Episode 028 TABOO (pt. 2 of 2) - Tristan Smith: "I'll take a gasp and an ohhhhh"

TABOO (pt. 2 OF 2)
This is part 2 of the TABOO recording. If you haven’t listened to part 1, go do that first. This won’t make a lot of sense otherwise. In this episode, we talk about Tristan’s history of being bullied and (sort of?) bullying and how that influenced his sense of humor. We also chat about the unique perspective and skillset of his improv background, failing with fun, and the function of joy in comedy. In terms of craft, we take apart one of his more “worked out” bits that I’ve seen level a room with booming laughter or make everyone squirm, either of which delights him. There’s some great stuff on pacing/timing. We also dig into another Dave Chappelle bit from the same Laugh Factory set as in part 1 of this series. Harrison and Tristan are giddy as they rip me a new one over an equipment failure. This was a fun one!

ABOUT THE GUEST COMIC
Tristan Smith is one of a handful of people who consistently renders me non-responsive with giggles. He’s got 7 years of improv experience on top of his stand-up tenure, and it shows. He’s a fearless stand-up MC and former member of the Reckless Theater house team “Big Fiasco.” Tristan can frequently be seen at Broadway Comedy Club in Manhattan, and he was formerly an active host and co-producer with Laughing Buddha Comedy. As of 2018, he runs a weekly open mic with Patrick Holbert that’s related to their podcast, “The Comic’s Table.”