Mother Folker
It's funny how one or two letters makes all the difference
Helloooo! Thank you for subscribing to my Substack, The Museletter (or just dropping by this one time). I am a comedian and comedic musician who has been writing some iteration of this comedy blog for a very long time. I hope you get something out of it. I don’t currently make people pay to subscribe, but I do ask that if you find it useful, you consider subscribing at the $7/mo. premium level. Freebies, surprises and extras do come with that subscription, including free resources like my list of outlets that are buying jokes, free workshops, and more.
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This is where I share upcoming shows and things I personally have a hand in.
I had a super fun time as the comedic musical guest this past Saturday at WFMZ Fox News Sunrise show. Highlight: calling myself a “mother folker” on live TV.
I was promoting a version of my new solo show, Twisted Minstrel: A Night of Dirty Songs, which combines oldies and new songs that aren’t so dirty at all, bridging the gap and documenting my journey from maiden to mother. The show was, IMHO, a complete success, with a great turn out, and good vibes all around. It is ready to take on the road, and I’ll be presenting it across the east coast all year.
Message me about bringing the show to your town.
Twist Open Mic, Wednesdays @ Signature Saloon, 562 Main St., Stroudsburg, Pa. Sign up at 6, show 6:30 to 8.
Comedy and Coffee Playdate and Comedy Show, 106 Renastar Rd., Stroudsburg, Pa. 3-5 pm. Tickets at BloomPlaySpace.com.
Keep a look out, NEPA Comedy Fest, in its 2nd year, will open its submission form soon! Fest will run in early Oct. 2026. Follow at Instagram.com/NEPAComedyFestival for updates.
Daily Musings
This is where I share comedy news, opportunities and things of interest.
Comedian Brent Lowrey will move to Philadelphia in March.
Allentown will get its own comedy festival.
Colin Quinn, “the best comedian of all time,” graced Jimmy Fallon’s show last week.
Henry Phillips who I love, love, love, will be doing some road gigs in 2026 at Zanies in Chicago and Blue Strawberry, in St. Louis’ Central West End, Feb 22 and Mar. 1, respectively.
When was the last time you submitted satire to Points In Case? They pay $35 per accepted piece. Submission details here.
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To be dirty or not to be dirty? That is the question for many comedians.
I am constantly struggling with the challenge of keeping Dirty Folk Rock truly dirty or cleaning up my act. As a mom of two kids, priorities have changed. I am now considering my kids and if (and how) the things I do and say will affect them. Will teachers treat them differently? Will kids treat them differently? Will I get booked less? Or more? Like a cat, I always land on my feet, so I keep forging on, dirty as the day is long. Unlike a cat, I have a mortgage and am saving up for 2 children's educations. Still, everyone wants to be loved, and I need a lot of love. Clearly. To protect my comedy and brand is to protect me, at my core. And how important is that, at the end of the day?
How (and with what comedic style) to forge ahead with is one of the things that keeps me up at night.
Other concerns are, how do I keep and manage my brand while floating between clean and dirty sets? Some comedians think about and craft branding carefully. (The most successful.) Others don’t. (The underground favorites.)
No, unfortunately, I think I have to pick a lane, and I always defer to dirty. Why? Because it’s more fun. It’s more real. I am, however, in the midst of working on ways to get to be my dirty comedy self while staying clean.
Here’s an example. I have a song about how life is a major a-hole and the chorus goes, “Like keeps f——me in the a—.” And it’s a fun and really kind of uplifting song that (almost) everyone can, well, get behind. To clean it up, I ask the audience to sing the chorus instead of being the one to drop the dirty words, and they are all too willing to do that. It changes everything, honestly—all the implications, the way the audience and bookers respond, and the way I present my comedy.
I am hoping I can make it to my 80s or 90s because I’ve always thought that’s when my Dirty Folk Rock songs would really shine and have the most power. Imagine an act where a 90-year-old sings my songs?! What fun!
The song above, Manslave, by the way, is a song that I would describe as clean, yet still quintessential Dirty Folk Rock. It’s storytelling, it’s a little edgy in its own way (singing about a man being subservient to a woman will always be touchy!), it’s feminist, it’s weird, it’s me and my style in a nutshell. (And it’s on Spotify/YouTube etc. and is beautifully recorded, as part of my album, “Songs To Make War To.”)
It’s always been a little odd to me how badly “explicit material” riles people up. Naughty words, bathroom humor, and offensive content will get a comedian banned, questioned, and unbooked, but gun love, gun content, and violent material will win fans and fanfare. I’ve always lived in the Upside Down, because to me, gun misuse, abuse and violence are offensive. A government who will take money out of a child’s mouth or health insurance away from a senior or veteran to save a buck—way sicker than a song about two consenting adults getting down to business. But that’s just me.
As comedians, we all probably grapple, to some extent, with where the line is. I certainly struggle with it more now than I did in my duck dancing 20s. My phone autocorrected that last line, but I like the way it turned out.
It sort of cements this entire post.
What keeps you up at night about your comedy?
“To be dirty or not dirty” is a question I ask myself in my writing. I think, honestly, just go with the most real, and unfiltered version of yourself in the phase you’re in and whatever that is will resonate with the reader, audience, listener.
New hairstyle! Looks great!!