Jeff McBride & Harrison Tweed

Let's Talk About Sets!

A Stand-Up , Comedy and Comedy Interviews podcast Explicit

#34 in Stand-Up · 🇩🇰 #53 in Stand-Up · 🇨🇦

Good podcast? Give it some love!

About the show

The "science" & craft of stand-up comedy. A playful podcast by comics in NYC.

Newest episodes

Episode 058 PAIN – Patrick Holbert: “Who is doing the emotional lifting?”

Mar 16, 2020 1 hr 42 min

PAIN The delightful charm monster, Patrick Holbert, joins us to pick away at PAIN in stand-up comedy. We talk about how pain is the source of much of stand-up, both physical and emotional, and how usually the audience needs to know that the pain is ultimately “ok” in order to laugh. We cover generational pain, the occupational hazards of talking about pain, how to refocus personal pain onto a “shared” experience rather than just making it about you, and how Patrick went about talking about his painful experiences the first time. It’s a fun talk with old friends about a major element of comedy as a whole, and stand-up in particular, which we trace through a few key bits from Patrick’s own material and a seminal late night set by Gary Gulman. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Patrick Holbert is a working NYC comic with a funny, sex positive podcast with his wife, “Who Cares About Ross and Patrick.” He performs nationally in his one man show for colleges called “Punch Line Drunk,” and he’s debuting his sex positive solo show with the semi-working title “Charming Pervert.” He also performs in rehab centers and shelters for audiences new to recovery. He has performed on Sirius XM and hosted the internationally syndicated TV show “The Movie Loft.” He has appeared on TruTV’s “Hack My Life” and “Mysteries at the Museum” on the Travel Channel. Patrick is often asked to emcee comedy shows because of his playful wit and affability. The NY Times called him the “charming M.C.” of the children’s variety show he previously performed in weekly. You can also check our his archives from when he was co-hosting “The Comic’s Table” podcast. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE – Gary Gulman – The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2017) – Patrick Holbert – On Alcoholism: https://youtu.be/_sVw8klAQwI – Patrick Holbert – On Infidelity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P1Dg02d2h4 And a huge thanks to to our guest, Patrick Holbert! FOLLOW PATRICK HOLBERT: INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/theholbertreport...

Episode 057 GAY SHIT – Jay Jurden: “Perform for the audience you have”

Feb 7, 2020 2 hr 0 min

GAY SHIT In this episode, the "illustrious" Jay Jurden joined us to gayly talk about gay humor and also humor about gayness. Our goal was to examine the relationship between stand-up comedy, homosexuality, and homophobia, tracing a path from Richard Pryor to the present. We cover how approaches to jokes about male homosexuality have shifted over the decades as American values have changed. We REALLY enjoyed listening to how crowds received this kind of material from one decade to the next. We asked why is homophobia funny, why do the tensions between male masculinity and femininity evoke such laughter, and why aren't there world famous gay comics? Jay talked about performing material (gay or otherwise) as a queer-identified comic, and how he snuck that stuff right onto The Tonight Show! And we really unpacked the word, "f****t," so if that's a trigger for you, we encourage you to ignore any and all context of the discussion so you can focus only on your outrage at hearing that word, because this show has a high FPM (faggots per minute) rating. It's a 2 hour show, so we covered a lot more than that! And then we all f****d but only in a straight way, no homo! EXTRA LINKS - Rip Taylor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg5WbHYcV4Q - Jay's Fallon set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nts9krLSbV8 - On February 6th, Jay's FANTASTIC Comedy Central Stand-Up Digital set was published. Here's the link: https://youtu.be/8eCg_inRHI4 ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Sure, whatever, Jay Jurden is funny, but he's also a delightfully witty and opinionated thinker who can really light up a conversation. He's a New York-based comedian, writer, and actor originally from Mississippi. Jay recently performed on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon and was featured on Comedy Central Stand-Up. A Stand-Up NBC alum, he was also selected for Just For Laughs festival's New faces in 2019. Timeout New York named him one of the "Comedians to watch in 2019." He has been awarded "best LGBTQ comic" by Manhattan...

Episode 056 MORALITY – Roy Wood Jr: “It’s fun to juggle dynamite”

Dec 10, 2019 1 hr 24 min

MORALITY The Daily Show’s Roy Wood Jr. examines MORALITY in the context of stand-up comedy. Stand-up dances the lines of right and wrong, good and bad, proper and improper. Sometimes the question is,”Why in the world are you behaving like this?” Other times it’s, “Why is the world behaving like this?” The comedy we laugh at the most always plays with transgression, so what are some methods a comedian uses can deal with topics that push our moral sensibilities? Roy discusses how he spoke with an upset audience member at a show that went off the rails, how to he avoids “I’m right” comedy, and how he moved from “just funny” to “funny with something to say.” We get into how the Daily Show taught him that sometimes the joke is adjacent to the issue, rather than the issue itself. Some of the best parts of the interview are at the end where we talk about the road, how Roy worked the system to get ahead, the way he organizes his material, and when gives advice to inexperienced comics. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC “I try to be what I wish I’d had. That is exactly how I see it.” – Roy Wood Jr. A comic who works with him recently said me, “People talk about Roy like he’s dead.” Like they’re giving a eulogy. From his profound work ethic to his commitment to help with black issues to the way he treats younger comics, Roy’s reputation is matched only by his skill as a comedian. Roy Wood Jr’s comedy has entertained millions across stage, television, and radio. Roy joined “The Best F#@ing News Team” in 2015 as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s Emmy-nominated hit series, “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.” In 2017, he was named the new host of Comedy Central’s storytelling series, “This is Not Happening,” which will launch a fifth season next year. His first Comedy Central one-hour stand-up special, “Father Figure,” premiered in 2017 along with an extended uncensored album of the same name released by Comedy Central Records. His second Comedy Central one-hour stand-up special, “Roy Wo...

Similar podcasts

Bad Friends 7EQUIS & Wave

Netflix Is A Daily Joke Netflix

Jimmy Carr: Crowd Work Jimmy Carr

TigerBelly All Things Comedy

DET VAR IKKE TIL DIG Nanne Jul

Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics BBC Radio 4

Soder Dan Soder

The Comedy Store Podcast The Comedy Store Podcast Network

All episodes

Episode 058 PAIN – Patrick Holbert: “Who is doing the emotional lifting?”

Mar 16, 2020 1 hr 42 min

Episode 057 GAY SHIT – Jay Jurden: “Perform for the audience you have”

Feb 7, 2020 2 hr 0 min

Episode 056 MORALITY – Roy Wood Jr: “It’s fun to juggle dynamite”

Dec 10, 2019 1 hr 24 min

Episode 055 CALLBACKS – LeClerc Andre: “Instant in-jokes”

Oct 21, 2019 1 hr 47 min

CALLBACKS The 8’9″ LeClerc Andre crawled in on his hands and knees to get through the doorway to lay down on the ground while he helped us explore CALLBACKS in stand-up comedy. A specialty of his, LeClerc walked us through (crawled us through, really) how he writes callbacks, the effect they have on the crowd, and how much late night shows love callbacks for their short, 5 minute stand-up features. We compare and contrast callbacks with running gags, catchphrases, crowd work callbacks, and more, digging deeply into comedy nerdism. LeClerc also shares his writing process and his perspective on going all the way with comedy. We took notes. [New feature–check out the chapters in your podcast app!] ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Neither host could successfully say this on the episode, but LeClerc Andre IS having a breakout year. He was a featured New Face at the prestigious Just for Laughs Comedy Festival. He also made his network television debut on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and he just appeared on NBC’s Bring The Funny in August. And he’s got a great podcast with LTAS alum, Khalid Rahmaan where they make fun of people’s bad behavior as a way of trying to help us all have better manners. Links below. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE – Patrice O’Neal – Isn’t That Better (Comedy Kings Just For Laughs, 2009) – LeClerc Andre – Stand Up Debut (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, 2018) – Moshe Kasher – 20 Years Old (Laugh Factory, 2013) Thank you, LeClerc, for an awesome episode. It was really fun to record and educational to edit. SEE LECLERC LIVE: He posts all his shows on his Instagram account. Listen to his podcast “Effin’ Up” with co-host Khalid Rahmaan: Apple – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/effn-up/id1439021224 Libsyn – http://effnup.libsyn.com/ FOLLOW HIM: – INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/LeClercAndre/ – TWITTER: https://twitter.com/iamleclerc – FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/IamLeclerc/ – WEBSITE: https://leclercandre.com/ Special thanks...

Episode 054 CLEAN (2 of 2) – Steven Rogers: “Mastery: when you’re such a genius, you’re an idiot”

Sep 13, 2019 58 min

CLEAN (part 2 of 2) In this second part of our CLEAN comedy interview of the pathologically nice Steven Rogers, we jump right into great material. We listen, laugh, and geek out over it through the lens of everything we explored about clean comedy in part one, so if you haven’t listened to the first installment, do that now. The bits we picked are fantastic–you’ll get some legendary Ray Romano, a taste of the genius Finish comic, Ismo Leikola, and some early hilarity from the brilliant buffoon that is Nate Bargatze. And we listen to Steven’s appearance on the The Late Show with Stephen Colbert! The episode touches on about how clean comedians get creative with curse-substitutes, how clean can be just making the audience fill in the filth themselves, “I know I look like” jokes, clean comedy and irony, logical absurdity, ya know, more things. [New feature–check out the chapters in your podcast app!] ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Steven Rogers is a “real sweetie pants” of a guy, and I have to say this next thing or else it’ll hurt his feelings: he’s very, very funny, too. His disarming charm is only matched by his humility, which translates into a delightful sense of humor about himself. You can feel the good-heartedness wafting off of him like the pungent scent of New York City street in the summertime. Steven made his national TV debut in 2019 on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and has been featured in multiple comedy festivals such as Lucy Fest in Jamestown, NY and the Manhattan Comedy Festival where he was named “Funniest Clean Comedian.” He also has a popular anxiety themed podcast with Andrew Schiavone called, “Panic Attacking.” Steven’s comedic ability has established him as a feature act in comedy clubs and also a regular opener for Brian Regan in theaters across the country. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE – Steven Rogers – Steven’s New Girlfriend – Ismo Leikola – Chivalry Is Dead (2018) – Ray Romano – Becoming 40 (Live at Carnegie Hall, 2001) – Nate Bargatze – Co...

Episode 053 CLEAN (1 of 2) – Steven Rogers: “It’s a safe bet”

Aug 23, 2019 1 hr 23 min

CLEAN (part 1 of 2) It’s hard to say whether Steven Rogers is nicer than he is funny or vice-a-versa, but with Stephen Colbert and Brian Regan giving him their official thumbs up, the formula works. Steven will hate this description, but he’s so neighborly, let’s call him stand-up’s young Mr. Rogers. As such he joins us to discuss CLEAN as it relates to stand-up comedy. What the heck does clean even mean? Clean content? Clean presentation? Swears, innuendo, drugs, religion, politics, general meanness–all the fun stuff is off limits with clean comedy. But some of the greatest comedians of all time adhere to this standard. How does clean vary from place to place and time to time? Clean is usually an expression of the moral majority values, but clean on a liberal college campus may mean something very different. Is clean comedy superior? And is there a benefit of having to work clean? How does being clean affect writing and performing? We also cover how clean relates to bookers and working with headliners, and we get some great insights as Steven shares his experiences of opening for Brian Regan and doing The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Steven Rogers is a “real sweetie pants” of a guy, and I have to say this next thing or else it’ll hurt his feelings: he’s very, very funny, too. His disarming charm is only matched by his humility, which translates into a delightful sense of humor about himself. You can feel the good-heartedness wafting off of him like the pungent scent of New York City street in the summertime. Steven made his national TV debut in 2019 on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and has been featured in multiple comedy festivals such as Lucy Fest in Jamestown, NY and the Manhattan Comedy Festival where he was named “Funniest Clean Comedian.” He also has a popular anxiety themed podcast with Andrew Schiavone called, “Panic Attacking.” Steven’s comedic ability has established him as a feature act in comedy clubs and also a regular op...

Episode 052 PRESENCE – Bret Raybould: “Don’t give a f**k if this goes well”

Jun 29, 2019

The way-too-likable, philosophically funny comic, Bret Raybould, explores the role of PRESENCE in stand-up from a makeshift recording studio inside Bret's private plane. We break this topic down into "being present" and "stage presence", touching on the stages of learning, flow state, body language, not giving a f**k, and knowing your act. Bret tells us how dealt successfully with following SNL's Leslie Jones after she brought down the house. We dig into these aspects of presence and a lot more via bits by Brody Stevens, Patrice O'Neal, and Dane Cook. All this while we eat gold-crusted caviar off the backs of Bret's devoted team of silent manservants.

Episode 051 COMEDIC STORYTELLING YES AGAIN – Jeff Simmermon: “Building a gobstopper from the inside out”

May 14, 2019 1 hr 43 min

PATREON LINK: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkaboutsets SEE JEFF (MCBRIDE) ON TOUR (6/2/19-July)! DETAILS AND TICKETS: http://www.jeffmcbride.com/shows COMEDIC STORYTELLING (AGAIN) The loquacious, award-winning raconteur and NYC stand-up comic, Jeff Simmermon, hopped on the mic for the show’s second foray into COMEDIC STORYTELLING. He explains his own simplified version of Dan Harmon’s simplified version of Christopher Vogler’s simplified version of Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero With A Thousand Faces.” I’ve created my own simplified version that follows the that has zero quadrants or phases. It’s indescribable. They may be a problem with my version. Referencing the articles he’s written on the subject, we talk about the “North Star” of the story, the dreaded “Wonder Years Moment,” and many other aspects of comedic storytelling. What’s the best way to determine when you need an act out? How do you identify what’s wrong with a story that doesn’t hit, and how might you fix it? What’s the real difference between a story and an anecdote? How do you determine what truths to abandon for a good story that still rings true? We bat around these questions and uncover a bucketful of tips along the way via a story by Gastor Almonte, who Simmermon helped prepare for Comedy Central’s “This Is Not Happening,” through some of Simmermon’s own material off his album and from a performance of his at The Moth Grand SLAM. Simmermon’s articles on storytelling: This Is A Boring Shark Attack: 8 Rules for Fascinating Storytelling How to Structure a Funny Story This Ice Cream Will Heal Your Heartbreak: How to Find Your Story’s ‘North Star’ How to Tell a Funny Story That Turns Desire Into Action ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Jeff Simmermon is an accomplished storyteller come stand-up comic. He also teaches comedic storytelling on the side. He’s lived a colorful life, and it shows in his work. From his apparently love of hot pink vinyl to his time spent in a band that featured chickens pecking an in...

Episode 050 CONTRAST – Usama Siddiquee: “Contrast is the basis of all humor”

Apr 16, 2019 1 hr 25 min

50 EPISODES AND >100K DOWNLOADS! Thank you to everyone who supports and listens to our show! And thank you to all of our guests and interns who’ve contributed their time and expertise! And thank you SOOOO much to our Patreons and the listeners who’ve sent us tips to help support what we do! CONTRAST Former NYC comedy wunderkind, now a full grown rocket-to-the-top funny manchild, Usama Siddiquee, returns to the show to explore the central pillar of laughter, CONTRAST. The foundation of humor, contrast can be traced through every level of stand-up, from the overarching contrast between the audience reality and the comedian’s subversion of it–all the way down to contrasting something as simple as the speed with which the comedian delivers the material. When two things seem the same, and then they’re revealed to be different–humans love that! Suddenly experiencing differences in meaning, morality, scope, delivery, intensity, gravity, truth, etc. in a surprising way gives us the giggles. We talk about how to employ it, how it functions, and we laugh a bunch. Usama joyfully magics contrast into his material and into our recording. This is a funny one. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Texas-raised Usama Siddiquee is a stand-up comic, actor, podcaster, and light-speed comedy host. His high-energy comedy style and turbo-riffing can be seen all over the U.S., and since he was last on the show, Usama was passed at the prestigious Comedy Cellar comedy club here in Manhattan. He most recently traveled to Montreal as one of the New Faces at Just For Laughs in 2018. He made his standup television debut on BET’s 50 Central. He was a finalist for the 2017 NY’s Funniest Competition at Caroline’s; a finalist in the 2017 NBC Standup Competition; 1st place winner of the 2016 Laughing Devil Cup Comedy Festival in New York; the 1st place winner of the 2015 Yonkers Comedy Festival as well as the 1st place winner of the 2015 Make Me Laugh Albany Comedy Festival. Usama was also featured this year on...

Episode 049 FAMILY – Jackie Kashian: “Be a whole person”

Mar 22, 2019 1 hr 28 min

FAMILY The hilarious and legendary Jackie Kashian joined us to talk about FAMILY in stand-up comedy. Everyone has a family, and everyone has family dysfunction, so this topic is one of the most fundamental, relatable, and powerful elements of stand-up. By its nature, making jokes about one’s roots involves talking about the problems, the disappointments, and the tragedies. But how do you make fun of your family without ruining your relationships? When does it work, and when doesn’t it? Some comedians use an fictional version of their spouse or their parents, but much of Jackie’s best material is about her family in a very real and specific way. How does she do it, and how does she do it so well? We sifted through her vast published work to find our favorite bits of hers on family, and she generously shared the details of what really happened in her family life and how she so masterfully adapted that to her act. We couldn’t be more grateful! ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Jackie Kashian has been doing comedy for 33 years! We found her to be an absolute delight, showering us with tips on how to navigate the stand-up industry and making us laugh with her quick and gentle wit. In addition to solo headlining around the country, she regularly performs with Brian Regan and her good friend, Maria Bamford. Jackie is the creator and host of one of the longest and most successful podcasts around, The Dork Forest, where she talks with people about what they love to do, think about, and collect. In addition to her four albums, she has multiple late night appearances under her belt and an impressive acting resume. Her current album, I Am Not The Hero Of This Story, was #1 comedy album on iTunes and Amazon and is critically acclaimed. She also has a podcast with Laurie Kilmartin where they complain and celebrate stand-up comedy. It is called The Jackie and Laurie Show. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE – Jackie Kashian – Origin Story (2010, It’s Never Gonna Be Bread) – Jackie Kashian – Genoc...

Episode 048 THE SETUP – Geoffrey Asmus: “A master of trickery”

Feb 18, 2019 1 hr 36 min

THE SETUP Undeniably funny, whitely awkward Geoffrey Asmus joins us to explore THE SETUP in stand-up comedy. Like most things in life, the bulk of the work goes into setting things up. If the punchline is the slide, the setup is the stairs to the top. But what is the setup for a joke? Information? Structure? Misdirection? A wink? Any of the above? Is the setup the premise, or is a premise just a part of the setup? We explore these comedy nerd questions along with some setup structures, and we bitch about people getting upset at setups without waiting to hear the whole joke. We also dig into some of Geoffrey's and Harrison's material to talk about how they reworked their setups to make their jokes land, and we have a great time listening to and frog-dissecting material from two opposite ends of the stand-up spectrum: Rodney Dangerfield and Ari Shaffir. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Geoffrey was selected as a ‘New Face’ performer at Just For Laughs Montreal and was featured on FOX’s ‘Laughs’ and Kevin Hart’s LOL Network. He has also performed at the Laughing Skull, Bridgetown, Limestone and Boston comedy festivals and won 3rd place in Atlanta’s 2017 Laughing Skull festival. Geoffrey has opened for Brian Posehn, Aparna Nancherla, Todd Barry, Daniel Sloss and Alonzo Bodden among others. Geoffrey Asmus began performing stand-up in 2013 immediately after wasting $143,548 in college. Within a short time, Geoffrey won Comedy on State’s “Funniest Person in Madison 2015” and Penguin Comedy Club’s “Funniest Person in Iowa 2015,” both times beating out the guy who invented meth, Quentin. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Rodney Dangerfield - The Stars Salute the President (1981) - Harrison Tweed - Musicians - Geoffrey Asmus - A Joke About Soccer - Ari Shaffir - The Chicken Bit (2015, Passive Aggressive) OTHER LINKS MENTIONED: - Laughing Skull Comedy Festival in Atlanta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DZyLKL6mS4 - Twitter War: https://www.facebook.com/TwitterWarComedy/ - Geoffrey's w...

Episode 047 JOKE THEORY PT. 2 – Harrison Greenbaum: “The secret algorithm of comedy”

Feb 5, 2019 1 hr 10 min

JOKE THEORY (PART 2 of 2) Harrison Greenbaum shows how he actually applies all his theories from part 1 of JOKE THEORY to his stand-up writing and performance. We go step-by-step through some of his best material, laughing and geeking out the whole way. It's f*****g awesome, so just listen to it. But make sure you've heard part 1 first, ok? (I'm so cranky, I've been working through technical f*****y on this second half for days.) ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Harrison Greenbaum been featured on America's Got Talent, Last Comic Standing, AXS.TV's Gotham Comedy Live, along with many other TV appearances. He's won numerous awards for his comedy, including the Andy Kaufman Award for creativity and originality in comedy, the Shorty Award from Comedy Central, and Best Emerging Comic from the New York Comedy Festival. He's got writing credits up the wazoo, performs in over 600 shows a year, and on top of all that, Harrison also saws doves in half and conjures flocks of women into the air as magic. Or something like that. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Harrison Greenbaum - Lightning Roy (Conan, 2018) - Harrison Greenbaum - Excerpt from a performance in Jersey where he addresses some Trump supporters - Harrison Greenbaum - Dead Dog (Gotham Comedy Club, 2018) - Harrison Greenbaum - Gouverneur (Gotham Comedy Club, 2018) HARRISON'S JOKE THEORY ARTICLES http://harrisoncomedy-blog.tumblr.com/post/1005084660/the-secret-of-comedy-or-the-necktie-theory-of http://harrisoncomedy-blog.tumblr.com/post/1353987057/why-we-laugh-or-joke-resonance-and-universal http://harrisoncomedy-blog.tumblr.com/post/84849841005/the-twist-and-the-point-part-i-the-twist http://harrisoncomedy-blog.tumblr.com/post/84940811000/the-twist-and-the-point-part-ii-the-point And a huge thanks to to our guest, Harrison Greenbaum! What a mensch. FOLLOW HARRISON GREENBAUM: - INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/harrisoncomedy/ - TWITTER: https://twitter.com/harrisoncomedy - FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/hrgreenbaum...

Episode 046 JOKE THEORY PT. 1 – Harrison Greenbaum: “Is it true, is it new, is it you?”

Jan 22, 2019 1 hr 6 min

JOKE THEORY (PART 1) The magically funny, wildly prolific, and hyper-analytical Comedy Cellar comic, Harrison Greenbaum, delivers a masterclass on JOKE THEORY! He's been doing comedy since he was 18 years old, and he wrote his Harvard psych thesis on stand-up! Harrison enthusiastically shares his favorite joke theories he's learned from others; and he generously outlines his own original theories. These are, truly, some of the best and most actionable approaches to jokes we've ever heard. Want to know why your joke doesn't work? Try his Three C's. What makes a joke worth telling AND laugh-inducing? Make sure it has both the Twist AND the Point. He talks about his dead-simple method of slimming down premises (which is forehead-smackingly brilliant), and he shares how he's always thinking in terms "audience processing time" to trim the fat off his jokes. And there's a lot more! His scientific approach to jokes gave us gem after gem of comedy craft. In this episode, part 1, we cover the theories. In part 2, we see them applied in his material. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Harrison Greenbaum been featured on America's Got Talent, Last Comic Standing, AXS.TV's Gotham Comedy Live, along with many other TV appearances. He's won numerous awards for his comedy, including the Andy Kaufman Award for creativity and originality in comedy, the Shorty Award from Comedy Central, and Best Emerging Comic from the New York Comedy Festival. He's got writing credits up the wazoo, performs in over 600 shows a year, and on top of all that, Harrison also saws doves in half and conjures flocks of women into the air as magic. Or something like that. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Emo Phillips - How God Works (1980) - Harrison Greenbaum - America's Got Talent (2017) HARRISON'S JOKE THEORY ARTICLES http://harrisoncomedy-blog.tumblr.com/post/1005084660/the-secret-of-comedy-or-the-necktie-theory-of http://harrisoncomedy-blog.tumblr.com/post/1353987057/why-we-laugh-or-joke-resonance-and-universal ht...

Episode 045 COURAGE – Brian Enck: “You have no option but to succeed”

Dec 24, 2018 1 hr 56 min

COURAGE Nationally touring, Brooklyn based comic Brian Enck examines COURAGE in stand-up comedy. Courage is the ability to do what frightens you, so facing fear--fear of failure, fear of non-acceptance, and fear of humiliation--are all central to getting on stage. It takes courage to start, to keep going, and to speak your "truth" or to speak candidly about your flaws, mistakes, or personal weirdness. Yet it's that vulnerability that can yield some of the most powerfully funny comedy experiences. What are some tricks performers use to get the courage to act despite those fears? Is there a difference between overcoming fear as a performer and failing to do in inside the confines of a bit? What is that bizarre, ironic juxtaposition between the courage it takes to perform and how funny it can be to display a comic's propensity toward cowardice? We cover this and a lot more via bits by Dave Chappelle, Tig Nataro, Brian Enck, and Jeff McBride. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Although he looks like a stuffy 1950's substitute teacher, Brian Enck is a very funny man with lightning wit that's tempered by self-effacing charm. He's a working comic who performs around the country and can be seen regularly in most of the major clubs in NYC. Originally from Rochester, NY, and he dropped out of film school for stand-up, and if you're looking for more bad decisions Brian has made, he used to be Harrison's roommate! He's also a producer at Bric TV. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Dave Chappelle - Kneeling During the National Anthem (The Bird Revelation, 2018) - Brian Enck - Heckler interaction - Brian Enck - Gun Control - Jeff McBride - Bisexuality - Tig Nataro - Hello, I Have Cancer (Live, 2009) And a huge thanks to to our guest, Brian Enck! FOLLOW BRIAN ENCK: - INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/benck - TWITTER: https://twitter.com/brianenck - FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/brian.enck.1 - WEBSITE: https://www.brianenck.com/ SEE BRIAN LIVE: https://www.brianenck.com/dates-shows S...

Episode 044 CONFIDENCE – Sally Ann Hall: “My patronus is a vulva”

Dec 10, 2018 1 hr 27 min

CONFIDENCE The delightfully confident comedian, Sally Ann Hall, joins us to explore CONFIDENCE as it pertains to the craft of stand-up comedy. What is confidence conceptually? Why is it so critical for a good performance? Where does it come from and how can a stand-up develop it? How do you explain the relationship between portraying yourself as a low-confident person in your material while simultaneously displaying immense confidence as a performer and a writer? We f*****g loved recording this! ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Sally Ann Hall goes by Sally Ann, not Sally. She’s vivacious and spicy, a tour de force on stage and an absolute pleasure off of it. She bubbles with funny, energy, and joy. Born in Alaska and raised in Idaho, she is now based in New York and frequently hits the road. She’s got the performance chops of the “very good actor”* that she is. She’s a busy comedy bee, performing at famous NYC clubs such as Broadway Comedy Club, Comic Strip Live, LOL Comedy Club, The Stand, New York Comedy Club, Greenwich Comedy Club, Eastville, and Gotham. She is also the a winner of both the She Devil Comedy Festival and he Laughing Devil Comedy Festival. *Verbatim from her website landing page. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Jerry Seinfeld - Confidence (On Comedy With Larry Wild, 2008) - Sarah Silverman - If You Have To Explain It (Jesus Is Magic, 2005) - Sally Ann Hall - Circumcision - Mike Birbiglia - Delusion (Sleepwalk With Me Live, 2011) And a huge thanks to to our guest, Sally Ann Hall! FOLLOW SALLY ANN HALL: INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/hallabackearl TWITTER: https://twitter.com/supersallyann FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/s.a.halla WEBSITE: https://funnysallyann.com/ SEE SALLY ANN LIVE: She’s doing an hour on 01-22-2018 for Carolines Breakout Artist Comedy Series: http://www.carolines.com/comedian/breakout-artist-comedy-series-sallyann-hall/ And check out her monthly show, “LEFT BREAST COMEDY HOUR!”, which is moving to The Knitting Factory in J...

Episode 043 ANECDOTES – Kate Willett: “Just let me be an idiot”

Nov 28, 2018 1 hr 8 min

ANECDOTES Newly-minted Netflix "specialist" Kate Willett gets down and dirty with us on stand-up ANECDOTES. Anecdotes are distinct from storytelling. They often lack a complete storytelling framework--a beginning, a middle, and an end. They're usually "pointless." There are no emotional expectations that then are either met or shattered. No one's life is changed by an anecdotal incident. Yet these flimsy, insubstantial retellings of inconsequential events are the backbone of a lot of the best stand-up comedy. Whereas a most people may simply relay an entertaining or provocative anecdote, a stand-up comedian mines that anecdote for unexpected meaning and connections. And the comic does so fallaciously; no logician would accept that seeing one crazy lady in a grocery store is proof that all grocery stores make ladies crazy. But if the comedian can make that claim seem sound for a moment, we laugh. Indeed, anecdotes are often not just fallacious in stand-up. They're routinely apocryphal as well; it probably didn't happen the way it's being told. There's something about an illogical flight of fancy that's just hilarious. We explore all this via bits by Maria Bamford, Brian Regan, and Kate herself. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Kate Willett is a comedian, actress, and writer whose raunchy feminist storytelling is both smart and relatable. Her 15 minute special premiered on Netflix’s “Comedy Lineup” in August 2018. She was recently a correspondent for the JIM JEFFERIES SHOW at Politicon 2017. She’s been featured on Viceland’s FLOPHOUSE and her appearance on Comedy Central’s THIS IS NOT HAPPENING was on Splitsider’s list of “2016’s Best Late Night Standup Sets.” In the past, she toured with Margaret Cho nationally and internationally and has featured with comedians like Kyle Kinane, Jen Kirkman, Ali Wong, Dana Gould, and Greg Behrendt. Her comedy album “Glass Gutter” was released in 2017. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Maria Bamford - Super Confident People (How To WIN!, 2007)...

Episode 042 SELF-DEPRECATION – Jacob Williams: “That compliment really hurt my feelings”

Nov 12, 2018 1 hr 52 min

SELF-DEPRECATION Jacob Williams (MTV's Wild 'N Out, Colbert, America's Got Talent, & a lot more) KILLED it in this episode! We absolutely could not stay on topic, and so what? This conversation was UNDENIABLY funny! It starts to really pick up steam at about 30 minutes, Jacob has us in literal tears of laughter at the halfway point. Between all the goofing around, we hit every angle we could think of on self-deprecating humor in stand-up. We think Jacob is a grand master of it, and that's why we chose him for this topic. With respect to the theme, we cover: - Relating to the comic's negative traits and experiences - Comedic license - Anger and self-esteem - Being "ok" with the subject of the self-deprecating humor, be it a personality trait or negative experience - Over-reliance on self-deprecation - The role of shame - The effectiveness of juxtaposing self-deprecating jokes with material that targets the same failing in someone or something else ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC He recently made his late-night network television debut performing stand-up on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS). Jacob first made his primetime network television debut as a stand-up comedian on America's Got Talent (NBC) and advanced to the Semifinals. He also performed on the Comedy Central shows Adam Devine's House Party and Roast Battle. Jacob has been a cast member on the hit improv/sketch comedy series Wild 'n Out (MTV) for eight seasons including the current one. He has also provided the voice of a cartoon character on the animated miniseries Football U (MTV Other). Jacob lives in New York City where he performs regularly when he is not on tour at comedy clubs, colleges, and corporate events across America. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Adam Sandler - some very early material from "Laughing Out Loud: America's Funniest Comedians" DVDs (YouTube) - Jacob Williams - The Late Show w/ Stephen Colbert (2018) - Jacob Williams - America's Got Talent (2012) - Jacob Williams - Adam Devine's...

Episode 041 PACING – Joe Zimmerman: “It has to be 3x funnier than it is them learning”

Oct 25, 2018 1 hr 40 min

PACING Fresh from a set on the Late Late Show with James Corden and just two days after dropping his new Comedy Central Records album, “Innocence,” the highly credited and ridiculously funny Joe Zimmerman graced us with a wide-ranging discussion loosely focused on PACING in stand-up comedy. Also of note, Joe responded to John Mulaney’s fervent public wish that he could steal one of Joe’s bits. Pacing is a feely thing. Some of it’s instinctual, and some of it’s learned; but you learn pacing by feeling it out. No one clicks a stopwatch to count the milliseconds between the setup and the punchline. Pacing gets even murkier because the effective pace of a comedic bit varies depending on how “hot” or “tight” the crowd is, which a comic can only ascertain by listening to the audience, and the comic can only hear the “tells” from lots of experience on stage. So from a theoretical comedy craft perspective, this topic was tough to do. But thanks to the brilliantly silly comedy of our very accomplished guest, Joe Zimmerman, this episode is a damn great listen. You’ll hear us talk about monks, self-help books, sexual attraction theories, Alfred Kinsey, Socrates, and so much more. We go through our favorite bits of his, digging into how he developed his material. We quiz Joe on how he employs his masterfully deliberate timing combined with a crafted naïveté that renders comedy like a laughy lullaby. Best of all, we laughed uncontrollably as we listened his two albums to prepare for the recording, and it made us feel lucky that we get to do this show. PLUGGITY PLUG PLUG: Support brilliant comedy by buying his new album, Comedy Central Records, “Innocence”: http://bit.ly/joezimmermaninnocence ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Joe Zimmerman grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia, and started his comedy career in North Carolina. While living in the South, his stand-up group the Beards of Comedy landed a record deal with Comedy Central Records. He moved to New York City in 2012, quickly appear...

Episode 040 PERSPECTIVE – Dan Perlman: “Don’t stop with the anecdote–keep going”

Oct 12, 2018 1 hr 48 min

PERSPECTIVE Award-winning comedy writer and stand-up comic, Dan Perlman, shares his perspective on PERSPECTIVE in stand-up comedy. Questioning, digging, zooming in and out, and navel gazing are some of the many methods stand-up comics use to quickly shift the perspective on a premise and elicit laughs from crowds. We discuss how providing a new perspective is at the heart of great stand-up. The most memorable bits are capable of briefly re-positioning audiences' mental lens, so we all collectively look at something from another race, gender, age, career, culture, or anything else imaginable. And we geek the f**k out on great material from Roy Wood Jr., Joe Rogan, and John Mulaney. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Dan Perlman is a stand-up comedian and writer from New York City. Dan was recently named one of the 2018 New Faces in stand-up at Montreal Just For Laughs and headlined Caroline's on Broadway. Dan created and wrote an animated series, That's My Bus!, which received a pilot order from FOX. Dan has appeared on TruTV, MTV2, and as a cast member on MTV's Vidiots. As a writer-filmmaker, he has had four projects featured in the New York Television Festival, most recently the award-winning comedy series, Flatbush Misdemeanors, in which he co-stars and co-writes/directs. On radio, Dan was a writer for SiriusXM's Bennington and Comedy Contributor for Neil deGrasse Tyson's StarTalk Radio. Dan wrote for the 2017 WGA Awards, hosted by Lewis Black, and the 2018 WGA Awards, hosted by Amber Ruffin. As a stand-up, Dan's festival credits include Montreal Just For Laughs, New York Comedy Festival, SF Sketchfest, Boston Comedy Fest, Limestone Comedy Fest, and Finger Lakes Comedy Competition (2015, 1st place). FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE – Roy Wood Jr. - Black Patriotism (Father Figure, 2017) - Dan Perlman - Pretty Without Makeup - Dan Perlman - Suicide Hotline - Joe Rogan - Marijuana Laws (Strange Times, 2018)* - John Mulaney - Stranger Danger (Kid Gorgeous, 2018)* *These are our n...

Episode 39 THE ROOM – Norlex Belma: “I know you, now listen to these jokes”

Sep 28, 2018 1 hr 45 min

THE ROOM Carolines Breakout Artist Series headliner, Norlex Belma, breaks down THE ROOM in stand-up comedy. When comedians talk about the room, they're referring to a lot of performance parameters: the feel of the crowd, the kind of venue, the demographics, the kind of comedy scene, and the setup of the performance space itself. We thoroughly enjoy ourselves while we dig deep with our comedy nerd shovels into Norlex's experience performing all over the US, highlighting his first headlining hour at Carolines on Broadway here in NYC this summer. We kick it off with a seminal bit by Bernie Mac, and we close it out with a couple long chunks from Norlex's hour. This one was super interesting: we got to really focus on the craft. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC With an even keeled delivery belying blistering takes, Norlex Belma has become one of the hottest comics working in New York City. Norlex got his stand-up start in one of the nation’s fastest growing comedy scenes, Pittsburgh, after attending Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Music, Now he's back in NYC. In 2016, he was featured in the PBS documentary, The Comedy Confluence, detailing the rise of the Pittsburgh comedy scene. Since then he has performed at clubs and colleges around the country including Zanies, Caroline’s, The Stand, New York Comedy Club, Broadway Comedy Club, Pittsburgh Improv, The Blue Note NYC, University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, SUNY Oswego, and NYU. Norlex has opened for national headliners such as Jermaine Fowler, Emma Willmann, Godfrey, Sam Tallent, Liza Treyger, and Rob Schneider. He has also been a part of the Burning Bridges Comedy Festival, New York Comedy Festival, Pittsburgh Comedy Festival, WDVE Comedy Festival, and Orlando Indie Comedy Festival. When Norlex is back in Pittsburgh, he is a regular on the WDVE Morning Show with Randy Baumann and has had multiple performances aired on iHeartRadio. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE – Bernie Mac - I ain't scare of you m**********...

Episode 038 WRONG – Mike Recine: “Like a rollercoaster that gets to the top & catches fire”

Sep 13, 2018 1 hr 34 min

WRONG Conan alum Mike Recine is a nationally touring headliner and a hysterically twisted joke writer--the perfect guy to explore WRONG comedy. What is it? How can comics do it well, and why can it go so badly? Everyone has laughed at something and said "That's wrong!" Or at least we've all laughed at things that simply are incorrect or illogical. Why? How does that work? What's funny about wrongness, and why is it that kind of comedy such a big deal for society and for stand-up right now? We sink our teeth into all that and a lot more in this hilarious and earnest conversation using material from Dave Chappelle, Patrice O'Neal, Anthony Jeselnik, and Mike Recine himself. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Jersey-raised Mike Recine is an accomplished and hilarious headliner and podcaster. He's been on Conan twice, has an album out from Comedy Dynamics, a half hour Comedy Central special, and a successful podcast called "The Sitdown w/ Mike Recine," plus a lot more. His darkly joyful jokes are brilliant, surprising, and often hysterically "wrong," blending observation and personal storytelling with a pitch-perfect dark wit, and he was absolutely perfect for this episode of LTAS. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE – Dave Chappelle - Joys Of Being Wrong (Bird Revelation, 2017) – Patrice O'Neal - Harrassment Day (Elephant in the Room, 2011) – Mike Recine - Excerpts from Comedy Central's "The Half Hour" (Season 5, Episode 13, 2016) – Mike Recine - Worst Pedophile (Conan, 2016) – Anthony Jeselnik - Seduction (Shakespeare, 2010) Thank you Mike! You really make us laugh, man. CHECK OUT MIKE'S POPULAR PODCAST: - Libsyn: https://sitdownpod.libsyn.com/ - iTunes: https://apple.co/2D1UqtY FOLLOW HIM: twitter.com/mikerecine instagram.com/mikerecine facebook.com/mike.recine VISIT HIS WEBSITE: http://www.mikerecine.com MIKE'S ALBUM: “Union Delegate” - On Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2Murt99 - On iTunes - https://apple.co/2QsAFhF Special thanks Dave Chappelle "old man of comedy" wisdom, Patrice...

Bonus Episode 009 – Back After The Burn

Aug 16, 2018 1 min

I'm off to Burning Man. We'll be back with our regular bi-weekly production schedule in the fall. For more information about the coolest f*****g thing I've ever participated in, see burningman.org.

Episode 037 COMMITMENT – Andrea Allan: “Ripping your chest open onstage”

Aug 2, 2018 1 hr 47 min

COMMITMENT Andrea Allan, an aggressive, crazy, "wild animal" of a comedian, joins us to chart COMMITMENT through stand-up comedy. When a comic creates a provocative performance or talks about challenging topics, he or she can face overwhelming negative pressure from the crowd. But if the comic pulls through the end and gets a huge laugh, people will say, "She's committed!" You don't need commitment when everyone already agrees with you or if you're playing it safe. Commitment is for when it gets tough, and it's the only way ANYTHING worth doing gets done. So what is it? How do you employ it? What are some tips and tactics for staying committed to a bit? We have a blast in this very dirty episode exploring commitment to character, to tone, to material, to act outs, and to oneself. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Andrea is a stand-up comedian and podcaster based in NY. As a stand-up, she has been featured in NY Comedy Festival, been written up in Interrobang and featured in the March Madness Stand Up Competition held at Carolines. She has guested on the podcast Risk!, Lenny Letter Presents, You Know What Dude and Guys We F****d amongst many others. Her podcast, The Hot Mess Comedy Hour, has been written up in Elite Daily and is a part of ABC's OG podcast Network. The podcast has had many prominent guests including Ari Shaffir, Corinne Fisher, Bonnie McFarlane and Jo Firestone. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Doug Stanhope - Keynesian Economic Theory As Applied To Private Sector Independent Contracting (2011, Before Turning The Gun On Himself) - Andrea Allan - A set at Platform (2018) - Kurt Metzger - I’m basically Salmon Rushdie (2014, White Precious) - Eddie Murphy - Singers Get P***y (Delirious, 1983) Thank you, Bobbi Jeanne Misick, our new Executive Producer! Your suggestions, feedback,and editing skills are GAME CHANGERS! NEW GAME! TOTALLY CHANGED! And thank you, Andrea, for your scintillating presence. We loved recording with you! CHECK OUT HER VERY POPULAR PODCAST: H...

Bonus Episode 008 – Myq Kaplan “The joke stick is my tongue”

Jul 5, 2018 56 min

Happy 4th of July! Hey everyone! Happy 4th of July! We’ve got more great episodes coming this summer, but for now I’m taking a break for family and fun, AND I’m re-jiggering our production workflow to incorporate the talents of our new executive producer, Bobbi Jean Misick. In the meantime, here’s a portion of a recording with the incredibly prolific linguistic genius that is Myq Kaplan. We recorded a full two and a half hours on a wide range of topics. It was a great conversation, but it didn’t neatly fit the format of the show. However, he hilariously drops gold tips on stand-up that would be a shame not a release. Please enjoy Myq Kaplan sharing how he approaches presenting a minority opinion and and in depth explanation on both his process and attitude for generating new material. CHECK OUT HIS MANY ALBUMS, SPECIALS, AND TV APPEARANCES INCLUDING: - Vegan Mind Meld - Please Be Seated - Meat Robot - Small Dork and Handsome (Netflix) - No Kidding - Conan, Letterman, Seth Meyers, etc. - Last Comic Standing - America’s Got Talent CHECK OUT HIS PODCASTS: Hang Out With Me - https://apple.co/2IWZBsH Broccoli and Ice Cream - https://apple.co/2KypB37 FOLLOW HIM: - INSTAGRAM.COM/myqkaplan - TWITTER.COM/myqkaplan - FACEBOOK.COM/myqkaplan - WEBSITE: http://www.myqkaplan.com SUPPORT “Let’s Talk About Sets!”: Please like us on Facebook and, if you’re feeling grateful, consider sponsoring us on Patreon. http://www.patreon.com/letstalkaboutsets Lastly, check out a couple of our other projects: www.latenightromp.com – a weekly show produced by Teresa Sheffield and Jeff McBride in the heart of Manhattan www.special-tonight.com – a monthly dinner/comedy experience produced by Sadiq Samani, Jeff McBride, and master caterer Mike Weinstein https://www.facebook.com/BeastModeComedy/ – a new weekly Monday show produced by Teresa Sheffield and Jeff McBride

Episode 036 WORD ECONOMY – Andy Sandford: “Hook, line, and thinker”

Jun 21, 2018 1 hr 35 min

WORD ECONOMY Wordsmith Andy Sandford revs up his writer's Prius to taut WORD ECONOMY. Levity is brevity, but word economy means more than that. We explore how word economy is not "least words possible," but rather the least needed for the goal. Is there a connection with word economist comedians and humility? How do you determine what's necessary and what's not? Andy also shares insight on his writing process and his writing discipline, which is pretty inspiring, along with some sage comedy advice. We laugh and pick apart some great bits by Jeff Caldwell, Ellen Degeneres, and Steven Wright. Also, Andy was on AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE! ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Andy Sandford is a nationally touring comedian who got funny in Atlanta, GA and is now based out of New York City. Andy made his late night debut on CONAN, which was included in The Laugh Button’s “Top 5 Late Night Stand-up Debuts of 2015.“ Andy’s album, Me the Whole Time," made several “best of” lists, including Splitsider’s “9 Best Standup Specials & Albums of The Year.“ Andy also played an animated version of himself on Adult Swim’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Brooklyn Magazine named Andy one of “Brooklyn’s Funniest People,” and the Village Voice called him “one of New York’s comedic gems." He's a humble guy with a brilliant wit, and we were glad to have him on the show! FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Jeff Caldwell - late night set on Letterman (9/26/2006) - Andy Sandford - Secret Loft Show (2016) - Ellen Degeneres - Johnny Carson (1986) - Steven Wright - Quote (I Still Have A Pony, 2007) Thank you, Andy! I need say no more. Andy has a new album dropping on July 27th from Comedy Dynamics, called, "Shameful Information." You can read more about that here: http://www.comedydynamics.com/andy-sandford-shameful-information FOLLOW HIM: twitter.com/AndySandford instagram.com/andy.sandford CHECK OUT HIS WEBSITE: andysandford.com HIS ALBUM: "Me The Whole Time" - https://open.spotify.com/album/4aimV6ybDJOTi0Epty847q GO...

Episode 035 HECKLERS – Luke Touma: “Warm but jabbing”

Jun 7, 2018 1 hr 34 min

HECKLERS Boston-forged comic Luke Touma tackles HECKLERS to explore why people heckle, different kinds of hecklers, and how to deal with them. What specific tactics, tricks, and attitudes work best? We talk about the instigator, the attention whore, the homophobe, the hater, the moral authority, the fact checker, and more. We share comedy war stories and have a blast listening to explosive heckler take-downs by Chris D'Elia, Joe Klocek, and Arj Barker. This episode was fun as f**k, and f**k is FUN. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Luke Touma came up in the Boston comedy scene, the comedy pressure cooker that made many of our greatest modern comedians. It's the perfect storm for hecklers, and the enormous amount of challenging stage experience Luke received is apparent in his comedy. Since moving to New York, he's become a producer of one of the top indie shows in New York, Too Many Cooks, which recently got a plug on Conan. He's opened for Louis CK, Mark Normand, and his mother has once taken down a heckler for him. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Chris D’Elia vs Heckler at the Laugh Factory (2012) - Luke Touma - Rowdy Crowd - Joe Klocek at the SF Punchline 2008 - Arj Barker & Heckler at Lakeshore Theater (2007) Thank you, Luke! This was a kickass time to prep, record, and edit. Everyone else: have him on your podcast or start one so he can be on it. FOLLOW HIM: twitter.com/luketouma facebook.com/luke.touma.5 instagram/luke.touma CHECK OUT HIS MMA PODCAST W/ LTAS ALUM DAN LAMORTE: The Middle East Fight Fist Podcast iTunes: https://apple.co/2HmRGnR Soundcloud: https://bit.ly/2sBYfhF And go see his weekly show, Too Many Cooks, which he co-produces with over seven thousand other top-notch NYC comics: https://bit.ly/2kPfh7H Special thanks to Chris D'Elia's warmth, Joe Klocek's composure, and Arj Barker's quiet, silly rage. And, Salt N’ Peppa, we know you love our parody because it falls so squarely under the fair use rules. It’s almost an homage, really, but it’s so far fr...

Episode 034 LIKABILITY – Kenny DeForest: “Own it…let it be it”

May 24, 2018 1 hr 36 min

LIKABILITY The all-too-likable and contagiously funny Kenny DeForest joins us to discuss how LIKABILITY affects stand-up comics and crowds. What makes a comic likable? What can make us unlikable? With enough likability, audiences can disagree completely with everything the comic is saying and still enjoy the experience. We discover that self-assuredness, status, and authenticity all play into how much an audience likes or doesn't like a comic. Oh, we dug up some Eminem for the topic! ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Kenny DeForest is a New York City-based comic best known as a producer and co-host of “Comedy at the Knitting Factory”, widely considered to be one of the best independently run comedy shows in the country. He has appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers, HBO's "Crashing", and TruTV's "Friends of the People." He's a regular presence on the New York City comedy scene at large. In 2017, he recorded his debut stand-up album "B.A.D. Dreams" with Comedy Dynamics, and in 2015 he was named one of Comedy Central’s “Comics to Watch." In addition, he's a comedy festival machine with too many festival contributions to go into here. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Patrice O'Neal - How would you keep your man? (HBO One Night Stand, 2005) - Eminem - Excerpt from "8 Mile" - Kenny DeForest - Late Night w/ Seth Meyers (2017) - Martin Lawrence - MC for Def Comedy Jam (sometime in the 90's?) - Kenny DeForest - Yoga For Men (B.A.D. Dreams, 2017) SOME IMPORTANT THANKS: - Firstly, a huge thanks to our guest, Kenny DeForest! - Uber-mega-super duper thank you to comedian Bobbi Jeane Misick, our new associate producer. She's just brilliant. - I forgot to mention (and will not forget again) that my weekly show, "Late Night Romp" is really OUR weekly show--my co-producer and better half on that is the brilliantly funny and irritatingly well-adjusted Teresa Sheffield. Her Twitter is badass, and she's got a killer all-female show coming up on 6/27/18. Find out more on her very funny Twitter...

Episode 033 TRAGEDY – Doug Smith: “I’ll get a chunk of comedy outta this”

May 10, 2018 1 hr 59 min

TRAGEDY The brilliant storyteller and comedian Doug Smith explores the use of TRAGEDY in stand-up with us through a seminal bit by Patton Oswalt and a story Doug recently performed on Comedy Central's "This Is Not Happening." Tragedy brings people together, and no other art form addresses tragedy quite like stand-up. What is it about tragic material that lends itself to a magical connection? How can you get an audience to go along with your insistance that this tragic thing is comedy? How soon do you start working on tragedy to turn it into laughs? What's it like to get notes from a TV producer about your own personal story? This and a whole lot more. NOTE: Don't miss the end. It gets REALLY good when we dissect Doug's Comedy Central set. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC In March of 2018, Doug told a story on Comedy Central’s “This Is Not Happening” with Roy Wood Jr. It's about how he saved a woman from being raped in the New York subway and got stabbed in the face as a result. And it's HILARIOUS. Doug Smith was on Conan in 2016. Following his selection as a New Face at the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival in 2013, he's been featured at the Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, and the NY Comedy Festival where he was chosen to host six sold out shows for Norm Macdonald. Doug co-hosts the stand-up/variety show See You in Hell which The Comedy Bureau listed in the Top 100 Best Things in Comedy 2014. In 2015, Doug was a finalist in Caroline's March Madness competition as well as the NY's Funniest competition. He is also the creator and star of the web series Secret Weapon, which received high praise from numerous comedy websites and was a finalist at the Channel 101 festival. In addition to Conan, Doug's TV appearances include AXS TV's Gotham Comedy Live and Fuse TV's Uproarious. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Patton Oswalt - Widower (2017, Annihilation) - Doug Smith - His Conan story (told live) - Doug Smith - Stabbed In The Face (2018, This Is...

Episode 032 TRUTH – Kaytlin Bailey: “We’re kids throwing shit at the emperor”

Apr 26, 2018 1 hr 48 min

TRUTH Storyteller extraordinaire Kaytlin Bailey opens the legs of her life to investigate the role of TRUTH in stand-up comedy. Emotional truth? Truth vs facts? How can facts f**k up a joke and interfere with the essential "truth" of a bit? How does perspective affect truth? What about the difference between truth and Truth with a capital "T"? Sometimes we tell a joke as though it's truth, and sometimes we tell truth as though it's all jokes. Is that hypocritical? And why do people say comedians are so honest when we're telling outright lies? What exactly IS the role of the comedian as it relates to telling the truth? This episode is all about the many ways we bend and mix the different kinds of truth to wring laughs out of an audience. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Kaytlin Bailey has been a sex worker, a political activist, and now she's a killer stand-up comedian and podcaster. She's loud, opinionated, and all up in your face! And it's truly a joy to chat with her. Her brazen, f**k-all honesty somehow warms the heart, and I'll leave her story to her since she tells a lot of it on the show. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Ali Wong - Miscarriage (2016, Baby Cobra) - Kaytlin Bailey - Creepy Kid - Kaytlin Bailey - Mink Coat - Chris Rock - Hit my black son (2018, Tamborine) Thank you, Kaytlin Bailey! You're a fantastically funny and personable human being! FOLLOW HER: twitter.com/KaytlinBailey facebook.com/kaytlin.bailey WEBSITE: http://kaytlinbailey.com/ CHECK OUT HER PODCAST: iTunes: https://goo.gl/H4iyJx FB: https://www.facebook.com/oldpropodcast/ Special thanks Ali Wong's discarded fetus and Chris Rock's willingness to hit us all with his truth. And, as always, our gratitude knows no bounds, Salt N’ Peppa, for the hyper-fair use original parody of their now basically unrecognizable hit tune. CREDITS: For this episode, our sometimes editor and executive producer, Bobbi Jeanne Misick, has our heartfelt gratitude. She's absolutely wonderful to work with--she's punct...

Announcement

Apr 12, 2018 1 min

We have an announcement.

Episode 031 ANGER – Gianmarco Soresi: “Am I imploding or exploding?”

Mar 29, 2018 1 hr 39 min

ANGER The multi-talented, very funny and passionately neurotic Gianmarco Soresi explores ANGER in stand-up. All three half-Jewish white fellas share temper problems and a love of comedians who use anger to get to the funny. We talk tantrums, yelling, when anger goes wrong, and why impotent rage is so damn funny. How do you make things ok so people can laugh while you're expressing genuine anger? What elements soften anger, taking the fangs out so people don't feel threatened while a comedian is screaming at them? We laugh and analyze through bits by four VERY different comedic anger styles: Bill Burr, Sam Kinison, John Mulaney, and Mary Mack. All this and a lot more in this very funny, engaging episode. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Gianmarco Soresi is a comic, actor, and playwright; but the first line of his obituary will likely read "guy from all those General Electric commercials." He's such a great guy and an engaging entertainer! He recently headlined Carolines on Broadway as part of their Breakout Artist Comedy Series, featured at Hu Ke Lau and the del Lago Casino, can be seen on SeeSo's New York's Funniest. He regularly performs at UCB, Stand Up NY, EastVille Comedy Club, The Grisly Pear, The PIT, Comix Mohegan Sun and more. As an actor he can be seen on Tracy Morgan's The Last OG, CBS' Blue Bloods, TruTV's Hack My Life, Comedy Central, is a member of the sketch team Uncle Function, and his play, Less Than 50%, will receive an Off-Broadway run this July at 59 East 59. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Bill Burr - Make My Sandwich (2010, Let It Go) - Sam Kinison - World Hunger (1985, Letterman) - Gianmarco Soresi - Registry - John Mulaney - Delta Airlines (2012, New In Town) - Mary Mack - Set from Conan (2016) And a huge thanks to our guest, Gianmarco Soresi! FOLLOW GIANMARCO: twitter.com/gianmarcosoresi instagram.com/gianmarcosoresi Visit his website: https://www.gianmarcosoresi.com CHECK OUT HIS LIVE SHOWS IN NYC: https://thepit-nyc.com/events/ - His weekly show...

Episode 30 CHARACTERS – Cyrus McQueen: “Find your funny & people will respond”

Mar 15, 2018 1 hr 35 min

CHARACTERS The hugely funny and big-hearted Cyrus McQueen boomed out his theories on CHARACTERS in stand-up. A consumate performer, he jumped in and out of character throughout the episode as we discussed the role of character work in stand-up comedy. What is a "character" in stand-up? How does character work affect how an audience judges the comic? And how will an audience experience the ideas you're conveying if you're in a character? Plus a lot more, like some advice Bill Burr gave him on staying true to your own sense of humor. This episode was fun as f**k! ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Cyrus McQueen is a comedic full force gale of theatrical act outs, characters, impressions, and political insights. Originally hailing from inner city Boston, he’s got himself a Magna Cum Laude in Poli-Sci from Northeastern. After a brief stint in DC, disgust with the system led him out of politics and into entertainment. Cyrus then pursued acting--a classic hero's journey refusal of the call to adventure. He supported himself working the door at a comedy club, laughing it up with the likes of Bill Burr and Jim Gaffigan, adding tags to other people's jokes and still not doing stand-up. Since finally taking the stage as a comic, he’s been on Last Comic Standing (semi-finalist), Gotham Axis TV, and he performs all over the country. Also, he's got a helluva Twitter game going on! FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Eddie Murphy - Hit By A Car (1982, Eddie Murphy) - Cyrus McQueen - Let Freedom Ring - Cyrus McQueen - Obama and Fox - Jim Gaffigan - I'm A Manatee (2005, Doing My Time) - Richard Pryor - White People (1979, Live In Concert) Thank you, Cyrus McQueen, for killing it on this episode and dropping knowledge on characters, stand-up, and life. We appreciate your philosophy of warmth and kindness in comedy. FOLLOW HIM: twitter.com/cyrusmmcqueen (His Twitter account is worth your time!) facebook.com/cyrus.malik WEBSITE: http://cyrusmcqueen.com/ Special thanks Eddie Murphy's virtuosity,...

Episode 029 THE ALBUM – Anthony DeVito: “It’s like duct tape”

Mar 1, 2018 2 hr 15 min

THE ALBUM Comedy Central's Anthony DeVito, an absurdly likable human being and an amazing comedian, deconstructs THE ALBUM with us. Step-by-step, we bust up at highlights from his 2017 debut album, "Dream Occupation." Laughing the whole way, we discuss track naming, recording location, material selection and ordering, and album narrative. But this is really the least of it. His shares his approach to writing, testing, and adding to jokes. Added to his affable self-deprecation is an overall positive life philosophy that belies the tired trope of the comedian as an angry, bitter, broken toy. Start to finish, he's hilarious, congenial, and generous with his comedy experience. We told stories, busted balls, and talked crazy shop for over two hours. EDITOR'S NOTE: I considered releasing this in 2 parts, but it's such a cohesive theme that I'm dropping it in one long, lovingly edited episode. This is my joke, but since I mentioned it... ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Originally from New Jersey, Anthony is one of the most beloved NYC comedians of his class. He's got a Colbert set and has a Comedy Central Half Hour under his belt. He's appeared on Comedy Central's Adam Devine's House Party, was one of the “New Faces” at the 2012 Montreal Just for Laughs Festival, has been on "This American Life," AXS TV’s Gotham Comedy Live, and was the 2015 winner of Caroline's March Madness. Also, his debut album "Dream Occupation" is available from Comedy Central Records. In addition to stand-up, he’s the head writer/regular panelist on MSG's People Talking Sports and Other Stuff, has appeared on TV Land's The Jim Gaffigan Show, and is a favorite on Sirius XM's Bennington. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Anthony DeVito - Material selected from "Dream Occupation" (2017, Comedy Central Records) - Jerry Seinfeld - Excerpt from "Comedian" (2002) Thank you, Anthony, for being so on point, so engaging, and so sweaty. And super mammoth thanks for the kindness you've shown both Harrison and me in the...

Episode 028 TABOO (pt. 2 of 2) – Tristan Smith: “I’ll take a gasp and an ohhhhh”

Feb 15, 2018 1 hr 9 min

TABOO (pt. 2 OF 2) This is part 2 of the TABOO recording. If you haven't listened to part 1, go do that first. This won't make a lot of sense otherwise. In this episode, we talk about Tristan's history of being bullied and (sort of?) bullying and how that influenced his sense of humor. We also chat about the unique perspective and skillset of his improv background, failing with fun, and the function of joy in comedy. In terms of craft, we take apart one of his more "worked out" bits that I've seen level a room with booming laughter or make everyone squirm, either of which delights him. There's some great stuff on pacing/timing. We also dig into another Dave Chappelle bit from the same Laugh Factory set as in part 1 of this series. Harrison and Tristan are giddy as they rip me a new one over an equipment failure. This was a fun one! ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Tristan Smith is one of a handful of people who consistently renders me non-responsive with giggles. He's got 7 years of improv experience on top of his stand-up tenure, and it shows. He's a fearless stand-up MC and former member of the Reckless Theater house team "Big Fiasco." Tristan can frequently be seen at Broadway Comedy Club in Manhattan, and he was formerly an active host and co-producer with Laughing Buddha Comedy. As of 2018, he runs a weekly open mic with Patrick Holbert that's related to their podcast, "The Comic's Table." FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Tristan Smith - Break a leg - Dave Chappelle - Man rape (2006, Laugh Factory And a huge thanks to our guest, Tristan Smith! FOLLOW TRISTAN SMITH: twitter.com/trystendsmyth instagram.com/trystendsmyth Visit his website: https://www.tristancomedy.com Listen to his popular podcast, "The Comic's Table," which he co-hosts with fellow comic, Patrick Holbert: https://www.comicstable.com Special thanks to Chappelle's Chappelleness. And, as always, from the cockles of our hearts, we adore thee Salt N’ Peppa. Our use rough but fair. SUPPORT THE SHOW: https...

Episode 027 TABOO (pt. 1 of 2) – Tristan Smith: “I’m a goddamn teddy bear you piece of shit!”

Feb 2, 2018 1 hr 23 min

TABOO (pt. 1 OF 2) The absurdly dark Tristan Smith wades with us into the nasty, deep end of the comedy pool: TABOO. It's a two-parter. For this episode, since we're talking things "forbidden by society," I'd recommend gently plugging your tender ears with a double-ended dildo. This is one part craft and comedy theory and one part societal debate, all marinated in total f*****y. We dive right in with some David Cross, followed by the great "Kramer Meltdown," Dave Chappelle's response to it, and then George Carlin's seminal bit from the 90's about taboo words and their context. And we argue the bejesus out it all. RECORDING NOTE: We're all good friends, but working with Tristan and Harrison at the same time was personal goddamned nightmare, which I say with genuine love. Ironically, I, myself, had my post-therapy-version of a meltdown the first time we tried to record. They messed with me so much that we ran out of time to record. Yet, the results are hilarious. I was laughing really hard while editing this pile of filth. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Tristan Smith is one of a handful of people who consistently renders me non-responsive with giggles. He's got 7 years of improv experience on top of his stand-up tenure, and it shows. He's a fearless stand-up MC and former member of the Reckless Theater house team "Big Fiasco." Tristan can frequently be seen at Broadway Comedy Club in Manhattan, and he was formerly an active host and co-producer with Laughing Buddha Comedy. As of 2018, he runs a weekly open mic with Patrick Holbert that's related to their podcast, "The Comic's Table." FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - David Cross - Virgin Mary (1999, The Pride Is Back) - Michael Richards - Kramer losing his temper on stage (2006, Laugh Factory) - Dave Chappelle - Riff on Kramer meltdown (2006, Laugh Factory) - George Carlin - They're Only Words (1990, Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics) And a huge thanks to our guest, Tristan Smith! FOLLOW TRISTAN SMITH: twitter.com/trystend...

Episode 026 JOKE WRITING – Mark Normand: “Just keep going / You need the struggle”

Jan 18, 2018 1 hr 41 min

JOKE WRITING The very accomplished, always funny "edgy joke slinger," Mark Normand shares his process with us! Not only is he one of the most likable guys in comedy, he's an unbelievably talented joke writer. This episode is packed to the GILLS with comedy craft gold. We kick it off with some Jerry Seinfeld, and then we get down into the molecules the jokes from three of our favorite Mark Normand bits. He talks about how to write an analogy that pops, how and why to keep going with a joke you believe in, gives a working explanation of rhythm in stand-up...and a helluva lot more! This episode is what "Let's Talk About Sets!" is all about! Hell yeah! ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Mark Normand has done a One-Hour Comedy Central special “Don’t Be Yourself”, a Comedy Central HALF HOUR special, has appeared on TBS’s CONAN 5 times, Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Showtime’s “Live at SXSW”, INSIDE AMY SCHUMER, TruTv, Best Week Ever, MTv, Last Comic Standing, @Midnight and released an album with Comedy Central records titled “Still Got It." The list goes on and on. He's the real deal, touring nationally and still chopping it up at the occasional open mic when he wants to work stuff out because he's just that damn dedicated to the craft. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Jerry Seinfeld - Cab Drivers (1999, I'm Telling You For The Last Time) - Mark Normand - Sluts (07/2014, Conan) - Mark Normand - Evil Brain (2017, Don't Be Yourself) - Mark Normand - Racial Stuff (2014, Still Got It) And a huge thanks to to our guest, Mark Normand! FOLLOW MARK NORMAND: twitter.com/marknorm instagram.com/marknormand Check out his website: http://marknormandcomedy.com/ Listen to his AWESOMELY FUNNY podcast, Tuesdays With Stories: - Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/tuesdays_with_stories - iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tuesdays-with-stories/id705474769 See him LIVE: http://marknormandcomedy.com/#schedule Special thanks Jerry Seinfeld's smug brilliance....

Episode 025 IRREVERENCE – Gene Getman: “I don’t know how Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t just delete Facebook”

Jan 5, 2018 1 hr 25 min

AUDIO IS FIXED: Delete the episode and re-download if you hear the audio cut out during stand-up clips. IRREVERENCE There was no better choice for this topic than the gut-wrenchingly funny NYC stand-up comedian, Gene Getman. This is probably the funniest episode yet. He found out just how easy it is to troll me (Jeff) about my precious little podcast by refusing to "take it seriously." Gene IS irreverence. I could barely handle it. This was recorded back in September, before the Louis CK story fully broke, and I've been avoiding editing it. That was dumb. It's great. ABOUT THE GUEST COMEDIAN Gene Getman was born in Russia or Ukraine someplace like that. He's a brilliantly funny a*****e, and I mean that as a very high compliment. On the show, I read aloud the "bio" he sent me, so you can listen to it for yourself. See below for the "cease and desist" letter that I'm sure he'd frame if he could be bothered. I don't want to spoil anything in the episode, so I'm not going to explain it here. FEATURED BITS IN THIS EPISODE - Doug Stanhope - Remember When I Used To Give A Shit (2012, Before Turning The Gun On Himself) - Gene Getman - Listen (Gene's voice memo app) - Chad Daniels - Phone racist (2014, Natural Selection) - Martin Urbano - Jimmy Kimmel Live (Sept. 7th, 2017) FOLLOW GENE GETMAN: facebook.com/genegetman instagram.com/genegetman twitter.com/genegetman And do yourself a favor. Watch his cartoon web series, The Real News. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8vUsnVWatRLExMQ_EyRSsQ He also has a weekly show at the Grisly Pear, but he prefers that people don’t come that that. Quote. Special thanks to Doug Stanhope's broken spirit, Chad Daniels' keen eye for non-racism, and Martin Urbano's ethnic mystery. And as always, Salt 'N Peppa, y'all are great, and this use is fair.

Bonus Episode 006 – Thank You!

Dec 21, 2017 1 min

We're on vacation for the holiday season. Thank you for an amazing year! We'll be back with a fresh, new episode on January 4th.

Episode 024 MENTAL HEALTH – Dan LaMorte: “Don’t let the curve ball strike you out”

Dec 7, 2017 1 hr 37 min

EASY SHARE LINKS Facebook: https://goo.gl/wavR6W Twitter: https://goo.gl/37vB6f PATREON LINK: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkaboutsets MENTAL HEALTH The brilliantly prolific and absurdly young Dan Lamorte absolutely nails it in this episode about mental health in stand-up. It felt real, it felt deep, and it is funny. He's got some awesome tips to share and a helluva tale to tell. We get into the down-and-dirty techniques used to spark laughter with this taboo. With stand-up, people actually WANT to hear about mental health issues. Why? We discuss why we CAN and maybe SHOULD go there. Can we make it feel ok? Less alone? Do comedians need to be ok with our demons first? Is talking about mental health on stage a way to get ok? You'll hear about deaths, car crashes, brain injuries, breakdowns, and a mental institution. Are you depressed? Then listen to this. We think it could help. And the bits discussed here are so, so good. Also, Twitter. ABOUT THE GUEST COMEDIAN Dan is a nationally touring, NYC and NJ-based stand-up comedian. He's the second youngest comedian to become a regular at our comedy mecca, the Comedy Cellar. He has been seen doing panel on FOX's Red Eye, showcased on 2016's Comedy Central's Comics to Watch, was featured on the 2017 season of AXS TV's Gotham Comedy Live, and in January of 2017 he released his first album "Not Enough Pieces" through On Tour Records. The album got plenty of love on the iTunes comedy charts, it was met with great reviews and a lengthy stay as the number one best selling stand up album. He's a Twitter sensation, and he has a new podcast out, too! FEATURED BITS IN THIS EPISODE - Marc Maron - Dad/Depression (2006, Tickets Still Available) - Patton Oswalt - Sad Boy (2009, My Weakness is Strong FOLLOW DAN LAMORTE: twitter.com/danlamorte instagram.com/danlamorte www.danlamorte.com See Dan live at his headlining show at Carolines on 12/27/2017 (discount code "dan") TICKETS: http://www.carolines.com/comedian/dan-lamorte/ LISTEN...

Episode 023 GENDER – Carmen Lagala: “He’s a prisoner of the patriarchy himself”

Nov 23, 2017 1 hr 32 min

EASY SHARE LINKS: Facebook: https://goo.gl/9fWp5q Twitter: https://goo.gl/2eA4ZA DONATE: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkaboutsets GENDER The charmingly silly, head-a-shavin', nationally-tourin' stand-up comedian, Carmen Lagala, joined us for a timely chat about GENDER in stand-up comedy. We cover a lot of ground. We rapped out thoughts around audience expectations based on gender, how women are socialized to laugh at what men say, and the need for many men to prove over and over their masculinity to each other. And more! We also talked about the cultural legacy of gender affecting the performance and writing of gender humor. Oh, yeah, we also laugh a lot at some fantastically insightful bits. EDITOR'S NOTE: This was recorded before Louis CK admitted his transgressions, which explains why we felt no need to address it. Also, we'll leave transgender for a future episode. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Carmen is as a Brooklyn based stand up comic and sketch comedian. She’s a Vermont-native! Vermont Comedy Club is her home club, but she has performs at clubs and alternative venues all over New York. Carmen was featured in the Bridgetown Comedy Festival in 2016. She’s also performs in the sketch group All Female Reboot, and she’s a regular opener for Hari (hurry) Kundabolu, who’s been on Letterman, Conan, Kimmel, Comedy Central, etc. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Liza Treyger - Tiny Dicked Men (2017, Comedy Up Late) - Liza Treyger - Tinder Date (2017, Melbourne Comedy Festival) - Carmen Lagala - Poco.m4a - Bill Burr - What are you, a f*g? (2010, Let It Go) And a huge thanks to to our guest, Carmen Lagala, for putting up with us men fumbling through this topic. FOLLOW HER (online only!): instagram.com/carmstagrams twitter.com/carmenlagala Check out her website: http://www.carmenlagala.com She's part of a sketch group, All Female Reboot. It's super fun, with stuff like Passive Aggressive Fight Club! Full details: https://www.facebook.com/AllFemaleReboot/ And her show,...

Episode 022 REINTERPRETATION – Brett Druck: “I just realized how hard it is to please a human”

Nov 9, 2017 1 hr 24 min

EASY SHARE LINKS Facebook: https://goo.gl/SNMHf9 Twitter: https://goo.gl/yg2gT9 PATREON LINK: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkaboutsets REINTERPRETATION The effusively funny Brett Druck jokes his way through a must-hear episode on REINTERPRETATION, or "flipping perception." It is his favorite element of stand-up. I'm proud to say that this is among our top three favorite episodes to record (and edit!). We cover clichés, perceptual shifting, and how reinterpretation bits stick with you. And ironically, because they are so memorable, the most effective reinterpretation jokes are harder to laugh at later. And there's so much more. From Brett's best mentor tip to his incredible advice on social media mastery, this episode is jam-packed with applicable knowledge, leaping from one laugh to the next like an actual stand-up set. We cannot recommend this one highly enough! He even made me laugh from the very moment I started trying to book him. The infographic included on the webpage (check it!) will make hilarious sense once you hear me introduce him. ABOUT THE GUEST COMEDIAN Brett Druck is stand up comic and cast member on Laughs TV Show seasons 2 & 3. He’s been on America's Got Talent, on HULU, Pandora Comedy Radio, and he’s been mentioned in Rolling Stone. He frequently appears on the front page of Reddit and has had his jokes shared millions of times online. He’s a nationally touring comedian and he’s been in all kinds of comedy festivals including TBS's Just for Laughs Chicago, The Charleston Comedy Festival, he was a finalist for The Andy Kaufman Award. Most recently he appeared on NBC SeeSo's “SCHTICK OR TREAT: HALLOWEEN STAND UP SPECIAL” as part of their first annual 'Stand-Up Streaming Fest'. Brett's a badass. FEATURED BITS IN THIS EPISODE - TJ Miller - Washing your hands - Brett Druck - Superheroes (2016) - Hannibal Buress - Bomb Water (Animal Furnace, 2012) - Dane Cook - Abducted (Retaliation, 2005) FOLLOW BRETT DRUCK (FOR REAL--HIS SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE IS...

Episode 021 LOVE IN COMEDY – Abby Feldman: “Tear-jerking is when I cry after I m********e”

Oct 26, 2017 1 hr 33 min

EASY SHARE LINKS: Facebook: https://goo.gl/Urrs2g Twitter: https://goo.gl/cjBXNh PATREON LINK: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkaboutsets LOVE IN COMEDY Love goddess of stand-up comedy, Abby Feldman, descends from above to share her "embrace and accept" approach to life and comedy. Want some depth with your commute? We've got it for ya! She expounds upon her philosophy of love, which emcompasses audience connection, intention for writing and performance, facing and embracing flaws, love and loathing in relationships, and love as existence itself. And more! Of particular interest is her wonderful perspective on exuding love on stage even in the face of a "hostile" audience. Then the last bit played got us all in the feelsies. This episode is so good! ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Abby Feldman is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actress based out of New York City. She has written and performed over 70 sketches & segments and was interviewed by Larry King! She was a correspondent on the hit comedy news show 'Redacted Tonight’. She’s a writer and co-star on the Netflix comedy series Gringolandia and is currently writing a spinoff starring her Gringolandia character on a quest to get pregnant. She hosts a weekly Facebook Live show about all things uncomfortable called “Moist”, where she brings on other comedians and they broadcast from her bathtub. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Bill Hicks - It's Just a Ride (Revelations, 1993) - Marc Maron - Dating Aggressively (This Has To Be Funny, 2011) - Bo Burnham - From God's Perspective (What, 2013) And a huge thanks to to our guest, Abby Feldman, coming back a second time after the IRS blew up our first recording. And further thanks for blowing us away with her thoughts, her presence, and of course, her funny. WEBSITE: https://www.abbyfeldman.com/ The 2017 New York Comedy Festival is featuring her monthly show, Comedy at Rockwood Music Hall, which plays every 2nd Saturday. She co-hosts with Camille Theobald. TICKETS FOR NOVEMBER...

Episode 020 CROWD WORK – Dave Lester: “Laughter is for the willing”

Oct 12, 2017 1 hr 28 min

FACEBOOK PAGE: facebook.com/letstalkaboutsets EASY SHARE LINKS Facebook: https://goo.gl/MeijFu Twitter: https://goo.gl/sHjNkL PATREON LINK: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkaboutsets CROWD WORK Lovably crotchety Dave Lester, an NY comedy veteran, joins us to talk about CROWD WORK, the "off the cuff" interaction with comedy audience members. We cover hosting, hecklers, energy management, when to use crowd work and how not to overuse it, baiting the audience, and much more. This was a really fun one, folks, and Dave spends a little time crowd working the shit out of Jeff! Feminists, brace yourselves--we start right off with Patrice O'Neal. ABOUT THE GUEST COMEDIAN Dave Lester is a New Yorker, born and bred. He has always loved the stage. He went from recording stoop roasting sessions as a kid in Brooklyn to talent shows to finally taking it to comedy clubs all over New York. He’s performed at Apollo, appeared on TV1 as well as Sirius XM radio. He's a badass, generous comic, and we were lucky to have him on! FEATURED BITS IN THIS EPISODE - Patrice O'Neal - Deleted scenes (Elephant in the Room, 2011) - Dave Lester - Set and Dangerfield's (2016) - Bo Burnham - Rob's Mom (Make Happy, 2016) - Big Jay Oakerson - For The Love Of The Game (The Crowd Work Sessions, 2014) A ginormous thanks to Dave Lester for all his crotchety wisdom, his valuable time, and his seemingly endless analogies., FOLLOW HIM! twitter.com/davelester instagram.com/bedstuyjedi74/ He hosts a well-attended, long-running weekly Wednesday stand-up show called HumpZinger with Dara Jemmott at the legendary Mo’s Forte Greene in Brooklyn. Find out more at: https://www.facebook.com/Laugh.Provocateur Dave also produces the "Secret Loft Party." It’s an adult funhouse! Liquor, caterer, free massages, bonfire, s’mores and two comedy shows. Go to facebook.com/laugh.provocateur. Special thanks to Patrice's wraith, Bo Burnham's irritating young brilliance, and Big Jay's obsession with dick size. And (as always...

Episode 019 TENSION & RELEASE – Camille Theobald: “What if cops just had cum in their guns?”

Sep 28, 2017 1 hr 32 min

EASY SHARE LINKS: Facebook: https://goo.gl/9b8PPF Twitter: https://goo.gl/93275t PATREON LINK: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkaboutsets TENSION & RELEASE The dark and bubbly NYC comedian, Camille Theobald spends her evening with us laughing at great comedy and examining the role played by TENSION & RELEASE in a stand-up performance. We had such a great time! Tension & release is a powerful tool for invoking laughter, and we do our best to ponder the theme from a plethora of interesting angles. We trace the TENSION & RELEASE through taboo, energy, emotion, anticipation & delivery, sadness & wrongness, how it works with characters and stories, and the size of the laughter in proportion to the tension released. And yes, this episode was one long series of sexual innuendo. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Camille Theobald is a fantastic New York City stand-up comedian, sketch writer, and podcast producer. She’s a graduate of AMDA, The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, and that background in theater shines through in her endearingly vibrant self-expression. She was dancing to some background music before podcast recording! She's also the host of the Healthy AF podcast where she chats with fitness pros and comedians about wellness. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Louis CK - An excerpt from the Saturday Night Live Season 40 finale monologue (NBC, 2015) - Camille Theobald - Gun Control - Sarah Silverman - A story about her sister in college (Speck Of Dust, 2017) - Tom Segura - Overdoses (This Is Not Happening, 2013) And a huge thanks to to our guest, Camille Theobald, for sharing her wonderful sense of humor and precious time time to laugh it up with us. She hosts a body-positive health podcast, called Healthy AF; and she co-produces a monthly show in Manhattan, randily titled Cockwood at Rockwood. CAMILLE'S PODCAST: http://www.camilletheobald.com/healthaf CAMILLE'S SHOW: https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1565264 CAMILLE'S WEBSITE: http://www.camilletheobald.com...

Episode 018 THAT’S A BIT – Sam Evans: “It feels like you’re stumbling into it”

Sep 14, 2017 1 hr 23 min

EASY SHARE LINKS Facebook: https://goo.gl/HzmKmT Twitter: https://goo.gl/YzMDyQ PATREON LINK: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkaboutsets THAT'S A BIT Delightfully insightful comedian, Sam Evans, explores "THAT'S A BIT," the often maddening process of recognizing what's funny and then turning it into functional comedy. We explore the stages of development through which comedy material can take shape, and we speculate on how some varied, fantastically funny comedy bits may have been created. There's great stuff here about not chickening out on an idea, when to maybe give up on one, and the importance of collaboration. It's a craft-heavy episode and funny as f**k. And let's be honest. When it comes to funny, f**k is "up there." ABOUT THE GUEST COMEDIAN Sam Evans is an NYC comedian who's originally from Cincinnati. He was in "Just For Laughs" comedy festival in 2014, featured in "New Faces," which is a rather big deal in comedy circles. Aside from his regular stand-up appearances all over New York, Sam has a podcast, adultly titled "Up Your Butt And Around The Corner. " A regular at the Creek and the Cave, Sam is a comedic presence for whom other comics look up from their notebooks when he's on stage. He's also a producer of the long-running, weekly, live comedy show, "Tyrannosaurus." FEATURED BITS IN THIS EPISODE - Gary Gulman - Abbreviating the States (Conan, 2016) - Sam Evans - Opening set for Anthony DeVito Comedy Central album taping (Creek and the Cave, 2017) - Jimmy Carr - His theory on comedy and evolution (Green Room with Paul Provenza, 2008) - Tom Papa - CVS and Airline Status (Human Mule, 2016) - Eric Andre - Baconator (Awkward Kings of Comedy, 2013) FOLLOW SAM EVANS: twitter.com/reallysamevans instagram.com/reallysamevans CHECK OUT HIS WEEKLY LIVE SHOW AND HIS PODCAST: Live show: twitter.com/ComedyAtRAR Podcast: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/up-your-butt-and-around-the-corner Special thanks to Gary Gulman, Jimmy Carr, Tom Papa, and Eric Andre for t...

Episode 017 HONEST SADNESS – Jay Welch: “Control it, shape it, & channel it”

Sep 7, 2017 1 hr 17 min

EASY SHARE LINKS: Facebook: https://goo.gl/KTFWLG Twitter: https://goo.gl/J1ifQ5 PATREON LINK: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkaboutsets HONEST SADNESS Genius joke writer, Jay Welch, plumbs the depths of the exquisite laughter born of HONEST SADNESS. What, in a stand-up performance, makes the difference between an onstage meltdown that makes everyone cringe and a deep truth that induces a tear-in-your-eye involuntary laughter spasm? Are some rhetorical and writing devices better suited for this kind of humor than others? We explore these ideas in a sometimes funny, sometimes somber, but always interesting episode with some amazingly, touchingly funny stand-up material that deals with envy, addiction, and death. Funny stuff, right? (Oh, and by the way, I really did take notes when I was editing. This is chock-full of great stand-up craft stuff.) ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Jay Welch is stand-up comedian and comedy writer. He's a contributor to the popular website SomeEcards, and his comedy writing has also been published by McSweeney's, Slate, uInterview, and BustedTees. He performs in the top comedy clubs all over New York City, and he is a recurring performer at The Stand’s popular RoastMasters show, where he is ranked in the top 25. His roast battles have gotten over 25,000 views on YouTube! In addition to his work at clubs, Jay also performs at alternative comedy venues around New York, where, in addition to leaving audiences gasping between laughs, he is a definite favorite among his fellow comics. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Karen Kilgariff - I Want To Win (Live at the Bootleg, 2014) - Jay Welch - Popeye's (2015) - Doug Stanhope - Farewell Mother (Beer Hall Putch, 2013) - Mike Birbiglia - Tribute to Mitch Hedberg (My Secret Public Journal, 2010) And a huge thanks to to our guest, Jay Welch, for donating his wit, wisdom, and time to the show. FOLLOW JAY WELCH: twitter.com/welchjay instagram.com/welchjay facebook.com/jaywelchcomedy Special thanks to Karen Kil...

Episode 016 CHALLENGING PREMISES – Jon Newman: “Fascinated by influencing people’s perspectives through backdoors”

Aug 31, 2017 1 hr 37 min

EASY SHARE LINKS: Facebook: https://goo.gl/ij4r7r Twitter: https://goo.gl/gBxGvY PATREON LINK: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkaboutsets CHALLENGING PREMISES Comedian Jon Newman snorkels down with us into the choppy waters of "CHALLENGING PREMISES." What constitutes a challenging premise? Taboo? Complexity? And what devices do comics use to bring audiences into mental territory they ordinarily avoid or find too complex to be funny? All three of us love to have our perspectives challenged and altered by thoughtful stand-up comedy, and this episode explores everything from silly voices to commanding presence to the roles prominent comedians can play in shaping societies' narratives. Oh, and it's also funny. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Jon Newman is a comic, a writer, and a podcaster based in New York City. He has a deep love of comedy with a message, where the subjects of the jokes leave the audience thinking long after they're done laughing. A Virginian, Jon made his way to New York and now performs all over the city at clubs like The Stand, Dangerfields, Eastville Comedy Club, New York Comedy Club, and Broadway Comedy Club. Jon was a finalist at the 2016 "Make Me Laugh" Albany Festival, and he runs a podcast called Comedians in Coffee Getting Cars, in which comedians sit in a hot tub full of coffee and plan a Gone in 60 Seconds-style heist. In his words, "it’s 100% as stupid as it sounds." He is also the host of "Comedians on Stage Telling Jokes," a monthly show where guests of the podcast perform live stand-up. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Jerrod Carmichael - Talent vs Morals (Love At The Store, 2014) - Jon Newman - Weed Bit - Bill Burr - Steve Jobs (Night of Too Many Stars, 2012) - Chris Rock - Affirmative Action (Never Scared, HBO 2004) And a huge thanks to to our guest, Jon Newman! Check out his podcast at: http://comediansincoffeegettingcars.com/ For bookings and performance schedules, visit: http://www.itsjonnewman.com/ FOLLOW HIM ON: twitter.com/itsjonnew...

Episode 015 ROASTS – Matt Maran: “Every technique in comedy can be used in a roast”

Aug 24, 2017 1 hr 29 min

EASY SHARE LINKS: Facebook: https://goo.gl/a3UPQa Twitter: https://goo.gl/rpe5nD PATREON LINK: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkaboutsets ROASTS Commissioner and co-founder of NYC Comedy Fight Club, Matt Maran, dropped by to slice up comedy ROASTS. We had so much fun recording this episode that we all limped away with busted balls. Matt shared his comprehensive knowledge of roast jokes, roast formats, roast sets, and roast techniques. How do you roast someone you don't know? What makes a good roast joke? What's the difference between a roast set and a roast battle? And we listened to unbelievably well-wrought roast sets by three of the greats. ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC Matt Maran is a New York native, a Jew from Queens with some serious joke writing chops. His signature sleeveless look comes from a brief stint as a pro wrestler, and his comedic style is heavily informed by his love of comedy roasts. He's the host and co-creator of New York City’s Comedy Fight Club, currently in residency at Lucky Jack’s on Orchard Street in Manhattan. It’s the down and dirty breeding ground for the craft of writing and performing roast jokes in the New York stand-up scene. Open to all levels, you can see it all, from terrified newbies who’ve never even roasted a turkey to deep-cutting pros using it as a sparring dojo for a Comedy Central roast battle. FEATURED BITS ON THIS EPISODE - Greg Giraldo at the Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers (CC, 2009) - Bill Burr at the Roast of Patrice O'Neal (Boston Comedy Club, 2003) - Gilbert Gottfried at the Comedy Central Roast of Roseanne (CC, 2012) And a huge thanks to to our guest, Matt Maran! You can watch Comedy Fight Club NYC live every Sunday night on Periscope, the link to which is below. FOLLOW MATT MARAN: twitter.com/realmattmaran instagram.com/realmattmaran FOLLOW COMEDY FIGHT CLUB: twitter.com/comedyfightnyc instagram.com/comedyfightnyc periscope.com/comedyfightnyc (watch it live on Sunday nights!) Special thanks to Greg Giraldo's...

Episode 014 COMEDIC STORYTELLING (2 of 2) – Mike Guild: Stories of Sad Boy and Angry Man

Aug 17, 2017 50 min

EASY SHARE LINKS: Facebook: http://bit.ly/2fK1eB3 Twitter: http://bit.ly/2uHiSff PATREON LINK: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkaboutsets COMEDIC STORYTELLING (PART 2 OF 2) LINK TO PART 1: https://www.letstalkaboutsets.com/013 Master comedic storyteller, Mike Guild, continues a fantastic discussion on COMEDIC STORYTELLING. In a deeply personal episode, Mike applies Dan Harmon's story circles structure (link below) to two intimate and funny stories by the hosts. The first of which has Harrison as a sad boy, and the second of which shows when Jeff was an angry man. ABOUT THE GUEST COMEDIAN Mike Guild is a comedian, writer, and storyteller based in Queens. He started comedy at the unripe young age of 14! He's performed all over the USA, crushed it at The Moth NYC, produced multiple podcasts and shows, and he can regularly be found performing at the venerable Creek and the Cave comedy club in Long Island City. He hates the Internet. FEATURED BITS IN THIS EPISODE - Harrison Tweed - Strong Bro - Jeff McBride - AA: Anger and Alcoholism Thanks, thanks, and even more thanks to Mike Guild for all his patience with the starts and stops that came with recording these two episodes. Check out more on story circles by Dan Harmon at: http://bit.ly/1fAgSIn FOLLOW MIKE GUILD AT: twitter.com/mikeguildnyc facebook.com/mike.guild.18 Special thanks to Dave Chappelle and his unwitting contribution to the first part of this series; and, as always, an obsequious kowtow to Salt N' Peppa for continuing to remain ignorant of us fairly using a tiny sample of their song for an overtired pun.

Episode 013 COMEDIC STORYTELLING (1 of 2) – Mike Guild: “There is a weird relationship with truth in stories”

Aug 10, 2017 1 hr 22 min

EASY SHARE LINKS: Facebook: http://bit.ly/2uIS35D Twitter: http://bit.ly/2urY8Eh COMEDIC STORYTELLING (PART 1 OF 2) Master comedic storyteller, Mike Guild, displays his zest for the craft by walking the hosts through a bit by Dave Chappelle and by telling a story live on the podcast! There was so much here that it needed two parts. Part 1 explores story structure, analogies for tension and release, the differences between regular storytelling and comedic storytelling, the weird relationship a storyteller has with the "truth," how to establish character, what details to cut, and how stories can change their meaning over time. ABOUT THE GUEST COMEDIAN Mike Guild is a comedian, writer, and storyteller based in Queens. He started comedy at the unripe young age of 14! He's performed all over the USA, crushed it at The Moth NYC, produced multiple podcasts and shows, and he can regularly be found performing at the venerable Creek and the Cave comedy club in Long Island City. He hates the Internet. FEATURED BITS IN THIS EPISODE - Dave Chappelle - Dave's Son Meets Kevin Hart (The Age Of Spin, Netflix, 2017) - Mike Guild - River Story Thanks, thanks, and even more thanks to Mike Guild for all his patience with the starts and stops that came with recording these two episodes. FOLLOW HIM AT: twitter.com/mikeguildnyc facebook.com/mike.guild.18 Special thanks to Dave Chappelle and, as always, a deep bow to Salt N' Peppa for unknowingly donating a tiny sample of their song for a really dumb, fairly-used, beaten-to-death pun.

See all 68 episodes

–

0 ratings from members

Rate this podcast

No reviews yet — be the first member to rate "Let's Talk About Sets!".

This podcast, its content and its artwork are not owned by, affiliated with, or endorsed by Castquire.

Episode 058 PAIN – Patrick Holbert: “Who is doing the emotional lifting?”

Share this podcast

Live Chart rankings

Chart history

🇩🇰 Stand-Up Best #34

Holding at #34 — the line fills in as this chart moves.

🇨🇦 Stand-Up Best #53

Podcast details

Created by: Jeff McBride & Harrison Tweed
Status: Inactive
Latest episode: Mar 16, 2020
Episodes: 68
Release period: Monthly
Avg. episode length: 1 hr 23 min
Explicit: Yes
Language: English

Links

Official website ↗ Apple Podcasts ↗ RSS feed ↗

Is this your podcast?

Claim it to show it on your profile. Using the email from your RSS feed approves it instantly.

Keep listening

Discover more podcasts like this.

Browse podcasts See the charts