Sets On State

Hauling from New Orleans, Henry Toups is a fresh face in the scene. Comfortable on is a fresh face and voice to the Madison comedy scene. He has stood out quickly by being so comfortable on stage and

It's a bonus episode! Stand Up Democracy is an election show where 4 comics compete for the audience's vote. The winner does an encore set! This show we had Henry Toups, Ryan Donahue, Sara Lebow, and Craig Smith. As usual, commentary by Adam McShane and Charlie Kojis.

The king of one-liners, Kevin is a Madison comedy institution with a magnificent brain. When not performing he can usually be found at the club's bar, annotating and scribbling and rewriting his jokes. We talk about remembering jokes, Facebook, plagiarism, and the joke that started it all: an Internet joke he wrote and ended -without credit- on a major TV show.

Adam's ability to take wild or goofy premises into poignant and relatable territory makes him one of my favorite comics ever. He's well known for taking weird leaps into the unknown and enjoying it. We talk about rough sets, outfit choices, and songs that hit at the right moment.

Everybody loves Rory. His dry, self-deprecating humor has quickly made him one of the scene favorites. We talk about our open mic, his first set ever, and joke writing. We also deal with anxiety, both in theory and practice, as I ask too many personal questions.

Probably one of the most hard-working comics in Wisconsin, Charlie Kojis is a crafty storyteller with a delightfully pragmatic sense of humor. Besides being 2016 Madison Funniest Comic he is the Chuck part in the Adam Asks Chuck podcast. We sit down to talk about the difficulties of listening to your own sets, people who wear bracelets, and how his fridge is cooler than space. Also, my search engine skills are put into question.

Nobody knows what's going to happen when Steve Horton hits the stage, not even him. Especially not him. I went to visit him on the empty stage of Atlas Improv, where he performs and teaches. We talk about the weird relationship between improv and stand-up, the royal power of a microphone, losing control on stage, and getting it back on life.

Cosmo Nomikos has been crushing stages all over town in his relatively short time at the Madison scene. He's not only a great comic, he's also a sweet human with a heart of gold. We talk about having fun on stage, getting laughs at the Argus open mic, and our pre-show rituals. We also give each other compliments, in a competition to see who is nicer. Spoiler alert: it's a tie.

Madison locals may recognize Mike as the frontman of his old band, Compass Rose. These days he works at Comedy on State. Besides making sure things run smoothly at the club, Mike books the host and feature comics for the weekend. Which means that every comic performing at the open mic will be looking for his approval. Mike knows a lot about comedy and the club, but had never performed stand-up comedy... Until today. We talk about his first time on a comedy stage, the differences between performing music and comedy, and what a comic should do to get booked at one of the best clubs in the country.