Adam Conover's Personal Brand

fuckyeahclassical: Pilgrim’s Chorus from Tannhäuser - Richard...

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:19:00 -0500

Pilgrim’s Chorus from Tannhäuser - Richard Wagner

This is the melody that got me hooked on Wagner, and (to a lesser extent) on opera in general. Make sure you listen at least until the two-thirds mark, when it goes from black and white into color.

mistakeswemade: Some new Crazy Cat Bitches (based on the...

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:24:59 -0500

mistakeswemade:

Some new Crazy Cat Bitches (based on the conjoined twin characters from Hellen Jo’s comic, “Jin & Jam”).

My weird girlfriend’s bloggin’ her crazy art!

oldeenglish: Whoa! Amazing find by my cousin. Listen to the...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:13:59 -0500

oldeenglish:

Whoa! Amazing find by my cousin. Listen to the above audio from an interview with Pixar. If you don’t get why that’s hilarious, Harry explains:

standardreview:

Okay, this is kind of weird. I was listening today to Jeff Goldsmith’s excellent Creative Screenwriting podcast interview with the Pixar dudes who made Up. He asks them what they’re working on next, and their answer is the audio attached to this post. This is basically exactly what happens in this sketch, leading me to believe they have watched the sketch which is, you know, pretty cool.

-R

We have it on pretty good authority that some folks at Pixar saw and enjoyed “Mr. Cube Goes to the Cylinder”, so I’m just going to go ahead and consider this a shout-out. Awesome!

The fact that a movie this subtle, different and strange can...

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:05:00 -0400

The fact that a movie this subtle, different and strange can open at number one is startling. “Forget explosions and car chases — give me a kid who confronts nine-foot tall metaphors for his own complex emotions in a deserted island wasteland! That’s what people will pay to see!”

I’m not sure if this will be my favorite movie of the year, but it certainly will be the most interesting — I’ve been thinking about it for days. Jonze, Eggers and Sendak have created something singular, complex, and ambiguous. Last time I checked, that’s what “art” is. Fuck the reviews and just go see it — this is one of those works where forming your own opinion is an essential part of the experience. Even if you don’t like it, you’ll still leave saying “I really just saw something.”

Things I Did Last Week

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:21:00 -0400

Had a video go viral
Appeared on Fox and Friends
Performed for a sold-out crowd at the UCB with Janeane Garofalo
Took 12 hours of classes
Performed in an improv show in which I acquitted myself not terribly
Beat my personal record in the Greenpoint 5K
Went on a bike date with Lisa to Governor’s Island

Don’t expect this week (that we’re currently working on finishing) or next week to be as eventful, but hey — even doing two of these in seven days is enough to make me feel pretty accomplished, so I’m just going to chalk October up as a good month right now.

I Love Rap

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:41:57 -0400

I Love Rap:

migratingtaste:

New blog that’s just about rap.

For the last year, I’ve basically only been listening to music that Dave recommended to me. I have no regrets — the dude has phenomenal taste, and always shares the secret of why the track deserves your attention. Which is a long way of saying: I’m excited about his new rap blog.

boringoldraphael: Every few months, I reread this blog entry on...

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:43:00 -0400

boringoldraphael:

Every few months, I reread this blog entry on Batman’s Greatest Boner, and I giggle like an idiot.

I’m so happy that Raphael posted this. It is, in full frank and open honesty, one of the funniest things I have ever read in my life. It’s not just the repetition of the word “boner” — it’s the sublimely stilted and awkward way the characters use the word over and over again as though no set of syllables could be more thrilling. If you can read this without laughing, I feel sincerely sorry for you.

oldeenglish: So here’s something weird. Fox News’ morning show,...

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:21:21 -0400

oldeenglish:

So here’s something weird. Fox News’ morning show, “Fox & Friends”, saw the wedding slide-show Adam made for Ben & Joanna, and is having them all come on to the show at 7:30am tomorrow.

Like I said, something weird.

-Dave

This bears repeating: At 7:30 AM tomorrow, I will be appearing on “Fox & Friends.”

I can honestly say that I never saw this one coming.

In a weird turn of events, the slideshow I made for my best...

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:54:00 -0400

In a weird turn of events, the slideshow I made for my best friend’s wedding has gone viral.

I’m in a strange line of work.

oldeenglish: Come join us at the UCB this Friday at 11 PM, when...

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:20:00 -0400

oldeenglish:

Come join us at the UCB this Friday at 11 PM, when we’ll be presenting an all-new video, plus welcoming some special guests:

Trevor Williams! (Channel 101, CollegeHumor)

Kumail Nanjiani! (Michael and Michael Have Issues)

and Janeane Garofalo! (As though you don’t know who Janeane Garofalo is)

The next time you have an opportunity to see performers of this caliber for $5, I suggest you take it. Click here to make reservations!

This show is going to blow the roof off the UCB. And because the UCB is in the basement of a supermarket, that is going to confuse and injure a lot of grocery shoppers.

oldeenglish: Last month, Ben got married. It was a beautiful...

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:10:00 -0400

oldeenglish:

Last month, Ben got married. It was a beautiful ceremony, and the rest of us (along with a few close friends) served as groomsman. We all had jobs, and mine was to make the wedding slideshow. My instructions, as Ben gave them to me, were, “We want our slideshow to be different. You can do whatever you like, and I won’t ever try to approve it.”

The video above is what I did. Enjoy.

- Adam

This was a lot of fun to make. Some people spent a lot of time picking floral arrangements for the wedding; others organized bachelor parties, or helped the groom choose a suit. I got to spend a week in Photoshop.

R.I.P. Sandy, 1996-2009. She enjoyed chasing balls, long walks...

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:58:00 -0400

R.I.P. Sandy, 1996-2009. She enjoyed chasing balls, long walks on the beach, and catching popcorn kernels in mid-air. She was a very, very good dog.

Proper Ira Glass Video

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:06:00 -0400

I managed to embed the wrong video of Ira Glass in my post earlier today — corrected now, for those of you who were confused or missed it. Really, if you’re looking for a Step One on how to succeed as a writer, performer, artist, whatever, you can’t do better than adopting the attitude in this video. (And if you already have, it doubles as a really good pep-talk.)

I just sent a discouraged student this piece of advice from Ira...

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

I just sent a discouraged student this piece of advice from Ira Glass, and in so doing watched it again myself. If you’re a person hoping to make a career doing creative work, I highly recommend — actually, I insist — that you watch it as well.

In a nutshell, here’s his message: Yes, you suck right now — that’s because you haven’t been working long enough. The only way to stop sucking is to keep working, because that’s how you get better. No one is born great; everyone sucks at first, and every person who does what you want to do got there by pushing through that long, dark period of sucking and working hard to improve. If you give up now just because you think you suck, you will suck forever. So just. Keep. Working.

Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a rehearsal I have to get to.

(Update: Embedded the correct video. Geez!)

"About Gymnastic and Motocross: Motocross and gymnastic skills can be greatly improved by performing..."

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:26:30 -0400

“

About Gymnastic and Motocross:

Motocross and gymnastic skills can be greatly improved by performing gymnastic and motocross tricks. Motocross has become very popular and gymnastic. Many people like to watch gymnastic and motocross. We like motocross and gymnastic events. Gymnastic events take place all over, motocross also. People get hurt doing motocross and gymnastic. Kids like playing gymnastic and motocross sports. Motocross is fun. Gymnastic is great. I saw a great gymnastic trick. Cool motocross race. Gymnastic form is amazing. Motocross skills are awesome. Motocross kills. Gymnastic paralyzes.

”

- a website that sells foam (via jessenovak)

This clip of Kurt Vonnegut reading Breakfast of Champions is...

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:34:29 -0400

This clip of Kurt Vonnegut reading Breakfast of Champions is fairly amazing — just the first minute sums up what’s so funny and sweet and heartsick about his work. If I had never heard of him before, I think this is where I’d want to start.

Hey, Washington Post! Your plan to harvest e-mail addresses from...

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:16:00 -0400

Hey, Washington Post! Your plan to harvest e-mail addresses from people who just want to read your fucking newspaper is clearly really working!

365 Days of Exercise I first saw the above video a few years...

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

365 Days of Exercise

I first saw the above video a few years ago, and it stuck with me for how clearly and shockingly it demonstrates what exercise can do. I’ve been exercising for a little over a year now, and while I don’t look like this guy, I do look a lot better. This stuff really works, people.

(The guy in the video is John Stone, now a personal trainer; my friend Søren created the video from John’s photos.)

Questions People Have: Families. (Previously: Other races)

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Questions People Have: Families.

(Previously: Other races)

I don’t understand why Janelle Monáe isn’t already...

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:39:00 -0400

I don’t understand why Janelle Monáe isn’t already an enormous star. Check out the above video — it’s a clever, high-concept pop song that’s catchy as hell, and while I grant that I’m an automatic sucker for any musical act who pretends to be a robot, Monáe is such a cool and original performer that I don’t see the world ignoring her for long.

(The track is off the ridiculous space opera of an EP she put out last year, a sci-fi concept album about a fugitive android girl who falls in love with a human; she also appears this Cee-Lo music video-slash-Coke ad.)