A City of Helpers
Even in a disaster, people across LA are eager to help and give. Plus recs for tacos at the Arco, Bill Burr on the fires and getting older, and Steve Salinda on losing your home.
The thing that people often don’t understand about Los Angeles is that this is not a city of movie stars and celebrities. That’s a tiny, tiny percentage of the population, even if they dominate the public image of the city. But even in the entertainment industry, the vast majority of people living here aren’t the famous ones, they’re the regular, hard-working people who are excited to make seemingly impossible things happen.
Behind every action movie star are hundreds of people who put together the sets, assemble the lights, design and build the props, drive the equipment, sew the costumes, and perform the thousands of other tasks that make that famous person famous.
Outside the entertainment industry, that same spirit of eagerly making the impossible happen pervades the city. You want to discuss regional Armenian politics in Armenian while sitting in a Korean spa next to a guy who builds rocket ships for a living? You can do that here!
You want to pull over on the side of the street to randomly eat the best taco of your life from a stand that just set up for the first time this morning? No problem. Across LA, there are scientists working in labs to cure rare diseases, Olympians training to compete for the gold, there are clothes being made, and there’s one of the biggest ports in the world supplying the rest of the country with essential goods. It’s a city where people don’t explain why something can’t be done, instead they get to work figuring out how to do it.
We got to back to LA and to our house this week and I was struck by how deeply that hard-working spirit was on display. At the food pantry on Wednesday, my friends Jess and Sophie sent out a call for volunteers and within minutes, we had so many people that we finished two hours of work in twenty minutes. Across the city, distribution sites were being overwhelmed by donated supplies and volunteers.
The disaster is not over yet. Not by a long shot. But it’s beautiful to see that this city is going to get through it together.
If you’re looking for a way to help out from afar, I would love to get your help for one of my former coworkers, Maggie Ruder. Maggie designed all of the sets and props for Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas. She’s one of the most talented and kind people I’ve ever had the chance to work with and she lost her home and all her possessions. She and her husband and their toddler are safe, but they’re going to need a lot of support to get back on their feet. Every one of these stories is tragic in its own way, but I’m personally heartbroken to know that a home where Maggie and her husband had built and created so many beautiful, custom, handmade pieces for their family is now completely destroyed. And to navigate rebuilding with a small child and with jobs in the entertainment industry still in total chaos, it’s an enormous task. Please consider donating to Maggie and her family on their Go Fund Me here.
And now, on to this week’s list. A jarring segue, if ever there was one.
My projects and upcoming events:
LIVE IN SF: Wrong Answers Only at SF Sketchfest - Sunday, January 26th at 7:00 p.m. at the Gateway Theater. If you live in the Bay Area, come see me, Samm Levine, Aparna Nancherla, and Dulcé Sloan learn from a wildlife biologist about all the animals that are roaming through your city. Tickets are onsale now.
PODCAST: How to Be a Better Human (TED/PRX) - We’re back with a new season of the podcast (although this first episode was recorded before the fires, in case you’re asking yourself why I’m weirdly not referencing it!). We start the year off with Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering, for an episode all about how to bring people together and have a 2025 filled with community and deep relationships. Check out the conversation here (or wherever you get podcasts).
ARTICLE: Authority Magazine - I was interviewed for an article called Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Professional Comedian.
PODCAST: LaughBox - I was a guest on this podcast produced by the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor to talk about my work with Wrong Answers Only and my upcoming book. You can listen to me talk to a duo named Katy Bee and Jim-Bob here.
This week’s list
GREAT:
Everywhere you look in this city, people are trying their best to help each other out. Here’s an article that captures that spirit really well. Despite losing their homes and belongings, residents of Altadena are determined to not lose their community. And that starts with giving out some good food and letting people know they’re not alone. A Gas Station Becomes a Uniquely L.A. Relief Site
FUNNY:
Bill Burr isn’t just one of the funniest standup comedians to ever perform, he’s also sneakily one of the most thoughtful and self-reflective. I’m always impressed by how he manages to walk a line where he’s making people laugh and able to win over the manosphere tough guys without buying into their BS. He came on Jimmy Kimmel Live to promote his new special but also talk about the fires. I thought he nailed it. Bill Burr on People Online Commenting on the LA Fires & Getting in Touch with His Emotions
INTERESTING:
Like so many other people across Los Angeles, Steve Salinda lost his house and almost all of his belongings in the fires. He wrote about the past seven days, what he’s experienced and what he’s learned. It’s a look inside the unthinkable, but it’s also an ode to the power of writing as a way of processing loss. I highly recommend giving his essay a read. A Letter from Hell
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Thank you for reading and for your support,
Chris Duffy
This has been Bright Spots, a newsletter.
…wait, who are you?
I'm Chris Duffy, a comedian, TV writer, podcast host, and both a former fifth grade teacher and a former fifth grade student. I’m currently writing a nonfiction book about humor for Doubleday.