Joke Farming: The Disciplined Craft of Comedy Writing

Resources

Books

• "The Power Broker" by Robert Caro - Mentioned as a book that Elliot Kalan and Roman Mars did a series on, implying it's a significant work.
• "Joke Farming: How to Write Comedy and Other Nonsense" by Elliot Kalan - The central topic of the episode, detailing Kalan's system for writing jokes.
• "Tristram Shandy" by Laurence Sterne - Used as an example of a centuries-old humorous book that is part of the continuum of comedy writing.

Videos & Documentaries

• The Daily Show with John Stewart - Mentioned as a place where Elliot Kalan worked as head writer and developed his joke-writing process.
• Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Elliot Kalan worked on the Netflix seasons of this show, and audience feedback led to adjustments in joke density.

Articles & Papers

• "How crime works" (The Wire) - Used metaphorically to describe how the dense joke-writing in Mystery Science Theater 3000 felt overwhelming to the audience.

People Mentioned

• Elliot Kalan (Comedy Writer, Author) - The guest and author of the book "Joke Farming," explaining his process for writing jokes.
• Roman Mars (Host) - The host of the podcast, discussing joke writing with Elliot Kalan.
• John Stewart (Host of The Daily Show) - Mentioned as the host for whom jokes were written at The Daily Show.
• John Kerry (Former Secretary of State) - Used as the subject of a joke example to illustrate joke farming principles.
• Wolf Blitzer (CNN Anchor) - Mentioned for a clip that provided material for the John Kerry joke.
• Rita Rudner (Comedian) - Her joke structure is used as an example of setup and punchline with subverted expectations.
• E.B. White (Author) - Quoted regarding the analogy of dissecting a frog to explain a joke.
• Jerry Seinfeld (Comedian) - Mentioned for his disciplined writing process, which is compared to joke farming.
• Joan Rivers (Comedian) - Referenced for her use of a card catalog to organize jokes.
• Don Rickles (Comedian) - Used as an example of insult comedy and tone management.
• Donald Trump (Former U.S. President) - Mentioned as an example of someone who used humor effectively in his political campaign, even if for "evil purposes."
• Laurence Sterne (Author of Tristram Shandy) - Mentioned as the author of a historical humorous book.
• Joel Hodgson (Creator of Mystery Science Theater 3000) - Mentioned for coining the nickname "the joke killer" for Elliot Kalan.

Organizations & Institutions

• Progressive Insurance - Mentioned as a sponsor of the podcast episode.
• Volkswagen - Mentioned as a sponsor of the podcast episode.
• Netflix - Mentioned as the platform for the forthcoming animated Ghostbusters series and the seasons of Mystery Science Theater 3000 Kalan worked on.
• Simply Safe - Mentioned as a sponsor of the podcast episode.
• Givewell - Mentioned as a sponsor of the podcast episode.
• Article (Furniture Company) - Mentioned as a sponsor of the podcast episode.
• XM Satellite Radio - Mentioned as the parent company of the podcast.
• Pandora - Mentioned as the building where the podcast is headquartered.

Websites & Online Resources

• progressive.com - Mentioned for obtaining a quote from Progressive Insurance.
• simplysafe.com/invisible - Mentioned for a Simply Safe promotion.
• givewell.org - Mentioned for information on cost-effective charitable giving.
• article.com/999 - Mentioned for an Article furniture discount.
• 99pi.org - The podcast's official website.

Other Resources

• Ghostbusters animated series (forthcoming) - Elliot Kalan is the showrunner for this series.
• The Flop House (Podcast) - Elliot Kalan is a co-host of this podcast about bad movies.
• Svalbard Global Seed Vault - Mentioned as an example of a highly secure seed bank.
• Aleppo Seed Bank - Mentioned in contrast to the Svalbard vault, leading to a discussion about the power of joke structure.
• TikTok - Mentioned as a platform for modern comedy that shares roots with older forms.
• Discord server (99pi) - Mentioned as a place to connect with the podcast.
• Swan Real (Music Artist) - Provided music for the episode.
• Stephen Lawrence (Graphic Designer) - Created the 99pi logo.