Ah, the internet. Where would we be without it? Probably not in severe civil unrest. As a self-employed/unemployed comedian, I spend a lot of time just kind of letting YouTube take me where she wants to go. We just kind of get each other, you know? That’s why these links are basically all on YouTube. I am over 30 so I don’t know what TikTok is. If I wanted to watch dancing and cruel pranks, I would watch the Ellen Show. I will never claim these are the funniest things on the internet. But these are what make me happiest and laugh the most. This is my exact algorithm. Please Enjoy. Or don’t. I don’t mind, I’ve already sent my invoice for this. 1. Amy Sedaris’s tour of her neighbourhood Amy Sedaris is one of those people I could just watch do anything. It’s as if she’s existing on some separate and more manic plane. Whenever she’s on a show, the host acts as if some giant exotic rare bird has just landed on the set. Her Letterman appearances over the 90s into the 2000s are legendary: apparently she lived near the studio, and when a guest would drop out last minute, they would call in Amy. This means she rarely has anything to plug and mostly talks about her rabbit. This is my go-to clip for when drunk people start putting on YouTube at 2am. Enjoy. 2. Jeremy Kaplowitz’s Seinfeld impression Before watching, do yourself a favour and read up a little on the fact that when Jerry Seinfeld was 38 he had a 17-year-old girlfriend. Openly. Like, I think he took her to the Emmys. I hear you thinking, “Yeah, but the 1970s were a different time!” It was 1993. Fun. 3. Kristen Wiig and Melinda Hill: Confessions of a Tooth Fairy It’s both satisfying and frustrating to know Kristen Wiig has been this funny for so long. I’ve been laughing at this sketch for over a decade. I have no memory of how I found it but it has stuck with me. Watch it, then try not to start saying “I don’t like to touch it” in your regular life. 4. Paul F Tompkins covers Skyfall Paul F Tompkins is very important to me. When I was a widdle baby open mic comedian I saw him perform and it kind of changed my whole perspective on standup. It’s the type of material you can listen to over and over again and laugh at something new every time. His regular standup is amazing, but I love him most when he is doing dumb shit like this. 5. Carrie Fisher AFI I hope when I grow up I can be an ex-opiate addict/cultural icon screaming at Hollywood’s elite with messy hair, thick eyeliner and a sensible slip-on heel. Carrie Fisher is my idol. The true gift of this clip is watching George Lucas and Steven Spielberg nervously looking at each other terrified of what she might say. 6. Peter Pan gone wrong If you’re honest with yourself, the only reason you go to a school play is the same reason you go to a wedding: in the hope that something is going to go horribly, horribly wrong. With that in mind, I give you this beautiful slice of internet. I mean at a certain point, the show must not go on, right? A highlight for me is the dad behind the camera saying “that ain’t good”, and near the end the little girl saying “oh my god” as she’s flung across the stage. Sometimes I wonder where the kids in this clip are now. Do they think about this night often? I do. 7. Meet Your Second Wife This is some dark shit for a network television program. The sound the audience makes when they realise what the conceit is is very satisfying. Then they keep topping it. I laugh every time I see Tina Fey say “And I’m Tina Fey”. 8. Cole Escola’s comedy special Help! I’m Stuck I’m not going to give you any context for this except Cole Escola is a true artist and this is his masterpiece. 9. Just generally Anne Edmonds Look, there’s a good chance Anne Edmonds is the funniest person on the planet. She has that special skill of making the darkest most grotesque parts of people deeply funny. Anything with her in it is good, but here’s some of her most recent work. Go get lost in an Anne Edmonds YouTube hole. Elaine Stritch: I’m Still Here As a gay man in his 30s, I of course yearn to be a brassy older woman. This is not a funny clip, but it makes me feel better than anything else on the internet. No shit, I watch this once or twice a week. I could write a thesis about it. Heterosexuals might know Elaine Stritch as Jack’s wise yet emotionally abusive mother in 30 Rock. She was an absolute broadway legend and by all accounts an incredible bitch who didn’t take an ounce of shit from anyone. I hope I’m still this furious at 86.