Let's Talk About Sets!

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 The Last Laugh Sunday's 8PM at The PIT Underground (amazing line-ups!)

- His new weekly SNUG! Fridays 10PM in the PIT Attic

- The High Note, his one-off show at the new Brooklyn House of Comedy May 11th, 2018 at 8PM

AND HIS WEBSERIES: Matza Pizza

https://goo.gl/XiL1K2

Special thanks to Bill Burr's frothing rage, Sam Kinison's screaming ghost, John Mulaney's implosive anger, and Mary Mack's pixie fury!

And, as always, we parody so hard on Salt N' Peppa with our punny fair use, and we love them for keeping their lawyers chained to their mahogany desks.

SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkaboutsets

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 fuck!

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, Jim Gaffigan's comedy machine, and Richard Pryor's "awakening."

And, as always, big thanks to Salt N’ Peppa for all the love they show us by not suing or not yet suing us over our very fair use uber-parody of their fantastic hit song.

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 NYC comedy scene.

FOLLOW HIM:

twitter.com/AnthonyDeVito_

instagram.com/devo4tivo

WEBSITE:

http://www.anthonydevitocomedy.com/

GET HIS ALBUM:

- on iTunes: https://goo.gl/FPRXxG

- on Spotify: https://goo.gl/1uCKBx

LISTEN TO HIS PODCAST:

The Rad Dudecast w/ Brendan Eyre, Anthony DeVito, & Greg Stone (it's awesome!)

https://goo.gl/yia6qF

Special thanks to Jerry Seinfeld's work ethic and smugness.

And, as always, big thanks to Salt N’ Peppa and an open invitation to jump in our fair use cuddle puddle.

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://www.patreon.com/letstalkaboutsets

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 fuckery. 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/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 David Cross's crassness, Kramer's temper, Chappelle's Chappelleness, and George Carlin's dispersed molecules.

And, as always, super-duper-mega thanks and love to Salt N’ Peppa. Our use tough but fair.

SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkaboutsets

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.

And, as always, big thanks to Salt N’ Peppa. We think of you all the time. Do you think of us? We hope not. Even though our use is so damn fair.

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 asshole, 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.

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.

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.

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 TO DAN'S ALBUM: "Not Enough Pieces"

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/50N9Np0AP9OPsiicekMDU5

Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/not-enough-pieces/id1193838967

And if you like MMA, have a listen to his podcast, The Middle Easy Fight Fist Podcast:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1319627742

Special thanks to Marc Maron's demons and Patton Oswalt's caninopomorphized depression. And (as always) we shout out with all our neurons to the great and wonderful Salt ‘N Peppa for all of our spritely fair use.