RAMY YOUSSEF has been writing comedy about Israel and > Palestine for years. Before October 7, he was touring an hourlong set that included a story about going home with a woman and finding she had an Israeli flag on the wall. "I'm horny, so I'm trying to justify it," he says. "This is the Star of David. That's their logo. It's just Jewish ... Big." Post-October 7, he didn't have to throw everything out and start over, but he knew he'd need to write about it after friends started reaching out. "October 10th, I get a call from a guy I know," starts a joke ten minutes into Youssef's new special, More Feelings. "Yo, bro, where you at with ... Hamas?"" Youssef is defiant: "Where I'm at? ... Are we fucking?" His tone turns serious. "You think any of us like what happened?" he says. "We hate seeing people die. It made me cry." The audience interrupts him, breaking into applause. Youssef returns to the conversation with his friend: "You know me. You think I'm Hamas? Bro, I'm a Taliban guy."
Was this the first joke you came up with after October 7?
That joke was the first thing that came out of a set soon after. I would start by saying, “I’m not sure we’re supposed to be here. I’ve been depressed. This has been really hard.” I would address the Jewish folks in the room, too: “Listen, I know you also have had a really hard time.” There’s so much generational trauma. We’re all sorting through a lot of feelings. It’s why my stand-up has always been called Feelings, because this is a space to do that. And then I’d talk about this phone call I had with a friend and get into that joke.
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Denne historien er fra March 25 - April 07, 2024-utgaven av New York magazine.
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Trapped in Time
A woman relives the same day in a stunning Danish novel.
Polyphonic City
A SOFT, SHIMMERING beauty permeates the images of Mumbai that open Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light. For all the nighttime bustle on display-the heave of people, the constant activity and chaos-Kapadia shoots with a flair for the illusory.
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Kenneth Branagh's production is nipped, tucked, and facile.
A Belfast Lad Goes Home
After playing some iconic Americans, Anthony Boyle is a beloved IRA commander in a riveting new series about the Troubles.
The Pluck of the Irish
Artists from the Indiana-size island continue to dominate popular culture. Online, they've gained a rep as the \"good Europeans.\"
Houston's on Houston
The Corner Store is like an upscale chain for downtown scene-chasers.
A Brownstone That's Pink Inside
Artist Vivian Reiss's Murray Hill house of whimsy.
These Jeans Made Me Gay
The Citizens of Humanity Horseshoe pants complete my queer style.
Manic, STONED, Throttle, No Brakes
Less than six months after her Gagosian sölu show, the artist JAMIAN JULIANO-VILLAND lost her gallery and all her money and was preparing for an exhibition with two the biggest living American artists.
WHO EVER THOUGHT THAT BRIGHT PINK MEAT THAT LASTS FOR WEEKS WAS A GOOD IDEA?
Deli Meat Is Rotten
