The Funny Muscle Podcast
Guided by the belief that anyone can learn to become funnier once they understand what to practice, the Funny Muscle Podcast aims to break down how pro comics get their best laughs. Comedian turned author Mike Lukas and cohost Chris Stiffler, an economics professor and open mic-er, use the game plan and concepts outlined in the Funny Muscle Book series to give listeners a better idea of how original (and funny) jokes are crafted.
- Update frequency
- every 10 days
- Average duration
- 53 minutes
- Episodes
- 50
- Years Active
- 2024 - 2025
Things I Learned in the First Year of Comedy I Didn't Know at the Start
Fact checking comedy is often a fool's errand.
(Well sir, I checked, and the phrase "a bushy bushy blonde hairdo, surfin' USA" does not in fact appear in the Declaration of Independence.)
But sometim…
Warming Up a Cold Crowd
Forty years ago, the emcee of a comedy show would likely have been the most experienced comedian, who didn’t need any help capturing an audience.
Today’s model, however, has a newer comic playing th…
Mistakes a New Comic Makes
You’ve probably envisioned yourself performing in a crowded room, but what about a completely empty one?
We get to hear about one of Mike’s successful auditions that took place in front of no one.
…
10 Things a New Standup Comic Needs to Do
Does your outfit support your comedic persona? Wait! Have you even developed your unique persona? Do you have a set list? Do your jokes have misdirection? How do open mics even work? How do veteran c…
Heightening Bits with Sound Effects and by Overstating the Obvious
What does a golf club sound like being thrown across the course?
We learn how Mike (@mlukas1111) made the frustrated golfer come alive with the humor heightening device sound effects.
We also introdu…
Expanding Your Bits with These Devices: Anthropomorphize, Contrast, Cut Back To
Mike (@mlukas1111) and Chris (@econ_comic) talk about 3 more humor heightening devices in this episode: anthropomorphize, contrast, and cut back to.
We listen to and learn about Mike’s talking alarm…
Bait and Switch, Cut Forward To, Funny Specifics (Deep Dive into Humor Heightening)
In the previous episode Mike threw a bunch of humor heightening devices at Chris’s Plane PDA bit to show how to transform a 20 second joke into a 2-3 minute bit, but they never gave a full explanatio…
How to Heighten Your Bits
Mike sees it all the time at open mics: a new comic does a good bit but leaves it under-developed.
That 20 second joke could turn into 3 great minutes of material if the open mic-er would learn to u…
The Humor Blueprint
Misdirection is at the heart of getting laughs.
That’s one piece of advice often overlooked by fledgling comics.
In this episode, Mike (@mlukas1111) teaches how comics can use misdirection to their …
The Comedy Lens
Why is understanding your Comedy Lens a critical first step to learning how to do standup comedy?
What’s your unique take? What’s your persona?
The comedy lens gives you a port hole through which to…