Top posts from Sandpaper Suit, NYC comic Matt Ruby's blog about standup

[MattRuby]

Sandpaper Suit is my blog where I post 1) funny stuff — jokes, videos, etc. and 2) not funny stuff about the art of standup. Here are some of the posts (mostly from the #2 category) that I think readers of AST might find interesting...

For future reference, top posts can be found in the "best of" category at the blog.

Top '09 posts:

How do you deal with being stuck in the trenches?
Capture Your Flag interview about my standup
The straight man
Mayer, Kumail, and getting out of your comedy comfort zone
Making 'em think vs. making 'em laugh
Matt Ruby comedy videos
A shopping list of recommended gear for comedians
Video: Gay or straight?
The 10 greatest standup bits of the past 20 years
Why Doug Stanhope drinks on stage
Video: Highlights from The 2nd Annual Schtick or Treat
The side of the majority isn't funny
More answers to Stupid Ass Questions
"Think Tank" web comedy series (collection)
Bill Hicks’s Principles of Comedy
An education on getting college gigs, college agents, and NACA
The Comix staff offers tips and pet peeves for comedians
Marc Maron explains why he likes Andrew Dice Clay
Video: "I Need Laughs: One week in the trenches of the New York underground comedy scene"
Alt shows give comics an excuse to be lazy
Video: Looking through an audience member's purse
Tom Scharpling and Paul F. Tompkins mocking Gathering Of The Juggalos
How to get a crowd to come out to your comedy show
Is crowd work a crutch?
Patton Oswalt's advice on how not to be a miserable comedian
Behind the scenes as Louis CK films a new TV pilot
The live performer’s divided brain
The evolution from clever to truth teller
Gotta input to output
Adjusting your material based on the type of crowd you're performing for
Romantic comedies are to women what porn is to men
If show producers told the truth, it'd sound like this...
My dad hates everything
The invented foil in "Everything's amazing, nobody's happy"
The fascination with hecklers
Gaffigan's path to success and doing topic-driven material
"Do you have any advice for beginner comedians?"
Video: Behind the scenes at SXSW Comedy 2009
Gervais and David talk about the truth and being unique
Jon Stewart should stop using comedy as a shield
Bold choices
The difference between a me-too show and a remarkable one
When your mom's a bigger rebel than you'll ever be
My least favorite thing to hear: "I've been watching a lot of TV lately and..."
My ongoing beef with vegetarians
There is no hack subject, only hack approaches
Highlights from the great commentary on Louis CK's "Chewed Up" DVD
Comedy Feng Shui: 10 things that ruin comedy shows
"The bathroom attendant just strongarmed me into giving him a dollar"
Louis CK at Comix = most impressive standup show I've ever seen
Trying to write extended bits instead of quickies
Harvard Business School, Sandpaper Suit, and Chris Rock's small experiments
Is it better to start off as a comic in NYC or somewhere else?
Taping sets to get phrasing and delivery and to remember funny riffs
The definition of the word "anal"

Some posts from 2008 that were especially popular or that I liked a lot:

• Video debut of The Hip Hop Pirate
• Video: A gay heckler yells "fuck you" to me
• I don't care if your email is "Sent from my iPhone"
• Go for the killer set or churn out new material?
• Louis CK on "brushback pitch" jokes
• "This is a roomful of people who would like for you to stop talking"
• Howard Stern and the truth
• Alec Baldwin: "I'm going to win"
• Jerry Seinfeld on comedy: "Just work!"
• 16 things/people I've seen at open mics that were unintentionally funny
• White audiences and comedy about race
• Alternative names for Nerve.com's outrageous sex positions
• What it's like to do a talking head piece for MTV
• Video: DJ Underground
• Does great comedy have to come from a personal place?
• Video: "White Collar Comedy with Mortimer the Steel Baron"
• An in-depth analysis of that creepy Fox NFL robot
• A collection of Charlie Rose interviews with comedians like Seinfeld, Rock, Chappelle, Martin, Rickles, etc.
• Making Fun of the Zebras isn’t Edgy [at Dead Frog]

And from 2007:

Steve Martin's advice for making it as a comic: "Be undeniably good"
Moby's #1 fan is out to get me
Rhythm in standup and music
"Stage time in this city is too valuable to waste"
5 reasons new comics should stop listening to albums and tv specials by famous comics
How Chris Rock works out new material in a small club
Chris Rock and I "share" a bill again
"Funny" isn't what makes people laugh
Video: Simon Beauregard's Guide to America

Thanks to everyone who reads the site. To subscribe: Subscribe to RSS feed for this blog or get it delivered every day by email.

[Mo!]

I've read all these before and they're great

[Rob Delaney]

Hi Matt! I clicked on a bunch of these and realized I'd already read a bunch of them. Your blog has affected me more than I realized...

[Gene George]

I just assumed everyone was tuned in to Sandpaper Suit, these columns rule the school.

[RegularKarate]

Yeah, I've been reading these for a while now. Matt's commitment to these posts is pretty impressive, they're really helpful and insightful. They're not just inflated twitters like a lot of blogs.

[karyrogers]

For those interested in the execution of writing and performing comedy, there's no better personal site than Sandpaper Suit. Matt posts bits, insights, and interviews that nobody else does.

[MarkAgee]

Matthew Rubix is a nice young man. (He must be, since he always wears suits.) Bookmark his bloggy thing.

[forgetiheardthat]

If you care about comedy, and aren't reading Sandpaper Suit, eat a dick. Seriously, fuck you, you fucking prick.

[Alex Mac]

Matt, don't be hating on my Moleskine.

EDIT: Forgot to say, this blog rocks.

[MattRuby]

Thanks for all the kind words, guys. Much appreciated!

[jdubs]

I like what you're bringing to the internets, both the blogs and the Think Tank videos. I almost wish I'd found the videos 6 months from now so I'd have more to watch, but kudos on not churning out a bunch just to have them. I'll be following your tweets for more.

[Phil]

I <3 SandpaperSuit. All ASTers should be reading this.

[MattRuby]

Just updated the post above with some more of the "best of" posts at Sandpaper Suit from the past few months. Hope ya dig.

[MattRuby]

OK, added another batch of posts up top at original post. Look there for full set of links. Yeah.

[beccaBeccaBECCA]

Love the blog. Like the "We're All Friends Now" podcast even more... my favorite episodes are those with Sean Patton, Jared Logan, Sean O'Connor, and Kumail Nanjiani.

Thanks for the post.