I wroted this

Here's a little piece I wrote on the Orbit blog about Laurel and Hardy, the joy of the strange, and vaudeville (naturally):

Vaudeville has never really died. It set the mold for nearly every touring band today: every band or act has a booking agent, whose career wouldn't exist today if vaudeville hadn't necessitated its creation. But it goes beyond structure: look at W00tstock, which describes itself quite aptly as "nerd vaudeville." Look at Human Giant, at Funny or Die, or Stella. Look at the Upright Citizens Brigade. These are all productions that want to relay to you not only humor, but the sheer delight of seeing such humor in real life.