The Funny Muscle Podcast

"Cats" is a topic, but it's not until you say something like "Cats bother me as an economist." have you transformed your material into a premise.

In this episode we make that distinction.

We also lea…

We asked each of our last 12 comedy pro guests what they'd tell new comedians to do if they had an hour a day to write jokes. Here's a compilation of their best advice. 

• Lenny Schmidt
• Nathan Timmel
• S…

New York comedian and co-host of the podcast “Idiots on Parade” Jake Vevera (@jakevevera) stops by the Funny Muscle Podcast to talk about his upcoming comedy special, which is about to be released on…

Lenny Schmidt stops by the Funny Muscle Podcast to teach us about the logistics of planning comedy material for 5 nights in a row on a cruise ship (hint: you got to keep track of your call-back jokes…

Headlining comedian, author, and host of the podcast “Idiots on Parade” Nathan Timmel invades the Funny Muscle Podcast to talk about the current state of comedy, to tell us tricks for doing corporate…

We learn about writing monologue jokes with Ben Alper who has written jokes for several decades and has seen them performed by the likes of Jay Leno and Dave Letterman.  

We discuss his recently publ…

On the same week that Mike released the third book in the Funny Muscle series, he did something he hasn’t done in 10 years: he strolled on stage and performed a 5-minute set.

We talk all about it in …

Comedian, Director of the Chicago Comedy Festival, and former General Manager of Zanies Comedy Club in Rosemont, Dan Carlson, stops by the Funny Muscle Podcast.

Dan teaches us how to capture a booker…

Dr. Caleb Warren joins the podcast to give Mike and Chris an academic and research-based look at why things are funny using a framework known as the “Benign Violation Theory.”

Dr. Warren is a profess…

We chat with comedian Steph Clark who is also the owner of Funny Girl Events.

So, we get advice from a comic's perspective as well as a booker.

We learn some dos and don'ts of impressing a comedy boo…

New comics will appreciate the advice from touring comedian Kevin Rogers, who took 12 years off to build a family and business, who then had to turn his comedy creation machine back on to create 20 m…

Actor and improvisational comedian Dan Bakkedahl stops by the podcast to chat about acting, improv, auditioning for roles, starting out in Chicago, and heightening comedy scenes.

Dan is known for his…

Stopping by the Funny Muscle Podcast is “The Dented Can” Dobie Maxwell.

He is a comedian, actor, radio personality, comedy instructor, comedy writer and author. 

His passion for comedy and mentoring …

The "Bad" Boy of Comedy from Wisconsin Tom Clark joins the Funny Muscle Podcast to talk about:

    * What’s it like to do a set on Conan

    *Tips of doing clean comedy (especially in Utah)

    *How …

A comedian starts a joke by making an interesting assertion.

The audience wonders, “How will they ever prove that to us with their unique take?"

Mike and Chris talk about the tactics to make that hap…

I spill my drink, and my friend says, “Ya done messed up Ay-Ay-Ron!” 

My friend is quoting the viral Key and Peele sketch: The Substitute Teacher.

In this episode of the Funny Muscle Podcast, we got …

In an effort to show how a comedian's brain instantly "blows up" a situation to notice the funny, Chris and Mike practice some improv drills at the beginning of the episode.

This might send you Googl…

In part 2 of the conversation with Adam Bloom (@adambloomcomedy) we get deeper into the pedagogical side of comedy and go deeper into Adam’s book: Finding Your Comic Genius: An in-depth guide to the …

Mike (@mlukas1111) and Chris (@econ_comic) chat with British comedian, writer, and author of “Finding Your Comic Genius: An in-depth guide to the art of stand-up comedy” Adam Bloom. 

In part 1 of the…

“Buff your head for a nickel!” might not be a heckle you’re likely to get, but it is for Mike Lukas. 

And he knows how to handle it masterfully.

We hear all about that funny anecdote in this episode …