Many of us can make our friends and family laugh. But as comedian Billy Eichner recently noted, it is really hard to make a group of strangers laugh.

And that is the task of every working comedian. They get up on stage in a strange city in a strange venue with strangers in the audience. Sometimes they hit. Sometimes they bomb. But regardless of the result, the successful ones get back up and do it again to face an uncertain reality at each performance.

Comedians need to read the room, have incredible control over their bodies and minds, and rely on so many variables to do their work. Even the same material at the same club on two different nights can have a different effect.

I’m in perpetual awe and so grateful to comedians for what they give us. Perhaps the greatest gift of comedians is that they give people joy, laughter, and a temporary reprieve from day-to-day struggles and pressures

One of the greatest bringers of joy and laughter I have come across, in some time is my guest, Raj Sharma (https://www.therajsharma.com/). Raj is a veteran comedian who has been described by veteran SNL legend, Daryl Hammond, as “The freshest voice in comedy.” Raj has performed all over the world and in virtually every state in the US. As you will hear, he is a fascinating and incredibly fun person. We get into his personal story as well as how he attends to his craft.

So, listen in as Raj and I geek out to making strangers laugh.