Greg Shapiro is Back in JFK Magazine – ‘Just for Men’
4 September, 2024
It’s been awhile since I was last in JFK Magazine. I think it was when I hosted Comedy Central news in 2008. But now I’m on tour with my 2024 US election show LEAVING TRUMPLAND 2.0: No Country for Old Men. And they invited me again – for a wonderful photo series, previewing my premiere De Kleine Komedie, Amsterdam! Great interview by head editor Jeroen Jansen. And photos by Martijn Senders. Here are some highlights of the interview:
How do I feel about Kamala Harris versus Donald Trump?
I vacillate between Hope and Horror. But at least it’s not all horror. I start my show by putting my cards on the table: No, I am not a fan of Donald Trump. I love him as a punching bag. But I can’t have him as president again. Still – even if he loses in a landslide – he’ll never go away. Good news for me.
When Joe Biden dropped out, I always thought Kamala Harris was the most logical choice to be the candidate. Yes, I think she can win. I just hope Trump actually shows up to debate her. He will completely fall apart. He’ll have a nuclear meltdown in real time. Great for ratings!
Trump says that Kamala Harris isn’t really black. And maybe he has a point. Compared to Donald Trump, her primary characteristic is not black. It’s that she’s Not Old. She’s Not a Criminal. And she’s Not Weird.
Yes, it’s true. I keep a note in my pocket
for when I bump into Trump supporters. SO I don’t rely on Democrat talking points. These arguments are more effective with Trump supporters. Like “Donald Trump disrespects veterans from the military.” Like “He’s not focused, he brings too much chaos.” And whatever you thought about the election results in 2020, “Trump lost 62 out of 62 court cases challenging those results. He lost the lawsuit about the sexual assault. He lost the lawsuit about doing business in New York. And he lost the lawsuit about stormy Daniels. He’s on a losing streak.”
It’s exciting to say: “Greg Shapiro has 3 new shows coming this fall.”
1. US election solo show NL tour: LEAVING TRUMPLAND
2. US election show at Boom Chicago show – with Pep Rosenfeld: PEP & GREG POLITICALLY INCORRECT
3. Pepijn’s Comedy Club in Den Haag – with International Comedians
1. LEAVING TRUMPLAND: No Country for Old Men
Are you ready for the Post-Trump era? Kamala Harris says “We’re not going back,” and Greg Shapiro says “Leaving Trumpland.” With Biden out of the race, the new theme of the 2024 election is ‘No Country for Old Men.’ Specifically, Old Weird Men. Leaving Trumpland 2.0 is Shapiro’s most brutally honest show yet.
Pep & I have been writing comedy together since 1985. We’ve been doing US Election Specials since 2004. Along the way, Pep has written for Saturday Night Live. I’ve hosted Comedy Central News. And now we host an improvised debate between me as the real Fake Donald Trump – which means Pep has to do a Kamala impression. Politically Incorrect!
‘Sharp satire and world class improvisation’ – De Volkskrant
‘Five stars! Greg and Pep have an incredible charisma and are very funny….’ — D Robbinson, Trip Advisor
For solo performers, Den Haag’s Pepijn Theater is one of the most beloved spaces in the Netherlands. For two seasons, I’ve been programming and hosting the English edition of Pepijn’s Comedy Club. And this season we’re going monthly! In September, we’ve got the headliner ALINA SHARIPOVA (Russia / Belgium). In October – from the UK – we’ve got RIA LINA (you may know her from BBC’s Live at the Apollo). And in November we’ve got headliner KURIAKOSE VAISIAN (India).
Greg Shapiro on Improv & Kamala Harris’ Running Mate
9 August, 2024
Watching Kamala Harris introducing Tim Walz as her running mate, I remembered how awkward it can be for a tall white guy to support a short brown woman. I wrote about it in my book (see below). For a lot of white guys watching, it must have been – as Tim Walz would say – “Weird.” You could almost hear MAGA misogynists yelling at the TV: “How is the tall white guy NOT the boss?”
The whole time Harris was speaking Walz’s head kept popping up from behind like grandpa playing peekaboo – but in a supportive way! That is how Walz got the job. He’s a team player. Reportedly, when Harris was interviewing her Veep finalists, she asked the question “do you want to be the last person in the room when the big decisions are made?” And Tim Walz was the only one who answered “whatever you prefer. You’re the boss.”
My background is in comedy improvisation, and Tim Walz’s answer felt very familiar. Yes, improv teaches you teamwork. It teaches you to “make your partner look good.” It teaches you to “think outside the box.” In the case of me Greg Shapiro working with Amber Ruffin, it taught me: “not everyone thinks this way.”
As I wrote in my book The American Netherlander, I performed at Boom Chicago with colleagues like Amber Ruffin (NBC, The Amber Ruffin Show). Many times she functioned as my boss.
AMBER RUFFIN AS THE BOSS
Amber first came to Amsterdam in 2004 to perform with our comedy theater Boom Chicago. Most of our shows were in our theater. But many shows were on location, like corporate events. For corporate events, we would rotate the role of “Point Person,” the team leader for the day. Some days I would be Amber’s boss – and some days she would be my boss.
Amber and I started looking forward to the times she was the boss – purely for the reactions of dumbfounded Dutch men. Amber would make contact with the client by phone before the show, she’d coordinate our arrival time, and she’d say, “See you there!” But when we’d get there, they would not see her. Instead, they’d instinctively make eye contact with me – the tall white man.
“Would you like to see the stage? Would you like to meet the technician?” They would ask me. I would always turn to Amber and say, “Gee, I don’t know! Let me ask my boss!” Most times, the client would shake it off and turn to Amber and say, “Oh, you’re Amber! We spoke by phone!” And the problem was solved…
Just kidding. For the rest of the day, they would keep referring their questions to me, as the tall white guy. And that is how I realized how ‘casual racism’ really works.
Dear White Dudes,
breaking the cycle can be fun! Tim Walz seems to have realized it already. It’s one thing to ‘Check Your Privilege,’ but you can also be try ‘Allyship.’ Like when football coach Walz became faculty advisor for his school’s Gay-Straight Alliance (in the 90s). Like Governor Walz providing feminine hygiene products for public schools. That’s why Republicans are attacking him as “Tampon Tim” – which is some of the best free advertising I’ve ever heard. Please, white dudes continue reminding women voters why Tim Walz is your ally, and why you are “just weird.”
Me, I used to keep painkillers in my bag, in case one of my colleagues had cramps. (I still do.) That is what it means to make your partner look good. And now we’re seeing it on the national stage. I say: “Yes, And.”
Greg Shapiro on Dutch History Podcast “Republic of Amsterdam Radio”
9 August 2024
To celebrate my 30th anniversary in Amsterdam, I Greg Shapiro did an interview with Dutch history podcast ‘Republic of Amsterdam.’ And they specifically asked me about my Dutch history – in the 30 years I’ve been here.
You have to give a listen just to check out the gravely Australian accent of Joe Wegecsanyi, and the excellent Julian Smith. Here’s the link:
For my 30 years in Amsterdam, we focused on the pop culture. I came to Amsterdam in 1994, when I looked like this:
It was the year Pulp Fiction came out. And there were John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson talking about Amsterdam! The ‘hash bars,’ the cops in Amsterdam, and frites with mayonnaise. (“Eww!”)
An excerpt from The American Netherlander:
I still remember the thrill of watching Pulp Fiction in 1994, at the Kriterion cinema – and the Sneak Preview. For the Boom Chicago crew, Tuesday night was Sneak Preview night. In the Netherlands, films would premiere on a Wednesday – meaning the actual film reels in canisters would have to be delivered to the cinemas to be premiered. If the film reels arrived a day early, that’s what they’d show for the Tuesday Sneak Preview. Sometimes it would be a Danish film with Dutch subtitles, and we’d be out of luck. But sometimes it would be The Fugitive – with Dutch actor Jeroen Krabbé. Not too shabbé.
So imagine our surprise when the sneak preview was not only the much-hyped Pulp Fiction, as we’d been hoping – but there was an entire scene about life in Amsterdam. We were there watching John Travolta on the big screen, saying, “You can walk into a movie theater in Amsterdam and buy a beer. And I don’t mean just like no paper cup. I’m talking about a glass of beer.” And there I was in a movie theater in Amsterdam – with a glass of beer! It was like being on drugs: “The man on the screen is talking to me!”
In Closing
Here’s a Dutch history fact: it was a Dutchman who coined the term “podcast.” Did you know? Adam Curry (yes, the 1980s MTV host) was one of the first people to create content specifically for the iPod. Which is why he’s known as “The Podfather.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Curry
Greg Shapiro Speaks at EYE Filmmuseum Opening for ‘Coen Brothers Complete’ film festival
What was I doing speaking at the opening of a Dutch Coen Brothers film festival?
Amsterdam’s EYE film museum is hosting a Coen Brothers retrospective all summer long, kicking off with their first-ever feature Blood Simple. The programmer thought “What if we get The American Netherlander to comment on the differences in Dutch & American film culture?” Either that or pay for Joel Coen to be there… They chose me.
Boy, do Dutch people love the Coen Brothers! Cinema 1 was totally full. By the way, if you’ve never been to the new EYE film museum across from Amsterdam Central Station, you’re missing out.
You don’t even need to see a film: the building, the bar and the terrace are a work of art. I crossed the water on the ferry with my cinephile daughter, who was my plus one.
The opening word was given by the film museum programmer Ronald Simons, who wore an Evil Dead t-shirt. Why? Because Joel Coen was the cinematographer! Part film quiz. I loved it.
As for my speech, I got to show my PowerPoint slides on the big screen with a 4k projector. Ronald and I had met earlier to craft the message of my 15 minutes. He thought it would be fun to reference the US election – or as I call it – “No Country for Old Men.” (Hopefully.)
What are the themes of the Coen Brothers movies?
They are notoriously difficult to categorize. But Ronald wanted me to highlight these 3 things:
1) ‘Old Testament-like Trials.’ I had to reference Genesis and the famous Dutch mapmaker who said “God created the earth, but the Dutch created their own country.” Dutch people would have been the ones in Moses’ tribe who stayed behind to make their homeland on the bottom of the Red Sea. “We’ll put up some dikes, we’ll dig a few canals. Gezellig.”
2) They parody and subvert film genres. Dutch director Paul Verhoeven is well known for playing with genres.. but the master of parody and subverting genres would be Dick Maas. Coming soon: “Amsterdamned – TWO.”
3) Man vs Indifferent Universe / Bad Things Happen to Good People. The best example I could think of was the (part-) Dutch film called Spoorloos, from 1988. I saw it in an art-house cinema in 1990. And the ending was such a shock! It was such a sensation there was a Hollywood remake in 1993, called The Vanishing. This movie is so bad you have to watch it to believe it. I re-enacted the Hollywood version of the ending. And I ended by saying “now you know how hard it is to make a truly original, truly dark movie in the United States. With that in mind, let’s watch the Coen Broertjes’ first film: Blood Simple.” And it was great!
Shapiro Hosts TUDelft Event – 10 years of TU Delft Sports Engineering Institute
On days like these, I love my job.
Just as the Netherlands Olympic team is getting ready for Paris 2024, they celebrated 10 years of help from the TU Delft Sports Engineering Institute. I was brought in to host the 10 year event.
When milliseconds make the difference between Silver and Gold, the Sports Engineering Institute uses high tech innovations to give the Netherlands the advantage. Onstage, I interviewed the head of the TU Delft program to discuss the new prototype Olympic racing bike (warning – brakes not included). (Professor Tim van der Hagen – rector magnificus at TU Delft)
I interviewed the head of the NOC Dutch Olympic Committee about the Dutch love of speed skating. When people say “the Dutch have skating down to a science,” it’s Delft they’re talking about. (Marc van den Tweel – general director at NOC*NSF)
I interviewed the head of the head of the Nationaal Klimaat Platform about how sports innovation helps sustainability. The Netherlands is also known for Olympic sailing – 100% wind power. But the officials’ boats are now being powered by hydrogen fuel cells developed at TU Delft. You may have heard how Paris 2024 wants to be the Greenest Olympics ever. You can thank the Dutchies. (Kees Vendrik – Chairman of Nationaal Klimaat Platform – will dive into the relevance of sports innovation for society.)
Sports Engineering and Baseball
After the plenary session, there was a gallery of sports exhibits, from skating to tennis – even darts. (see Michael van Gerwen, former Dutch World Champion)
My personal favorite sport is baseball. That’s how I grew up. So when I saw the exhibit for baseball pitchers, I had to try it myself.
There’s more and more pressure on young baseball pictures to throw with higher and higher velocity. The result is that many young pitchers blow out their arms and need surgery. But Delft SEI asks, “what if we use sensors to help young arms avoid injury?”
So I gave it a try.. I reached a top speed of 75 miles per hour. If you ever need a quasi-celebrity to throw out your first pitch, I’m available.
Thank you to event organizers JMT Management and to Karsten Stouten for the photos – and video.
And thank you to Ramona and the SEI team for putting glitter tape on my cue cards (blecch)…
…but then handing out top quality schwag: a TU Delft SEI t-shirt. Sports Engineering for Life!
Did you know that The Beach Boys recorded one of their albums in the Netherlands? I didn’t. But then I, Greg Shapiro, voiced a ‘making-of’ documentary about a unique Dutch-American musical project.
“Between June and October of 1972, the Beach Boys settled down in a small Dutch farming village to record their new album – not surprisingly called HOLLAND.” And in 1972, there was a Dutch teenager who had no idea he would one day create a project to convert Beach Boys pop music into classical symphonies. Rob van Weelde.
I knew Rob van Weelde from his days as the head of Van Weelde Shipping in Rotterdam. Years ago, I performed for his company at an event on the SS Rotterdam. I had no idea he had a background in music! Since then, he retired from shipping, and he helped set up the Wedgeview Sound Studios – not far from the farmland studio where The Beach Boys recorded Holland. Rob says he has always been a fan of The Beach Boys, and he finds their music beautiful enough to be performed by a symphony orchestra. Like: “What if we would create symphonic versions of Beach Boys music and have it recorded by the Antwerp Philharmonic Orchestra?” So that’s what he did.
Rob says he was 12 years old when Brian Wilson composed Pet Sounds. According to Rob: “Even Paul McCartney called Pet Sounds the greatest pop album ever made, and the song ‘God Only Knows’ was – in his view – the best pop song ever made.” You may already know ‘God Only Knows’ from every year on Dutch TV show All You Need Is Love. Or from the soundtrack to Love Actually.
(My mother hates this song. Not only does she call it extremely sappy and pathetic, but she finds the lyrics or the psychological cry for help.) (But lots of people like it.)
The making of The Seven Symphonies
Anyway, Rob needed someone to speak a voiceover for the making of. And that’s me.
(from YouTube) The making of The Seven Symphonies – A classical tribute to Beach Boys music: a 25 minutes documentary about our new album, in which we give you a glimpse behind the scenes at Wedgeview Studios and Galaxy Studios, where the album was recorded with the Antwerp Philharmonic Orchestra August last year. With interviews with our conductor Alexandra Arrieche, arranger Roeland Jacobs, executive producer Rob van Weelde and Jan Vereecke, director of the Antwerp Philharmonic Orchestra. Enjoy!
Dutch-American comedian Greg Shapiro (Boom Chicago, BNR, Comedy Central) presents a US Election Special. Kamala Harris says “We’re not going back,” GregShapiro says “Leaving Trumpland.” As Donald Trump continues his campaign in the form of a flameout nervous breakdown, the theme of the 2024 election is ‘No Country for Old Men.’ Specifically, Old Weird Men.
Greg Shapiro is known as the voice of the ‘Netherlands Second’ video from ‘Zondag Met Lubach.’ But now – if Trump wins – will Shapiro ever feel comfortable returning to the country of his birth? Shapirokeeps hearing the question: “don’t you want Trump to be president again?” His answer is the same thing Mark Rutte said to Trump in the White House: “Haha! No.”
Leaving Trumpland2.0 is a mix of standup, cabaret and Trump-inspired improvisation. Shapiro wrote Leaving Trumpland 1.0 in 2020 – during COVID. He argues that a Trump comeback would be about as welcome as COVID 2.0. In Shapiro’s most personal moment, he shares the details of how COVID killed his step-father, due to Trump’s fantasyland followers. Leaving Trumpland 2.0 is Shapiro’s most brutally honest show yet.
Reviews Greg Shapiro LeavingTrumpland 1.0
Due to COVID, not many people saw Leaving Trumpland 1.0. But critics did.
THEATERKRANT – ‘SHARP SATIRE OF TRUMP’S AMERICA’ THEATERPARADIJS – ‘RAZOR SHARP HUMOR WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH’ ARTS TALK MAGAZINE – ‘A VERY SHARP AND DANGEROUS EDGE’
Greg Shapiro is one of the originals at Boom Chicago theater in Amsterdam. He has hosted ‘Comedy Central News’ on ComedyCentralNL, and he has appeared on BNR, BNN-VARA, VPRO & ZDF in Germany. And yes, he is known as the voice of Trump in the ‘Netherlands Second’ viral video with 50 million views. As author, Greg has written books such as How to Be Dutch: the Quiz and his latest The American Netherlander: 25 Years of Expat Tales.
——
Greg Shapiro’s Leaving Trumpland 2.0 is performed in English, with some content in Dutch.
Written and Performed by: Greg Shapiro
Directed by: Michael Diederich.
27 March, 2024 So I was interviewed in the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, about a new proposal for expats to integrate into Dutch culture with the coercion of their employers. At first, it sounds like an unlikely proposal. Who has the time? But when I thought back to my first days in Amsterdam, my Dutch boss had me doing plenty of cultural integration. Thank you to Boom Chicago’s Ms. Saskia Maas.
And look at me now: I am a volunteer for helping garbage collection in my neighborhood. Hey, Expats! If you want to make friends with Dutch folks, first just keep the place clean!
Here are some excerpts from the interview. The link to the full article is below.
(from Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, 27 March, 2024. Translation Google / Shapiro)
‘Expats also need to integrate.’
by Marijn Schrijver
This is what the Amsterdam PvdA (Labor) party proposes. Expats aka ‘Knowledge Migrants’ must learn the language just like other newcomers. Expat expert Greg Shapiro doesn’t think it’s a bad idea at all.
Internationals with high-paying jobs are finding their way to Amsterdam en masse. And they continue to live there longer and longer. As far as PvdA faction leader Lian Heinhuis is concerned, it is time for them to also learn the language, participate in sports or volunteer work and gain knowledge about the history and tradition of Amsterdam. This week she is submitting the initiative proposal ‘Everyone Can Become an Amsterdammer.’
Language
Greg Shapiro jokes: “In the 1990s it was: ‘excuse me, can I order in English?’ Now it’s: No, you have to order in English!” The Boom Chicago comedian is perhaps the city’s best-known expat and author of the book How to Be Dutch: The Quiz. He read the PvdA proposal, and at first he thought: “who has the time for this? Those expats already work full time.” But then he thought about his own experience in Amsterdam in 1994.
“From the start, Saskia Maas (CEO of Boom Chicago) took us to the traditional Dutch brown café, of course a boat tour – and even the sauna. She taught us the basis of Amsterdam culture.” Soon Shapiro was taking language lessons and mingling with ordinary Amsterdammers. “True, I had less experience with volunteer work. But now I have adopted my local garbage container and I think that counts.” This was after seeing how Dutch people would let cardboard pile up in the street next to the container – after removing their address labels.
Culture shock
Shapiro sees the advantages of the proposal. How should expats start with integrating? “For one thing, never be caught bragging about your income. You’re only allowed to brag about how little you paid for something. At a Dutch birthday party, they’ll brag about how cheap the snacks were. ‘Oh, really? do tell!’”
“And arm yourself for Dutch honesty. As I like to say, ‘Dutch directness’ is an indirect way of saying rude.” Shapiro advises expats to embrace the culture shock. “Don’t pull back, lean in!” He remembers when he was new in town and he held the door for a Dutch woman when it was raining. “She looked at me weird and said: ‘we are not going to have sex!’ Here in Amsterdam, the rule is: do your own thing and stay out of my way.”
The comedian understands that Amsterdam residents feel discomfort about rising rents and housing prices. But he warns against generalizations. One expat is not the same as the other. “The word expat has become a dirty word, but sorry there’s been a housing shortage the whole time I’ve been here.” Amsterdam has always been a magnet for immigration. “Certainly since the Spanish Inquisition, Amsterdam has always been accommodating different waves of immigrants. Without those Sephardic Jews, no diamonds… Thank you, Spain!”
Cheese Sandwich
The most important tip from the Expat Expert is indeed to learn a bit of the Dutch language – so that you can truly complain about Amsterdam with fellow Amsterdammers. “That is bonding. ‘The weather app said it wasn’t going to rain, and then it rained on me! And the bridge was up, like it always is. And it’s cold, and I had to bike against the wind, and the street is under construction again. It’s the worst!’ And – if you do it in Dutch – that’s the moment Amsterdammers will welcome you and say ‘Yes, you are one of us.’”
Just like previous groups of immigrants, expats will also no doubt leave their mark on the city. Shapiro points to Boom Chicago’s influence on the Dutch comedy scene. “Without Boom Chicago, there would be no De Lamas,” he proudly points out. At the moment, he sees that there is huge wave of expats from India, who are bringing a lot of comedy talent with them. “Some of them are really funny. It’s nice.”
Shapiro Hosts Government Event for Netherlands Innovation Network
3 April, 2024
What an inspirational event for the NIN Netherlands Innovation Network’s 70th Anniversary (Oct. 2023)! I was honored to be host for the entire day.
The NIN is an outreach program to create public-private partnerships across borders – and make history. In 70 years of international networking, they can claim credit for the creation of CD’s, WiFi, water engineering, and a whole exposition floor full of more examples.
I started by singing happy birthday for the current staff of the NIN – which is part of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate.
The Future is Bright
Next, we got a preview of the future. AI and Quantum computing. Agritech and Health / Life Sciences. But for me most interesting was Aviation and the race between SAF (Sustainable / Synthetic Aviation Fuel) and Alternate Power Trains (e-Jets). The good news is: pretty soon we won’t have to feel so bad about flying anymore.
I’ve hosted so many events where the theme is efficiency / downsizing. This was one event where the boss was telling the staff: “get more people to claim more of these subsidies!”
Celebrating 70 Years
Next we heard some Best-of stories from 70 years of Innovation Attaches from around the globe.
And the Minister was there – at the end. I was introduced to Micky Adriaansens.
And I introduced her to the main stage.
At the very end, organizer George van der Raaij was exhausted. But…
After the event, one of the Innovation Attaches insisted on a group photo WITH the minister.
I enticed the organizers to rally for ONE more group photo. Luckily, photographer Robin Utrecht was on board.
And there she is. Adriaansens still is the ‘demissionaire’ minister. And since our next minister will likely be from a new coalition of science-denying amateurs, the longer she stays on the better.
