Good morning friends. We have a very special feature today on The Good News Channel. We always talk about funny being positive too because laughter helps us live longer. And if want to laugh, where do we turn ? We turn to comedy. So today we are featuring a real comedian leaving the dream, doing stand up comedy, podcasts, writing and producing for shows, commentator on shows, a family man so and so and on.
We’ve all heard the expression; “Jack of all trades, master of none” Well Alex Barnett is a walking revision of that, “He’s a Jack of many trades, master of many things. But whether he is doing this or doing that, at the core Alex Barnett is a family man.
Alex Barnett’s Website; http://www.alexbarnettcomic.com/
My comedy is about family, specifically my family. As the White, Jewish husband of a Black woman (who converted to Judaism) and the father of a 3 year-old, Biracial son, I focus my attention on the challenges of being a parent in a bad economy and the issues that confront interracial families (including the dynamics between members of the same family who are of different races). In the Age of Obama, my material is very timely, relevant, and (if I may say so myself) very funny.
Alex Barnett on Twitter; https://twitter.com/barnettcomic
I’ve performed at clubs, colleges and venues throughout the country. I’ve appeared on the Katie Couric Show, been featured on Sirius/XM Radio’s “Raw Dog Comedy,” NBC’s EVB Live, Bloomberg Law TV, ComedyTime TV, RT TV America and NYC-TV and in VH1.com, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, and CNN.com. I also won the 12th Annual Gilda’s Club (Northern NJ) Laugh-Off.
My wife, son and I are a multiracial family. We’re part of a small, but growing trend. We’ve encountered a variety of “interesting” (some bad, but others good) experiences along the way — looks, questions, comments, head-nods, and high-fives. And, based on comments to this blog and to my Facebook page; www.facebook.com/alexbarnettcomic, I know that we’re not alone. Based on our own experiences and those of others, I launched a podcast called the Multiracial Family Man. You can find the latest episode here: iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/multiracial-family-man-ep./id969793342?i=340254993&mt=2
Alex has has put together a list of 50 Life Lessons to help his son become a man. I will list 10 them here, to read the full 50 Lessons which is recommended, here’s link; Stay healthy. Eat well. Workout. Using a Wii is not a workout.
1. Stay healthy. Eat well. Workout. Using a Wii is not a workout.
2. By the way, being an American isn’t license to be a cocky jerkoff to people who are from other countries. Learn a couple of languages and travel the world. You’ll be amazed by what you see and learn. Also, you’ll drink amazing wine and have amazing sex. (That’s a funny as hell one)
3. God doesn’t care about or get involved with sports. If your team loses, it’s because they sucked or they simply got outplayed.
4. If you have a hangover, it means you deserve it. I hope the fun was worth it.
5. Don’t keep company with “toxic” people. They will drag you down. I don’t care how nice her ass is, how big her boobs are or how hot she is. If you have to have sex with her once – “just because” — don’t tell me about it and don’t complain when she steals shit from you or gets you beaten up by her ex or current boyfriend.
6. Money is important. Very important. But people, animals, the environment, your mental, emotional and physical health are more important. Remember that.
7. Remember, this world doesn’t belong to you. I borrowed it from you, and you’re borrowing it from your kids. So, remember, you have to give it back in at least as good a condition as you got it, if not better.
8. Look out for the guy at work who never says anything to anyone. He’s the guy who goes postal.
9. Treat everyone with at least as much respect and dignity as you’d want them to give to you. If they’re female, or very old, very young, sick, disabled or have paws, gills, or wings, treat them even better than you’d want to be treated. You’re a man. No matter what anyone says, you’re job is to protect the tribe and the cave.
10. Learn how to cook something, sew on a button, and use an iron. It’s not “effeminate.” It will save you money, and that first time that really hot chick stays over, she will go absolutely batshit crazy for you if she sees you do any of these three things.
For the list of all 50 life lessons; http://www.alexbarnettcomic.com/50-life-lessons-to-help-my-son-become-a-man/
Ok, back to the story now;
In addition, I’m the host of the weekly podcast called The Multiracial Family Man (available on iTunes at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/multiracial-family-man/id969793342?mt=2). On the podcast, I interview guests about issues of concern to multiracial people and people within multiracial families.
I’m the co-founder and co-producer of The Dads of Comedy, the Jewish Fathers Comedy Tour, The Diversity Show, Glass Half Full Comedy, The Manhattan Show, Bottle of Laughs and Post-Grad Comedy, all of which are regularly-occurring shows at NYC’s Gotham Comedy Club.
I’m also a writer. I wrote a series of columns about my comedy career in a regularly-occurring column in The New York Daily News “Money” section. I wrote a monthly humor column for the online webzine, The Coil Review(www.thecoilreview.com), I was a regular contributor to The Comic Bible, and I’m now a regular columnist for The Good Men Project, (http://goodmenproject.com/author/alex-barnett/) where I write about parenting, particularly multiracial parenting. In addition, my comedic short story “Lola’s Christmas Gift” was published in the 2008 issue of the literary journal, The Westchester Review.
In my off hours, I spend as much time as I can with my wife and our son, Ivan, and they pretend to enjoy my company.
Great job Alex. Friends I would like to close with saying how much we enjoyed putting this feature together. Alex Barnett is pure class with great values. His 50 Life Lessons to make his son a man could apply to anybody’s life. Even the funny ones are based with fairness and respect for others. Here’s link to Alex’s life lesson’s again; http://www.alexbarnettcomic.com/50-life-lessons-to-help-my-son-become-a-man/
