Season 06 - Episode 01 - Grits A Wonderful Life?
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Introduction and Opening Jokes
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Josiah: [00:00:00] Let's kick this shit off. Whistle.

Music Bed: This is the um, uh, Um, Uh, Um, Uh, Um, Uh, Um, Uh, Um, Uh, Um,

Josiah: ha

ha!

Cue

the laughter!

Doug: I thought about just going into, like, a really deep NPR mood. Like, just to fuck with you.

Josiah: ha, ha, ha!

Oh, that would be great.

Doug: So, comedy, huh? You have a

Shane Cohen: You have a great voice

Doug: this. Where did you, uh, where did you just, the first time you, what was the first funny memory of yours?

Josiah: Yes. 


Guest Introduction: Shane Cohen
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Josiah: Welcome to the Jokes by Jo Show this season six, we are kicking off the new year 2025 with season six of the Jokes by Jo Show.

We've got a lineup of guests, um, already for the, uh,

Doug: pretty dope first

Josiah: two months are booked and Daniel Roebuck's gonna be fitting in there somewhere at some point, so stay tuned for that. Our guest tonight is a local comedian, uh, Shane Cohen, uh, [00:01:00] welcome to the show, Shane.

Shane Cohen: Thank you, Jo. I'm very glad to be here.

Josiah: Yep, and we'll

Doug: be uh, we're we're glad to have you as well

Josiah: We'll be, uh, we'll be getting into your story shortly, we just need to do some housekeeping.

Doug: Yes, a little housekeeping.

Josiah: Housekeeping? 


Shane's Comedy Journey
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Josiah: Oh, I gotta tell you a story about how I got Yep, cancelled. So, I met Shane at the Ice House, and we were doing a show there, an open mic. I was hosting the open mic, and I think you did five minutes.

And then, did you perform at like the, you did that show too.

Doug: Which one?

Josiah: The Ice House.

Doug: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like,

Josiah: two weeks ago?

Doug: Yeah, it was, yeah, I think two

Josiah: It was like the end of December. Yeah, you had the 8 p. m. slot. I had the 5

Doug: you did that too. Did

Josiah: you do like a 5 or the 8? You did the 5. Okay, so I went up first on the 5 because I had to go to a party but when I was doing the open mic now Andy warned me now last week or two weeks ago with George Wacker we talked about this do not book list

Doug: How, um,

Josiah: Doug was [00:02:00] on the do my book list

Doug: I guess I was the first one on Andy's Do Not Booklist. Yes. I had no idea the book existed.

Josiah: And then somehow

I was on it I think and so when he reached out on the Facebook group and was like hey I need someone to host this mic. I was like, I'll do it and he sent me a message He's like, well, I've got some hesitation putting you on there because of you know, these jokes that you tell and I was like, yeah That's fine.

I mean I can follow your rules, you know, don't worry about it. And he's like, okay, okay And so he let me do it. And so I was

fine All right, it was great

This one comic gets up and starts talking about the time he was at a massage parlor, and he's like, did you hear that guy? He's like, I think his name's Jo.

He's from Jersey.

Doug: Oh, yeah, he did the he did the eight o'clock show too.

Josiah: yeah, yeah. So, he's talking about you know, he walks in and she wants you know, he, she wants to know if he wants to go anything, do anything else. Yeah. And, he opens his pants and she's like, oh my gosh, that's a big ding dong, you know, and so he [00:03:00] was just bragging about the size of his ding dong and then I, after he left, I get up and I always try to say, make a comment about their set.

Right. You know, before introduce

Doug: yeah, absolutely.

Josiah: so I was like, um, you want more massage? 

Doug: Oh my God. 

Josiah: Okay. Which is what happens when you go to those places. That's what they say. I've

Not all, I've been to been

Shane Cohen: one.

Doug: and that's what

Josiah: they said

Doug: me. Well, the first massage I got was in the Bahamas, so they didn't have that

accent.

And also they The one on Catasauqua Road, I got my wife a, uh, uh, like a membership there or something. And we did a, I got a massage there and, and it was a white, it was a white lady.

That's an

Josiah: up massage. You gotta go to the ones that are open till 2 in the morning. Okay

Doug: are those around still?

Josiah: The Rub-A dubs. Yes.

Doug: I just thought that was Florida.

Josiah: No, no.

Doug: Florida, 

Josiah: Hawaii and Pennsylvania, but anyway, so I hear someone and I go It's like, that's the catchphrase that you need to say.

You want mo That's what they say. You want mo massage? And someone in the audience was like, Oh, come [00:04:00] on. Like, I

Doug: someone. Yeah. Yeah. I was like,

Josiah: Oh, God, how is that possible?

Doug: Look, Andy has strict rules that all of your jokes are supposed to make everyone laugh. Equally

Josiah: don't

Doug: that.

Josiah: do that.

Doug: you don't do that.

So I ended up, um, he

Josiah: up saying something to me about it. He was like, yeah, just the only thing I would say is that one thing he did the accent. I was like, I know I was just riffing off the other guy's set and he goes, yeah, yeah, I understand. And then, you know, one of his techs was Asian and she was really offended.

Doug: Oh my god.

Josiah: I know. So I went up to her and I had to apologize. I was like, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that, you know, she's like, that's okay. Just, you know, be aware of it next time. I'm

Doug: like,

Josiah: God damn it. So. I just keep getting myself into trouble, and I wasn't even, I was

Doug: trying to be good. Maybe you should make a list of people that you, like, people that you're going to have to apologize to.

Like, kind of check it off. Like a bingo

Shane Cohen: is a

Josiah: This is a 

Doug: Yeah, like a bingo card where you're just like, you know.

Josiah: Larry David

did that in Curb Your Enthusiasm.

So happy.


Overcoming Public Speaking Fears
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Josiah: Um, Shane, Shane, Shane has [00:05:00] a wonderful story where you actually have a

and

Prior, you had a debilitating fear of public speaking.

But somehow, through going to Toastmasters, you have, you have overcome that. You want to tell us a little bit about your, your story and where you started and why you got into comedy?

Shane Cohen: Sure. No, first of all, really glad to be here. So thank you

Doug: Yeah, absolutely. 

Shane Cohen: This is

awesome. My first podcast, so awesome. Yeah. Uh,

Josiah: Well, we'll go easy on you.

Shane Cohen: Okay. The, yeah, so my fear of public speaking, long story short, I don't mind sharing.

So I, my passion now where I'm at, I wanna help others overcome their fear of public speaking. 'cause I had a literally. A paralyzing fear of getting up and talking in front of two people, and I had an event when I first started working, where I, get the dogs, where I was, I did this event for this project manager institute, I got up and I was to introduce the speaker, and I completely forgot, I had a note card, but I completely forgot everything, I was really embarrassed because this individual had been, yeah, been around, very respected in the

Doug: How long had you practiced it?

Shane Cohen: what, the intro?

Doug: Like you said, you had the cards?[00:06:00] 

Shane Cohen: Yeah, well, I just had, I had bullet points just for, yeah, it was just an introduction, but still, like, for me, who had a traumatizing fear, this was like, you know, a big deal just to introduce this person. And I looked out at the audience and, you know, all these professionals, and they were at that time, much older than me and experienced.

I just, I just, I froze up, I started sweating. It was just, it was. Truly traumatic. So, and

Josiah: that's something you never forget

Shane Cohen: No. Yeah, no, absolutely. And I don't, yeah, so he came up and I shook his hand. , I didn't remember his name, where, who's from, but then I, I blanked and everything else. I should just made up

He has three dogs and two cats. But I

Doug: This guy loves Doritos coming to the stage

Shane Cohen: should have made a joke in hindsight. I would've made a

So yeah, he came up and, yeah, shook his hand. I sat down and then. I literally the whole time was thinking about, you know, oh my gosh, like how embarrassing was that because I was representing my university at the time and just thought I, I have, at that point I knew like I had to overcome this.

So I reached out to my best friend's dad who was one of the best like natural public speakers I knew. 


Toastmasters Experience
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Shane Cohen: He recommended Toastmasters. And that's how I joined a local club and those that are listening, if you have a fear of public speaking like I did or you want to improve, Toastmasters Clubs are, it's been around since [00:07:00] 1930s.

Uh, so, so Toastmasters is an international, yeah, Toastmasters is a international organization, it's been around since 1930s, and they help individuals specifically with public speaking, but also leadership. Yeah, and

Doug: oh wow,

Shane Cohen: and it's great, you can find clubs literally, Usually within, I would say within a half, like either, you know, immediately in your vicinity or definitely within like a half hour radius of wherever you are in the U.

S., so.

Doug: wife is, sounds like the same as you. Like she is deathly afraid of, of public speaking so much so that with her job, she has to do a lot of uh, conference calls and sometimes it's like, you know, three people and she, her chest starts getting red or she start, and this is before the call. This could be like the night before the call.

You know what I mean? Yeah. And so, yeah, I wonder if she would, uh. Alright. You know the good thing about dogs is if they're upstairs barking, you can bring them downstairs.

Shane Cohen: ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! That's alright, that's alright.

Doug: She was [00:08:00] going right in his pockets. You saw that, you little whore?

Shane Cohen: I'm severely allergic. No Okay. Especially the

Josiah: Especially 

Shane Cohen: Golden retrievers.

The saliva breaks me out in hives.

Doug: heart. All right. So, so Toastmasters you, you, so you did that and how long had you done that before you decided I'm going to, I'm going to,

I'm

gonna

do some jokes in front of people.

Shane Cohen: people. Oh, that was a long haul. I mean, to be honest, it took me probably six months to get up and Do like my like to feel comfortable enough to do what they call an icebreaker. You just literally get up and give a five to seven minutes to teach about yourself.

I went to so many meetings just watching others first before I felt comfortable enough to get up there and do my icebreaker. So again, I was forced, you know, through, you know, my college education, I was forced to do presentations, but I was, you know, I dreaded every single time. It was awful. And then here I am in this organization, which is very supportive, but still took me a long time to it.

Well, what happened was, When I went to my first club meeting, there was an individual in the club who was a [00:09:00] very strong speaker. He actually worked at a prison. He did. He was like a Tony Robbins for, for prisoners, helping them to reform their lives. And he literally, I came to this meeting, my first meeting, right?

I'm fearful. Yeah. I'm fearful of speaking. And he, he was the first person up to speak. And he, you know. He was like to me like the Tony Robbins. He's full energy. He comes up to me when I see he's like you he's like Shane Because he remembered my name because we did introduction. He's like Shane. I'm gonna change your life You're gonna change your life forever right now.

Are you

to change Oh my god

I'm dsdn. I'm thinking like oh my gosh, this guy's like he's like guys like, you know, yeah So that

That traumatized

me it took me I get like six months to get come because i'm thinking like oh my gosh, this guy's like You know, he's like a 10 and I'm, I feel like I'm a two, right?

So like, oh my God, I'm gonna be so embarrassed if I get up there and I mess up. So that really did kind of set me back initially, but the, the, the program has tremendous mentorship. So that's one thing I'll say they have a lot of experienced members. So if you're new, they make you feel very, very comfortable.

So that was something that especially for I was, I felt very comfortable. And then, yeah, I, I, so I did I was in that, uh, what they have, like, local clubs. I was in a local community club for two years, and then they have, Toastmasters has advanced clubs. So after two years, I joined what they call an advanced club, which just means [00:10:00] that you've met some certain metrics within the program, and then they have individuals who've been around for a very long time, and that really helped to accelerate my, my growth

Doug: like, um,

Shane Cohen: It's a little Scientology and toast,

Doug: yeah. Right when you reach a level, they add another one. Money. Money. Yeah. I

Shane Cohen: didn't see it.

didn't Yeah,

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You wanna see this tattoo I have?

see this tattoo I

Doug: Now, did you Like the first time you spoke after seeing that guy Did you say like to yourself?

I'm gonna i'm gonna I gotta bump my energy up a little And just run up to somebody in the audience

gonna turn

doing?

That's same question.

but no, did you did you try to put more energy into what you were doing because you saw his energy and like Maybe you thought that was too much. But yeah,

Shane Cohen: I mean, if anything, I almost feel like I had the opposite effect. I just got, I, when I gave my icebreak, I was very, very, I don't say like low energy, but just, you know, kind of talking like now, but I was very, just really [00:11:00] shaking and I don't know why, again, looking back on it, it seems like now where I'm at now, yeah, I coach others and it seems silly, but it really was, was, uh, yeah, that, that messed me up.

Doug: I always um, I always get nervous when i'm watching somebody hold and I and i've done this before when I first started out when they hold a paper And you can just see that paper shaking.

You're not listening to anything they're saying. It's like, you might as well have just done your best to remember that. Or put the paper down or something like that. But when they're standing there talking and that hand is shaking,

Josiah: You know who

Doug: It makes me so nervous.

Josiah: Mitch Hedberg shook a lot. If you watched his stuff on Late Night.

Doug: He was deathly afraid of talking, uh, publicly.

Josiah: And it might've been like the drugs too, but like

Doug: you No, yeah. There's this one

Josiah: where he is in the microphone and his hand is like shaking it like this.

Doug: Yeah. But he was terrified of the crowd. Yeah. He used to wear that's why he wore the shades, that's why he wore his hair down, so that he didn't have to look out into the crowd.

He was That was his biggest fear, but his biggest love was talking to the crowd. [00:12:00] You either got to get over the paradox or let it beat you up. Yeah.


Transition to Stand-Up Comedy
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Shane Cohen: well another well, how much you want to talk about the top of this So ToastMasters has contest and that's what really helped accelerate my growth They have they have speech contests and they have different they have what they call the international speech contest Which usually more motivational inspirational and nature and then they do have humor speech contest.

That's sort of my Kind of what led to the Avenue of now now doing stand up. Okay, but and then I would

Josiah: so like a TED Talk type thing?

Shane Cohen: Yeah, I guess you consider. Yeah, it is like a short and like a five to seven minute TED talk is what basically Yeah, and they they they judge it and they have a bunch of levels You start at the club then it goes to the area the area is basically five clubs It goes then to the if you win that he goes to the district the district is in five areas and then if you get or sorry.

Yeah, you go to the, sorry. You go to the, it goes club area and then division, division is five areas. And then if you get to the district that's eight you know, eight divisions. So I, I was, so I went from where I was of being, you know, traumatized and going to see my first speech, uh, speech contest at the district, and seeing someone up there who I thought he ended up becoming world champion a [00:13:00] few years later.

It's, you know, phenomenal. I thought, oh my God. I would never, never even, I couldn't even win a club contest versus like getting up, you know, to that level where you're representing. It

Doug: It was out of reach in your mind.

Shane Cohen: really short contest. And how long ago? How old were you

Doug: how long ago How old were you when you started

Shane Cohen: this? So you were 48

Doug: old. No

Shane Cohen: 49,

Doug: That's why I'm trying to make fun of

you.

So so 12 years you've been through it and then what was the first time you do you remember your first joke on stage?

Like what how long after that did you start saying I'm gonna do stand

Shane Cohen: Yeah, the, well, the standup has actually been a re in terms of doing just, you know, genuine standup, that's been literally like a little over a year ago in terms of doing official standup.

But I did humor yeah, very, very recent. I've done, again, the humorous speech contest, which is different. You're telling a story with [00:14:00] humor in it. But there's still a lot that tra like a ton that translates in terms of, you know, you know, Everything from the, you know, cutting down, you know, cutting out the fluff, cutting out, you know, making sure it's, it's crisp.


Comedy Classes and Feedback
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Shane Cohen: But now, doing the, doing standup, or, you know, I took two, I took two standup classes at ArtsQuest, just again, to kind of get into the world of,

Doug: With who? Glen Standup.

Shane Cohen: uh, Glenn, and and then I had Aaliyah as a, yeah, Aaliyah took a, she had a two in one class so.

Doug: uh, how much they, uh, how, how much is a Glen Tickle lesson?

Shane Cohen: Uh, it was Blake. 5, 700? No, okay, no, okay, no, okay.

Josiah: Shit.

Shane Cohen: Wasn't enough.

Doug: I was like, uh,

Shane Cohen: No, okay, no, no, okay. No, no, it was, that's a good question. They were like, I think it was like 150

Doug: like

Shane Cohen: they have several weeks of like,

Doug: not, I think, I think he's, I think he's funny.

I, you know, I think he's funny. I just, I always am reserved when I see a comedian that's going to teach somebody how to be a comedian. I feel like you, you already know you are one and you're either going to try it and suck or you're [00:15:00] going to try it and it's going to be regular or you're going to try it and be a bill burr, but I think, you know, and I, I, I get nervous about, I feel like there should be a money back guarantee. You know what I mean? Like, I feel like it should be a, by the end of the, by the end of the course. I sh I should be as a teacher, good enough to tell you, this is not your d this is not your road. Yeah. You know what I mean?

Josiah: you think it was

helpful? Well.

Doug: Well, no, I,

Shane Cohen: So again, for me, it was good. I had the, you know, I had about 12 years of, I've done literally hundreds of, well, I don't know if you'd say thousands, but no, no, thousands of hours of speeches, like, um, over this 10 year period. So I've had significant experience doing now, you know, public speaking and, you know, again, putting humor into stories and any presentation I do for, I do a lot of presentations for work and I do, I don't call it sales, but for living.

And so I have to, you know, the best, the best presenters do use humor. And so it's been sort of now, and I, Yeah, I think like a lot of people get into doing comedy. You feel like you're funny I grew up my dad was always making jokes. My mom was always making jokes So it's something I truly enjoy and I don't I have [00:16:00] always a ton of ideas Which is nice not making them sure they're funny is another thing.

But um, so going back to the cat

Doug: and then Seeing if you can make other people believe that it is funny You know, that's the that's the trick. That's the hard trick.

Shane Cohen: Yeah. And, and going back, no, and going back to the class. So I'll say that having had that background was extremely helpful. And going in, it was just good hearing. From what I was very interested in is, I know Glen's been doing it for a long time, and so I was just, I, I hadn't been around.

I've been around a lot of, like, I've literally been fortunate enough to been. have had mentorship from the best public speakers and the best public speaking coaches in the world. So people have won Toastmasters International Championship of Public Speaking. Like, I'd had them as coaches and so I've had a lot of that experience.

And so going in, but I hadn't been around somebody who'd been a professional, like, you know, comedian in that world. And so it's very good just to hear Glenn's experience about what, you know, just what is it like. For him to, you know, when he does his bookings and just, just everything, just kind of soaking in what I could to, you know, put it into my toolbox of, yeah, so that was, I think it was very helpful for me, but you are right there.

There, I think a lot of the news in the class did realize my wife being one stand up. Wasn't something my wife actually took it with me. [00:17:00] Roxy. So she was good. She was really good, but she's retired now.

Josiah: she said

Shane Cohen: Retired. Yeah. So she but yeah, it did. People didn't realize like, yeah, I thought it was something I want to try, but I realized I'm not into it.

Doug: I mean, but I feel like, Glenn and other guys that I know that, that do the teaching it, I feel like they should,

the end of the course, I should be like, nah, don't do this and give you your money

back.

if at the end of the course, you're like, I suck at this. I should agree with you and give you your money or at least give you half your money back or something

Shane Cohen: Yeah, yeah. Well, yeah, so, yeah, I guess there's a lot to it, right? So, I'd say,

Doug: Well, I guess college college doesn't even do that you fail a course you you don't get your money

Shane Cohen: back. Yeah, it's a very short, it's a very condensed,

Josiah: Does he give good notes?

Shane Cohen: Well, there's so there aren't that's I think that's the most valuable part for again.

So the pattern I have again doing a lot of these speech contests. I'm I am I seek feedback all the time. So I'm always doing before I do something, even like I tried before I do an open mic, or I get, [00:18:00] you know, get your friends and family of feedback. And I have a pretty good pool of individuals that I, you know, kind of they're like, Oh, Shane's doing another speech.

I'm going to sign up to listen to it. So I'm very fortunate to have that. But I Yeah, where was I going with that? The, the feet, yeah, the What

Josiah: The notes, the notes,

Doug: like what did you take from the class that you think you used the most?

Josiah: was he teaching you how to write jokes, or was he saying bring me a joke and I'll help you refine

Shane Cohen: Well, that, that was the difference between the, I'll say the 101 is the first time that SteelStacks offered it. And I'll, I don't know if it was because of me, but I, After taking Glenn's class, I just said, oh, it'd be great. They offer, they always ask for suggestions for classes.

And I said, I think it'd be really cool, especially, you know, My background to have it like a 201 class where you get into more. About the, like, the business. Glenn, you know, you touched on, we didn't really get into the business side as much, so I wanted, I was really curious about that and, uh, have somebody just delve more into, again, the actual structure.

So it didn't, the 101 was truly an introduction. It was Glenn going over just the basics of comedy. We did watch a lot of clips of other comedians and then as a group. It was very helpful because it was more about the group's feedback. So everyone had their, we'd watch a clip and then Glenn would give, you [00:19:00] know, his comments on it and then the group would kind of provide comments.

It was good just to hear everyone's

Josiah: Do you remember what comedians he was showing you guys?

Shane Cohen: Uh, like, I mean, Mitch Hedberg was one. So Mitch I think.

Doug: Pryor.

Shane Cohen: Oh, no, Richard Pryor wasn't one of the examples, but, yeah, George Carlin, uh, a lot of the, you know, the common, yeah, yeah, no, I mean, George is, yeah, one of my favorite comedians, so it was a lot of the

Doug: words I know. Pee wee Herman? Was Pee wee Her That

Shane Cohen: That was all we watched, was just, no.

Doug: Pee wee Herman on the, on the bill?

Shane Cohen: Yeah,

Josiah: Did did Glen Tickle get up and do a, a set for you guys?

Shane Cohen: guys, . No, we did not. But that. Yeah. Yeah. What So yeah,

Doug: I know.

Shane Cohen: I'm like, now I don't have to tell. Yeah, that's a good point. I have tell. Yeah. If a student, I'd be like, lemme see

Doug: what you got first before you start teaching. Like the first class should be the, like the first 10 minutes should be his set.

Josiah: his set. You'd have a higher attrition rate if he did that. I

Doug: like how, how did you, how'd you let that go?

Shane Cohen: That's a good, that's a good point. Like I,

Doug: the first 10 minutes should be him

out to

out of the class. Any teacher any comedian teacher should be walking out and doing the first 10 minutes and [00:20:00] then that's where you sign the dotted line.

Shane Cohen: Yeah. That's it. That's it. I do it. No, no, I like that. That's a good, that's a really good, no, that's a good, no, that's not, that's true. That's a very good point. Yeah, yeah, no, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, I agree with that. That I, that I do agree. That's a

Doug: I'm gonna just I'm gonna just change the rules

Josiah: Yeah.

Doug: people the stylisms of business.

Josiah: So,

Shane Cohen: so the 101 class was, that was, yeah, again, just very, very broad, foundational, and then the 201 was more about, that was really your comment in terms of like feedbacks. That was where. We actually spent a lot of time, you know, working on the, and then what Glen did too, we worked, because you have a, you have a final show.

You like a, sorry, what's the word? The, um, showcase. Showcase, yeah. Yeah. You have a showcase. We had a five minute showcase for 1 0 1 and then 2 0 1. It's a 10 minute set. And for 2 0 1, that was much more into the, I'd say more. Even more feedback on your set, your actual material. Mm-hmm . And that was also round robin.

So, uh, Aaliyah would give feedback as the, you know, the, the, you know, the instructor for the, you know, the program, the class. And then we would go around, literally go around the table and everyone would kind of give just their general thoughts and feedback, which again was, it was very, very helpful to help hone, hone [00:21:00] the

Doug: Did she do a set?

Shane Cohen: She did? Not either. So that, that's also a good, I mean that's like I, I

Josiah: her

Shane Cohen: I know her

Josiah: as the girl with the bucket. That's how I know her.

Doug: I don't, I've never seen her do stand up. I've

Josiah: never seen her do stand up. She has the bucket, and she puts your name in

Doug: Oh yeah,

Josiah: She runs the open mic.

Doug: the open mic, yeah. She pulls your name out of the bucket and brings you up. But I, no, I don't, I don't, I don't think I've ever seen her.

Josiah: No, I didn't. No, that's funny. Yeah, yeah, I

Shane Cohen: mean, just going into, I mean, I, again, I, I got value out of, you know, Glen and Leah, and That's great, but I, but I hadn't, but that's a great point.

I, I do completely agree

with that, that

that I think that, yeah, you should be doing like a set for the class and like, okay, what have you got to show? Because, well, I mean, look, so again, going back to my Toastmaster, I've, I now only, you know, I'm very careful on, I check the fruit of the tree, right? So. I mean, this is exactly what you're talking about, right?

How, how good are you? And I've had people, you know, coming up, coming up

Doug: not funny

Shane Cohen: Oh, yeah.

Doug: I I did I did shows with him a long long time ago And I always thought he was funny I and he had like funny stuff, but I never really [00:22:00] talked to him outside of it. He seemed a little isolated whenever

Josiah: Yeah, yeah, he does keep to himself. What would be funny, though, is if you actually did go see one of his shows, like, I don't know, in February?

Yeah. All right, you sit down, you're at the steel stacks, you're like, all right, let me see what this Glenn Tickle, what he has, right? And it's just 10 minutes of All of the student's material.

Doug: Oh, shit. That's what I said. I knew it

Shane Cohen: knew it was good! He told me it was shit! No

Doug: Throw that away.

Josiah: never use that

that again!

Doug: bucket girl

Shane Cohen: girl comes in and picks up the jokes. He even said my name, Glenn! Yeah, but no, like, honestly, I've had even, you know, I know I'm new to the world of stand up, but I'm definitely not, I've had a lot of, you know, success with the contest and speaking, but I've had, yeah, individuals coming up in comedy who I know just haven't been doing a lot.

And someone came up in particular, I know we all know, and kind of gave some comments and like, Oh, [00:23:00] just, I mean, I know it's from a positive standpoint, but I, I knew his advice was not, you know, with all due respect, not going to be helpful. Right. So I kind of just, just, I mean, it's, yeah, yeah. I

Doug: given advice to somebody that I could see the glaze over their eyes of, Yeah, I'm never taking that advice. Get the fuck out of here. So, I mean, yeah. It's gonna happen both ways. You're gonna be that person one day. And see that look that you were giving someone.

Shane Cohen: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I, uh, but that's a really good point. So I, yeah, I'm.

Doug: Yeah, I

Shane Cohen: mean, I, I want, I want feedback from everyone because again, it is very valuable regardless.

Yeah, because everyone, that is your audience, but I'm very careful on who, yeah, what I actually take and implement into what I'm doing. So, yeah.


Nikki Glaser's Golden Globes Monologue
---

Josiah: So, the big first for the Golden Globes, if anyone watched, it was Nikki Glaser was the first comedian to host by

Doug: What are the gold? What do you get from the I don't know what the golden globes? I know it's a thing, but I don't know what they're judging.

Josiah: they're judging TV movie. The same thing the Oscars judge.

Doug: I thought the oscars were [00:24:00] just movies.

Josiah: just movies. Uh, no, movies, 

Doug: isn't that Emmy TV? Emmy

Josiah: TV, yes, you're

Doug: So the Golden Globe is just somebody that's like

Josiah: it's movies, and it, I don't know if it's

Doug: like, ah, we're gonna take both the businesses!

Yeah, I don't

Josiah: know, I don't know, that's a good question. I know it's definitely movies. And Nikki Glaser did, I think, her monologue, which did you watch it?

Doug: I, I haven't watched awards in probably 15 years.

Josiah: Well, I think maybe we can, we can pull it up because

Doug: I cannot stand award shows.

Josiah: Yeah. Well, we don't have to watch it.

Doug: Not as much

Shane Cohen: as Unless you're getting the award, that would be

Doug: 1 to 18 gymnastics you just put on.

Josiah: So we're going to say Nikki Glaser, Golden Globe monologue. There we go.

Doug: If I, if I yell for, say, 15 minutes, I would lose my voice. How do dogs do it?

Shane Cohen: I don't know.

Well, I'll say the one, like, I, I listened to the podcast You did with the, [00:25:00] you're talking about the, the local comedy contest. The best in, was

Doug: Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He was in that.

Josiah: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Lehigh Valley

Shane Cohen: You had the ai, the AI was 

Doug: was 

Shane Cohen: kinda AI coho. Yeah. That . And you're like, and she's like chimed in initially. She's like, oh, that's very interesting. You're like, should have Coco

Josiah: Yeah.

Doug: the fuck up, Coco. Is she making an appearance tonight?

Josiah: I was gonna bring her

Doug: Okay, alright. Let me uh, get I'll take another beer if you could.

Josiah: So, we're gonna listen to Nicky Glacier's opening monologue from the, uh, 2025 Golden Globes.

Doug: I, uh, I think Nikki Glaser is, I think she did second best at the Tom Brady roast, a close second best. I think, um,

Hinchcliffe just did way too well on that one for, uh, me to give it to her. But she was definitely my winner until I heard Tony Hinchcliffe. He destroyed that roast. And apparently they told him he couldn't use any of that stuff.

Netflix was like, we don't want you saying any of that stuff. And [00:26:00] he was like, alright. And then just went out and did it anyway. And it fucking killed.

Josiah: She's coming out of the TV. I bet she's coming out of

Doug: How about we just talk about it?

Josiah: it? Yeah! I could

Doug: I

could pull it up on my phone faster than this.

Josiah: need to

Doug: could just put my phone to the microphone. Jeez. 

Josiah: Yeah!

MacBook: 82nd Golden Globes, Ozempic's biggest night. If you're watching on CBS, hello. If you're watching on Paramount you have six days left to cancel your free trial. I'm Nikki Glaser, and I am absolutely thrilled to be your host tonight. Thank you.

Shane Cohen: I

this. I wore my, my, wore my worst.

Doug: Are you really allergic?

Shane Cohen: No, I'm not. No, no. I was just like, I had my work. That's it. So I don't mind at all. Like I love dog, but yeah,

MacBook: Hotel, and this time, all of my clothes are on. So,

Shane Cohen: all

Doug: totally not even listening to

MacBook: Now, some of you [00:27:00] may know me a stand

Doug: Josiah is fun.

MacBook: my appearances on Roast,

Doug: He gives me a lot of material on this show,

MacBook: I want you to know

Shane Cohen: the whole set's about him. Yeah.

MacBook: could I, really? You're all so famous, so talented, so powerful. I mean,

Doug: uh, we, we weren't listening. Yeah. Yeah.

Shane Cohen: I'm glad we can hear it

MacBook: vote for, but it's okay, you'll You'll get them next time. If there is one. I'm scared. Ariana, hold my finger.

Josiah: That's a wicked joke, I guess.

Doug: Mm.

Shane Cohen: so.

MacBook: Well, tonight we celebrate the best of film and hold space for television. Yes.

Josiah: So I guess they do celebrate TV.

MacBook: Wicked, queer, night bitch. These are not just words Ben Affleck yells after he orgasms. These are some of the incredible

Josiah: Oh, it's not

Shane Cohen: bad.

MacBook: nominated tonight. The bear, the penguin, [00:28:00] baby reindeer. These are not just things found in RFK's freezer. These are TV shows nominated tonight.

Doug: bad. It's

MacBook: I look out and I see some of the hardest working actors in show business.

And by that I mean your servers. Yes. Yes, give it up. They'll be bringing you your cocktails to drink and

Josiah: exactly what Doug's gonna say

MacBook: at.

Doug: No, you don't.

MacBook: But I also see some absolute Hollywood legends. I mean, we have got some huge movie stars here tonight. Kate Winslet is here. Kate Blanchett. Colin Farrell. And let's not forget, let's not forget so many huge TV stars as well.

Kate Winslet. Kate Blanchett. Colin Farrell.

Doug: Oh,

Josiah: what she did there?

MacBook: I mean, even Oscar winning actor Eddie Redmayne did TV this year. He's nominated for Peacock's The Day of the Jackal. Yes. Yes. It's about a top secret elite [00:29:00] sniper that no one can find because he's on peacock.

I think I've seen more actual peacocks in my life than shows on peacock, but Denzel Washington is here for Gladiator 2.

Doug: I Wasn't there

Josiah: Yeah, they don't show them.

Doug: peacock sponsor

MacBook: Cynthia Erivo is here for Wicked.

Josiah: Wicked was amazing, by the way, if you haven't seen it.

Shane Cohen: I

MacBook: And Martin Short is here because we have cameras. Love you.

Doug: He's one of my

MacBook: here. Zendaya, you were

Doug: he's so funny

MacBook: Dune. Oh my god, I woke up for all of your scenes. You were so good.

Josiah: was

Doug: pretty good

Josiah: good.

MacBook: And Challengers, girl, oh my god, it was so good. I mean, that movie was more sexually charged than Diddy's credit card. I mean, seriously. Oh no, no, I know, I'm sorry. I'm upset too. The after party's not gonna be as good this year. But we have to move on.

Josiah: ha

MacBook: I know a Stanley [00:30:00] Tucci freak off just doesn't have the same ring to it, but No baby oil this year, just lots of olive oil, okay?

Doug: Because

Josiah: does that show, the Cooking in Italy.

MacBook: Tilda Swinton is here! Tilda Swinton! Amazing. Tilda Swinton is of course nominated this year for her role as Timothee Chalamet. Amazing. Where is Timothee Chalamet? Timothee, where Hi, Timothee! You were great as Timothee Chalamet this year, too. Really. And I love you. And can I just say, you have the most gorgeous eyelashes on your upper lip.

I think this is just such a good look. I love you. Dude, you were so good in A Complete Unknown as Bob Dylan. Wasn't he just incredible? So good, dude. Seriously.

Doug: Unless they're gonna keep showing that other girl's dress.

MacBook: actually read that your singing voice was so accurate, that even

Josiah: I just want to get to the,

MacBook: that it was [00:31:00] absolutely horrible.

Josiah: Chalamet joke

MacBook: You nailed it.

And you know, Timothy, you're just so great at playing these, like, beloved eccentrics. Dylan, uh, Willy Wonka, who's next? Adam Sandler? Please. Actually, your name sounds like something Adam Sandler would say. No, Shalomay. A Timothy, a Shalomay.

Shane Cohen: That's

Josiah: That's not

MacBook: Oh, yes, Timothy Shalomay. I think Sandler, Sandler's here. Sandler, can I get a Shalomay?

A Shalomay. Oh, Shalomay. A good Shalomay to you, sir.

Josiah: All right, so let me predict what Doug is going to say.

Doug: I'm 

Josiah: Doug is going to say, and this proves my point, women are not funny. Go ahead.

Doug: That's not what I was going to say. And I've never said women are not funny. I've never said that. You can go back and listen to the

Josiah: that.

Doug: What

You think I said those words?

Josiah: Yeah, absolutely.

I haven't. [00:32:00] I'm going to get a soundbite.

Doug: ahead and get rid of it. I never said women are not funny. I said women don't know how to tell stories funny.

Josiah: Okay.

Doug: So that's a difference. Again, let me ask you this. Do you ever remember seeing Ellen Degeneres's cleavage? Ever.

Josiah: ever? Ellen DeGeneres doesn't have cleavage. Do

Doug: Do you think Ellen Degeneres is not funnier than her?

Josiah: Ellen DeGeneres is funnier than

Doug: her. Way funnier than her. Yeah. And she doesn't have to

Josiah: We talked about

Doug: That's what I mean, it's

Josiah: either shows her legs or her

Doug: if you're up there and she does this, it's not like, I get it, it's a reward show, you're gonna wear a beautiful dress,

Josiah: Mm-hmm

Doug: But on your specials You're wearing the shit that's like kinda the clickbait type shit.

Yeah. And it's like, you don't think your jokes are funny enough? You know what I'm saying,

Josiah: that problem with vanessa 5000

Doug: it's, and it's, it's, I, again, it's, to me, it's the same as bringing a guitar on stage or something. It's like, I want to just hear the jokes. Were

Josiah: distracted from her

Doug: Absolutely not. I was, I'm distracted in the fact that I'm waiting for like [00:33:00] one of those bow jokes and it's not happening.

They're not going to let her do that on this show. You know what I mean?

Josiah: Yeah.

Shane Cohen: Oh no, I was gonna, and I'm looking at it from, okay, who, you know, know your audience, right?

Mm hmm. And now you agree, I'd like to. It's mixed up. Yeah, the audience is directly, but then it's the, it's really the TV, you know, the TV, the viewers. Right. So making it for those who are actually, why not so much for those in the room? Like, I guess a big

Doug: into this for a reason.

I don't tune into these things because the comedians aren't going to be Able to be as funny as I like them to be.

Josiah: Right. Right.

Doug: tune into this stuff because it's like, all right, it's Nikki Glaser Clean. Who the fuck wants that?

Josiah: that? Who wants that?

Doug: know what I mean?

Josiah: well I guess it was just significant in the fact that she's the first woman to do it by herself. Like, normally it's like Tina Fey and

Doug: I know who you're talking about. Yeah. Wait, they haven't

Josiah: who's the other woman that Tina

Doug: know. The, uh, the blonde. The blonde chick from Parks and Rec. Exactly. I can't think of her name. I

Josiah: can't think of it either. Uh, God, I go,

Doug: but I, I just, like I said, I, I don't know.

Josiah: Uh, Amy [00:34:00] Phoeler.

Doug: Amy Phoeler, yeah. So I just, I I just want jokes,

Josiah: right? I just

Doug: jokes.

Josiah: I like, I like the Timothy Challomet bit that you did. I thought that was funny. Anyway, what are, what are your thoughts on it, Shane?

Shane Cohen: don't know. Strong, six out of 10.

Josiah: Okay.

Doug: Yeah, but for the record,

Shane Cohen: not, yeah. I'm

Doug: there's tons of women that I know that are funny.

There's tons of funny women. Funny comedians, funny comedian women. There's tons of them, but when they start walking up on stage and they got their tits out and the fucking short skirt and all that. It's like come on and if she if she like I said, this is like a reserved outfit for her Yeah, you know what I

Josiah: Normally she's showing her legs. Yeah.

Doug: just

Shane Cohen: sense of, I think she's trying too hard. Like, I'll just, I really do feel like for somebody who's at this level, like, I feel like she's trying too hard and like, yeah, I'm not, I don't find most of it that,

Doug: she knows where her money is. I mean, she knows where her money is.

I get that the business side, she's going to be like that from now on, because that's her fan base is [00:35:00] these fucking guys jerking off to while she's doing standup. I mean, I don't get it. It's it's not what I tune into. That's what I'm saying. 


Discussing Comedic Preferences
---

Doug: So like, but I, I don't tune into it. So it's not something that. I don't dislike her.

You know what I mean? I think she is funny. She's one of the best

roasters. Oh yeah.

and writers. She's a great joke writer, but I

Josiah: love watching. I just love watching your

Doug: Because in your head, in your head, you think I said women aren't

Josiah: I have it on the tape, man. I'm going to get one of these buttons where every time I push it, you'd be like, and that proves my point. Women aren't funny. Yeah. But anyway, uh, I

Doug: can't wait to hear it And you can't use your fucking coco ai to make my voice do it

Josiah: Oh yeah. Coco, did you wanna meet Coco? I mean, I

Doug: to say that

Josiah: We won't, we won't. 'cause usually when, when it's just the two of us, cocoa fills the third void. And so we've got

Doug: by making a void in between the talking Yeah, absolutely. 


New Year's Resolutions and Triple Negatives
---

Josiah: [00:36:00] New Year's, uh,

Shane Cohen: Snickers, uh, Snickers.

Doug: Snickers. New

Josiah: Year's resolutions. Anyone?

Doug: I I

Shane Cohen: I'm.

Josiah: you do them?

Doug: I think the last one I did, I said that for the whole year, I'm gonna point out everybody who says double negatives in a sentence. Okay. And then this guy fucked me over and did a goddamn triple negative. It was at work.

I swear to God. He did something where I guess he fell and almost hit his nuts on something And he said I remember when it happened. I said I am not never gonna do that shit. Never again I was like during the sentence. I was like ready to say double. No. Oh my god. There's more

Josiah: Triple

Doug: I was like, holy I gotta change my resolution, but that was literally the

last

last time

Josiah: I have, I have a few and just to, you know,

Shane Cohen: What are

Josiah: stupid shit, like go back to the gym. Stay positive. Hack. Hack. 

Doug: has those two.

Josiah: Yeah. my big theory is, like,

Doug: Start doing the triple negatives! In

Josiah: next four years, I think, are going to [00:37:00] be very negative, so I'm going to try to counteract that with positive

Shane Cohen: What about, okay, I'm curious, how about

Doug: Oh, oh, cause the Trumpy

Josiah: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Doug: Nothing's gonna change. He's not in

Josiah: charge.

Doug: The president's not in charge. This has been going on since

Josiah: 85. I don't know, man. I hear shit like him wanting to buy Greenland and I'm like, what the fuck is going on?

Doug: So, what? He's the president. He can't do that.

Josiah: Go ahead, Shane.

Shane Cohen: You were going

Josiah: to say

Shane Cohen: Biden can't do it. He

Doug: do it. He can't do it.

Shane Cohen: it. No, Jo, what, what, what are your, what are your, uh, goals for the, like, the po you have

Josiah: stay

Shane Cohen: Or comedy. Or comedy? I mean, well, like, do you have anything


AI and Fake Headlines
---

Josiah: this, um, this new fake headlines thing. I guess I'll plug that or, um, I have this AI that I make her say funny, fake news and stuff that I think is funny and no one else finds funny.

And You've seen some of them, Doug. But like, an example, the classic example that I use, which no one gets, but I think it's so fucking funny. [00:38:00] It's just a lot of wordplay. So like, this just in, the letters D E A and D were pronounced dead at the scene. So, shit like that. You know, but I have an AI newscaster who's very pretty announcing it.

Oh

Doug: that's the question I had for that. How, did you come up with that, girl?

Josiah: No, no, that's like a stock girl. Okay. Yeah.

Doug: well we're like I'm interested in how what what she won What were like the runners up? I'm trying to peek into Josiah's brain.

Josiah: yeah, yeah. Well, which one are you talking about? No, I have two now.

Doug: this guy over here show off

Josiah: I've got the one.

Shane Cohen: Why was she so cheap Jo?

Josiah: The one hit her head because she had a

Doug: i'm no siri, but

Josiah: And I brought another one in that has a little more, she's a little more voluptuous. Yeah. I don't know if you

Doug: Oh, the blonde, I think, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What does Susie think about this?

Josiah: even

Doug: She doesn't, she doesn't even

Josiah: doesn't even watch it. She doesn't even watch

Doug: it.

Josiah: [00:39:00] But, like, the one video has like, you know, 25, 000 views on TikTok. So, I'm trying to Holy shit. Yeah. So, I'm trying to get it

Doug: love,

Shane Cohen: No, I love the con Yeah, I had to watch some of it. I saw them pop up and I needed, like But I love That's very funny.

Like, I saw a few of the Beginnings and

Josiah: Oh yeah, cool. Thanks.

Doug: then, wasn't it a chaos happened? Some kind of

Josiah: there's some chaos. Absolutely. Cause, initially I was just having her say, At the desk, she's just telling jokes, these, my corny wordplay jokes. And I was like, wait a minute, there's like this whole cast of characters I can, I can bring in the producer,

Doug: Yeah. The old guy you brought in.

Josiah: he can say stuff to her,

Shane Cohen: see that. Yeah, that that's very funny. When you bring, yeah, that's, yeah,

Josiah: so that's, that was actually Greydin's idea.

He's like, you gotta like, direct her off camera or something, and that's when I got the idea,

Doug: freaking smart for him to say, man Yeah,

Josiah: And I was like, my nine year old was like, yeah,

Shane Cohen: dog come in, humping her leg. Like you're just, what are you doing? Yeah,

Doug: a lickin POTS retriever! Back at it! So I've been

Josiah: so I've been actually having fun with that. And, you know, [00:40:00] during our workshop, I have one that I want to run by you. But let's hear, uh, your resolutions.

If you have


Improv and Stand-Up Comedy
---

Shane Cohen: Well I was, well I was re, but for definitely the standups, I wanna do more. Mm-hmm . I'm really, now that I've done been doing, you know,

Josiah: A

Shane Cohen: lot of the open mics, but I really, for this next year, I wanna

Doug: start getting the itch.

Shane Cohen: Yeah. Well I've done a lot.

Well, that's the thing I didn't mention is the improv. So I've been doing improv too for the last year, which I really have enjoyed. Okay.

Josiah: Okay, do you know gosh,

Doug: what, uh, improv group?

Josiah: You know Evan

Shane Cohen: Evan, yeah. Evan's amazing.

Josiah: Matt Candio? Yeah.

Shane Cohen: Matt and Matt. Matt, Matt taught me, he taught my 3 0 1 class. So, yeah, Matt and Evan, I've seen, so

Josiah: So I was in the orig I don't know, I probably already told you this.

I was in the original improv troupe with Matt Candio and Evan Stutz, the Associated Mess.

Shane Cohen: Yeah. Yeah. No,

Doug: ass mess. I remember that's how, that's how the, the sign would say as mess.

Shane Cohen: Absolutely. No, they're very strong. Yeah.

Josiah: So it's comedy and and you work at

Shane Cohen: think they both helped one.

Josiah: you a professor at Lehigh? What do

Shane Cohen: No, I do.

A director of corporate and foundation relations, what that means is, and for the college of engineering companies, basically sponsor, yeah. Research and projects for the [00:41:00] college. I, I help fundraise for I

Doug: I gotcha. That's

Shane Cohen: essentially what, yeah,

Doug: that's pretty dope. You do, like, do you have events that you gotta put on and stuff like that? Like, I'm thinking if you might have run into my, my mother-in-law, she's, she does a lot of stuff like that, but she's, she's a, 

Josiah: not, not anymore. She doesn't

Doug: No, no, she, no, she can still do her job.

Josiah: Sorry. That was a bad

Doug: a, she's a wealth management, she's the president of a wealth management, uh, company that her and her partner, her old partner started. And, uh, but they, she, she's on a lot of charity boards and stuff like that, so. I wonder if uh, maybe like you guys were at the same event one day.

None of this matters. You can cut all this out I mean none of this

Shane Cohen: this.

Josiah: Well, what's her name? So maybe he can say he knows her.

Shane Cohen: Uh,

Doug: don't remember something like holly berry or something. I don't know. I don't know. I married him. She took my last name. I don't know Um judy judy savchak is her name, okay, she was named one of the most influential women of 2024 In the Lehigh Valley.

Yeah.

Josiah: That's [00:42:00] like style magazine or something.

Oh, that's great.

Doug: it was one of

Josiah: That's great.

Doug: She's awesome. She is absolute awesome.


Comedy and Clean Humor
---

Josiah: right, so comedy and then, uh, what do you have like, coming up? Any, any big shows or anything you want to promote, plug while you're

Shane Cohen: Well, I'm, well, I'm doing the improvised standup at Steel Stack.

Josiah: Okay. When is

Shane Cohen: I did that Friday, or is it Saturday?

January 18th. Okay,

Doug: What's

Shane Cohen: the improvised

Doug: up? What is that?

Shane Cohen: Yeah. Oh, it's all, I, I thought it was a lot of fun. The first, so I went, I went to to see a show the first time. Just to see what it was, and then the next time, it's worth the Uh, when someone at the Steel Stacks, yeah, reached out to me and said, Hey, would you be interested in, in trying it?

So, uh, it's basically, it's 15 minutes where you get up and it's literally as improvised stand up. So you get up in the, the audience, either it's a combination of the audience or the, or ArtsQuest will have some, Pre, uh, either words or phrases, and so they'll put it up on the screen, and you literally just on that word or phrase, have to, like, you're supposed to do five, you're supposed to do five minute sets based on, like, so they'll break it into five minute bits, so you see the word, I don't know, like, say turtle, right?

So you do a set based on turtle, what inspires you from turtle, for five minutes, and then they'll throw up the next word. Now, if you [00:43:00] get caught or stuck, it is nice, too, the host kind of helps you, and, like, will kind of chime in, but,

Doug: who's the host

Shane Cohen: It varies depending on who. Yeah. They have different different people who help post.

That's all pretty fun. It's, no, it's a lot. Yeah. It is a lot of fun. Yeah. It

Josiah: is it, uh, sign up or do you have to get booked

Shane Cohen: You get, yeah, you get booked. So that's how Yeah.

Doug: You can probably reach out to

Josiah: Uh huh.

Shane Cohen: Yeah. I mean, they, I mean, they'll, yeah. I mean, I know the experience I've had. They


Promoting Upcoming Shows
---

Josiah: Alright, so you can catch Shane at the Improvised Stand Up January 18th. And that's at SteelStacks. Any, anything else you got going on?

Shane Cohen: Yeah. And then.

Josiah: and then

Shane Cohen: I'll be at, well, speaking of, I'll be at the Ice House on, let's

Josiah: March, March 7th. March

Shane Cohen: it's March, yeah, Friday, March 7th.

Doug: You gotta promote that stuff, man. Anytime you talk to somebody, say that date. I can't promote that. Get that date burned in their

hand. 

Josiah: promote March 7th cause that's when that's when Country Club Comedy

Shane Cohen: yeah, I know. Yeah. I do wanna keep, oh, was it? Oh, okay, okay, okay.

Josiah: It is the same day, but that's fine.

Doug: You have to cancel your show.

Josiah: Andy was originally supposed to take that Wednesday. And then when we were, the

Shane Cohen: I'm glad it's on the Fri.

Josiah: the guy switched it to a Friday. So. It's fine. We're [00:44:00] it's good that there's more than one open mic on a Friday in this area. Yeah, that's amazing.

So maybe I'll start mine. What time does that one start?

Shane Cohen: I want to say seven.

Josiah: So, cause I could start mine later. No, just have people come

Doug: later. Nobody wants to go later. I don't. I like the time that it is. 7 o'clock is on a Friday, you can still do stuff after.

Josiah: Yeah. You still do stuff after.

Doug: Oh, absolutely.

Josiah: You go out. 

Doug: Yeah. 

Josiah: Yeah. man. No, of my Even

Doug: it's just me and my wife. Like last Friday, that last show, I came home and we just chilled for a minute.

Shane Cohen: Oh, yeah, I'm doing it's an in your face entertainment. I know

Doug: Oh, is that

dice? Yeah. Dice. Yeah. Yeah.

Shane Cohen: so dice is helping to run that and yeah dice is phenomenal and he had some I'm also participating in that

Josiah: Where, when, when is that?

Shane Cohen: they have different they have well I say participating I'm not I did a I participated one of the shows they already had and I'm anything like solidly book We're talking about we're talking I'm meeting with dice and [00:45:00] this weekend.

We're gonna talk about The current planning for the upcoming months. And so I'm, I'm excited just to, you know, talk to him about that, but I'm, yeah, yeah, no, Dice is phenomenal. Yeah. He's,

Josiah: Is he still out in, in, uh, in la

Doug: No, he's here right now.

Okay. 

Shane Cohen: Well, he, yeah, he's,

Doug: should be going back soon because of his job.

He has to do recruiting for colleges.

for colleges.

Or is it,

think he just recruits specifically for

Shane Cohen: recruits specifically for, um, Lafayette.

Doug: Something like that. Yeah.

Shane Cohen: Yeah, and yeah, and so, yeah, so I'm doing that as well with, uh, you know, the guy and the thing, one, you talked about the, you know, what are your, Resolutions, if you will, but the one thing I did over the break, I did put together the social media, like my, so I created separate social media pages for my, so it's uh, Shane Cohen comedy, dot, dot, dot, humor that helps, and all my, all my, that's the thing I didn't really talk about, my, all my sets are, so it's all clean comedy, so when I say clean, I would, like, 90 percent of it is like, I'd say like any age can pretty much be there, and then roughly 10%, so it would be like PG [00:46:00] 13, but that's, like, that is something, that's the focus of

Josiah: And that's deliberate on your

Shane Cohen: deliberate and mainly I'll be

Doug: Is it a struggle? Like, are you just really, like, Bob Saget, like, you're really dirty, but you're trying to just go clean? Like, are you struggling to write jokes because you gotta make them clean?

Shane Cohen: Oh, no, that's actually well, that's the benefit of toastmasters I had you have to like do I mean again, it was speeches, but it has to be super clean even the humorous one So but actually I I yeah to be answer your question.

I did want to do but I My, my position is very publicly facing and I see, uh, yeah, that's part of it too. I want to be very careful of like what I, I'm very mindful of anything. I don't want to say, I would not want to say anything by accident that, yeah, just even unintentionally.

But, but that is part of like, so yeah. Well, for example, like I did a, this is the most borderline in terms of like, dirty comedy. I did a set about, I have a 10 minute set about like a church setting. So my, my wife grew up in a very, very conservative church. It was a holiness, holiness, Pentecostal. I'm not sure how familiar with that denominations.

And we went to her, her grandmother, her grandmother invited us to. a christmas eve play. It was [00:47:00] a, their, her church was putting on a christmas carol, and this is a true story. We went and we show up and very, very, super conservative, right? So the women are required to have their elbows. Basically, you have to cover up your entire body and your hair is supposed to be up in a bun.

It's just something I just, it was new, like I never experienced that. So that was just new to me. And so I was like, Oh, this is just different. The men are dressed very, very conservatively and I went in, I was just very like, you know, kind of like for Christmas. I thought I had like all my Christmas sweater and I like, I was getting looks of like, what is

Doug: the light up suit

Josiah: sweater

I was short of, yeah. a bag of dicks. Ha, ha,

ha ha ha!

Shane Cohen: ha, ha, ha.

Josiah: Satan!

Shane Cohen: What are you?

Josiah: ha ha ha! These chestnuts

Doug: roasting on a open fire

Josiah: ha ha!

Doug: How you doing lord Yeah,

Shane Cohen: we walked we we so we go in and then the lights, you know, we kind of meet and green, then the lights dim, and the minister just jumps up on stage. And this is crazy. The first thing he does is he calls out a member of the congregation.

Jim samuels, we're so glad you're here tonight. We all know that you're a drunkard and a sinner [00:48:00] It literally like and that was the first exposure I had No, it was straight up straight up and then he just started going on about like we know. Yeah, like that You know, we've got you here today, but he's going on about how bad this guy is Was

Josiah: this the guy from Toastmasters calling him out? , yeah.

Shane Cohen: yeah, so it was

Doug: just starts yelling out this guy's sins.

Shane Cohen: No, he no he did in front of everyone I just again I was not That was crazy to me. So my whole, my whole set is based on, I may, I elaborate a little bit, right? That there are these intermissions. Every intermission, the minister pops up on stage, I call him Reverend Red Bull.

Reverend Red Bull comes out and I have him, I have him calling out someone else for doing something, you know, insane. That, you know, and then, and then the thing is that, then, you know, the minister hops off stage and then there are children in this play. The children just come on, la da da, like nothing,

Doug: like it's totally,

Shane Cohen: you know, normal to them, right?

So that

Doug: that as a dope show. Sketch. That's funny. That's a, that'd be a great sketch.

Josiah: it would

Shane Cohen: And I do a southern accent like with the minister. That's

Doug: perfect.

Shane Cohen: of it. Nice

Doug: And there's like, like, there's like keyboards in the back going

Shane Cohen: really trivial

Doug: all these sins and then just goes and sits down [00:49:00] and everybody goes right

Josiah: Wouldn't it be funny if it was just like, something really trivial, like, What was the guy's name? Or any name, I guess. John Smith.

Doug: Yeah,

Shane Cohen: You

Josiah: drank milk after it was expired.

Shane Cohen: Well,

Josiah: yeah, that's,

Shane Cohen: Yeah. And that's, yeah, I need to make it a little less. That was the one that, and like, again, that again, this is like the most borderline, like, because I've had like the super Yeah. Super conservative individuals who I, I actually, so I did this from my Band Toast Semesters club, and we do have some individuals there who are like, from that, you know, that, you know, type of church and they did not find it funny.

And they said, this is like, it was very offensive to them. I mean, this is, and it was this, I mean, I made it as. I felt as clean, because I actually, you know, I ran it by my wife who came, I ran it from some others who come from very conservative, they thought it was funny that I wasn't being, you know, I wasn't calling them out as like, oh, you're like, you know, so that's as clean as again, that was still, so like, this example, that was the most important, I mean, there are other things I would like to delve into, like I had this, I've had like a five minute set of me kind of, who's the, oh my gosh, that's a bad name, drawing a blank, he does, he's known for doing, um, Uh, God.

Doug: Jim [00:50:00] Henson?

No,

Shane Cohen: he has the, the blonde. He's new. He, he's not new, but he's very popular for doing real. He purposely does things that are like super cr Yeah, there's a

Doug: lot of comedy.

Shane Cohen: Um, no. Anthony Giselle is, yeah.

Doug: Jeselnik. Anthony Jeselnik. Yeah, 

Shane Cohen: Ja. Nick. thank you. Yes,

I have, I have a, I set that, I, I did up that.

It's basically a spoof of Anthony Jeselnik, to do like, like I'm him, right? And I take my take on his dark humor because that's so opposite of like what I normally do. And I talk about like, you know, I was, what, yeah, I haven't looked at a lot, but like, I talk about mowing the lawn. Oh, who here loves to mow their lawn?

I love mowing my lawn, but it brings up a lot of bad memories. Like, I have to mow around all the dead bodies. You know, just like, I mean, that kind of, just that kind of gist that, you know, just kind of make it fun. It's a little,

Doug: Yeah, it's hard to mull over lumps.

Shane Cohen: yeah, yeah, yeah.

Josiah: I like that.

Doug: dead bodies.

Shane Cohen: but that's sort of the gist.

I just thought that'd be fun to put it again. That's for me. That's a little like, I'm not, again, for me, like what I want to do is I, unfortunately I can't. That's like,

Doug: like, that's like Doug Ultralight.

Shane Cohen: I know, I know. I, I, I, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, so,

Doug: yeah, I

Josiah: I love it. I love it. I

Shane Cohen: what I [00:51:00] want to do and what I quote, can do.

Doug: yeah, yeah, yeah.

Shane Cohen: also want to have a.

My brand, like what is my brand? I'm very mindful of that. So my brand is clean. I want to

Doug: you're setting your own, you're setting your own, uh, margins. And, and that's what every comedian has to do. You gotta set what you. There's certain things that I, it sounds crazy, but there's certain things I just won't talk about. It's just not my thing. It's not something I want to be funny about or whatever, you know what I mean?

Josiah: Same here, like I don't do, I don't like to do topical or political humor. So

Doug: that, and that materials, it expires

Josiah: Exactly, and that's kind of why. I want, I want my comedy to be timeless, you know?

Doug: I got a Trump joke. The only Trump joke I'm doing right now is the one where I start out and I

Josiah: love that one.

Doug: I go, uh, you know, so.

Josiah: whatever,

Doug: Whatever you believe in politics, I mean, Trump is the president, and, uh, technically this makes him a woman beater.

And

And that's it. And I just kind of let him sit on that, and then I move on to

Josiah: I love that one.

Doug: topic.

Shane Cohen: Certainly

Josiah: Absolutely. Absolutely true.

Doug: mean, he beat two women.

two [00:52:00] women.

couldn't beat a man. Little fucking pussy.


Comedy Writing and Workshopping
---

Josiah: Are you workshopping? Anything that you're workshopping? Any premises that you want to talk

Shane Cohen: well that's the good, I mean, having done the Toastmasters, so I have Like 34 pages of like Google. I keep saying I do have the habit of like literally every day. I try to write something of something funny because I put it right in my Google Drive.

At least I've gotten into that habit. So I have a ton of kind of ideas and materials to answer your question. The latest thing I'm working on, which will be I'll be doing what's next open like I'm doing One of the yeah, it's ink whatever's coming up the latest in the area. I'm going and it's I said about I call it like my, I labeled it my anniversary set.

I talk about my wife, Roxy and I just, I'm really glad to be here tonight. We're, you know, we just celebrated a 20 year anniversary wait for the audience to be like the audience to applause. And I say with triple A. And I say, and I pull out, and I pull out my gold, I have my gold, I pull out, I even got my gold card in the

Josiah: mail. Oh, nice.

Shane Cohen: like, I go around work, and I'm just like, oh, I'll actually bump into someone, I'll drop it, I'm like, oh, sorry.

Is that my gold card?

Have

ever seen one of these? Yeah, that's sort of like what I'm working on, and I, I tie it into, you know, AAA, [00:53:00] it was really nice to receive this. Uh, but then you talk about, you know, Shane, dear Shane, we've been together for 20 years. Do you remember all the times that we, you know, all the things we've been together and how we helped you out when you, and it says, and then I have, uh, I list all the things, you know, make up stuff like when you, uh, I needed

Doug: those coupons to Disney.

Shane Cohen: yeah, when you, when you locked yourself out of the car, dot, dot, dot, seven times. When you, I always said, when you hit a dead deer, dot, dot, dot, one time. When you, or sorry, when you hit a live deer, dot, dot, dot, one time. When you hit a dead deer, dot, dot, dot, and then, I go through this thing and then, yeah, And then I get to, you know, hit, hit a moving car five times, hit a parked car 17 times, and then they added dot, dot do.

Wow. Yeah, just see that guy. Then I finish it with, then the one was, the last one was, it really got me though. Do you remember the time when you.dot do hit a punchline.dot do zero. That's sort of like, that's where the

Doug: That's what,

Josiah: Got it. Got it, got it. Yeah. I like that. Yeah. Yeah, that's good. How about you, Doug? What you got? Anything? You're work shopping?

Doug: Oh, I forget. I wrote some I think I did these at the open mic. I know I I know I was

Josiah: I liked, I liked yours your [00:54:00] performance. Cause you were just like taking notes on everyone.

And then you had, you had

Doug: yeah. Oh man. I wish Ryan was there.

'cause that was the first one I wrote. I was like, yeah, I went to the doctor and I got diagnosed with opposite Ryan voice.

Shane Cohen: Yeah.

Josiah: He's so high pitched.

Doug: Yeah, his voice is really high. I forget where I even, oh, here we go. Yeah, what did I say there? I, because I wrote just like some, I said, oh, this was, uh, the top 10.

If I could just do this real quick, because I didn't do it that night, but this is just for comedians. Like this joke is only for comedians. It's only an open mic joke. And it's something that we've all heard. If you haven't heard it, you're going to hear it. It's whenever you have a show or, or not even a show, you just see somebody and they always come up and say, Hey, uh, when's your next show?

You hear that all the time. And then then it goes to, uh, Uh, so this is the top ten. You got that? And then you got, what time are you going up?

Just

to the goddamn show. Like, just come, the show starts at seven, ends at nine. I think you'll be [00:55:00] alright. I think of your life, you can stop for two hours to listen to a bunch of comedians.

Instead of already going to be in traffic like BAM

BAM, IT'S OUT OF GET

GET

MY WAY! Just fucking screeching up to the comedy club.

company car. OUT

WAY! Just throws money at

the host, you know?

Josiah: you know?

Doug: fucking show up on time. Uh,

Josiah: like it.

Doug: You gotta text me when, uh, You gotta text me when you're doing a show.

Josiah: Nah.

Doug: Okay, yeah.

I'm gonna individually text every single person I know. Uh, Yeah. Oh, hey, you can use that one on stage. No,

Josiah: can't. 

Doug: can't. Let me see you go up and try that one.

give you, I'll give

I'll give, you do a one minute mic and try that one.

Josiah: Yeah, yeah. See quiet the 

Doug: can be. This one I got recently. I've never gotten this one. It's only once. My buddy Jorge. Shout out to Jorge. Shout out to Jamie. Jamie [00:56:00] and Jo who listen to the show very regularly. But anyway, um, uh.

Josiah: uh,

Doug: What time does the show end? Oh, I don't know. When we're done talking?

What

What time does the show

Josiah: show end? I don't think

Doug: didn't even understand the question.

Josiah: question.

Doug: I'm not coming to your show. You're just going to make fun of me the whole time. Yeah, because for 15 and a half years of me being doing comedy, Sarah's never come to my show. And each time I walk out to that mic and I'm like, Oh, I have

of Sarah material! What am I gonna do now?!

ha ha ha ha! That is happen. Ha ha ha ha ha! and a half years of Sarah material. Just

the ways. Uh,

Josiah: Oh, Portia. Portia liked that one.

Doug: I

I bet I'd be funny on stage.

You're

not funny offstage,

Josiah: of the

Doug: of the [00:57:00] stage,

Josiah: bet I could do comedy. Yeah, cause I chuckled

Doug: Yeah, cause I chuckled at something you just said at the bar cause I'm drunk.

I'm the 

fuck

outta here. Uh, I'm gonna come to your show and heckle you so you have stuff to joke about. No, Sarah!

Josiah: What's up, back to Sarah again. Just come to the show. Is that your sister in law? No. Oh.

Doug: Uh, and

Uh, and uh, let's see, we got uh, two more here. Oh, call me the day of the show and remind me. Yeah, because I'm not thinking of the show right now. I'm not going through my set Over and over and taking stuff out and adding stuff.

I'm thinking of who haven't I called everybody's

Josiah: putting the responsibility on you for them, for their reason of not showing up.

Yeah, 

Doug: and then uh this last one, um is sort of a paradox because this one usually comes a day or two after a show And then you have to refer back to one. Hey, when's your next show? [00:58:00] The one I told you about for two months that happened yesterday?

Josiah: and the

Doug: that was yesterday? You

didn't even know!

Josiah: The one that I

Doug: when my next show was.

Shane Cohen: The

Josiah: that I announced on stage?

Doug: Yeah.

Josiah: Anyway, yeah.

Doug: Anyway, that's,

Shane Cohen: uh, that's a That's funny.

Josiah: I like it. I love it. I love it. I would like to I need, I need Doug's input on this for a fake headline, okay? Now I don't want to go, I don't want to offend people, so you tell me if this is offensive.

Just

Doug: on your podcast, you want to offend it? Cause you're gonna do it now, a lot of people are gonna hear it.

Josiah: Yeah, I don't care. 

Doug: both of my friends. Liz is

Josiah: working, working stuff out.

Doug: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You

Josiah: say no, don't do it.

Doug: No, no, no, let's see. Alright, I wanna hear it.

Josiah: So the premise is you know, you've seen the news anchor and she's gonna come out and she's gonna say this just in, BET is remaking a holiday favorite Christmas movie with a Anyway, they're calling it, and I'm going to have the movie poster and everything, they're calling it [00:59:00] Grits A Wonderful Life.

And here is the poster.

Doug: Why is it grits?

Josiah: Why is it grits?

Doug: why is it grits? 

Josiah: Alright. 

Doug: You don't eat grits?

Josiah: I don't eat grits. There are grits up

Doug: now, hold on. Do you, do you not eat grits because you're like, I have a, I have a responsibility as a white person to not eat

Josiah: No, no, no.

just,

I don't know how to cook

Doug: Yeah.

Josiah: Yeah. There's direction

to that. I can guess.

Doug: Pretty simply follow.

Shane Cohen: is

Josiah: that not funny? Is it off?

Doug: don't find it that funny.

Josiah: Is it offensive?

Doug: I don't think it's offensive. I just don't think it's funny.

Josiah: right, so I can do it 'cause it's not offensive.

Doug: I guess isn't the goal is to be funny and that's the thing i'm saying it's not

Josiah: that's the thing I'm trying to do.

But you

Doug: but you already started with not funny

just I

I mean maybe there's a better title you can come up with or something But I don't know.

I don't I find that like [01:00:00] it's just it's it Does it doesn't it's it's not doing it for me shane

Shane Cohen: I I agree I know like I like I mean I like What you're doing with the headlines, but

Josiah: I can get it. Now, and again, I'm not offended by anything

Doug: No. And, and again, I'm, I'm not offended by anything anybody says.

I don't think anybody's good enough for me to be offended by what they say. And, uh,

Josiah: uh,

Doug: That being said, I'm looking at a joke for what I want it to be, and I want it to be funny.

Josiah: be funny.

Doug: And I've yet to find that

Josiah: have to find

Doug: joke. I don't see offense in it. I can see where other people would. You know what

Shane Cohen: Like, again, for my squeaky clean, if you will, lens.

Doug: yeah, I can definitely see where somebody would be like what why you think just black people eat grits You think you think the whole market that Quaker oats has grits is only going to the black community [01:01:00] Yeah, the 14 percent of the population of America

Josiah: I won't do it. Fine. The last thing I wanted to promote, um, before, before we wrap up.

Doug: it's 

Josiah: No, it's funny. 

Doug: It's funny

thinking of you thinking of that.

Josiah: Yeah. The last thing I want to promote before Well, by the way, I've got a new webpage. Are you writing

Doug: check

Shane Cohen: out my web page. Jesus Christ. JokesByJo. com That's

Josiah: jokesbyJo without E. Okay, com And you can See all the fake headlines that I have on there. Cool. The grit's A Wonderful Life is not gonna make it up there, but I did want to, it's a new year.

I am starting something new. I have an OnlyFans page now and it's linked. It's linked right here.

Doug: no.

Josiah: I do

Shane Cohen: That is

Doug: looking.

Josiah: Oh, here we go. This is my only fans. It's only fans.

Doug: It's Yes. Oh, isn't that clever. What,

Josiah: I gotta subscribe.

Doug: How much, oh, [01:02:00] for free.

Josiah: Oh, I gotta sign in.

Doug: You gotta sign, oh, okay. I thought you had to subscribe

Shane Cohen: to yourself. Well, this is a bad No, this is a good joke, yeah, you can, uh,

Josiah: bad This is a bad example. You should be able to see Anyway, yeah, all I'm doing is posting fans.

Shane Cohen: you ever seen me polish my fan? Like, yeah, I can see that getting Yeah, yeah,

Josiah: yeah. So that's my only, you can follow me on OnlyFans now.

Doug: should do the fan like hitting stuff. 'cause you know, the, the sound

Josiah: Oh, like ASMR fan

Doug: fans. Yeah. Like you just have the fan like hitting a piece of paper

Josiah: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Shane Cohen: Sometimes it gets harder. Like, it hits harder as I feel like it. And then like

Josiah: So that's, that's my concept

Doug: Have it blow in like light curtains.

Josiah: Yeah. So follow me on OnlyFans, follow me on TikTok, Instagram, all that shit. And you're on Instagram, right? What

Doug: Oh, yeah, Doug McHizzle Doug

Josiah: you on Instagram? Yes. Shane Cohen Comedy Shane Cohen Comedy, rest these Now you

Shane Cohen: it.

Josiah: it. 


Wrapping Up and Final Thoughts
---

Josiah: All right, with Shane, thank you so much for coming on the show.

Any, uh, parting words or. Well,

Shane Cohen: was awesome, I appreciate, honestly, [01:03:00] I'm very impressed with the setup you have here, and everything you're doing.

This is awesome

Josiah: doing. Minus the technical difficulties. No, we got it working. Awesome. Thanks for coming on. And, um, are you, are you going to the open mic? Are you going to the open

Doug: Uh, no, I'm going right to Jordan's, but I did wanna say I am on a show March 16th. February 16th, uh, somewhere in Easton. The details are coming, I guess.

Josiah: Well, let me know and I can post them on the blog.

Doug: absolutely.

Josiah: Awesome. Yeah. 

Shane Cohen: We're following you.

Josiah: going

Doug: Remember? Yeah,

Josiah: going to the Tally Ho tonight? There's an

Shane Cohen: won't let you, yeah, Roxy, she's home. She worked some nights, so

Josiah: yeah, yeah, yeah. No problem. I told,

Shane Cohen: well, I will be there next, my first time I'll be going to Tally Ho for the open mic is next Thursday.

I will be there next

Josiah: Will that

Shane Cohen: I

Josiah: be your first time?

Shane Cohen: Yeah, I want to go regularly

Doug: I like when, uh, I like when little themes come on. And the one time at Tallyho, the theme ended up becoming where everybody made a joke about Nick. And that was that was that was my favorite time at that open mic.

Josiah: There was another one where everyone talked about jerking off. And then, so I did a masturbation joke. So, it was [01:04:00] good.

Doug: that happened at the inkwell show that that I did Just by mistake it just turned into this It

Josiah: like played into my opener too, because I was just like, I haven't been feeling myself lately.

Doug: That's, that's good. I like that.

Josiah: I stopped jerking

Doug: Yeah,

Josiah: Yeah. So anyway, yeah. Thanks guys. Season six. It's here. Subscribe. Tell all your friends about us and we love you. Happy new year.

Doug: I'm in love with you.

Josiah: Uh, this is Terry gross from NPR signing off. Kurt

Doug: Kirk McFarlane, also signing off.

Shane Cohen: So,

Josiah: Kurt McFarland. Yeah, we went,

Shane Cohen: tally, I mean.

Josiah: we went a little over, but we had some technical difficulties.