Do you know who Liz Glazer is not?

In which you get to know about my friend Liz Glazer OR in which you get to say "I ALREADY KNOW AND LOVE HER"

Jun 08, 2025

Dear friends,

I’m grateful for you!
Thank you for being here!
And now for another entry in my project where I examine jokes that are particularly meaningful to me.

The project began with a piece about one Mitch Hedberg joke and has continued with many great jokes from comedy heroes of mine.

Today is special, because the comedy hero whose work I’m celebrating and discussing is also one of my best friends, Liz Glazer, whose new (debut!) special is called "Do You Know Who I'm Not?"

The line of hers that I’m dedicating this piece of writing to is the title:

"Do You Know Who I'm Not?"

Here is the context, which happens about two minutes into the special:

"I moved near here, and the theater asked me, do you want to tape a special?
Do you want to be on the main stage?
And I'm like, do you know who I'm NOT?"
— Liz Glazer

I love Liz Glazer.
I love this special.
I love the name of it.
I love the concept of it.
I love everything about it

Let me start at the beginning of this love.

I love Liz.
We met on January 7, 2016.
She became one of my best friends immediately.

We met because she was co-hosting a show called "Say Everything."
I was asked if I wanted to do a stand-up set, or be interviewed, or do some combination thereof, where I could do a set but the hosts might interject occasional questions during the set, follow-ups to jokes, requests for more information, sincere interview-like questions, anything.
I chose that option because I thought that would be super fun.

AND I WAS RIGHT!

I don't remember what I talked about and I don't remember what Liz asked me, but I DO remember that her questions were thoughtful, on point, well-timed, generous, loving, and just overall made me feel understood, appreciated, and excited to answer.

The questions led me to discover new jokes for my act, new truths for my life, and new joy for my spirit.

In the past decade, I have gotten to know her so much, because she is so delightful and hilarious and kind that I have endeavored to spend as much time with her as possible (in person, on the phone, at shows, on podcasts, running errands together, anything) AND because she shares so much of herself every moment. At least all the moments that I've experienced with her.

She is curious and creative and generous and loving and I am overjoyed for everyone to get to know her comedy now that it is so widely available.

I am particularly delighted by the title, "Do You Know Who I'm Not?" because I personally DO know who she IS.

I love it because it's like a Zen koan (it specifically reminds me of "What did your face look like before your parents were born?") AND because it of course evokes someone saying in a self-aggrandizing way, “Do you know who I AM?” or perhaps the even douchier “Do you know who my father is?” but Liz's version is self-aware and endearing and self-deprecating in a way that makes me laugh so much because if you know her, you love her.

I love the title because it's so funny and because it's so Liz and because even if you didn’t know who Liz was before, in seeing or hearing the phrase "Do you know who I'm not?" you get to know a lot about who Liz IS.

To know Liz, to know who she is and/or isn’t, is to celebrate her.

I know part of it is of course joking, and part of it is her sincere expression to the theater, something like "Why should I have a special? Who am I? I'm not even someone with a special!"

And now she is. Because she is. Special.

And anyone who knows her, really KNOWS her, would certainly encourage her to be self-celebrating, self-elevating, self-embracing.

And so I celebrate and elevate and embrace her, my dear friend and hero, Liz Glazer.

Because I DO know who she is not, and because I know who she is.

And I'm glad that you do now also.

PS Here she is making her debut on the Tonight Show:

And now, because I also like sharing my own jokes as well, here are some of my own jokes about knowing:

A) is for A haiku about self-knowledge:

I am confident
That I do not know what I
Am talking about

B) is for But!:

Write what you know.
That’s what they say.
But what do THEY know?

C) is for Contradiction (or is it?):

I don’t want anyone
to know about
the Streisand effect.

And that’s about it from me! How about from YOU?
Here are some questions that you can answer by commenting below, responding to this email, or just thinking about real hard (or easy) to yourself.

1) How are you doing? What is new and good? How is your heart?
2) Did you know Liz Glazer before? How about now?
3) Have you got a favorite zen koan?
4) Do you know who I’M not?
5) How are you doing NOW?

Arty Har-Hars

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