Let's Talk About Sets!
Channel Details
Let's Talk About Sets!
The "science" & craft of stand-up comedy. A playful podcast by comics in NYC.
Recent Episodes
68 episodes
Episode 058 PAIN – Patrick Holbert: “Who is doing the emotional lifting?”
The delightful charm monster, Patrick Holbert, joins us to pick away at PAIN in stand-up comedy. We talk about how pain is the source of much of stand...
Episode 057 GAY SHIT – Jay Jurden: “Perform for the audience you have”
The "illustrious" Jay Jurden gayly talks about gay humor and also humor about gayness in this episode where we examine the relationship between stand-...
Episode 056 MORALITY – Roy Wood Jr: “It’s fun to juggle dynamite”
The Daily Show's Roy Wood Jr. examines MORALITY in the context of stand-up comedy and gives real advice to young comics. Some of the best parts of the...
Episode 055 CALLBACKS – LeClerc Andre: “Instant in-jokes”
NBC's Bring The Funny & Fallon alum, LeClerc Andre, explains CALLBACKS in stand-up comedy via jokes by Patrice O'Neal, Moshe Kasher, and LeClerc himse...
Episode 054 CLEAN (2 of 2) – Steven Rogers: “Mastery: when you’re such a genius, you’re an idiot”
In this second part of our CLEAN comedy interview of the pathologically nice Steven Rogers, we jump right into great material. We listen, laugh, and g...
Episode 053 CLEAN (1 of 2) – Steven Rogers: “It’s a safe bet”
It’s hard to say whether Steven Rogers is nicer than he is funny or vice-a-versa, but with Stephen Colbert and Brian Regan giving him their official t...
Episode 052 PRESENCE – Bret Raybould: “Don’t give a fuck if this goes well”
The way-too-likable, philosophically funny comic, Bret Raybould, explores the role of PRESENCE in stand-up from a makeshift recording studio inside Br...
Episode 051 COMEDIC STORYTELLING YES AGAIN – Jeff Simmermon: “Building a gobstopper from the inside out”
The loquacious, award-winning raconteur and NYC stand-up comic, Jeff Simmermon, hopped on the mic for the show's second foray into COMEDIC STORYTELLIN...
Episode 050 CONTRAST – Usama Siddiquee: “Contrast is the basis of all humor”
Former NYC comedy wunderkind, now a full grown rocket-to-the-top funny manchild, Usama Siddiquee, returns to the show to explore the central pillar of...
Episode 049 FAMILY – Jackie Kashian: “Be a whole person”
Hilarious comedy legend, Jackie Kashian, explains how to joke about FAMILY in stand-up via bits from her 4 albums, incl. #1 best seller, "I Am Not The...
Episode 048 THE SETUP – Geoffrey Asmus: “A master of trickery”
Undeniably funny, whitely awkward Geoffrey Asmus joins us to explore THE SETUP in stand-up comedy. Like most things in life, most of the work goes int...
Episode 047 JOKE THEORY PT. 2 – Harrison Greenbaum: “The secret algorithm of comedy”
Harrison Greenbaum shows how he actually applies all his theories from part 1 of JOKE THEORY to his stand-up writing and performance. We go step-by-st...
Episode 046 JOKE THEORY PT. 1 – Harrison Greenbaum: “Is it true, is it new, is it you?”
The magically funny, super accomplished, and hyper-analytical Comedy Cellar comic, Harrison Greenbaum, delivers a masterclass on JOKE THEORY! He enthu...
Episode 045 COURAGE – Brian Enck: “You have no option but to succeed”
Nationally touring, Brooklyn based comic Brian Enck examines COURAGE in stand-up comedy. It takes courage to start and to keep going. It takes courage...
Episode 044 CONFIDENCE – Sally Ann Hall: “My patronus is a vulva”
NYC comedian, actor, & writer Sally Ann Hall explores the role of CONFIDENCE in stand-up comedy & and life via bits by Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Silverman...
Episode 043 ANECDOTES – Kate Willett: “Just let me be an idiot”
Newly-minted Netflix "specialist" Kate Willett gets down and dirty with us on stand-up ANECDOTES. Anecdotes are distinct from storytelling, usually la...
Episode 042 SELF-DEPRECATION – Jacob Williams: “That compliment really hurt my feelings”
Jacob Williams (MTV's Wild 'N Out, Colbert, America's Got Talent, & a lot more) KILLED it in this episode! We absolutely could not stay on topic, and...
Episode 041 PACING – Joe Zimmerman: “It has to be 3x funnier than it is them learning”
Fresh from a set on the Late Late Show with James Corden and just two days after dropping his new Comedy Central Records album, “Innocence,” the highl...
Episode 040 PERSPECTIVE – Dan Perlman: “Don’t stop with the anecdote–keep going”
Award-winning comedy writer and stand-up comic, Dan Perlman, shares his perspective on PERSPECTIVE in stand-up comedy by geeking out with us on great...
Episode 39 THE ROOM – Norlex Belma: “I know you, now listen to these jokes”
Carolines Breakout Artist Series headliner, Norlex Belma, breaks down THE ROOM in stand-up comedy. When comedians talk about the room, they're referri...
Episode 038 WRONG – Mike Recine: “Like a rollercoaster that gets to the top & catches fire”
Conan alum Mike Recine is a national headliner & a hysterically twisted joke writer--the perfect guy to explore WRONG comedy. This hilariously earnest...
Bonus Episode 009 – Back After The Burn
Jeff is off to Burning Man. We'll be back with our regular bi-weekly production schedule in the fall.
For more information about the co...
Episode 037 COMMITMENT – Andrea Allan: “Ripping your chest open onstage”
Andrea Allan, an aggressive, crazy, "wild animal" of a comedian, joins us to chart COMMITMENT through stand-up comedy via bits by Doug Stanhope, Eddie...
Bonus Episode 008 – Myq Kaplan “The joke stick is my tongue”
Happy 4th! Here's a GREAT mini-episode featuring the prolific linguistic genius, Myq Kaplan. Myq hilariously shares how he approaches presenting a min...
Episode 036 WORD ECONOMY – Andy Sandford: “Hook, line, and thinker”
Nationally touring stand-up comedian & Aqua Teen Hunger Force alum, Andy Sandford, revs his writer's Prius to taut WORD ECONOMY. Levity is brevity, bu...
Episode 035 HECKLERS – Luke Touma: “Warm but jabbing”
Boston-forged comic Luke Touma tackles HECKLERS to explore why people heckle, different kinds of hecklers, and how to deal with them. What specific ta...
Episode 034 LIKABILITY – Kenny DeForest: “Own it…let it be it”
The all-too-likable and contagiously funny comic, Kenny DeForest (Seth Meyers, HBO's Crashing), joins us to discuss LIKABILITY. What makes a comic lik...
Episode 033 TRAGEDY – Doug Smith: “I’ll get a chunk of comedy outta this”
The brilliant storyteller and comedian Doug Smith explores the use of TRAGEDY in stand-up with us through a seminal bit by Patton Oswalt and a story D...
Episode 032 TRUTH – Kaytlin Bailey: “We’re kids throwing shit at the emperor”
Storyteller extraordinaire Kaytlin Bailey opens the legs of her life to investigate the role of TRUTH in stand-up comedy. What kinds of truth are ther...
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 prob...
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 char...
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...
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 bul...
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 societ...
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 go...
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....
Bonus Episode 006 – Thank You!
This is just a whispered "thank you" to everyone who's listened over the first year of the podcast.
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...
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...