Comedian George Civeris on Literature, Laughter, and His East End Debut

Comedian George Civeris, co-host of the podcast StraightioLab, will perform his first stand-up show on the East End at Guild Hall on August 30. In an interview with CULTURED, he discusses his reading habits, pet peeves about literary criticism, and the books that shaped him. Civeris, a former senior editor of Gawker's relaunch and a key figure in the 2020s Brooklyn alt-comedy scene, shares his disdain for the phrase "laugh-out-loud funny" when misapplied, citing Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth as the funniest book he's ever read. He recommends works by Ann Patchett, Jen George, Janet Malcolm, Kingsley Amis, Robert Plunket, Sarah Schulman, Rachel Cusk, and others. Civeris also reveals his educational background: he studied STEM in college and attended a non-English-speaking high school in Greece, where he was immersed in Ancient Greek literature. He admits to having never read Toni Morrison or The Great Gatsby, and is currently reading Mating by Norman Rush. The interview covers his relationship with the Hamptons, his book discovery methods (including a Slack channel with former Gawker colleagues), and his upcoming show.