On this episode of Funny Muscle, the team tackles one of the most important — and  often overlooked by new comics — steps in joke creation: assigning an emotion to a topic. Because “air travel” isn’t funny. But your deep personal betrayal by a TSA muffin confiscation? That’s a premise. They look at how pros use an emotional POV to instantly transform a generic idea into a living, breathing premise that’s ready for punchlines.

In this episode, we cornered a dozen comedians—some voluntarily—and asked:

Nationally touring comedian, actor, and verbal hurricane Jimmy Shubert stops by the Funny Muscle Pod to talk about his legendary career, offer some top-shelf joke-writing advice, and reveal his secret weapon: the “20 Facts, 20 Jokes” method. Basically, he starts with facts and then writes jokes about them. That’s it. That’s the system. And it works, because he's Jimmy Freakin’ Shubert.

Described by some as a “renegade wordsmith who works to the top of his intelligence” Jimmy shares wisdom, war stories, and maybe a few borderline-illegal punchlines.

Also, he’s dropped four albums that sound like either comedy specials or monster truck rallies: “Animal Instincts,” “Pandemonium,” “Alive & Kickin’,” and “Zero Tolerance”—plus a Comedy Central special. Take notes. Jimmy did not come here to mess around.

Here at the Funny Muscle Pod, we chat a lot about the skills in crafting jokes, but in this episode, we take a hard turn to the business side of comedy. And although the business of stand-up is as glamorous as a motel continental breakfast, it’s needed. We grill Mike, a seasoned touring comedian, on crucial survival skills, such as how to avoid burnout on the road (step one: don’t live entirely on gas station taquitos), why you need an EPK (which we promise is not a new cryptocurrency), and the dark, mysterious science of venue pricing. Also, we talk about selling merch, because nothing says 'comedy legend' like convincing strangers to buy a T-shirt with your face on it.

How do you market your comedy brand? How do you get more likes, shares, and followers without resorting to bribery or adopting an emotional support ferret for viral content?

The biggest comics know the secrets of online marketing—like how to trick the algorithm into showing your jokes to more than just your mom and that one guy from high school.

To help us crack the code, we invited David Uribe—marketing consultant at comedybranding.com, dabbler in comedy, and full-time knower of things—to our podcast. David shares expert tips on how to grow your brand, land gigs, attract fans, and—most importantly—monetize your humor so you can finally afford something fancier than gas station burritos.

Join us on the Funny Muscle Pod as we sit down with Kenny Lee, winner of the 2024 Purvis Wilson Funniest Stand-Up in Dallas Competition. Known for his sharp, cunning comedy, Kenny (@KennyLee270) takes us behind the scenes of his joke-writing process, shares how he developed his comedic persona, and talks about the power of working clean. Plus, he breaks down the strategy behind competing in stand-up competitions and how he crafted his sets to win each round.

In this episode of the Funny Muscle Pod, we sit down with rising Dallas comic CAIN (@funnycain_) to talk comedy, persistence, and the art of refining bits. He shares valuable advice on not giving up on jokes, reworking material, and navigating the Dallas open mic scene. Plus, CAIN reveals how he draws inspiration from professional wrestling and magic to elevate his act. Don't miss this insightful conversation.

Comedian and author Brad Tassell joins the Funny Muscle Podcast to talk about joke writing, performing comedy on cruise ships, and how the comedy scene today compares to the 90s. As the creator and co-host of the Virtual Comedy Show, Brad brings years of experience and insight into crafting punchlines—sharing advice that’s simple yet often overlooked. 

What better person to teach us how to do your first year of comedy more efficiently than someone who recently did her first year of comedy very efficiently. Payton Payne, a Dallas comic, joins the Funny Muscle Pod to teach us how she uses stage time to craft jokes, and how, when you constantly are looking for ways to make things funny, typically annoying instances no longer bother you. 

Paul Varghese is a comedian and actor who appeared on the reality show Last Comic Standing 2. He’s toured with Joan Rivers and Gabriel Iglesias.  He has been doing stand-up since 2001 and lives in Dallas Texas, so Mike (also in Dallas) had some questions about the local scene. We talk a lot about comedy writing, what it’s like being a comic of Indian descent, and the evolution of comedy over the past 3 decades. Paul has a completely innovative way that he uses to get his mind into the comedy-flow-state-writing zone. Tune in to find it out.