2016 was a very, very bad year no matter how you slice it. In tough times, comedy is often a form of escape that people turn to when they need comforting. With that in mind, we asked our contributors to pick the one piece of comedy in any form that they turn to when they really need cheering up. We’ll be sharing their choices throughout the week in a package we’re calling “The Best Medicine.â€
What better way to take your mind off the anxiety-inducing year that was 2016 than with a relaxing short from comedian Joe Pera?
In Joe Pera Talks You to Sleep, the rising comic uses his soft-spoken demeanor to “explore some mildly interesting subjects†and offer insightful advice.
The Adult Swim short premiered in March, but feels like a holiday special perfectly appropriate for ending 2016. The video shows an animated Pera sitting aside a crackling fire with his sleeping dog Gus, snow gently falling outside his window.
“Falling asleep is one of the best feelings there is, even better than harmonizing with your boys,â€Â Pera says.
He also reveals he’s wearing his “new sweater†because he’s “trying to do more style.â€
The short is a go-to for cheering myself up because it provides comedy, relaxation, and some surprisingly bittersweet moments. At one point, Pera quickly cuts off a voicemail of him being rejected by a girl he admired, but soon advises that the best antidote for feeling blue is heading to the batting cages. He shares his secret: “You let the first pitch hit you so that your adrenaline kicks in. Then you hit the rest of them to the moon.â€
He ends the video on this note, which is a nice reminder for all of us: “If you got a crummy day coming up tomorrow you can just remind yourself that, ‘at least I’m not in jail like Bernie Madoff.’â€
If that’s not enough to convince you to watch, take this comment from YouTube user, Nawty Alice: “I feel like I’m in a sweet sleepy codeine haze when I watch and listen to this. Soothed.â€