My name is Dana Gould
Hello, comedy nerds.
I apologize for my lame-ass blogging habits, but the days of my post-Simpsons career are unexpectadly jam-packed with primarily useless horseshit. It pretty much consists of me getting up at six-thirty with the Young Goulds, packing said Goulds of to school, and then setting down to actually get some work and/or writing done. That usually ends in failure at about seven at night, and then it's out to the garage with pine cones and glitter for my one true love: CRAFTS!!!
For those of you who took the time to respond to my previous posting, I thank you. I'll figure out how to more properly respond to you, and then things will really rise to a tepid simmer.
This website will be undergoing some bureaucratic changes soon, and I will have a contact e-mail and mailing list link up. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank David Saraniero, who approached me seven years ago after a gig in Minneapolis and offered to create a website for me ("A web-WHAT?", I asked). David went on to create the very dense and content-filled site you now behold. And again, this was seven years ago, when not everyone had one of these dealies. Dave Norman joined David a couple years ago, and he also consistently did an amazing, stellar job. More than all that, they are genuinely good-hearted, decent people.
Thanks, Daves.
While I'm citing the honor roll, the "The Talking Man" painting was done by Greg Brotherton. Greg is quite the mad scientist. Check out his stuff at www.brotron.com.
The overall design and execution was done by the estimable Vera Dufy at Wewa Web design. www.deuxfilles.net/wewaweb.htm
The new administrators of the site, Darrin, Bruce and the rest of the folks at Improv.com, have done an amazingly-fast job with setting up my MySpace page and helping me advertise... well, me. I'm really looking forward to working with these... well, goons.
Lastly, re. Late Night With Conan O'Brien, there was some last-minute schedule shifting at NBC, and the show ended up airing on Wednesday, January 17th. For those of you unfortunate enough to have missed it (HOW COULD YOU????, you can watch it at...
www.myspace.com/danagould
Enjoy.
- DG
I apologize for my lame-ass blogging habits, but the days of my post-Simpsons career are unexpectadly jam-packed with primarily useless horseshit. It pretty much consists of me getting up at six-thirty with the Young Goulds, packing said Goulds of to school, and then setting down to actually get some work and/or writing done. That usually ends in failure at about seven at night, and then it's out to the garage with pine cones and glitter for my one true love: CRAFTS!!!
For those of you who took the time to respond to my previous posting, I thank you. I'll figure out how to more properly respond to you, and then things will really rise to a tepid simmer.
This website will be undergoing some bureaucratic changes soon, and I will have a contact e-mail and mailing list link up. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank David Saraniero, who approached me seven years ago after a gig in Minneapolis and offered to create a website for me ("A web-WHAT?", I asked). David went on to create the very dense and content-filled site you now behold. And again, this was seven years ago, when not everyone had one of these dealies. Dave Norman joined David a couple years ago, and he also consistently did an amazing, stellar job. More than all that, they are genuinely good-hearted, decent people.
Thanks, Daves.
While I'm citing the honor roll, the "The Talking Man" painting was done by Greg Brotherton. Greg is quite the mad scientist. Check out his stuff at www.brotron.com.
The overall design and execution was done by the estimable Vera Dufy at Wewa Web design. www.deuxfilles.net/wewaweb.htm
The new administrators of the site, Darrin, Bruce and the rest of the folks at Improv.com, have done an amazingly-fast job with setting up my MySpace page and helping me advertise... well, me. I'm really looking forward to working with these... well, goons.
Lastly, re. Late Night With Conan O'Brien, there was some last-minute schedule shifting at NBC, and the show ended up airing on Wednesday, January 17th. For those of you unfortunate enough to have missed it (HOW COULD YOU????, you can watch it at...
www.myspace.com/danagould
Enjoy.
- DG
posted by Dana Gould at 5:03 PM
32 Comments:
Blog away, Dana Gould!
wow. that's dope.
that looks great.
Dana gould is back!
And he's now kickin' it with a new sassy attitude.
Hey, your only post was on my birthday! What a nice gift!
I'm so looking forward to your gig at Cobbs. Btw: the site looks great!
i challenge you to come even farther north than the conan o'brien show.
say perhaps, toronto?..
you know you wanna. even if you don't.
damn thing guess i'm anonym...omjgz what?
Looking forward to your daily musings!
Or how about more east of NY and into Boston! Pleeaaassseee...
Done any bits recentlhy about your UMass experience(s)?
I was in your class back in about 1983: early morning history course...most of us were half sleeping, but there was one big mouth that always kept at least a few people awake...
I saw you do a few stand-ups there also; at some concert on the hill (could have been Pat Benatar?) and in the campus center bar.
M Gould (no relation)
Class of 85
Hey Dana, you're touring again? What Gives?
BRUJO,
DanaGould Yahoo Group adminstrator
DANA GOULD YAHOO GROUP
blog away dana! looking forward to your conan appearance.
You are so hot! And funny too of course!!
was conan repeats all week? i didn'ty see dana on the 15th...
I'm touring again simply because I recently abandoned my post at The Simpsons (after seven years I felt I'd done enough damage) and wanted to get back on the horse, as they say.
UMASS? Wow. That was Vernon Cronin's Communications 101 class. Dave Rath - Patton Oswalt's manager, among many others, and all-around dude - was also in that class. The concert on the hill was David Johanssen (spelling?). He's not Pat Benatar, but he's built like Pat Benatar. Question: is that sadder for Pat or David?
As for touring the east coast, keep your eye on the upcoming appearances window of the main page. I'll get there...
Thanks for adding me on myspace Dana. I've never had a celebrity ask me to add them. Does this mean that we're friends now? I don't know if I can handle all the paparazzi harrassing us as we tear up the town.
Anyway, I listed you as one of my heros and I meant it. For a period of several months I was addicted to all the audio material on your website. It's cool to see that you're touring again. I've never seen you live, but I might catch you in NYC in March.
Dana + Jeff = BFF
On a random discussion forum this morning, someone wrote: "Sometimes I think if you compiled the 500 best, most clever jokes ever written, 450 would come from the Simpsons." Without thinking, I replied, "A lot of that credit has to go to Dana Gould, my all-time favorite stand-up comedian."
Then I thought, hm, I wonder what Dana's doing now. So I google the name, and -- WHOA! Dana's got a blog, now! I'm all excited, and ...
One entry. And it looks so alone on the sidebar. Archives? No. I'm not sure if I'm happy to be in on the ground floor, or sad that I don't have years of archives to plore over.
You're The Man, DG! (Though it inexplicably creeps me out that you've procreated, you're still The Man.)
Sometimes, when no one is around, I play the video clip of you doing your impression of Vincent Price in a singles bar over and over again. I don't know why, but that piece both frightens and titillates me.
Dana Gould. First saw you on a show called "Comic Strip Live" back in the early 1990's. Knew right away you were in the top 10% of all stand ups.
Followed your career ever since. Great to see you doing stand up again.
From one of your Canadian fans.
Hey Dana, I am psyched that you are touring again.
Please come to Seattle. You can even stay with us, we have an extra room and a great view. Much better than staying at one of those impersonal 4 star luxury hotels with in room massages and room service, okay, well maybe we can stay with you.
PS, I am not crazy.
Hi Dana, I may be you northernest (is that a word?) fan since I'm from Iceland, been following you since 1999, I love your stuff and big thanks for putting the shows on the website.
We need more blogs, and we need them now! :)
Gould attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and studied Communications and Theatre. He performed at an open mike comedy night, and Dana knew. He just knew that THIS was what he was meant to do.
It was at The Blue Wall, and you killed. I still remember your "We all want to be James Bond but deep down we're really Dr. Smith" line.
So what's up with this blog? You're as prompt and timely as you were at The MIT Coop. Hope all is going well with you and yours, Dana. It's been fun following your career from afar.
Take care,
Brian Cummings
Dana, your name and website was dropped by Dennis Miller on his radio show so I had to check out your vids! Sweet ma man. I'm agog at being over 40 and not having heard of you before, but now I'm a fan.
Best Regards,
Bob in Calgary
Hooray for Dana Gould... without him on my ipod, I'd be stabbing the guy next to me on the subway.
I hate to be a bunch of sour grapes here, but I heard you on the Adam Corolla show today. The opener before you came one was about just how stupid everyone in the South is, and how that we must surely be a bunch of inbred retards.
By my mentioning "we", yes that indicates that indeed I am Southern. Don't get me wrong- I've lived on both coasts, including amongst all places-Massachusetts. So I can dig crass off-color remarks and good-humored jabs at other groups of people including "my people". But the comments made from the recording were not funny, good-humored, or even stereotypical. They were just outright mean and nasty.
Here's something for you to think about. We live in a modern society where making fun of other races, religions, or ethnic customs is frowned upon. That isn't to say that it doesn't make a firm foundation for jokes in comedy. In fact, racial/ethnic personification seems to be a favorite amongst comedians such as David Chapel, Jeff Foxworthy ( redneck jokes) and yourself. But these tend to be aimed at poking fun while making people aware of unabashed differences without stepping over the line of decency.
You little bit stepped over that line and in my opinion was more a slur than anything. I can't remember the exact phrases in your piece,probably because I was actually quite angry. But it was insulting.
Getting back to my original point, I see no difference between being a bigot against other races and being a bigot against an entire region. It doesn't make you funny or a comedic genius. It makes you sound like a jack-ass.
Perhaps you wouldn't have imagined that there could be actual Southerners listening to your diatribe, but at least one was- myself. Perhaps think about that next time you decide to deride us, and especially if you actually tour in the region.
Again, I'm usually very open when it comes to artistic expression since I myself am in the creative field. But this wasn't artistic expression. It was just hateful and that's really about the only excuse for it.
Thanks for reading.
Dear Anonymous (if that is, in fact, your name),
In comedy, when one prefaces a statement with, "I don't think I'm being unfair when I say," and then proceeds to say something incredibly and grotesquely unfair, as I did, it can safely be assumed that the comment, in it's entirety, is meant as "satire"; that is to say, making a point by stating its opposite in such a way that its falsehood becomes obvious.
Understand, "Anony"? (may I call you that) I was actually implying that the generality of Southerners being inbred hillbillies was demonstrably UNTRUE!! Wow! What a relief for you! Have you ever seen "Dr. Strangelove"? When George C. Scott is talking about how great war is, Stanley Kubrick is actually using him to send the message that war ISN'T great. I know! DOUBLE-WOW!!!
I am sorry you were not able to figure this out on your own, but I am delighted t be able to explain it to you. Please feel free to use this forum to request help the next time you don't get something.
Yours,
Dana
Dana,
My wife and I caught your last show in Seattle over the weekend and I just want to apologize. I know you are a professional and are used to dealing with hecklers and drunks, but it must have been off-putting to perform with me, right there in the front row unabashedly adoring you like that. I do however, want to assure you, my wife’s references to Indiana Jones aside, I did not have “love you” written on my eyelids. I mean that's just silly. It’s dark in there; you couldn’t possibly be expected to notice something so subtle.
Anyways, despite years (dare I say decades) of fandom this is the first time seeing you in person and I couldn't have enjoyed it more. Next time I promise to be a little less giddy-school-girly about the whole process.
No Mr Gould,
I don't think that by your little 'setup' which you are using as what you claim to be 'satire' is in fact not what I or anyone else would call... satire. While I appreciate your feeble attempt to sort of reverse-engineer your statement using incorrect grammatical expression, I fail to see your argument as valid.
But I'll play along anyway.
Let's dissect the sentence shall we?
""I don't think I'm being unfair when I say, ( ...) ""
Simply put in layman's terms: " I think it is fair ( or redeemable) for me to say: (...)
So where's the satire? I mean- in that case, I suppose I could also be incredibly funny and say that:
" I don't think that I'm being unfair when I say that you're full of it! "
Get it? Outright ingenious hilarity! Maybe I'm a comedian too! Oh boy!
Anyway, take some negative criticism like an artist should and perhaps think about why I might have said what I did, which is to say that you did in fact piss me and likely any other Southerners off royally. Your comments were just outright nasty and went way the hell above and beyond poking fun. I'd rather not hear about how the South should be shut off and hence allowed to breed with one another since we're so obviously used to the act of inbreeding. Put in or out of context, I find absolutely zero humor in it.
Again, as an artist myself ( though not a comedian or actor) I truly believe in the freedom of artistic expression. But there is such a thing as common sense and decency when it comes to outright profiling and meaningless derogatory banter.
Anyhow, I guess my words really don't matter since you're obviously a successful, popular comedian. But hear me out- I think what you said was wrong and now that I've said my peace, Maybe you got something out of it.
Otherwise, best wishes to you and your comedic career.
PS: Dr. Strangelove is one of my favorite movies. Now THAT is an excellent use of Satire...
Where have you been Bob?
I found your argument to be well thought out and clearly presented. I did have two quick thoughts.
You say that you are an artist "yourself", implying, I suppose, that I also think of myself as one. I do not. I am an entertainer. If someone wants to call me an artist, that's okay, but I think of myself as a craftsman. I usually find people who walk around referring to themselves as artists to be pretentious douchebags, wrapping themselves in the wooly cloak of their grand quest (I'm sure you're not like that though).
Secondly, to your original point, I get it. My joke about every living human being from the south being the direct products of incest somehow touched a nerve with you. And as such, you wanted me to know that you did not like it, and, if I read you correctly, that I should stop doing it in my act.
The incest part was merely an aside to the main premise of the joke, that the imminent overturning of Roe V Wade is a plot by the south to get more inbred people into the Special Olympics so that they can dominate the games. You never mentioned this part of the bit, although it is equally horrible.
Am I to assume that, according to you, jokes about the Special Olympics are okay? I can make fun of the retarded all I want, just don't tie them directly to the part of the country that you, Bob The Artist, lives in?
What about the people who are offended by other parts of my act? If they write in, should I take those jokes out too? What about Don Rickles? Or Sarah Silverman? They say some pretty outrageous things. Sara has jokes about rape. I'm sure these jokes offend and piss off people out there? Should we comb through their acts and strip out anything that might piss off the thin-skinned? Or are we only trying to keep you content?
Could you maybe furnish a list of acceptable premises and comedians that are decent and kind enough to present them? Maybe you can draw something up when you're creating your art.
December 14, 2007 8:35:11 PM PST
Dana,
First of all, thanks for actually taking the time to respond to commentary. While I see that we're obviously not in full agreement, at least we can discuss things like mature people.
Admittedly I did not hear the segment concerning retarded people because I turned on the radio right in the middle of your statement concerning the South. So for that I apologize. On the other hand, yes- making jokes about people who are handicapped is in my mind even more distasteful than my previous gripe.
But hear me out. I and nobody else said or is saying that you should change your act or stop using stereotypical jargon. Be happy you live in a country where you can say whatever the hell you want and only get a few peons like me jumping down your neck when they get irate.
People love shock factor and get addicted to it like crack. What was bombastic and crazy 20 years ago sounds like Three's Company now.People will probably be pissing on electric fences live on stage 10 years from now. So as you said- you're an entertainer. Finding a marketable asset such as shock factor is obviously good business. So by all means- run with it.
So what this all boils down to in a very simple summary is that I gave you criticism-albeit negative criticism- but a critique just the same. Whatever you do or don't do with it is not of my concern. In other words, you provide a form of feeback and I gave some.
lastly, thanks for taking the time to voice your thoughts.
PS: I'm an industrial designer. I design Knobs and vacuum canisters. Not douche bags.
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