Let's Talk About Sets!
Jeff McBride & Harrison Tweed
The "science" & craft of stand-up comedy. A playful podcast by comics in NYC.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 29, 2018 • 1h 40min
Episode 031 ANGER – Gianmarco Soresi: “Am I imploding or exploding?”
Multi-talented, very funny and passionately neurotic Gianmarco Soresi explores ANGER in stand-up. All three half-Jewish white fellas share temper problems, so we talk tantrums, yelling, when anger goes wrong, and why impotent rage is so damn funny. How do you make things ok so people can laugh while you're expressing genuine anger? We laugh and analyze through bits by four VERY different comedic anger styles: Bill Burr, Sam Kinison, John Mulaney, and Mary Mack.
Mar 15, 2018 • 1h 35min
Episode 30 CHARACTERS – Cyrus McQueen: “Find your funny & people will respond”
The hugely funny & big-hearted Cyrus McQueen boomed out his theories on CHARACTERS in stand-up. The Last Comic Standing alum jumped in and out of character throughout the episode as we discussed what a character is in stand-up, how characters enhance a performance, and a lot more.
Mar 1, 2018 • 2h 15min
Episode 029 THE ALBUM – Anthony DeVito: “It’s like duct tape”
Comedy Central's Anthony DeVito, an absurdly likable human being and an amazing comedian, deconstructs THE ALBUM with us. Step-by-step, we bust up at highlights from his 2017 debut album, "Dream Occupation."
Feb 15, 2018 • 1h 9min
Episode 028 TABOO (pt. 2 of 2) – Tristan Smith: “I’ll take a gasp and an ohhhhh”
This is part 2 of the TABOO recording. If you haven't listened to part 1, go do that first. In this part, we talk about Tristan's history of being bullied and (sort of?) bullying and how that influenced his dark sense of humor. We also listen to him drone on about the unique perspective and skillset of his improv background, failing with fun, and the function of joy in comedy.
Feb 2, 2018 • 1h 23min
Episode 027 TABOO (pt. 1 of 2) – Tristan Smith: “I’m a goddamn teddy bear you piece of shit!”
Absurdly dark Tristan Smith wades into the nasty, deep end of the comedy pool: TABOO feat.This is one part craft and comedy theory and one part societal debate, all marinated in total fuckery. We dive right in with some David Cross, followed by the great "Kramer Meltdown," Dave Chappelle's response to it, and then George Carlin's seminal bit from the 90's about taboo words and their context. And we argue the bejesus out it all.
Jan 18, 2018 • 1h 41min
Episode 026 JOKE WRITING – Mark Normand: “Just keep going / You need the struggle”
The very accomplished, always funny "edgy joke slinger," Mark Normand shares his theories on joke writing, his writing and rehearsal processes, and goes on a couple epic rants on the state of comedy today. This episode is THE SHIT!!!
Jan 5, 2018 • 1h 25min
Episode 025 IRREVERENCE – Gene Getman: “I don’t know how Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t just delete Facebook”
Gene Getman tackles IRREVERENCE in stand-up comedy by messing with the hosts and listening to bits by Doug Stanhope, Chad Daniels, and Martin Urbano. We think it's our funniest episode yet.
Dec 21, 2017 • 1min
Bonus Episode 006 – Thank You!
This is just a whispered "thank you" to everyone who's listened over the first year of the podcast.
Dec 7, 2017 • 1h 37min
Episode 024 MENTAL HEALTH – Dan LaMorte: “Don’t let the curve ball strike you out”
The brilliantly prolific Comedy Cellar regular, Dan LaMorte, nails it in this episode on MENTAL HEALTH in stand-up. It felt real, it felt deep, and it's damn funny. He's got some awesome tips to share and a helluva tale to tell. Car crashes, brain injury, deaths, break-ups, and a mental institution! And we tear open jokes by Marc Maron and Patton Oswalt.
Nov 23, 2017 • 1h 32min
Episode 023 GENDER – Carmen Lagala: “He’s a prisoner of the patriarchy himself”
The charmingly silly, head-a-shavin', nationally-tourin' stand-up comedian, Carmen Lagala, joined us for a timely chat about GENDER in stand-up comedy. We cover a lot of ground with some killer bits by Bill Burr, Liza Treyger, and Carmen herself.
