Humor and the Abject

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PRIMER: Sarah Sherman AKA Sarah Squirm

On this week's forthcoming episode of the Humor and the Abject podcast, I was privileged to hop on Skype with Chicago comedian and illustrator Sarah Sherman AKA Sarah Squirm. I think you'll all really enjoy the episode, and I had a blast learning more about her. In the lead-up to the release, I wanted to share some of Sarah's work with everyone since she's over in the Windy City and some of you may not yet be familiar. 

The standup bit embedded below is from Sarah's monthly show HELLTRAP NIGHTMARE at the Hideout in Chicago. The clip is a great sampler of her vibe, which manages to simultaneously be endearing and entirely atrocious. 

Several months back, I had Catherine Cohen and Steven Markow on episode 16 of the podcast, and I wrote a little primer post on their own limited podcast series Turner Masters Memory Hospital on the Forever Dog network which features pretty much every amazing comedian living and working in New York right now. The aural experience of listening to TMMH is nuts enough by itself, but when Forever Dog released an outrageous suite of art associated with the podcast, I immediately had to know who had made it. As it turns out, it was none other than Sarah Sherman. 

Cover art for Turner Masters Memory Hospital by Sarah Sherman 

Portrait of Turner Masters by Sarah Sherman

Clearly, Sarah has developed a unique drawing style that aligns nicely with her stage persona. I was completely mortified when I stumbled across this drawing of the People's Culinary Champ while browsing her online store: 

Each month while planning HELLTRAP NIGHTMARE, Sarah designs a custom poster to promote the event that helps to drive the overall concept. Each one seems somehow more over-the-top than the previous one, and personally I love that she's crafted an entire universe and aesthetic for the show. Here's one from August: 

Sarah is the first to admit that her style isn't for everybody, but if you've read this far I'm guessing that it's for you. Head on over to her website and dig a little deeper. There is no shortage of exploding dicks, hairy nipples, and leaking buttholes that will satisfy the sickest of sickwads. The episode will drop on Sunday afternoon.