Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Science of Humor, Matzo, and Rent Is Too Damn High

    Today we look into the science of comedy, why LA renters pay more than 45% of their income on rent, and offer some ideas for that leftover matzo.

    • rss
    Download MP3
    • Share
    By Madeleine Brand • Apr 16, 2014 • 52m Listen

    LA renters pay a larger percentage of their income, on average, than people in any other city in the country. And rent controlled apartments are disappearing at a growing clip because of something called the Ellis Act. Seders are over, but Passover isn’t: we have some ideas for what to do with all that matzo. A professor and a journalist think they have uncovered the secrets of comedy, and they explain their findings in a new book The Humor Code. Alibaba did more business last year than Amazon and eBay combined. You may never have heard of it, but it’s going public, and its IPO could generate more than the $16 billion Facebook raised in 2012.

    Banner Image: Sarah Silverman performing at UCB in LA; Image Credit: Kevintporter

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Andrew Walsh

      Too Beautiful to Live

    • KCRW placeholder

      Christian Bordal

      Managing Producer, Greater LA

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Matt Holzman

      Producer, 'The Document'

      News
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand