Fresh from the ComCompendium annals we rediscover the indomitable Gina Yashere. An engineer in a previous life, and a comic tour de force in this one, Gina's boldness and clarity of mind saw her draft up a plan: simply selling up her life in the UK and moseying over to the ol' USA.

We examine Gina's annoyance at being the 'diversity' on panel shows, point the finger firmly in the direction of The Patriarchy, and discuss the myriad of pitfalls involved with plunging oneself headlong into starting afresh elsewhere.

Everything Stu's up to:

Podcast community links, social media handles and comedy clips, and Stu’s official YouTube channel are all at linktr.ee/stuartgoldsmith

Or visit:

www.comedianscomedian.com

www.stuartgoldsmith.com

Stu offers remote and in-person talks to business, distilling insights from over 400 comics on cultivating resilience and the ability to bounce back, to all levels from C-suite to team members.

“There’s perfect and there’s perfect; and that was perfect.” David Cooper, Chief People Officer Circle Health Group

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Andi Osho, Audiences, Chortle, Chris Rock, comcompod, Comedy Store, Diversity, Edinburgh, Fame, Festival, Gina Yashere, Ian Stone, Inspiration, Interview, Jimmy Carr, Jobs, Jongleurs, Last Comic Standing, Live At The Apollo, London, Louis CK, MOBOs, Mock The Week, Open Spot, Persona, Plagiarism, Reviews, Risk, Ros Jeep, Stage Persona, Success, TV, Urban Circuit, USA, Writing Jokes

A comedy queen who will not be disrespected, actor and comedian Dulcé Sloan (The Daily Show) joins us at SXSW in Austin Texas, for a blazing and very funny live interview. We cover her natural authority and its relationship to what “every Black person and woman has to learn”; caring about the crowd and why no successful comic ignores the audience; and how one never truly loses one’s vulnerability to abuse.

25mins of extras available exclusively to the Insiders Club include Dulcé on collaboration with the Daily Show writers, and a fascinating walkthrough of her technique for exploring a subject by trying to make the senseless make sense…

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for this and much more, including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, James Acaster and Fern Brady and the incredible “self-help for comedians” special with Amanda Donnet.

Catch up with Dulcé:
TW/IG: @dulcesloan
TW: @thedailyshow
www.dulcesloan.com

Everything Stu's up to
This podcast is @ComComPod on Twitter and Instagram
www.comedianscomedian.com
Find out everything Stu’s up to at www.stuartgoldsmith.com

Stu offers remote and in-person talks to business, distilling insights from over 400 comics on cultivating resilience and the ability to bounce back, to all levels from C-suite to team members.

“Stuart was brilliant; he nailed the brief, and the balance of meaningful content and humour was perfect for our audience.” Jo Matkin, CEO Celsus Group

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Audiences, comcompod, Dulce Sloan, Interview, Sam Jay, Sean Patton, Stage Persona, Storytelling, Structure, Success, The Daily Show, Trevor Noah, TV, TV Comedy, USA

In this unmissable live special from South By South West, the Bitter Buddha returns to lay waste to us all with analysis of his insanely good new special, “For The Masses”.  We explore how he structured and taped the special; why his sets are all cries for help; his vulnerabilities and internal responses to things; and how to destroy him if you were a heckler…

We also peek into his obsession with impending doom, weigh up how much truth there is in the backstory of his archetypal persona, and learn how to flee the scene of an actual murder.

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for ad-free episodes, extra content from every show that has it, and much more - including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, Alfie Brown, James Acaster and Fern Brady, plus the incredible “self-help for comedians” special with Amanda Donnet.

Catch up with Eddie:

“For The Masses” is available on YouTube here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik-skhmSFLI

TW: @eddiepepitone
IG: @eddiepep
Web: www.eddiepepitone.com

Eddie’s new podcast “Apocalypse Soon” is available now!

Everything Stu's up to:

This podcast is @ComComPod on Twitter and Instagram

www.comedianscomedian.com

Join the mailing-list for info on Stu's upcoming series of previews, and get tickets for his new WIP “A Shared Illusion” at Edinburgh 4-11th Aug 2022 here:
https://event.bookitbee.com/38959/stuart-goldsmith-a-shared-illusion-wip

Find out everything Stu’s up to at www.stuartgoldsmith.com

Stu offers remote and in-person talks to business, distilling insights from over 400 comics on cultivating resilience and the ability to bounce back, to all levels from C-suite to team members.

“Stuart was brilliant; he nailed the brief, and the balance of meaningful content and humour was perfect for our audience.” Jo Matkin, CEO Celsus Group

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Audiences, Brooklyn 99, Eddie Pepitone, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Interview, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Jim Jefferies, Stage Persona, Success, TV, USA, Writing Jokes

CW: Suicide, School shooting

Visionary comedian, and actor in “Honey Boy” (Prime) and “Concrete Cowboys” (Netflix), Byron Bowers once moved to LA and slept in his car while he tried to make stand-up work. In this live special from South By South West, he joins us to talk about processing trauma; finding true freedom onstage and emotional freedom among his family; how he apprehends his comic and acting technique; and being so poor people think you’re wealthy…

25 mins of extra content available exclusively to the Insiders Club include Byron on his relationship to hope, his experience at Old Rope in London, and how he avoids feeling like a v victim of racism in Hollywood.

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for this and much more, including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, James Acaster and Fern Brady and the incredible “self-help for comedians” special with Amanda Donnet.

Catch up with Byron:

TW/IG: @ByronBowers
www.byronbowerslive.com

Byron’s new special “Spiritual Negro” is in the edit, so watch out for a release soon!

Everything Stu's up to

This podcast is @ComComPod on Twitter and Instagram
www.comedianscomedian.com

Find out everything Stu’s up to at www.stuartgoldsmith.com

Stu offers remote and in-person talks to business, distilling insights from over 400 comics on cultivating resilience and the ability to bounce back, to all levels from C-suite to team-members.

“Stuart was brilliant; he nailed the brief, and the balance of meaningful content and humour was perfect for our audience.” Jo Matkin, CEO Celsus Group

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Audiences, Byron Bowers, Concrete Cowboys, Honey Boy, Interview, Robin Williams, Stage Persona, Success, SXSW, TV, TV Comedy, USA

You might know brilliantly witty and wise singer-songwriter Jonathan Coulton as the writer of the Portal theme “Still Alive”, or from his many viral hits, albums, huge tours, or even his fan-cruise…

We talk about "JoCo’s" Thing-A-Week project and how it (combined with a timely fascination for crowd-funding) propelled him from a software career, to one of the kings of online creativity. We also discuss the pros and cons of aiming for viral success, his tool-kit for uncovering catchiness in his music, and why he secretly finds it hard to rock authentically.

32 mins of extra content from this interview is available exclusively to the Insiders Club! /,br> We discover Jonathan’s manifesto on art and commerce, and how the book Free Culture by Lawrence Lessig informs it; learn how many fans you need to make a cruise happen; and find out what moderation is necessary to keep the space safe for risk…

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for this and much more, including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, James Acaster and Fern Brady and the incredible “self-help for comedians” special with Amanda Donnet.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Audiences, Bo Burnham, Interview, JoCo, Success, USA

Irrepressibly optimistic, utterly in love with his craft and very mentally robust, Paul Zerdin is the British ventriloquist who won America's Got Talent.

We talk about his lengthy career working across different circuits -- from variety, cruises and holiday camps to mainstream comedy -- and discuss how he navigates the suspicions of the alternative comedy industry. Paul outlines in detail his pandemic pivot, the relentless energy devoted to TV pitches, how he planned his AGT set to build and build, as well as deception, illusion, and the modular nature of magic...

~15 minutes of extra Insider content available, including Paul's drive to create a fourth-wall-breaking ventriloquist animation, world domination, and Vegas, baby!

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for this and much more, including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, James Acaster and Alfie Brown, and your invite to the forthcoming ones with Fern Brady and a “self-help for comedians” special with Amanda Donnet (MClinPsych)

Find Paul here:
paulzerdin.com
IG: @paulzerdin
TW: @paulzerdin
FB: Paul Zerdin
YT: Paul Zerdin
www.paulzerdin.com
youtube.com/paulzerdin
@paulzerdin

This podcast is @ComComPod on twitter and instagram

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: AGT, Audiences, Interview, Mrs Brown’s Boys, Stage Persona, Success, TV, USA, Vegas, Writing Jokes

Josh Johnson doesn’t put a foot wrong. This masterful young US comic never stops working and is reaping the benefits with a place in the Daily Show writers’ room, and two brand new releases: his own music/comedy collaboration “Mixtape”, and his debut special “# (Hashtag)”.

We encounter a really thoughtful approach to his art, and talk about his possibly unique combination of comedy and non-comic original music; explore embellishment; and how “playing to his weakness” serves his material…

20ish minutes of extra content available exclusively to Insiders as Josh ruminates on vulnerabilities, approach, and how not even the most vexatious of Uber drivers can knock back the offer of free fried chicken.

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for this and much more, including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, James Acaster and Alfie Brown, and your invite to the forthcoming ones with Fern Brady and a “self-help for comedians” special with Amanda Donnet (MClinPsych)

Connect with Josh Johnson:

https://www.joshjohnsoncomedy.com/

https://www.instagram.com/joshjohnsoncomedy/

https://twitter.com/joshjohnson

https://www.facebook.com/JoshJComedy

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLuYADJ6hESLHX87JnsGbjA

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Bob Hope, Comedy Central, Coping, Corona, Interview, Kanye, Kanye West, SNL, Soho Theatre, Structure, Success, TV Comedy, USA, YouTube

How did a grumpy table magician find a way to turn “being pathetic” into 400 shows a year in his own theatre at Las Vegas?  Only Piff The Magic Dragon knows!

We’ll discover how a shop-bought dragon costume flicked the switch from sackable corporate table guy, to deadpan bulletproof performer and self-styled “loser of America’s Got Talent”. Along the way we’ll find out why the perfect show will never happen, and why a fear of failure turns most magicians into “hack copycats”…

30 mins of extra content available exclusively to the Insiders Club include Piff on the invention of his own tricks, and how something new with a block of jelly has already cost him two and half years and over $70,000; how own bad magic and guilty shortcuts; his evangelist uprising; and what comics can learn from magicians.

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for this and much more, including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, James Acaster and Fern Brady and the incredible “self-help for comedians” special with Amanda Donnet.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Addiction, Audience Participation, Audiences, Awards, Cabaret, comcompod, Competitions, Coping, Corporate Gigs, Corporate Work, Edinburgh, Fame, Festival, Fire Breathing, First Open Spot, Fringe, Frisky And Mannish, Gary Delaney, Inspiration, Interview, James Acaster, Onstage Persona, Penn & Teller, Persona, Piff, Piff The Magic Dragon, Stage Persona, Success, USA, Vegas