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August252006

Jonathans Are Illuminated, and Henry VIII

Filed under: Jonathans are Illuminated   Tagged: , ,


From Daily Candy, to which I'm always on the verge of unsubscribing solely because of those uninviting drawings of knock-kneed, vapid-faced quasi-women they insist on featuring as a brand identity, but which nevertheless has about one good tip out of ten (or maybe eight). For instance:


Last Resort: Everyone’s already skipped town and left you in charge of apt/pet/plant/mistress sitting? Well, at least you can still let your mind wander. Crack open a copy of The Subway Chronicles, a new series of mass transit-inspired essays from straphangers like Jonathan Lethem, Colson Whitehead, and Calvin Trillin (coming out on Tuesday on amazon.com). [Francine Prose and Stan Fischler are the book's two other contributors.]

Boldface mine; blankface theirs. I should add that I also subscribe to Daily Candy London and although the bad drawings are also featured there, the writing is significantly better. The British—they know the language. It's sad but it's true. Speaking of which, my friends Georgina Sowerby and Brian Luff in Crouch End have a hilarious special episode on their Comedy 365 network, called "Big Squeeze: The Seven Wives of Henry VIII." As they describe it:

A special one-off episode of the Big Squeeze, in which Sowerby & Luff have a crack at costume drama. Can Georgina become the 7th wife of Henry VIII? How will Cardinal Luff cope with this latest twist in the King's marital status? Most importantly, will Brian & Georgina be able to persuade Ray Winstone to play the part of Henry VIII?

Listen to it here, and then hear Henry VIII reveal his most intimate secrets ("Did you know that oil paintings add about ten pounds?") in an exclusive interview with Chris Skinner, truly the Barbara Walters of our time. Then subscribe to both of their podcasts on Comedy 365, and you'll be happy every time you listen.

Related:
Recently in Jonathans Are Illuminated; partial Jonathans archive
All about Brian Luff's audio novel, Sex on Legs
Gloopy Love and The Office, Neverending, and more about these geniuses of British podcast comedy, including Ricky Gervais, Sowerby and Luff, and Chris Skinner

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