By Robert Littwin
5
66 ratings
The podcast currently has 65 episodes available.
In these outtakes from Amy Sumpter's episode, we discuss the duplicitous toilets of Manhattan, working a day job, dating as a comedian, and a lot more.
Timestamps:
01:00 – Dissecting Comedy at Open Mics
01:28 – “I love a good poop joke, but…”
01:58 – The Legend of Kyle Parris
03:45 – Selling the Hell Out of a Dad Joke
04:38 – New York and L.A.
05:00 – The Toilets of New York
05:52 – Moving to Chicago to Wait Tables
07:38 – Reflect on Your Decade
08:19 – “If you want me, come and get me. You fly me out”
09:35 – No Shame in Having a Day Job
11:07 – I Do Not Run Las Locas Comedy (Janice Rodriguez Does)
13:28 – Entitled White Women at Open Mics
14:36 – “Everyone feels this ownership of what is funny”
16:50 – Absorbing Positive Messages Before a Performance
17:54 – Rachel McCartney is a Genius
18:20 – Relatable Material?
20:40 – She’s Crafty
20:58 – “So, you’re famous, right?”
21:44 – Building Women Up
23:00 – Wisdom vs. Age
24:36 – The Weird Dating Cycle Redux
25:37 – Sex and Self-Respect
26:15 – You Deserve a Sexy, Famous Gentleman
27:45 – I Spill Water on Myself
28:25 – Brittany Meyer’s ‘Cats’ Story
28:50 – A Kid Keeps Farting During ‘Beauty and the Beast’
29:38 – Gym Momentum
30:15 – Hair vs. No Hair
30:46 – Wait, You Found Love?
32:25 – I Don’t Want to be Objectified
33:00 – Tips for Going on a Date with a Comedian
33:40 – Kelsie Huff Kicks Ass
34:32 – “Scott Duff is magic”
Co-founder of The Kates on Broadway and acclaimed Chicago comedy vet Amy Sumpter goes over her amazing 2019 set at Strip Joker in this season 3 finale!
We discuss making space for women in stand-up (and in the world), the time her breast ended up in an old lady's mouth on the subway, and what not to do when your gynecologist shows up to a pelvic exam dressed as a pirate.
Timestamps:
01:00 – Set from Strip Joker
14:00 – “I come from a pretty funny family”
16:35 – “I want to be the weirdo; I want to be the character actor”
17:45 – “…And that’s where I met Kelsie Huff”
18:55 – The Kates Origin Story
21:40 – “Chicago is very small”
22:25 – “Whenever I have issues [with someone], it’s usually a white dude” (SPOILER ALERT)
22:55 – “I have been getting onstage since I was twelve”
23:21 – “Open mics just make me want to quit comedy”
24:37 – “Talk about what you know”
24:54 – “Don’t try to emulate your favorite comics”
25:30 – Bad Sitcom Writing vs. ‘The Office’
26:10 – Amy’s First Open Mic Story
32:02 – Moving to Chicago vs. LA
32:42 – ‘The Kates’ Begins
35:11 – Getting into the Set
35:13 – The High Kick
36:57 – Underwear Covered in Pubic Hair
37:54 – 3-Year Old Nephew, Bear, Trying to Swear
40:11 – The L-Cup and “You’re Welcome!”
43:40 – Midwestern Politeness
44:20 – The Subway Incident
46:27 – Mom Is Taller Than Dad
48:30 – The Tom Green Digression
50:20 – “I’m not a virgin and that’s sad”
52:11 – “Why do some people just get to live in Pound Town?”
54:57 – The Gynocologist
57:10 – Revealing The Pasty
59:58 – Reviewing the Set
1:01:21 – “I don’t necessarily believe in ‘suffer for your art’”
1:01:45 – Advice for Aspiring Comedians
1:03:18 – Where Can We Find You?
1:04:28 – Final Words
In these outtakes from Brittani Ferguson's episode, we discuss the queer coding within 80's and 90's action films, 'Little House on the Prairie', and, of course, the 'X-Files'.
Timestamps:
00:00 – “The Burbs”
00:48 – Del Close and Sharna
02:18 – All 80’s and 90’s Action Films Were Softcore Gay Porn
03:16 – “I published an essay in college about all action films as gay romcoms”
04:32 – Telling Inside Jokes Onstage
04:56 – The Kyle Parris Story
06:47 – “Generally people around the age of thirty just seem to be kind of sad”
07:08 – “Nobody got their porn from Tumblr”
07:38 – Little House on the Prairie
09:36 – A Sexual Awakening to the X-Files
12:50 – “What do you call fans of Gillian Anderson? Lesbians”
13:28 – What Happens in Florida Laundry Rooms
In the Before Times of Yore, comedian and cast member of The Lincoln Lodge, Brittani Ferguson stopped by to discuss her interesting set at Strip Joker.
We have a fascinating conversation about her military upbringing, reciting Mel Brooks films as a child, the context of the words "gay" and "queer," her childhood (and current) obsession with Gillian Anderson, and a lot more.
Timestamps:
01:00 – Opening Set @ Strip Joker
13:45 – ‘History of the World: Part I’
16:33 – Moving to Chicago
17:10 – A Military Kid
18:50 – Improv Classes at Second City
19:13 – “I wish you were a diversity candidate”
19:55 – “They will forgive any crime that anyone commits”
21:25 – “Stop playing”
21:55 – “You need to go do stand-up”
22:20 – Kelsie Huff and Fem Comique
25:01 – “A lucky idiot”
27:13 – Getting into the Set
28:32 – The Graveyard at Clark & Irving
31:33 – Gay vs. Queer
34:49 – ‘Top Gun’
35:26 – All Comics Are Recently Single
39:17 – Gay Christmas
40:29 – Hosting Your Own Straight Pride Parade
41:16 – A 90’s Kid is a Sad Adult
43:32 – The Need to be Validated
43:47 – “I’ve already met all the people I want to meet”
45:10 – “I don’t know what a healthy, intimate relationship looks like”
47:38 – Old-Timey Doctor
50:07 – Factory-Made Lesbian
51:13 – An Incredible Gillian Anderson Fetish
55:32 – “I would put on ‘The X-Files’ instead of music to f*ck a guy”
56:30 – The Cheerleader Circle Jerk
1:01:33 – Set Review
1:03:43 – Advice for Aspiring Comedians
1:05:33 – Where Can We Find You?
1:06:23 – Parting Words
In these outtakes from Spencer Blair's episode, we discuss the unceremonious closing of Uptown Underground, how he used to cheat audience members into the Chill As Fuck show at Second City, the time I learned about secondary sex mattresses, gay dating app etiquette, and more.
In the Before Times of Yore, podcaster/producer/comic Spencer Blair chats about his mostly-improvised hosting set at Strip Joker.
We discuss his improv background, how he got into hosting/producing shows all over Chicago, the internal dynamics of Strip Joker, and being terrifyingly confident onstage, all before we dive into the set.
Spencer can be found on the podcasts 'Desks & Dayjobs' as well as 'Please Make This', and is currently a co-producer of Strip Joker.
Timestamps:
01:00 – Hosting Set @ Strip Joker
10:36 – “When did you realize comedy was a thing you could do?”
12:33 – “Maybe you should stop trying so hard”
14:03 – The Funny Friend
15:05 – “I went to a small, Christian university”
17:30 – “Doing the Chicago thing”
18:41 – “I’ve never consistently mic’ed”
21:25 – Stand-Up vs. Improv
23:10 –The Chill As Fuck Show and Strip Joker
27:57 – “The trick is being terrifyingly confident onstage”
29:09 – “The Scientific Method, but applied to humor”
30:54 – Getting into the Set
30:55 – Ad Libs
31:22 – “Are you as horny as I am?”
32:10 – “I don’t write comedy down”
34:00 – “Everybody’s gay dad”
34:58 – Seasonal Depression
38:29 – “A hot guy and his boyfriend”
40:37 – Coming Down from Lexapro
43:18 – Gay Dating Apps
44:00 – Crying at a Movie Poster
48:30 – Losing the Audience
50:10 – The Oppressor in the Safe Space
52:16 – “Two white guys unpacking it on a podcast”
521:54 – Self Awareness
53:23 – Spencer Shaved His Legs
54:27 – Wrapping It Up
57:25 – “I’m definitely more comfortable with queer comedy”
59:40 – Advice for Aspiring Comedians
1:00:25 – “The reason we do open mics is to see, meet, and network with people”
1:02:49 – Asshole with Great Jokes
Trigger Warning: Personal Story of Sexual Assault
In these outtakes from Jamie Shriner Biddle's episode, we discuss the tragedy that is Louie CK at length, which prompts Jamie to reveal that she is a survivor. We also discuss the wounds of conservatism, the life of Valerie Solanas, Ellen Degeneres and her relationship with George W. Bush, and a whole lot more.
This is the longest and heaviest outtakes episode to date.
Time Stamps:
01:30 – Punching Down
03:13 – Coming Back From Being Cancelled
04:39 – “Everyone is the hero of their own story”
04:49 – “I don’t think that [Louie CK] was righteously masturbating in front of those women”
05:23 – The Tragedy of Louie / His Lost Chance For Redemption
09:31 – Louie Becomes the Villain
11:06 – “I have been… Raped”
11:30 – “His material is no longer relatable to me”
14:03 – Liberal Karma vs. Conservatism
16:20 – Speaking as a Survivor of Sexual Assault
19:30 – “I see the best in people, to a fault”
20:36 – Presenting as Queer
23:30 – “I am will to forgive [Chappelle]… You’re just old, baby”
24:35 – “You are not as ‘Other’ as I am”
26:25 – ‘Valerie Solanas; The Woman Who Shot Andy Warhol: The Musical’
33:12 – Ellen DeGeneres is a Tarnished Icon
36:45 – “He [George W. Bush] is a coward”
37:05 – Awkward Family Gatherings
40:35 – “People change, things change over time”
41:34 – Back to Comedy
42:15 – Rapping About Cows
42:30 – “Being hard as fuck about a silly thing is the only way white people can get away with [rapping]”
45:31 – Writing and Performing Musical Comedy
48:55 – Skylar Higley and Political Discourse
50:39 – “This got serious…”
In the Before Times of Yore (2019), actor/singer/composer/comedian Jamie Shriner Biddle breaks down her hosting set at 'Naughty Thoughts', her monthly Laugh Factory show.
This set includes her original song 'In My Butt', the story of her sexy cat costume, some crowd work, and a parable about unprotected sex. We discuss how she went from writing musicals to performing stand-up, her international marriage, how to make music funny, and a lot more before digging into the set.
Jamie has written and performed the musicals 'Little Miss' and 'Wife Material'. She is currently working on a musical about the life of Valerie Solanas (known for shooting Andy Warhol).
Watch the performance here: https://youtu.be/z--uwtDjJxM
Time Stamps:
01:00 – Naughty Thoughts Opening Set @ The Laugh Factory
11:29 – “I wrote a one-woman musical”
13:30 – Moving Back to Chicago
16:19 – ‘Wife Material’
20:07 – “Just go to a mic”
22:29 – Punching Up vs. Punching Down
23:33 – Yet Another Discussion About Louie C.K.
26:00 – Writing ‘Wife Material’
30:50 – “Queerscapades”
32:02 – A Stand-Up Career in Reverse
32:32 – How to Make Music Funny
33:40 – Getting into the Set
33:48 – Technical Difficulties Onstage
36:18 – ‘In My Butt’
37:02 – Crowd Work
37:24 – Sexy Halloween Costumes
39:04 – “If I go onstage and look hot, it’s difficult to like me”
41:04 - Back to Sexy Halloween Costumes
42:26 – “People get mad when women dress a certain way to get something”
43:18 – More Crowd Work
45:10 – Learning a New Venue
45:22 – Hearing Impaired
49:20 – Producing and Hosting Naughty Thoughts
52:50 – The Broken Condom
57:49 – Advice for Aspiring Comedians; “Create your own opportunities”
59:44 – Comedy Scene Cliques, Friends, and Advice
1:02:10 – Where Can We Find You and Final Words
In these outtakes from Devin Middleton's episode, we talk about the various reactions of Star wars fans to his set, accountability in the stand-up comedy scene, how the Walt Disney Corporation is destroying public domain, the X-Men comics, and a discussion of queer coding in the Dragonball Z series leads to the foundation of his next project.
Timestamps:
01:45 – “How many times have you done this bit?”
01:45 – “How many times have you done this bit?”
03:05 –Recording ‘The Haggard Unicorn’
03:45 – “What inspired you to do an analysis of the Star Wars movies?”
05:51 – “The Sith and Jedi are street gangs”
07:46 – Star Wars fans
08:58 – Lando is *the* Black Person in the Original Trilogy
09:48 – “One person told me that seeing this piece changed the way they thought of doing comedy”
10:16 – “This could be a sketch”
11:15 – “Comedians should have some solidarity” / “We’re used to being burned”
12:56 – Real-Time Accountability in the Comedy Scene
14:51 – The Duality of Stand-Up Comedians
16:05 – The Walt Disney Corporation Has Destroyed Public Domain
18:00 – The X-Men Franchise
19:42 – “If I may make a suggestion… Dragon Ball Z”
21:38 – Queer Characters in Dragon Ball Z
22:25 – “Every black character is actually a green character”
23:31 – How Capitalism Abuses Manga Authors
24:45 – James Earl Jones Narrates ‘The Bible’
Devin Middleton engages in a socially-distanced interview about his opening set during KJ Whitehead's 'The Haggard Unicorn' album recording in January 2020.
Devin summarizes the first nine films in the Star Wars franchise in about nine minutes through a socially-conscious lens. He uses this framework as a way to critique the franchise's white-washing of the pop-culture science fiction landscape, as well as it's clumsy handling of the topic of slavery.
Devin is a musician who releases albums under the stage name Debonair Status. His most recent release, 'Black Genderfluid Depression Jamz, Vol. 563' is available now.
Time Stamps:
01:10 – Opening Set from KJ Whitehead’s Haggard Unicorn
10:31 – “I moved to Chicago in 2015…”
14:32 – “I’ve never thought of myself as a comedian”
16:49 – Exposure is a Scam
18:15 – Introvert Tendencies
19:35 – Music Production Background(s)
21:25 – Moving
22:35 – “Do you consider [this] stand-up?”
24:39 – “My comedy is lazy”
25:08 – “I always want to make being thoughtful cool”
32:08 – “Getting into your set”
32:35 – Shock Humor vs. “Edgy”
34:03 – Why Was Dave Chappelle’s Audience Laughing?
37:28 – Getting into the Set (For Real This Time)
38:03 – Breaking the Fourth Wall
39:15 – Reviewing Star Wars Episodes VI through IX
43:50 – Conceptualizing the Bit
45:45 – Racial Bias in Star Wars (and America)
49:00 – The Walt Disney Corporation Kowtows to Twitter
49:20 – Murder is Just a Phase
50:10 – The Lion King is a Better Movie, “Anakin is black!”
52:46 – “The Sith and Jedi are street gangs”
53:31 – “Leia is sold into slavery, but it doesn’t matter”
54:06 – Darth Vader Keeps Forgetting That He Loves His Son
55:23 – “Han Solo is a fuckboy”
56:53 – “The ‘Dragonball Z’ set is coming”
57:26 – Evaluating the Set
58:24 – Social Media, “Everything is @Debonairstatus”
59:00 – Final Words
The podcast currently has 65 episodes available.