's been clowning Elon Musk all over late-night TV, and I'm loving it.

So when I was at the gym at Northwestern a few weeks ago, you can understand how I was once again brimming with excitement for what the podcast Gods had in store for me. Bill Burr in conversation with Terri Gross. Say less. (And yes, I'm the guy who bench presses while listening to NPR. Zero shame). Ok, that was a long setup to get to this: I have to say, Bill was a complete F*****G jerk! He was going on this whole rant about the excesses of feminism, and he had this half-baked, regurgitated critique of white women that was obvious he didn't fully understand or even believe. Which hurt. For a comic whose entire identity is based on raw authenticity, there was a lot of posturing and a lot of just Bill being unnecessarily rude to Terri. It felt like one of my heroes let me down. I know that’s harsh, but I have to take a page from Bill himself and call a spade a spade. The good part was that Terri kinda whooped his ass in the interview, and he fully deserved it.

Maybe that explains why I couldn't make it through all the way on his latest Netflix special, Drop Dead Years. Don't get me wrong, I'll circle back and finish it. Bill's still a legend in my eyes, and I'll eventually chalk this up to a bad interview. And if he asked nicely to be a guest on our PCWB podcast, I would maybe still consider it. Maybe.