Far before the pandemic ever began or was even a whisper of a thing, Jessica Watkins took it upon to herself to simultaneously make a stand-up comedy special and walk across America. She did indeed accomplish both, but it was not at all what she expected, which is a very timely experience to have as we’ve all had to go through the intense journey of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Watkins’ captured her entire experience in a documentary called SPECIALish, a stunningly beautiful portrait and meditation on having purpose and drive in comedy, art, and life. After finishing the journey in 2014, the doc has been set for release on May 11th and, of course, TCB’s Jake Kroeger talks to Jessica all about that especially in relation to that journey in 2014 and how things have been comparatively in the terrifying specter of 2020/2021. Also, “hot” takes on Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumulo’s Cinderella evil stepsisters movie in the works, potential anti-trust case for LiveNation/Ticketmaster, and Seth Rogen’s silent action comedy passion project.
Follow Jessica at @ajessicawatkins on IG and Twitter and look out for SPECIALish on streaming platforms on May 11th.
The Comedy Bureau @thecomedybureau across platforms and please, please support TCB via GoFundMe, Patreon, or on Venmo (@jakekroeger).
Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and KT