Publications We Miss: The Occasional
A Newsletter of Humorous Writing
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There have been so many amazing humor publications and websites that have come and gone over the years, and every now and then we’d like to talk about some that we particularly miss and highlight some of the great writing they published. Today we’re writing about The Occasional, a humor magazine from Funny or Die whose run ended too soon. After that we’ve got a couple of recommendations of things we’ve been into lately: a funny audio web series set in the 1980s and a short documentary about the Tour de France.
Publications We Miss: The Occasional
The Occasional was the humor outlet that spun out of Funny Or Die in 2012 and ran through 2014. The site published work by some of our favorite writers, leaning on Funny or Die’s incredible staff as well as a great crew of freelancers. They were also able to involve a lot of celebrities and big names in the comedy world, which not only meant great material, but also drew more eyeballs and attention to the site.
The Occasional originally launched as a paid, iPad-exclusive app/magazine, which if memory serves, was something a lot of outlets were experimenting with at the time. Thankfully, the publication soon transitioned to a free website. And most blessedly of all, given how often entire sites get erased after a publication shutters, their archive is still up at www.theoccasional.com.
What made The Occasional great? For one thing, editor-in-chief Dan Abramson had great taste and a strong editorial eye for the site, and selected and polished terrific work. But what really set the site apart was its inventive design and visuals. In the mold of great funny magazines like Mad and Spy, Abramson and the team created a lot of articles that went beyond just prose pieces. The site had beautifully illustrated work, like this guide to the human (Dan Chamberlain’s) body and this collection of Shelby Fero's fake IDs. Smaller parodies and purely visual gags, like this amazing series of photos with Tony Hale as a Waldo, were always realized exceptionally well and invested with a ton of care and attention to detail.
We especially loved the simple, slightly interactive pieces The Occasional made, like this dumpster note that was not only beautifully Photoshopped, but was also introduced to the reader in a wider shot that required you to click to get a closer look. It’s a simple thing, but it makes the joke that much more engaging and fun.
The magazine was released in issues, and in their relatively short run, the team built out an impressive number of recurring segments, like interviews with comedians, a dating advice column from an eight-year-old, fictional apps, and audiobooks for things that shouldn’t probably have audiobooks.
It's well worth it to take a spin through their archives to see what you can find, and if you need a place to get started, we've listed some of our personal favorites below.
“The New Laws of Robotics” by Jonathan Stern is brief, but with excellent joke-writing.
“How to Give Him the Sexiest Flag Day of His Life” by Megan Amram -- Dos and Don’ts is a very fun format that we don’t see often enough. And Flag Day is just a funny holiday.
“How to Make a Prank Call” by Pat O’Brien has some really funny details and subgames. A great example of finding fun ways to make a broad premise more specific.
The site ran a bunch of great parodies, like this very fun and meta “Hot Erotic Fiction” by Kelly Hudson, and “Pulp Pulp” by one of our favorite writers John Howell Harris.
“The Police Report That Inspired ‘Clue’” by Zach Poitras is very well-written, and we love the inclusion of the police department logo here. As we mentioned above, the attention to those small parody details really pops.
Dru Johnston did great work right at the end of The Occasional’s run, including this piece, “I Think I Should Get More Credit for Killing Hitler,” which has such a clever premise, and deservedly went a bit viral.
And James wrote one of the last pieces the site ran, an illustrated piece called “A Field Guide to Your Mom's Friends' Tattoos”.
RIP The Occasional, gone too soon!
Some Recommendations From Luke and James
Speaking of Funny or Die, James recommends voicemails from Warren Klein, 1980s’ most powerful Hollywood agent. This is an old FOD web series, but it’s one I re-listen to a lot. The idea is so simple and executed so well: each short is a monologue from Klein to his A-list clients, playing them against each other, trying to sell them on projects, and telling weird show biz anecdotes. What makes these so memorable to me is not just how well-drawn the character is, but how each voicemail is full of amazingly-deep cuts of 1980s pop culture specificity. The way Klein talks about movies and shows that are barely remembered today with such reverence and importance is so funny. And the details from the era dovetail nicely with Klein’s blowhard voice: he gripes about getting caught in Hands Across America traffic, talks up his carphone and car fax machine, and gushes about how LaserDisc is the future and how much he loves Behihana.
Luke recommends Louis Malle’s 1962 documentary short Vive le Tour. The Tour de France is currently underway so it’s the perfect time to check out this incredible document of what the race was like 60 years ago. Even if you’re not a huge Tour-head (that’s what they’re called, right?), you’ll find plenty to like. This is by no means a dry, purely informational sports documentary. It captures the rollicking atmosphere of the tour, and is filled with wonderful details and characters (among both the competitors and spectators). The sequence in which cyclists raid a café for wine and champagne is particularly funny and memorable. You can find Vive le Tour on the Criterion Channel and also on Vimeo. The Vimeo version doesn’t have subtitles, but the images are so compelling that I think you’ll find yourself drawn in even if you don’t speak French. (One small word of caution: there is a sequence involving a crash that some may find slightly intense.)
See you next week!
@lukevburns & @jamesfolta
We started this newsletter with our dear friend Brian Agler, and we want it to always honor his memory and his love of all things humorous. You can find our newsletter tribute to Brian here.
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