Let's Talk About Sets!

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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 fag? (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, Puppet's Present, will be one-off show in which they host as puppets.

TICKETS: https://www.littlefieldnyc.com

Special thanks to Liza Treyger's don't-give-a-fuck and Bill Burr's anger.

And, as always, big thanks to Salt N’ Peppa. We're saving you a long, fair use snuggle.

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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 GIGGLE-INDUCING):

twitter.com/brettdruck

instagram.com/brettdruck

facebook.com/brettdruck

CHECK OUT HIS WEBSITE FOR TOUR DATES AND BOOKING:

http://www.brettdruck.com

Special thanks to TJ Miller’s virtuosity, Hannibal Buress’s unique perspective, and Dane Cook’s early albums!

And, as always, for Salt-N-Pepa, our entire show is an homage to you and to the legal concept of fair use.

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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 11: https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1569656

See Gringolandia! Season 4 is out on Netflix.

https://www.netflix.com/title/80068168

Every Monday at 11pm EST, you can see her Facebook Live show “Moist." Go check it out!

facebook.com/abbyfeldmanlive

And her Moist live show is at The Creek and the Cave every 1st Thursday at 10pm (free)

http://creeklic.com/events/moist-2017-09-07/

And coming up is Ovulady - a new narrative series she’s producing that's a spinoff from her Netflix Mockumentary series “Gringolandia”. She writes for it and acts in it.

FOLLOW CAMILLE THEOBALD

instagram.com/abbyfeldman

twitter.com/abbyfeldman

facebook.com/abbyfeldmanlive

Special thanks to Bill Hicks’ ghost, Marc Maron’s neuroses, and Bo Burnham’s young genius.

And, as always, big thanks to Salt N’ Peppa. We're saving you a heartfelt, fair use hug.

FACEBOOK PAGE: facebook.com/letstalkaboutsets

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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) Salt ‘N Peppa gets the most love for their good attitude about all of our spectacularly fair use.

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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

FOLLOW CAMILLE THEOBALD

instagram.com/camilletheobaldcomedy

twitter.com/camltheo

Special thanks to Louis CK, Sarah Silverman, and Tom Segura for both their knowledge of the craft and their ignorance of our show.

And, as always, Salt-N-Pepa. One day we'll hug it out, and you'll thank us for all the free press and relevancy.

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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 fuck. And let's be honest. When it comes to funny, fuck 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 their unknowingly critical contributions.

And, as always, for Salt-N-Pepa, our attitude is gratitude for the fair-pun-use of their song.

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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 Kilgariff, Doug Stanhope, and Mike Birbiglia for being so good at what they do and so unaware of how much we rely on it to do this show.

And, as always, Salt-N-Pepa. Nothin' but love here. Love, and very, very fair use of their utterly altered song. Also, thanks for being so gracious about how I have been mispelling your name for months.

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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/itsjonnewman

instagram.com/itsjonnewman

Special thanks to Jerrod Carmichael, Bill Burr, and Chris Rock for their unwitting and indispensable participation in this episode.

And there's always lots of love for Salt 'N Peppa. We know they're out there watching us, proud of our wildly inventive remix of their hit song.

PS: Here are a few links to things we mentioned in the show:

The quote about comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comforted is a very old quote from journalism, but I first read it in this book: "How to Write Funny: Your Serious, Step-By-Step Blueprint For Creating Incredibly, Irresistibly, Successfully Hilarious Writing by Scott Dikkers (founding editor of "The Onion")

Link: http://a.co/h87ZZ1A

Neal Brennan's Netflix special "3 Mics":

Link: https://goo.gl/K5Qidy

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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 undead sense of humor, Bill Burr and Gilbert Gottfried for their unwitting and critical participation in this episode.

And as always, big loving, rather uncomfortably long hug for Salt N Peppa for the fair use of their classic song, which I’m sure no one can recognize after all the remixing I’ve done.

EASY SHARE LINKS:

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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.