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Liana Finck

When I️ set out to write this list of things I️ found funny this month, I️ realized that I️ don’t seek out funny things. I’m somewhat puritanical—I run daily, I like the taste of kale, I can’t dance—so this might be a symptom of my over-all grimness. But I wondered, If you go looking for something funny, will you ever find it? Funny strikes like lightning. Anything I️ love that’s funny is something I’ve wandered into by accident.

My second caveat is that I’m not sure I️ know the proper definition of “funny” beyond “shocking and true.” Kafka used to laugh uncontrollably at funerals. I don’t think I’ve ever done that, though I used to cry at job interviews.

And now here is my list:

• I’m currently immersed in Patricia Lockwood’s latest novel, “Will There Ever Be Another You.” She’s a longtime favorite of mine. (Read her thoughts on John Updike here.) This latest book is perfect. Is it funny, or a religious text? Regardless, it’s been making me laugh a lot. Basically, it’s about what it’s like to be a writer who has lost her touch (in Lockwood’s case, to long COVID). Relatable as hell—and vindicating, because, clearly, she has got her touch back enough to write about losing it.
• The only TV show that I’ve made an effort to watch this year (besides “Bluey,” which isn’t primarily funny but is so, so good) is Nathan Fielder’s “The Rehearsal,” which I recommend unequivocally. It’s alien-coming-to-Earth funny, like “Twin Peaks,” but without the sexiness. That’s a compliment.
• My favorite funny movie is “Monty Python’s Life of Brian,” . . .

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