Sam Brooks 
Our resident JRPG aficionado Sam Brooks submerged himself in Atlus’ Persona 5 and when he came up for air he had this happy, goofy look on his face. He reveals what made him bliss out. I got into videogames when JRPGs (Japanese Role Playing Games) were huge. They were everywhere, thanks to the now inexplicable … Read more
You’d be surprised how much being a successful comedian comes down to admin. Spinoff Comedy co-editor Sam Brooks sat down with Wellington’s Jerome Chandrahasen to chat about the intricacies of running comedy shows and why people love trivia. Sam Brooks: So, the most basic question: how did you get into comedy? Jerome Chandrahasen: I started back at … Read more
Dead Dads Club is not a title you’d expect for a Comedy Festival show, but then Sarah Harpur specialises in unexpected comedy. Sam Brooks talks with her about black comedy, the hilarity of grief and the repressed Western approach to death. Content warning: this interview discusses suicide and the experience of grief. Sam Brooks: So why … Read more
Spinoff Comedy co-editor Sam Brooks had never done stand-up before last night. This is his story of how he told jokes on stage at the Classic’s Raw Comedy night – and lived to tell the tale. To say I’ve always wanted to do stand-up would be a flat-out lie. I’ve never wanted to do stand-up. … Read more
Is Cosmic Shambles a ‘mind-blowing night of laughter, discoveries, mystery guests, and live tunes’, as the publicity has it – or something even weirder? British comedy star Josie Long tells Sam Brooks what New Zealand audiences should expect. Sam Brooks: So, hi! I guess the most obvious question to start with is what book are … Read more
Spinoff Comedy co-editor Sam Brooks sinks his cyber teeth into the polarising Mass Effect: Andromeda and finds a game that’s passable – but only just. About 12 hours into Mass Effect: Andromeda I came across a side quest almost out of nowhere. I was wandering around the desert, and a little notification came up on my screen … Read more
Over the weekend, legendary film and television writer Aaron Sorkin said some amazingly bewildered things about diversity and representation. Sam Brooks takes him for a gentle walk and talk. “Are you saying that women and minorities have a more difficult time getting their stuff read than white men and you’re also saying that [white men] … Read more
Sam Brooks sat down with NZ-based American-Cambodian comedian Molly Sokhom to talk about travelling to Cambodia, her experiences with local audiences, and her new show Sokhom Syndrome. Sam Brooks: So, straight up: Other than the A+ play on words, why the name Sokhom Syndrome for your show? Molly Sokhom: Sokhom Syndrome was always funny to me because I’ve … Read more
Over three nights from Friday 31 March, Auckland’s Classic Comedy Bar will host an exceptional line up of comedians donating their time and talent to raise money for three worthy causes. Sam Brooks sat down with organiser and MC Ben Hurley to talk about it. Ben Hurley (7 Days) has gathered a posse of like-minded … Read more
For what felt like a clean decade Strassman was the most popular comic in New Zealand, despite being very, very bad. How? Why? And all other relevant questions answered by Sam Brooks. His most popular puppet is called Ted E Bare. In our editorial meeting a few weeks ago, I brought up casually, as a … Read more
When Sam Brooks put out a list of his five best comedy specials ever many of you weren’t happy with his choices. Here he responds to the criticism. Comedy fans get angry when you question the established canon. Let me rephrase, and widen that: Fans of any artform get angry when you question their established canon. … Read more
Sam Brooks has watched a lot of stand-up comedy specials in his 26 years on this planet. These are his five favourites. First things first: yes, my five most beloved comedy specials are all by women. That’s not because it’s two days after International Women’s Day but because I always have and always will believe … Read more
Sam Brooks flicks through the programme for this year’s Comedy Fest, powered by Flick Electric Co, and rounds up this year’s incredibly relevant and important festival statistics. Amount of shows on in Auckland: 117 Amount of shows on in Wellington: 68 Amount of shows involving women: 24 (20%) Amount of shows with photos of men … Read more
Sam Brooks relives his pre-teen years at a live grab-bag of reunited late-’90s/early-aughts pop. On Saturday night, Auckland was full of people raring to see a band that had nurtured them through the rough times, to cheer musicians who were long past their prime but didn’t care, to hear songs they loved performed live for … Read more
With Jeffrey Tambor taking home his 4000th Emmy award yesterday and the new season arriving exclusively to Lightbox on Saturday, Sam Brooks tells you exactly why you need to catch up with Transparent. When Transparent was announced as a pilot for Amazon TV, a pilot where Arrested Development patriarch Jeremy Tambor would be playing a … Read more
Today The Spinoff assesses the state of the professional critic in New Zealand with four pieces – two new, two older – which reflect on the challenges the form faces. Here theatre critic Sam Brooks assesses the state of his art. “To be a critic in New Zealand is to be a kind of weed. It’s … Read more
There’s been a major push to keep the Pop-up Globe in Auckland. Sam Brooks says it’s deeply misguided. If you’ve been lucky enough to walk around Central Auckland over the past three months, then you’ll have seen a large white silo building sitting in the carpark that you might’ve tried to park in when the Civic … Read more
Sam Brooks watches Grease Live, and applauds the live TV musical genre for finally producing something that isn’t entirely terrible. Somewhere in an NBC Conference Room circa 2013: Executive 1: We’re losing ratings because we cancelled 30 Rock! How do we fix this? Executive 2: A Tina Fey show about a girl who got kidnapped … Read more
It’s smartly written, hilariously weird and gloriously LGBT-positive. Sam Brooks explains why Ru-Paul’s Drag Race is the most uplifting reality show on television. “Gentlemen, start your engines! And may the best woman win!” How do you cover a show like RuPaul’s Drag Race, a show about to go into its eighth season with its own … Read more
Sam Brooks journeys deep into the heart of Lipstick Jungle, the lesser-known Candace Bushnell TV adaptation which followed Sex and the City. If you mention Lipstick Jungle to somebody, you’ll probably get one of two answers: 1. Is that the one with Lucy Liu? 2. What is Lipstick Jungle? To answer both questions: 1. No! … Read more