Teetering on the brink of the “elder statesman” phase of his career, masterful comic Tom Stade  reflects on surviving the pandemic due to his strong family unit and his natural impish inclination not to take anything too seriously.

We talk about the relationship between political correctness and deliberately being inappropriate, hitting critical mass as a touring comic, and the long-term relationship with fans that develops after decades in the business.

We also discuss his theory that he’s held back professionally by his stoner reputation, unpick whether charisma can be learnt, and for the first time ask “are you ever not happy?”

Catch Commander Stade:
www.tomstade.com
TW: @tomstadecomic
Tom Stade will be on tour for the remainder of 2021 with ‘You Aint Seen Nothing yet’ for tickets visit: https://tomstade.com/

Everything Stu's up to:
This podcast is @ComComPod on Twitter and Instagram
www.comedianscomedian.com

Stu offers remote talks to business on what the distilled wisdom of over 350 comics can teach you about resilience, especially in times of pandemic.

“The most inspiring talk I’ve had in years!” (LEGO staff member)
Find out more at www.stuartgoldsmith.com

Stu’s “Virtual Office Party” is now available as the perfect solution to remote-working office parties, sales conferences, motivational and wellbeing events.

“It was an absolutely hysterical and wonderful evening, for both those partaking and everyone watching online!”
- Maria Kuzak,(Fundraising Manager at CALM)

"The games and interactive element were hilarious and extremely well executed! 10/10 from us, you created a real buzz in our business, thank you." 
- Ben Gott, (SVP at Merkle)
For more info on how this unique concept can bring your staff together while working apart, go to www.stuartgoldsmith.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Audiences, Bethany Black, Channel 4, comcompod, Comedy, Coping, Corona, COVID-19, Daniel Sloss, Doug Stanhope, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Live At The Apollo, Patrice O'Neal, Persona, Reginald D. Hunter, Robin Williams, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Success, Tom Stade, Worth, Writing, Writing Jokes, YouTube

Bear-like in stature and authority and nimble of wit, Pierre Novellie is a fantastic comedian and writer who wrings every punchline out of his routines.  We talk about how his origins in Johannesburg and the Isle Of Man make him an “outsider expert” on the English, and discover why he deliberately obscured his vice-presidency of Cambridge Footlights. We talk about his early assumptions that he was somehow low status on stage; explore his body of work, and attitudes to risk and certainty; and discover the perils of “getting your bum out too early”…

A belting 40 mins of extras available exclusively to the Insiders Club features Pierre and Stu sharing their tips on how to survive corporate gigs, with advice on material selection, mindset and how to think about the money in the right way. Also Stu reads some of Pierre’s reviews back to him - the monster! - and we learn about authenticity, and how to wring all of the topics out of a joke…

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 Pierre Novellie:
www.pierrenovellie.com
TW/IG: @pierrenovellie
Pierre is co-host of @TheBudPod with Mr Phil Wang
Watch Pierre’s sketch show CUTS here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9ZMCN60lVA

Everything Stu's up to:
TW/IG: @ComComPod
www.comedianscomedian.com

Stu offers remote talks to business on what the distilled wisdom of over 350 comics can teach you about resilience, especially in times of pandemic.
“The most inspiring talk I’ve had in years!” (LEGO staff member)

Find out more at www.stuartgoldsmith.com

Stu’s “Virtual Office Party” is now available as the perfect solution to remote-working office parties, sales conferences, motivational and wellbeing events.
“It was an absolutely hysterical and wonderful evening, for both those partaking and everyone watching online!”
- Maria Kuzak (Fundraising Manager at CALM)

“The games and interactive element were hilarious and extremely well executed! 10/10 from us, you created a real buzz in our business, thank you."  - Ben Gott (SVP at Merkle)

For more info on how this unique concept can bring your staff together while working apart, go to www.stuartgoldsmith.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Age, Audiences, Awards, BBC, comcompod, Comedy, Corona, Corporate Gigs, Corporate Work, COVID-19, Dave (TV channel), Dylan Moran, Edinburgh, Eshaan Akbar, Festival, Footlights, Fringe, Futile Attempts, Garrett Millerick, Geoff Norcott, Ian Cognito, Interview, Jeff Dunham, Jon Robins, London, Mark Olver, Matt Ewings, Mental Health, Mike Gunn, Nish Kumar, Onstage Persona, Persona, Phil Wang, Pierre Novellie, Radio, Reviews, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Success, The Mash Report, TV, Worth, Writing

A consummate compere, wielding her natural warmth and blunt honesty to devastating effect, Thanyia Moore has pulled off something extraordinary - a slot on Mock the Week before she debuts her first hour. We discuss her lack of love for writing, and the inverse pressure of a post-TV debut, as well as her secret game-plan for comedy and beyond. We also talk about whether the change in UK comedy industry booking policy as a response to Black Lives Matter is meaningful or temporary; spotting accidentally radicalised language in reviews; and how to tell when you’ve just done some good acting…

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.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acaster, Acting, Age, Athena Kugblenu, Audiences, comcompod, Comedy, COVID-19, Dane Baptiste, Edinburgh, Interview, Katherine Ryan, Live At The Apollo, Mock The Week, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Success, Whoopi Goldberg, Worth, Writing, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage

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, Comedy, Interview, JoCo, Success, USA, Worth, Writing

Stevie Martin has been generating excellent material for years, and is now starting to break through due to her jaw-droppingly funny online videos, packed with punchlines and with a genuinely unique flavour.

We talk about the huge amount of time and prep that goes into her work, as she battles to feel like a “proper comedian” in an industry that prioritises certain styles, backgrounds and looks.

We also explore her brilliant former sketch outfit Massive Dad, and whether their aesthetic made them “unapproachable” as performers; the relative loneliness of stand-up; and trying to love Edinburgh in the way that it deserves to be loved…

Insiders:
35 mins of extra content available exclusively to the Insiders Club include Stevie on her murky past as an Edinburgh Fringe reviewer! She also shares some surprising insights about what works on Twitter and why, the inside editorial secrets of content creators, and we find out why her next Edinburgh poster might sell her in a very different way than previous years.

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: ABK, Acting, Adam Riches, Age, Alasdair Beckett-King, Audiences, Awards, Big Train, Brett Goldstein, Channel 4, comcompod, Comedy, Corona, COVID-19, Edinburgh, Fame, Feminism, Fern Brady, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Nish Kumar, Onstage Persona, Persona, Podcasting, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Success, TV, TV Comedy, Twitch, Twitter, Viral, Worth, Writing, Writing Jokes, YouTube

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, Stand Up, Success, TV, USA, Vegas, Worth, Writing, 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, Comedy Central, Coping, Corona, Interview, Kanye, Kanye West, SNL, Soho Theatre, Stand Up, Structure, Success, TV Comedy, USA, Worth, Writing, YouTube

“A drill-sergeant not a perfectionist”, Jessie Cave enjoys simultaneous careers as an actress, comic, artist, and performance artist, all of which marry an extraordinary pragmatism with an attitude of artistic abundance.

We talk about her relentless documentation of her life as a means of seeking permanence, the tragic death of her brother in 2019 - how she processed it, and the effect it had on her creativity - as well as her recent Soho On Demand special “Sunrise”, filmed in Corona to an audience of her sister BeBe, and her new novel “Sunset”.

* Content warning: Sexual assault *

15 mins of extra content available exclusively to the Insiders Club include Jessie on how her membership of the Harry Potter franchise has a legacy of fandom that isn’t always useful to her as an independent artist, and how the Cave Sisters Patreon has changed her relationship with elements of her following.

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.

Instagram @JessieCave Twitter @JessieCave Website: www.jessiedoodles.com Find Jessie’s debut novel “Sunset” here: https://linktr.ee/Jessie_Cave Find Jessie and Bebe’s podcast: “We Can’t Talk About This Right Now” on YouTube and podcast providers Patreon: www.patreon.com/cavesisters

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Actor, Age, Alfie Brown, Alternative Comedy, Art, Audiences, Awards, Cave Sisters, Channel 4, Comedy, Coping, Corona, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Stage Persona, Success, Sunset, TV, Whimsy, Worth, Writing, YouTube