The Straight Man

February 1, 2024
3 mins read

Words by Shelton Hull 

‘My Show, Also My Life’ returns Jan. 29

 

It was mere days ago that I interviewed comedian Ted Brown, the writer, director, producer, editor and also the star of “My Show, Also My Life,” which has the unique distinction of being a show that is actually fresh, and actually new. True originality in our densely oversaturated media landscape is way harder than you think, but Brown has somehow managed to do so, almost entirely by chance.

 

The show, also his life, is unscripted. It basically involves Brown walking around as his own sort of one-man “The Truman Show”, wearing a body-cam on his chest and carrying a second camera on a selfie-stick type gimmick, augmented by at least one smartphone, sometimes two. He narrates events in a drowsy, slightly nasal monotone, the kind of voice you’d hear in court or on a PBS pledge drive.

I spoke with Brown on a Monday night about two weeks ago, and we were doing the same thing we always do on Monday nights: sitting at a high-top on the front patio of Rain Dogs awaiting the start of Hot Potato Comedy, one of that bar’s trademark open-mic features, hosted in the back room by another homie Chris Buck. That same venue would host the world premiere of season four, episode five of “My Show, Also My Life” the following week. Even though I am writing this before that event, I can look into the future and attest that I was there, and a good time was had by all.

“My Show, Also My Life” is an experiment in its form with historical antecedents dating back past the rise of reality shows and creation of vlogs, all the way to the very first selfies. He comments on the decaying facade of 20th century capitalism, a dead model that remains the standard by which we define. One feature of the show is a sort of pop-up window called the “Brand Scanner,” which is often deployed to mock certain brands but just as often to promote independent businesses, including a wide variety of the creators he’s encountered, here and elsewhere.

A possible misnomer, earlier in this article, was possibly my referring to Brown as “the star” of his show. Of course, he is … but also not. Whereas most performers doing such a project would truly make it all about them and their wacky antics, Brown is much more comfortable in the role of observer, narrating events as they unfold around him, finding humor in the more innocuous aspects of his life. This comes through more clearly when he’s on the road, having filmed on location in Europe and Mexico over the past year. In fact, our interview took place the night before a trip to Peru, the details of which will be seen in season four, episode six of “My Show, Also My Life.”

 

It may surprise you to learn that a professional comedian who spends so much of his show, also his life, walking around, often interacting with total strangers, documenting the minutiae of his own existence in maniacal detail with at least two cameras going at all times is, in fact, quite shy. But so am I, and that’s fine. This was a bonding moment in our conversation, as we discovered that we are both shy people who deliberately chose career paths that forced us both to develop certain methods to better facilitate the socialization process, and those methods eventually became second nature. These very similar but also very different life paths converged at that table on that patio. We both found this funny, but not enough to actually laugh at. 

 

Past episodes of the show can be viewed on his YouTube channel, which is oddly named “lorem ipsumeriam.” What could that possibly mean? Actually, it literally means nothing, or about as close as you can get to pure verbal nothingness. “Lorem ipsum” are the first two words of a passage of randomly assembled Latin words used to help with old-school typesetting and new-school graphic design. Interesting choice, for a guy whose own format of choice is itself a sort of blank slate, a slate on which dreams and nightmares can be projected side by side. That is his show, and also his life.

 

https://www.youtube.com/@loremipsumerian 

https://www.instagram.com/lorem_ipsumerian/ 

 

Shelton Hull has been writing for Folio Weekly since 1997, but his resume goes back even further. He has written for almost every newspaper, magazine and zine in Northeast Florida, as well as publications like Orlando Weekly, Narrow GNV, Creative Loafing Tampa, Charleston City Paper, Ink19 and The Atlantic.

He currently writes the "Folio Weed" column, which he created in 2018; he remains one of the widest-read and most influential cannabis writers in the world today. He also compiles material for "Weird Wild Stuff" column, and he previously wrote the legendary "Money Jungle" column for Folio Weekly from 1999 to 2009.

He is a regular contributor to "First Coast Connect" on WJCT, as well as the Jacksonville Music Experience. He is a co-host of "The Contrast Project" and the "Bold City Civics" podcast. He is also a co-founder of the record label Bold City Music Productions. He can be reached at sheltonhull@gmail.com.

Current Issue

SUBMIT EVENTS

Submit Events

Advertisements

An Evening with Jason Isbell
The Amp
Collision Homecoming
JWJ Park Events
omaha-steaks-banners

Date

Title

Current Month

Follow FOLIO!

Previous Story

February Concerts

Next Story

Comedy- February

Latest from Feature

RIVERDANCE is 30 years young

Riverdance 30 – The New Generation is not only bringing new choreography to the show, but it is also introducing a new generation of dancers, none of whom were born when Riverdance first took to the stage 30 years ago.  Emissaries for the show, Irish siblings Anna Mai and Fergus

Empty Register: The Band That Spans Across City Lines

Words and Photos by Amiyah Golden  A couple months back, I was enjoying a night that was filled with a variety of tunes under the Riverside Arts Market Bridge. As I watched the next group prepare for their set, the static flow of expectancy was instead disrupted by something

Political Schemes and The TikTok Ban 

Words by Ambar Ramirez In the weeks leading up to the TikTok ban, there were faint glimmers of hope that it might be delayed. But alas, influencers who had risen to fame on the endlessly addictive platform began bidding their followers goodbye; Red Note quickly claimed the top spot

The Ultimate V-Day Day-trip Guide

Words by Carmen Macri Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and whether you see it as a Hallmark invention designed to sell cards and make single people feel worse, or you’re happily coupled up and not as jaded as the rest of us, chances are you’re looking for

Letterboxd Reviews

Words by Waverly Loyd Some things just write themselves. But this got me thinking… everyone has their guilty pleasure movies. Their “hear me out” movies. These are movies that in the cinephile world, you know you would get a 60-second head start after confessing your love for them. Seriously
July 5th Cleanup
GoUp

Don't Miss

Best Podcast: Internal Cauldron of Emotions

You know what this world needs? A Nicolas Cage-themed podcast.

Your New Podcast of the Summer

Words by Emily Cheyne Podcasting has been around for awhile,