Playlist: Comedian’s Guide to the Humanities —Elaine and Roger Haydock Humor Series
“The humanities help us make sense of our world and I always wanted my world to be full of humor and laughter.” —Elaine Haydock
The Chicago Humanities Festival proudly presents the Haydock Humor Series, with generous support from Elaine and Roger Haydock. Inspired by the Haydock’s favorite festival theme Laughter (2009), the series spotlights big names in comedy from Julia Louis-Dreyfus to Trevor Noah. CHF asked Elaine Haydock about her love of humor, Chicago’s comedy scene, and her favorite behind-the-scenes memories from past Haydock presenters.
Read CHF’s interview with Elaine Haydock and pursue past programs from the Haydock Humor Series below!
CHF: Why do you choose to support a humor program at CHF? Is a sense of humor important in the humanities?
Haydock: I was a fan of CHF for many years and loved the mental challenges and aha! moments that so many of the events delivered. Then came the Year of Laughter, which was, for obvious reasons, my favorite festival of all. I honestly don't think I ever laughed as hard as I did that fall. When I found out that Bob Mankoff, [Haydock presenter and] former cartoon editor at The New Yorker, had a PhD in the psychology of laughter, new worlds opened! His event, along with the New Yorker cartoonists panel, were revelations...with belly laughs!
It got me thinking...I knew I wanted to sponsor a program or a series and I had long pondered what my 'theme' might be; The Year of Laughter provided the easy answer. My experience of the entirety of Thorne Auditorium and, later, the Pritzker Auditorium at the Chicago Public Library, convulsed in laughter—almost a single, organic laughing entity—made a deep impression. People exited with huge smiles on their faces after a single, affordable hour of listening and laughing—I knew I wanted to be a part of that!
The humanities help us make sense of our world and I always wanted my world to be full of humor and laughter. I think finding the light side of things releases the "steam valve" of our existence; it keeps many of us from imploding. If I can get an entire room full of people laughing, their lives have been lightened, at least for a moment, but probably longer.
CHF: What is comedy like in Chicago and is it unique from other cities?
Haydock: Modern comedy was invented in Chicago! Well, that might be a tiny exaggeration, but beginning with Del Close and then evolving to The Second City, iO Theater, etc. Chicago’s improvisational comedy troupes have produced some of last (and this) century’s great comedians. I don’t know of any other city that is associated with the same quality and quantity of comedic genius as Chicago. And that element of humor (almost as elemental as air in Chicago) has permeated nearly every facet of life here. Sports (Da Bears) to dining (“Cheezeborger,” “cheezeborger”), politics (The Boss) to art (our iconic sculpture known as The Bean) are the teensiest examples of our Official Sense of Humor. Living in a city that smells like chocolate when the wind is right is deliciously funny. Really, there should be some reference to it on our city’s flag.
CHF: Why do you personally love comedy?
Haydock: I grew up in an hilarious extended Polish family. My grandfather (and then my uncle) had a corner grocery store in a solidly Polish neighborhood (in Detroit—sorry!) and these stand-up men were beloved for their giant hearts and non-stop jokes—but never at anyone’s expense. Sunday dinners were all about tables groaning with Polish food and hours of laughing. I grew up in a family full of comics. I guess when your earliest feelings of family and safety are imbued with laughter, it sets the stage for the rest of your life. And I’m forever grateful.
CHF: Is there a comedian working today that you think is just really different or interesting?
Haydock: Roger and I differ on the kinds of comedy we like. His favorite comedians are people like Dennis Miller, Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno. The performers I find interesting are Tig Notaro, Jim Gaffigan, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Hannah Gadsby, Kathy Griffin, Kate McKinnon and Amy Schumer. We both love Paula Poundstone and Mo Rocca.
CHF: Are there any memorable behind-the-scenes moments you’ve had with Haydock presenters at CHF?
Haydock: It’s quite interesting to be backstage with people who are very funny onstage. Delia Ephron was lovely and as she and Amy Dickinson traded stories, I felt like I was eavesdropping on a live version of “Ask Amy”. James Rebanks, author of A Shepherd’s Life, while not a comedian but a very, very funny shepherd, embraced us like long-lost friends and invited us to visit him and his family at their sheep farm in the Lake District in England. He was so surprised when we turned up! Lena Dunham was at the height of her fame and treated like a rock star. The night after her appearance, I found an envelope waiting for me at home containing a bracelet she’d been wearing that I admired and a hand-written note thanking us for sponsoring her. Nearly every presenter has been warm and generous and funny!
CHF: What are some ways to bring humor into our everyday lives during this challenging moment that we’re all going through together, but separately?
Haydock: One doesn’t have to look far to find humor in our challenging lives today. There are so many memes, jokes, cartoons, etc. circulating the web, that a daily laugh break is easy to take. We take many. It’s the only thing that keeps us sane. Our absolute favorite—John Krasinski’s “Some Good News” network, on YouTube, is must see TV!
Mobituaries with Mo Rocca
Abbi Jacobson: I Might Regret This
Looking for a Laugh?
Have you ever spontaneously joined a lip sync battle only to realize it’s shockingly difficult to dance and sing at the same time? Have you spent disproportionate amounts of time contemplating your belief that Meredith Grey impersonating Joan Didion is the perfect narrator for HBO’s Girls? Do you have disappointing snack confessions, like the fact that you nostalgically buy beef jerky? No judgement—life is hard and weird, but it’s also funny. Watch the following playlist for CHF’s Comedian’s Guide to the Humanities, where you’ll learn valuable skills like how to laugh your way through trying to make a living as a playwright and pitching book ideas as a non-famous person.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 2019
Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus joins CHF at Northwestern University—where her career began—to reminisce about college, Second City, Saturday Night Live, Steinfield, and Veep.
“I came to Chicago for the theater.” —Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Mo Rocca, 2019
CBS Sunday Morning correspondent and panelist for NPR’s Wait, Wait...Don’t Tell Me!, Mo Rocca joins CHF to discuss his book Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving, his career, and what he’d like the first paragraph of his obituary to be.
Image credit: David T. Kindler
Abbi Jacobson, 2018
Abbi Jacobson, best known as co-creator and star of the hit series Broad City, and comedian-blogger-author Samantha Irby visits CHF to discuss Jacobson’s solo cross country road trip slash brainstorming session for her book I Might Regret This about love, loss, work, comedy, and figuring out who you really are when you thought you already knew.
“I often feel like writing books is a real vacation.” —Samantha Irby
Image credit: Pat Nabong
Aasif Mandvi, 2015
Actor and writer Aasif Mandvi rose to fame as a correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Other credits include writer, producer, and actor on Funny or Die’s Halal in the Family and HBO’s The Brink, as well as a starring role in the Pulitzer Prize winning play Disgraced. Mandvi joined CHF to talk comedy, representation in the media, and the perils of high school.
"As an artist, as a creator, I can't really worry about how people are going to feel about [my work]. I think you have to tell the story as you see it to be true." —Aasif Mandvi
Image credit: Ben Gonzales
Trevor Noah, 2016
Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, visits CHF to talk about his memoir Born a Crime, his story about being born illegal in South Africa—the son of a white, Dutch father and a Black, Xhosa mother, the twilight of apartheid, and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.
James Rebanks, 2016
James Rebanks is a modern day shepherd. His two memoirs The Shepherd's Life and The Shepherd’s View offer a glimpse into a profession and world that has remained largely unchanged for hundreds of years. Rebanks joins CHF Artistic Director Alison Cuddy in conversation.
Mary Roach, 2016
Science writer Mary Roach’s research topics include sex, corpses, digestion, and the science of humans at war. In conversation with WBEZ radio host Peter Sagal, Roach answers questions like: Why is the federal government interested in ducks? How is a wedding gown like a bomb suit? And why are shrimp more dangerous to sailors than sharks?
Bob Mankoff, 2015
New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff believes that anything worth saying is worth saying funny. Mankoff returned to CHF to talk about his memoir How About Never—Is Never Good For You?; the love of his life, cartoons; and how his first love, psychology, was a perfect training ground for a life in graphic humor.
Image credit: Ben Gonzales
Patton Oswalt, 2015
Former wedding deejay, Ratatouille voice artist, New York Times best-selling author, and stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt comes to CHF to talk about his love for all things cinema—from classic Hollywood flicks to contemporary releases. Oswalt finds on the silver screen a guide to acting, writing, relationships, and, perhaps most importantly, comedy.
Lena Dunham, 2014
Lena Dunham burst onto the scene as the creator and star of HBO’s Girls. She is also the author of Not That Kind of Girl. Dunham came to CHF to discuss her love for Shonda Rhimes of Grey’s Anatomy, what she’s learned as a woman in the film industry, and her advice to aspiring writers.
Paula Poundstone, 2014
Stand-up comedian, author, and actress Paula Poundstone, known for her regular appearances on NPR’s Wait Wait...Don’t Tell Me! and beloved for her distinctive brand of wry, intelligent, and witty comedy, spends Halloween 2014 at CHF.
Wallace Shawn, 2014
Provocative and intellectually demanding, the plays of Wallace Shawn are as multifaceted and enigmatic as the man himself, known to many for his roles as an actor in My Dinner with Andre, Manhattan, and The Princess Bride. Shawn visited CHF to discuss what he finds beautiful and what begiles him.
“If you are really more interested in poetry than power, you may be a less harmful person.” —Wallace Shawn
Delia Ephron, 2013
Author, screenwriter, and playwright Delia Ephron speaks to CHF about Sister Mother Husband Dog: Etc., a collection of stories and essays that stretches from her tumultuous twenties, when she was just starting out as a writer, to a touching, previously unreleased remembrance of her older sister and longtime collaborator, Nora Ephron.
Elephant Room, 2013
Three world-class tricksters—stage names Louie Magic, Dennis Diamond, and Daryl Hannah— conjure a work of experimental theater into a magic show.
Header image credit: Ben Gonzales
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