The Weekend Snack 3.24.24
Unabashed human spirit enthusiast.
Welcome to the Weekend Snack - a quick roundup of my favorite bites from the past weekend.
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Happy Sunday! I’m deep down a 100-mile rabbit hole today after hearing that a British runner named Jasmin Paris became the first woman to complete the Barkley Marathons this past Friday. I write that sentence as if I knew what that was before today (which I didn’t) or as if I run (which I don’t). So, while this doesn’t seem like something that would be on my radar, I’m an unabashed human spirit enthusiast and will always be excited to celebrate Herculean achievements. If, like me, you also did not know what this was, the Barkley Marathons is an ultramarathon trail race held each year in a Tennessee state park that requires racers to traverse 100 miles (involving 60,000ft of climb and descent) in 60 hours, finding hidden books with only a printed map (GPS is not allowed). Some other fun facts: the quirky race was inspired by a failed jailbreak, the application process is notoriously secretive (basically what Soho House used to be), the course changes every year, and the race officially begins when the race director lights a cigarette. Since it became a 100-mile race in 1989, only 20 people have finished it. So yeah - if you’re wondering what I’m doing today, it’s NOT getting out and running, BUT it is sitting in front of my computer, trying to decode the secret entry process (because I love an internet-based challenge).
Unlike Jasmin, my biggest marathon this week was watching all the first three episodes of Palm Royale (don’t ask me what I think yet - I haven’t decided). With that, a couple of quick bites:
🎭 Jack Tucker: Comedy Standup Hour. I saw this show with friends last night and had a chaotic good time. Jack Tucker is comedian Zach Zucker’s alter ego. The inspiration for Jack Tucker came after Zucker watched a lot of bad comics getting booked and felt that he and his friends were a lot funnier but not getting the same opportunities. Realizing there could be something there to play off of, he decided to take a go at hosting his late-night variety show (Stumptown) in a new persona: bad comedian Jack Tucker (think: deadbeat, inappropriate but faintly endearing Uncle that doesn’t know how to let a joke die). Zucker studied under French master clown Philippe Gaulier (other famous students include Sacha Baron Cohen, Emma Thompson, and Helena Bonham Carter), and knowing that gives a lot of context to the performance. Much of the bit is him being guided by the energy of the audience’s reactions - doubling down on things the crowd responds to. He has an impressively quick brain and innate physicality, and he and his stage manager/producer are so in sync with lighting and sound cues that it feels like they’ve melded into one brain. I’d never seen anything like it! If you’re a fan of live comedy but interested in seeing something different than your usual standup act while also supporting a really lovely guy (he shakes everyone’s hand at the end of the show and talks to the crowd), make sure to check it out before the show closes on April 13th.
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🎰 The Big Silly Trivia Game. Did you play HQ? I did. Religiously (despite finding the host irritating). I was sad when it ended and even more sad to learn about all the various scandals that plagued the company behind the scenes. But wow, oh wow, I have some good news for you! There’s a new virtual trivia show on the block called The Big Silly Trivia Game! It’s a weekly pop culture trivia competition currently in beta testing, and you should absolutely sign up. It’s every Wednesday @ 9 PM EST, and you can win chic prizes like Khaite tees, Bottega card holders, and sourced vintage decor. Last week, there was a question about John Mayer’s famous exes - and that’s how I knew I was in the right place. Also, the chat is electric - it’s like they’ve assembled all your favorite girls you’ve ever met in the bathroom line at a bar. If that’s your vibe, you can sign up here.
And I’ll leave you with Olivia Rodrigo’s new song, “Obsessed.” My book club met this week to discuss Good Material, and by the end of the night, the conversation turned to elaborate tales of outsized breakup reactions and our most embarrassing ex-girlfriend stalking tactics. So yeah—this song hit at just the right time. Also, if someone wants to send two tickets for her MSG show my way, that would be cool.
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