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Jake May ’19

Columnist

If I May: Improv Comedy as a Way of Life

Before I arrived at Amherst last fall, I had never thought much about improvised comedy. I knew the basics of what it was, and I vaguely knew that many well-known comedians had an improv background. I’d never seen it performed, nor had I really sought it out. However, after

If I May: Transphobia at Amherst College

This is not the column I had planned on writing this week. I had a couple hundred words written about awards shows and their place in American culture, inspired by the wacky Oscars broadcast this past Sunday. Then, early yesterday morning, we all received an email alerting us to the

If I May: Late Night So White (and Male)

Yesterday, “Variety” reported that Jimmy Kimmel, host and executive producer of ABC’s late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” was considering retiring from his position when his contract expires in 2019. He has hosted the show since its inception in 2003, which makes him the second-longest tenured late-night talk show

If I May: In Defense of Phish

Phish, a four-piece improvisational rock band hailing from Vermont, is my favorite band of all time. In my dorm room right now, there are no fewer than four Phish-related posters. I have nearly 5,000 Phish recordings in my iTunes library, and I’ve listened to nearly all of them.

If I May: I Hate the New England Patriots

I am not an Atlanta Falcons fan. Before this year’s Super Bowl, I’d never cared about the outcome of a Falcons game before. However, when Atlanta jumped out to a 21-3 first half lead, I was ecstatic. The Falcons had brought me more sports-related happiness in just one

If I May: Beware of Normalization in the Trump Era

Last week, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, one of the most respected and heralded voices of the Democratic party, voted for the confirmation of Dr. Ben Carson as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Predictably, this decision was met with a considerable amount of backlash from Senator Warren’s liberal

SNL, Tom Hanks, David Pumpkins and the Power of the Absurd

SNL, Tom Hanks, David Pumpkins and the Power of the Absurd

The Oct. 22 episode of “Saturday Night Live,” hosted by Tom Hanks, was full of successful comedy. The cold open was a spoof of the final Presidential debate, anchored by strong impressions of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton done by Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon respectively. There was a smart