When you need a host for the Netherland America Foundation, you call Greg Shapiro: the American Netherlander. I grew up in America first, and I moved to the Netherlands second. The Netherland America Foundation – “NAF” – is a wonderful charity that helps Dutch & American students subsidize their higher education. (As of 2025, it might have to deal with way more US students moving over here…)
For years, New York had the only gala fundraiser! But now the NAF have started organizing galas in the Netherlands. I hosted the first one, in Leiden. In the Pieterskerk (where the Pilgrims came from). There were Dutch royals in attendance. It was all very formal. There were flags and anthems and honor guards. But the main event was the fundraising. And we set a new record! (Mostly because it was the first one.)
In 2024, I was asked to host the NAF gala again. This time the location was on Amsterdam’s Dam Square at the “Industrial Club” – where you still cannot get in without a suit and a tie. Luckily, I had my tuxedo.
I was to host the dinner in a crowded room. A very crowded room. I was told that they had to choose between a stage for me, or extra seats for wealthy money donor people. Actually, it was not a choice. It was a fait accompli. Would I still be willing to do it? I said yes. Charity is the star of the show, not me.
Off the Rails
After dinner, the event relocated to the bar downstairs. The special guest – all the way from Philadelphia – was the legendary soul trio called The Three Degrees! They’re known for their hit songs ‘Dirty Old Man’ (40 years before ‘Me Too’) and ‘When Will I See You Again.’
Backstage, I learned that two of them were originals, and one was a daughter. …sorry: GRANDdaughter. Their hits were in the 70’s and so were these singers. PLUS, they had just flown over from the United States. AND it was almost midnight.
They had a great set! The crowd was loving it. They closed with their hit ‘When Will I See You Again.’ Then I was told to go back onstage and announce an encore. I built up the crowd, I waved my arm, I said “Here they are!” But they did not come back. I laughed out loud. They literally ended on ‘When Will I See You Again?’ The answer is: we will never know.
BUT the good news is: I may be back to host another NAF gala for 2025. As the US / EU alliance is being torn apart, we need organizations like the Netherland America Foundation more than ever.
Greg Shapiro Comments on new US tv show ‘Going Dutch’ – for RTL ‘Editie NL‘
31 January, 2025
It was a Thursday when my wife informed me there’s a new TV show in America called ‘Going Dutch,’ about a US Army colonel who’s punished by being sent to the least important army base in the world – in the Netherlands.
On Friday morning I got a phone call from Dutch news show to ask if I would want to comment on some clips from the show. I said yes!
I started watching a clip of the first episode. It opens on a graphic saying ‘Camp Stroopsdorf.’ Fun fact: dorf is German; Dutch is dorp. Right away I could tell: “They don’t know the Netherlands.”
As it turns out, there IS one US Army base in Limburg, right next to the German border. And it is tiny! Wouldn’t it be fun to set a tv show there and investigate the subtle quirks of Dutch culture? OR – just trot out the usual stereotypes and get half wrong?
Yes, we open on a flat terrain (typically Dutch). There are people playing frisbee (not typically Dutch). There are people on bikes, there are windmills, and there are tulips – which appear to be added by CGI. When the Colonel inspects the base, he comes across a communal lack of respect for authority. This trait might be the most accurate depiction of Dutch culture so far.
Then the Colonel confronts a young man playing a video game in the recreation center. He says “I like the medals on your uniform” – in a comically German accent.
That Ted Lasso Feeling
The whole thing makes me think of the Ted Lasso formula. It’s a classic ‘fish out of water’ set-up. In fact Ted Lasso featured a whole episode that took place in Amsterdam… But they really came to Amsterdam to tape it. And the creator of the show, Brendan Hunt, really lived in Amsterdam for five years. And he worked with us at Boom Chicago.
Even Quentin Tarantino – when he wrote that scene in Pulp Fiction about Amsterdam and the hash bars and the ‘Royale with Cheese’ – Tarantino came to Amsterdam to do his research.
I don’t know who’s writing this show Going Dutch for FOX channel in America. But if you get a season 2, please come over and I’ll show you around.
Fascism Expert Timothy Snyder Speaks in Amsterdam, and I Ask Him a Question
Friday, 24 January, 2025
Timothy Snyder was hosted by the John Adams Institute at the Dominicuskerk Amsterdam
A Fascism expert. What better way to celebrate the second inauguration of Donald Trump?
US author & professor Timothy Snyder spoke in Amsterdam on “Imagining and Designing a Better America.”
(Maybe he was talking about somewhere else in North America.)
Timothy Snyder is best known for his book On Tyranny, which describes how democracies die. His phrase “do not obey in advance” has been trending on social media since Election Day 2024. Snyder: “I wish my book was NOT a best-seller right now.”
One Snyder line that stuck with me: “Oligarchs have more in common with each other than they do with their own people.” Hence Trump’s first foreign leader invite was to Netanhayu. And Trump’s first Big Phone Call was to Putin. To coordinate the heist.
Snyder’s new book is On Freedom, which he’s promoting now. He said he wanted to ask the question: “What is it that makes a Trump possible?” His answer: the US has the wrong idea of freedom. There’s “The Freedom TO”vs. “The Freedom FROM”.
-The Freedom TO is referenced in the US Declaration of Independence: “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Positive Freedom.
-The Freedom FROM is negative. It comes from a place of entitlement and blame. “If not for X, then you would be free. (And only I can fix it.)” Negative Freedom.
The Four Freedoms
Unfortunately for Snyder, someone in the audience brought up the famous “Four Freedoms” of Franklin Roosevelt. (The freedom of speech, the freedom of worship, the freedom FROM hunger and the freedom FROM fear.) Snyder argues that it’s semantics, and the first two freedoms define the four, and they’re primarily about the freedom TO exercise your own free will.
The US Republican party promises the freedom FROM: immigrants; woke culture; and… the government itself. Ronald Reagan was charismatic and indeed a great communicator, when he said “the nine most frightening words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” Snyder argues that Donald Trump also is intelligent & charismatic & good at politics. And a fascist.
Interesting point from Snyder: any time the term freedom is applied to an object – it implies authoritarianism. The term “free market” = you humans have the duty to NOT intervene.
Another interesting point: Negative freedom empowers people to abandon empathy. Fascism relies on lack of human empathy.
Someone from the audience asked “here you are in Amsterdam with a liberal audience. Aren’t you just preaching to the choir?” Snyder argues that “Preaching to the Choir” is 100% good! It’s empowering to hear friends & neighbors make their case. And it helps encourage human empathy.
My question for the Timothy Snyder Q & A:
“I was thinking of the quote from Pres. Theodore Roosevelt, about the ‘pleasant falsehood vs the unpleasant truth.’ And negative freedom seems to be doing a good job of promoting the pleasant falsehood! But does there come a point when the unpleasant truth becomes unavoidable? Like in America? Basically, you’ve studied a lot of democracies slipping into dictatorship… can you tell us what happens next?”
Snyder answered that “More Negative freedom will lead to people being less free. At some point, Negative freedom will crash out.”
Snyder predicts Trump will experience extreme unpopularity, starting 6-12 months into this term.
I hope he’s right.
(Seen on November 3, 2024, Boom Chicago, Amsterdam)
If Dutch voters would have their way, Kamala Harris would win the White House with a huge victory. Unfortunately, the Americans are in charge, and the Boom Chicago duo Pep Rosenfeld and Greg Shapiro are not reassured. It does make for a sweat-inducingly funny show.
Tuesday night, there will be tears of joy or sorrow at Boom Chicago. At 8 o’clock, Rosenfeld and Shapiro will first play their show in the former Rozentheater. And then, with the support of the international organization Democrats Abroad, the scores will be updated and commented on with clenched buttocks until well after midnight. At 4 o’clock in the morning, a victory or consolation breakfast will be served.
The ‘Election Edition’ of Pep and Greg Politically Incorrect will continue after the presidential election, but it remains to be seen in what atmosphere the ‘Post-Election Roundup Edition’ will be played. Rosenfeld and Shapiro are among the first Boom Chicago comedians and have experienced many presidential elections since the improv comedy company was founded in 1993. But the tension in the group has never been so great, now that Trump’s plans involve a real attack on democracy. Four years of Trump in the White House has yielded an overwhelming amount of satire. And in the minutes before the start of the show we are treated to a wonderful compilation of anti-Trump humor on the big screen. However, the question is whether there will be much to laugh about for America’s Democrats if Trump gets a second term.
Impressively Researched Piece
Rosenfeld and Shapiro’s election show is full of this doubt. In an impressively researched piece, we see that the Republicans have spent decades making it as difficult as possible for Democrats to vote. Also very strong and convincing is the game show Spot the Truth – with audience participation. In a witty and funny way, they show that even a well-informed citizen can no longer distinguish the truth from the fake. And in this shadowy area Trump is a great magician.
As usual with Boom Chicago, the scripted parts of the show are very good, also this time around. However, it is always a question of how the improvisations will go. These parts are not always as strong – but due to the enormous energy of Shapiro and Rosenfeld, they never fall too flat.
The ‘Second Harris-Trump Debate’ – which in reality never happened because Trump was afraid of being thrashed again – was the highlight of the evening. Rosenfeld and Shapiro proved to be absolute masters in answering questions from the audience. Shapiro not only controls Trump’s voice and intonation, but he also spouts the authentically dangerous nonsense that could only come from the mouth of the convicted liar.
And yet – as they mentioned at the beginning of the show – Dutch people maybe should not be so arrogant towards the Americans, because with ‘the blond leader of the PVV (Partij Vreemdelingen Verböden)’ we have our own Trump-wannabe currently in power.
Dutch American Comedian Greg Shapiro PLAYBOY INTERVIEW – 20 Questions with the American Netherlander
28 October, 2024
This past summer, I got interviewed by the Dutch Playboy Magazine for my solo show LEAVING TRUMPLAND 2.0: No Country for Old Men. Here is an excerpt. Interview by Femke Zijlema
When did you discover that you can imitate Trumps voice so well?
Yeah, why am I blessed with the voice of a man who is so bad for society? Back in 2016 at Boom Chicago, we did a show called Trump Up the Volume. We’d thought that I would imitate Hillary & my partner Pep Rosenfeld would do Trump. But Hillary reminded Pep of his mother, so he wanted to try her. As soon as I became Trump I guess something magical happened, I heard it myself. In 2018 I was in Theater Carré for the 25th anniversary of Boom Chicago – with Arjen Lubach doing a Q & A on stage, and I answered as Trump. Arjen said “it’s like Trump is here.” Weird.
Are you familiar with ADHD?
Everyone who has ever worked with me, they know that my brain is all over the place all the time. It’s been this way my whole life, but I’ve never been officially diagnosed with ADD or anything. Oddly enough this condition seems to help my brain improvise as Trump. Last year my colleague former colleague outed me as neurodivergent on stage. And it was Seth Meyers. Someone asked him what he remembers about his first day in Amsterdam in 1997. He said “I remember this guy Greg Shapiro picked me up from the airport, and he was supposed to give me a crash course in living and working in Amsterdam. But while he was good at telling me the first half of everything I needed to know, by the second half he would get distracted and talk about something totally different.”
What’s your connection to Playboy?
Playboy has its roots in my hometown of Chicago. I never was into nudie pics in Playboy magazine, but everyone knew that Hugh Hefner had his mansion on the Gold Coast. And his Playboy tower still stands right there by Oak St. Beach. Back in the day, my dad was a photographer, and he was invited to one of the parties at Hefner‘s mansion. Back in the 80s, when you would think I’d be looking at the magazine for the pictures, I was already aware that there was also comedy, essays. Comedians were getting hired to write for that magazine.
Home is?
Amsterdam. America not really.
Is your family in America already making plans to migrate?
When I first moved over here, my family kept asking, “when are you coming back to the United States?” Now that Donald Trump might become President again, they’re asking, “what is life like in the Netherlands? Is it affordable? Is there enough housing?” I tell them: “No! ‘Full is full’!”
Dutch American Comedian Greg Shapiro Premières in De Kleine Komedie Amsterdam
21 October, 2024
In Amsterdam it’s nice to see your name in lights, but it’s even nicer to see your name on the sign at the theater called De Kleine Komedie.
With the help of Impact Entertainment, I was able to perform the premiere of my 2024 US election show LEAVING TRUMPLAND 2.0: No Country for Old Men.
Would I be prepared? I wasn’t sure… We had only done four tryout performances so far – as well as bits and pieces at various open mic night and standup stages.
I performed Leaving Trumpland 1.0 for the US election in 2020. Unfortunately, not many people saw that show – because it was in the middle of Covid. Remember when you could only perform for 30 or 100 max at a time? And half the shows were canceled before that. My tour booker said, “the reviews were so good! Why don’t you just do a reprise of your 2020 show for the US election 2024?” I said “don’t be ridiculous! That would require the exact same to candidates four years ago. What are the odds of that happening?” …And yet for most of this year, that’s what we had. Biden vs Trump: the rematch. Because they both aged so gracefully.
But then Joe Biden dropped out, Thank the Almighty! …And I had to rewrite almost the entire show. WORTH IT.
Leaving Trumpland 1.0 was my sixth solo show. But with Leaving Trumpland 2.0, I can honestly say since it’s 90% new, it is my seventh solo show.
We had a full house for a Monday night. We even had a second balcony! The theater director was happy, the programmer was happy. My theater booker was happy. The audience was great.
Afterward, I made sure to grab a pose with my director, Michael Diederich…
…and my producer/wife Inez De Goede.
Thanks for the excellent photos from Jelle Draper.
Greg Shapiro Interviewed by Ivo Niehe on ‘Ivo op Zondag,’ 2023
18 October, 2024
In 2023 – for the 30th anniversary of Boom Chicago – Dutch TV legend Ivo Niehe interviewed me about ‘Pep & Greg POLITICALLY INCORRECT.’ It’s a show about the upcoming Dutch – and American – elections. (Recorded in Nov, 2023)
The interview starts out with some photos from the Boom Chicago 30 year anniversary, featuring famous alumni such as Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele and Jason Sudeikis: “and they all learned from the veteran improviser Greg Shapiro.”
Ivo: “Greg, after so many years of blood, sweat and tears- is it annoying that people only want to talk about that video, the ‘Netherlands Second’ video?”
Greg: “No problem. I realize that will probably be my epitaph, on my gravestone.”
Ivo: “You’ve lived in different countries. But you stayed here for love?”
Greg: “Came for work, stayed for love. Yes.”
Ivo: “You’re ‘The American Netherlander.’ How Dutch are you, how American are you?”
Greg: “I’ve now lived in the Netherlands longer than I lived in the US. …I realize I spoke part of that answer in Dutch.”
Ivo: “I know, you’ve said you don’t like speaking the Dutch language.”
Greg: “It makes my mouth feel sad.”
Ivo: “Beautiful language, the Dutch language.”
Greg: “Yes! It just flows right off the back of the throat. When your brain tells you ‘I think we’re choking to death,’ then that’s when you’ve nailed it, the pronunciation.”
Ivo: “Is it still possible to be politically incorrect?”
Greg: “When we say ‘politically incorrect,’ Pep and I – we’ve been writing comedy together since we were 17 – we mean we think politics are being done incorrectly. That’s what our show is about.”
Ivo: “What did you mean when you talked about ‘who counts the votes?’”
Greg: “We were referring to Trump’s Republican party. To them, it doesn’t matter how many people vote for which candidate. It matters what happens afterward. They’re inspired by the quote “It’s not who votes that counts. It’s who counts the votes.”
Ivo: “And who said that?”
Greg: “Josef Stalin.”
Greg Shapiro in Het Parool: “Trump Is Losing the Humor War”
interview by Mike Peek, 21 September, 2024 (translated from Dutch)
In Leaving Trumpland 2.0, Greg Shapiro’s trademark Donald Trump imitation takes center stage. Perhaps for the last time. According to the comedian, Trump’s most effective weapons are now being used against him.
Since 1994, Greg Shapiro has been working with the improvisation comedy theater Boom Chicago. He gained national fame in 2017 with the video by Arjen Lubach in which he imitated Trump’s voice eerily well. Three years later, Shapiro created a satirical show about a polarized America: Leaving Trumpland. Due to the corona crisis, he could only perform his show for tiny audiences. So it’s high time for the 2.0 version. Most of the show has changed. In fact, only one story returns – that of the death of his stepfather, who lived in a nursing home where the COVID rules were ignored.
How do these elections differ from those in 2016 and 2020?
“In 2016, Trump was just a ridiculous character. As comedians, we thought we’d make jokes about him for a few months and then Hillary Clinton would become president. That was naïve. But in 2020 we were perhaps too cautious. Biden kept saying how Trump is dangerous. But now that Kamala Harris is the candidate, she’s calling him ridiculous. The new strategy is to call him stupid again, call him weird. We’ve come full circle.”
Do you think Harris will become president?
“I think she can win, yes. She’s a strong candidate with the right qualifications. I keep thinking about 2008. John McCain was an old white man – and a war hero. Obama was ‘a skinny black guy with a strange name,’ and he didn’t stand a chance. Until – during the debates – Obama turned out to be much more stable. And we saw that same dynamic during the debate between Trump and Harris. He lost his cool, she kept control. I think to many Americans she came across as ‘Presidential.’”
Can it be dangerous to ridicule Trump? “Definitely. All this satire about Trump has brought him even more attention – and he thrives on that. If you make jokes about him, especially as a politician, you have to make sure they’re lethal. So yes talk about how his crowd sizes are shrinking, or come up with labels like ‘weird’ – which clearly gets under his skin. Now the Democrats are showing how you can use his own weapons against him. And let’s face it: up until now Trump has been uniquely good at using humor to his advantage. The nicknames he’d come up with to trash his opponents were sometimes very effective. But now Trump is failing to make anything stick. While the Democrats are successfully labeling him as petty and ridiculous. I think Trump is losing the humor war.”
You say in the show that you are easily distracted. Is that something you have in common with Trump?
“More accurately, I think it’s like ‘Highly Associative Disorder.’ I’ll start talking about topic A, then make a jump to topic Z – without people following how I got there. Trump has that too, yes. You saw it in the debate with Harris. I think even Trump’s MAGA fans were lost, wondering ‘wait, what? What is he talking about?’”
You also point out the international success of former Boom Chicago colleagues such as Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele and Amber Ruffin. Are you jealous of them?
“I have been jealous, yes of course! In 2001, Seth Meyers was was hired at Saturday Night Live, which is a dream for any American comedian. As a kid, I watched the first generation of SNL comedians, like John Belushi and Gilda Radner, and I wanted to do that too. Now I am doing that – but on a different level. So for my famous former colleagues, I sincerely wish them the best. And, if I’m honest, I once lived in New York, and I recognize that attitude. You have to be super ambitious, you have to be a bit ruthless. I just don’t have that in me. Also, I have to admit I find it difficult to work in a large group, because my brain keeps flying off all over the place.”
In the run-up to the US elections, you’re also making the show Politically Incorrect together with Boom Chicago colleague Pep Rosenfeld. How does that performance differ from Leaving Trumpland 2.0?
With Pep, we focus more on the latest news, and there’s a lot of improvisation. Like we explain how Republicans are already making these preparations to challenge any election result they don’t like. So they’ll lawyer up and take it to the Supreme Court, where six of the nine judges are on Trump’s side. Leaving Trumpland is more about me personally. I tell stories related to politics, topics that are close to my heart.”
There’s the moving story about your stepfather who died of corona.
“That was the reason to make Leaving Trumpland in the first place. I wanted to put it in writing. My stepfather lived in a nursing home in Wisconsin. On July 10, 2020, he got corona, and a week later he was dead. I remember my sister calling, feeling terrible that she hadn’t visited him, because she was following the health and safety guidelines. Meanwhile – though it was a national lockdown – the Republicans ignored the rules, because they said it was about freedom. People were just walking in there unprotected all day long. So no, I can’t prove it, but I’m convinced that’s how my stepfather got corona. I was so upset, and angry. Yes, I like to joke about politics. But suddenly it became personal.”
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.”
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
