We Had a Little Real Estate Problem
The Unheralded Story of Native Americans & Comedy
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Narrated by:
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Kliph Nesteroff
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By:
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Kliph Nesteroff
About this listen
A Best Book of 2021 by NPR and Esquire
From Kliph Nesteroff, “the human encyclopedia of comedy” (VICE), comes the important and underappreciated story of Native Americans and comedy.
It was one of the most reliable jokes in Charlie Hill’s stand-up routine: “My people are from Wisconsin. We used to be from New York. We had a little real estate problem.”
In We Had a Little Real Estate Problem, acclaimed comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff focuses on one of comedy’s most significant and little-known stories: how, despite having been denied representation in the entertainment industry, Native Americans have influenced and advanced the art form.
The account begins in the late 1880s, when Native Americans were forced to tour in Wild West shows as an alternative to prison. (One modern comedian said it was as “if a Guantanamo detainee suddenly had to appear on X-Factor”.) This is followed by a detailed look at the life and work of seminal figures such as Cherokee humorist Will Rogers and Hill, who in the 1970s was the first Native American comedian to appear on The Tonight Show.
Also profiled are several contemporary comedians, including Jonny Roberts, a social worker from the Red Lake Nation who drives five hours to the closest comedy club to pursue his stand-up dreams; Kiowa-Apache comic Adrianne Chalepah, who formed the touring group the Native Ladies of Comedy; and the 1491s, a sketch troupe whose satire is smashing stereotypes to critical acclaim. As Ryan Red Corn, the Osage member of the 1491s, says: “The American narrative dictates that Indians are supposed to be sad. It’s not really true and it’s not indicative of the community experience itself … Laughter and joy is very much a part of Native culture.”
Featuring dozens of original interviews and the exhaustive research that is Nesteroff’s trademark, We Had a Little Real Estate Problem is a powerful tribute to a neglected legacy.
©2021 Kliph Nesteroff. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
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It was the Golden Age of Radio and powerful men were making millions in advertising dollars reaching thousands of listeners every day. When television arrived, few radio moguls were interested in the upstart industry and its tiny production budgets, and expensive television sets were out of reach for most families. But four women - each an independent visionary - saw an opportunity and carved their own paths, and in so doing invented the way we watch TV today.
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Must Read T.V.
- By cindy on 05-18-21
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Singular Sensation
- The Triumph of Broadway
- By: Michael Riedel
- Narrated by: Shaun Taylor-Corbett
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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The 1990s was a decade of profound change on Broadway. At the dawn of the '90s, the British invasion of Broadway was in full swing, as musical spectacles like Les Miserables, Cats, and The Phantom of the Opera dominated the box office. But Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard soon spelled the end of this era and ushered in a new wave of American musicals, beginning with the ascendance of an unlikely show by a struggling writer who reimagined Puccini’s opera La Bohème as the smash Broadway show Rent
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Why Didn’t Michael Riedel Read This Himself?
- By Tallulah on 01-17-22
By: Michael Riedel
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Country Music
- A History
- By: Dayton Duncan, Ken Burns
- Narrated by: Brian Corrigan, Dayton Duncan, Ken Burns
- Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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The rich and colorful story of America's most popular music and the singers and songwriters who captivated, entertained, and consoled listeners throughout the 20th century - based on the upcoming eight-part film series to air on PBS in September 2019.
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Immersed in country music!
- By Lori Hanson on 09-30-19
By: Dayton Duncan, and others
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Seven Dirty Words
- The Life and Crimes of George Carlin
- By: James Sullivan
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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In Seven Dirty Words, journalist and cultural critic James Sullivan tells the story of Alternative America from the 1950s to the present, from the singular vantage point of George Carlin, the Catholic boy for whom nothing was sacred.
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Carlin's CV with no Depth or Insight
- By Dubi on 01-23-14
By: James Sullivan
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Homey Don't Play That!
- The Story of In Living Color and the Black Comedy Revolution
- By: David Peisner
- Narrated by: JD Jackson
- Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Few television shows revolutionized comedy as profoundly or have had such an enormous and continued impact on our culture as In Living Color. Inspired by Richard Pryor, Carol Burnett, and Eddie Murphy, Keenen Ivory Wayans created a television series unlike any that had come before it. In Living Color shaped American culture in ways both seen and unseen. Now, Homey Don't Play That! reveals the complete, captivating story of how In Living Color overcame enormous odds to become a major, zeitgeist-seizing hit.
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Wow, that sucked......
- By Just W on 10-11-18
By: David Peisner
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Shine Bright
- A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop
- By: Danyel Smith
- Narrated by: Danyel Smith
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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A weave of biography, criticism, and memoir, Shine Bright is Danyel Smith’s intimate history of Black women’s music as the foundational story of American pop. Smith has been writing this history for more than five years. But as a music fan, and then as an essayist, editor (Vibe, Billboard), and podcast host (Black Girl Songbook), she has been living this history since she was a latchkey kid listening to “Midnight Train to Georgia” on the family stereo.
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Ok might have been better reading the hard copy
- By cde on 06-18-22
By: Danyel Smith
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Too Sweet
- Inside the Indie Wrestling Revolution
- By: Keith Elliot Greenberg
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2017, after being told that no independent wrestling group could draw a crowd of more than 10,000, a group of wrestlers took up the challenge. For several years, these gladiators had been performing in front of rabid crowds and understood the hunger for wrestling that was different from the TV-slick product. In September 2018, they had the numbers to prove it: 11,263 fans filled the Sears Center Arena for the All In pay-per-view event, ushering in a new era. A year later, WWE had its first major head-to-head competitor in nearly two decades when All Elite Wrestling debuted on TNT.
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Super Book, Annoying Narration
- By Richard on 04-10-21
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Made Men
- The Story of Goodfellas
- By: Glenn Kenny
- Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
- Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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When Goodfellas first hit the theaters in 1990, a classic was born. Few could anticipate the unparalleled influence it would have on pop culture, one that would inspire future filmmakers and redefine the gangster picture as we know it today. From the rush of grotesque violence in the opening scene to the iconic hilarity of Joe Pesci’s endlessly quoted “Funny how?” shtick, it’s little wonder the film is widely regarded as a mainstay in contemporary cinema.
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Mostly script-reading and pedantic film criticism
- By Buretto on 09-26-20
By: Glenn Kenny
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Canada
- By: Mike Myers
- Narrated by: Mike Myers
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Comedy superstar Mike Myers writes from the (true patriot) heart about his 53-year relationship with his beloved Canada. Mike Myers is a world-renowned actor, director and writer and the man behind some of the most memorable comic characters of our time. But, as he says, "No description of me is truly complete without saying I'm a Canadian". He has often winked and nodded to Canada in his outrageously accomplished body of work, but now he turns the spotlight full-beam on his homeland.
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Thoughtful and perfect for any X-Pat from Canada
- By Hugh Burnham on 05-02-17
By: Mike Myers
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Down the Highway
- The Life of Bob Dylan
- By: Howard Sounes
- Narrated by: Peter Markinker
- Length: 20 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Down the Highway is an essential biography for Bob Dylan fans and all music enthusiasts, delivering the full, fascinating story of the life and work of this great artist. Author Howard Sounes interviewed more than 250 key people in Dylan’s circle, and gained access to previously unseen documents, to create a fresh and compelling book that takes the reader on a journey from Dylan’s childhood in a Minnesota mining town, through his rise to fame in the 1960s, to his current status as the senior figure in popular music.
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I'm a little late to the party
- By BrassHat on 06-05-17
By: Howard Sounes
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The Simpsons
- An Uncensored, Unauthorized History
- By: John Ortved
- Narrated by: John Allen Nelson, Justine Eyre
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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John Ortved's oral history is the first-ever look behind the scenes at the creation and day-to-day running of the television phenomenon known as The Simpsons, as told by many of the people who produce it.
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Great Content, Awful Reading
- By JH Easton on 03-13-11
By: John Ortved
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Audience of One
- Television, Donald Trump, and the Politics of Illusion
- By: James Poniewozik
- Narrated by: Matthew Josdal
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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In the tradition of Neil Postman's masterpiece Amusing Ourselves to Death, Audience of One shows how American media have shaped American society and politics, by interweaving two crucial stories. The first story follows the evolution of television from the three-network era of the 20th century, which joined millions of Americans in a shared monoculture, into today's zillion-channel, internet-atomized universe, which sliced and diced them into fractious, alienated subcultures. The second story is a cultural critique of Donald Trump.
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Enlightening, insightful, terrifying.
- By L Watson on 09-22-19
By: James Poniewozik
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Baby, Don't Hurt Me
- Stories and Scars from Saturday Night Live
- By: Chris Kattan
- Narrated by: Chris Kattan
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Chris Kattan has defied comparison, expectations, and sometimes gravity with his inimitable style of physical comedy. By creating some of the most memorable Saturday Night Live characters, as well as his many roles in film and television, Kattan has remained one of the most fearless and versatile comedians in the world. Now, for the first time, Kattan opens up about eight seasons on SNL, performing alongside friends and future legends including Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon, and Tina Fey, and guest hosts from Charlize Theron to Tom Hanks to David Bowie.
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Funny and complex.
- By Anna Jennings on 05-15-19
By: Chris Kattan
What listeners say about We Had a Little Real Estate Problem
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Robert
- 04-04-21
A fasincating history
Fascinating book and very well read by the author. Like Nesteroff's The Comedians it places the world of comedians in context. Nesteroff's book alternates from contemporary comedians to looking at the history of Native American humor and the rise of comics such as Will Rogers and Charlie Hill. And like The Comedians the book makes you want to hear more of the performers' work.
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- GardenJenn
- 11-27-21
Must read!
Great historical review of Native comedians and a real overview of the key players and comedy through the years. Very eye opening and insightful.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Waasguu
- 10-24-21
well researched... and well brought to the light
Kliph Nesteroff and his rrsearch make this 5 stars,well done Kiliph. Kliph this is so good
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2 people found this helpful
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- Tommy Boy
- 03-09-21
As a fan of stand up, this was a great extension of my learning both of comedy and of native peoples lives in the 20th century.
The story of Charlie Hill stands out among many different up-and-coming comedians who share a common experience of native or first nation Americans. It has wet my appetite to learn more about the 19th and 20th century native peoples. A friend of mine has a son who works for the OAS. I can’t wait to talk to him about some things that he probably doesn’t know.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Kay
- 02-05-24
Incredible history.. so well written and read!!
Beautiful weaving of history told thru native comedians up to today. Really gave lots of perspective.
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- Gregg Anderson
- 03-22-21
Amazing book!
Indigenous peoples and comedy. It's something that we assume don't go together due to stoic stereotypes that have been fed to us for generations. This book will change that perception. Using comedian Charlie Hill as touchstone throughout the book Kliph Nesteroff (Author and narrator) takes you on a, sometimes difficult, journey that will open your eyes and possibly upset you. But you'll also laugh a little too. it's a journey well worth taking.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Pamella DeFrancis
- 01-10-22
A thought provoker
The dazzle of unknown names was difficult at first. Then I saw it as part of the theme; I am not American Indian. This book makes me curious about my own predilection on what I feel is funny and why. I resolve to be more inquiring about all cultural humor. A few more audios of the jokes would have enhanced my understanding. The book title is oerfect to me
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2 people found this helpful
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- Buretto
- 09-15-21
About more than comedy, and that's a good thing
The book is all over the map, giving biographies, stories of personal struggle, historical social injustice in media, schools, politics, sports and law, and modern concerns of Native people, like DAPL, which should be the concerns of us all . Oddly, where it stumbles is the actual comedy. The description of some of the comedians and troupes as uproarious is a bit exaggerated, as the few instances where the material is shared demonstrates. There's some good stuff, topical and education while being funny, so there's no need to over-egg the comedy cake, even if the "private stash" is stuff only Natives would get... yeah, okay. There is one joke, I'll admit, to which I had an audible reaction, the "same rules" joke. But the quality of the humor is just quibbling. The true heart of this book is in the effort to address historical wrongs, without pity or patronization. I genuinely looked forward to the chapters of social significance, and sustained through the details of the comedic philosophy of Native comedians and troupes like the 1491s. Even in the best of cases, stories about comedy are rarely humorous, much less page-turners. It's at least a win that the author/narrator didn't do voices like in his other book. Overall, a very enjoyable, educational book.
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- Bill Finley
- 06-25-21
stories every person needs to hear
everyone needs to hear these stories. as a white man I must be reminded from time to time of the privilege I that was not earned but taken. through comedy we hear the history of the first Nations.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Burns
- 12-08-21
favorite read of the year
I learned so much. It's more than just a history of comedy. It's also a great history of 20th century government/Native American relations and policies, including horrifying stuff about residential schools. And it's also about the oppressive power of stereotypes.
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2 people found this helpful