SPOS #681 – Baratunde Thurston On Technology, Comedy, Politics And Life

Welcome to episode #681 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #681 – Host: Mitch Joel. Montreal in the summer is a magical time. From the Festival International De Jazz De Montreal to Montreal ComicCon and Heavy Montreal (coming up this weekend!) to the famed Just For Laughs Comedy Festival (which is happening now). When the line-up was announced for Just For Laughs, I saw that my fellow TEDster, Baratunde Thurston, was going to be coming to town to host (and moderate) a panel called, Political Comedy on Political Change. We had a chance to sit down and record during an incredible day of sunshine, right before his event. For those who don’t know, Baratunde Thurston is an Emmy-nominated writer, activist, and comedian who has worked for The Onion, produced for The Daily Show, advised the Obama White House. He also cleaned bathrooms to pay for his Harvard education. He hosts the iHeartMedia podcast Spit, wrote the New York Times bestseller, How To Be Black, and serves on the boards of BUILD and the Brooklyn Public Library. Baratunde makes media, delivers keynotes, and promotes action with his unique blend of criticism, humor, and optimism. He’s most invested in topics of race, technology, democracy, and climate (because the hard stuff has already been solved). He’s got one of the warmest hearts and biggest brains. Enjoy the conversation…

• Running time: 1:03:45.
• Hello from beautiful Montreal.
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• Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.
• Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.
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• …or on Twitter.
• Here is my conversation with Baratunde Thurston.
• How To Be Black.
• Just For Laughs Comedy Festival.
• Political Comedy on Political Change.
• Follow Baratunde on Twitter.
• This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.