You ever get into one of those conversations where you think you know the subject… and then suddenly you’re ten layers deeper than you ever expected to go? That’s what happened here.
This week on Here’s What We Know, we’re joined by Danny Johnson, a stand-up comedian making his mark in the world of clean comedy. We start by talking about the craft, how a joke is built, why timing matters more than the words, and how comedians actually think.
And then we keep going, because comedy is more than just about being funny anymore.
Now it’s social media, followers, clips, going viral, and pressure. The conversation gets more and more fascinating, as one question keeps coming up: If being funny isn’t enough anymore… then what is?
This episode is sponsored by:
In This Episode:
The rise of clean comedy and why it’s finding a bigger audience
How comedians actually write and build material
The pressure of social media and why it changes everything
The difference between being funny and being successful
What it really means to “make it” in comedy today
And why some of the funniest people you’ve ever seen might still be figuring it out
Quotations:
“My mind doesn’t stop thinking of the stuff of what I think is funny stuff.” ~ Danny Johnson
“You almost like interrogate your idea like a detective, who does this impact? Why does it impact them? How many people are doing it? How many people know about it? What do they feel about it? What does your family feel about you? Just kind of fire these questions at this idea and flesh it out.” ~ Danny Johnson
“Politics strikes me as more sad than anything.” ~ Danny Johnson
“There’s nothing I get a bigger kick out of than putting a smile on someone’s face. So, if I could do that, that’s success to me.” ~ Danny Johnson
Bio:
Danny Johnson’s hilarious, clean stand-up has entertained audiences in comedy clubs, corporate events, and churches nationwide for over 15 years. Danny’s work as a stand-up comedian has been humbly compared to Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin James, and Jackie Gleason, blending his original material with his now renowned facial expressions. Danny’s show is relatable, entertaining, and always evolving. Danny has starred in numerous TV commercials, Comedy Central’s Laugh Riots, Florida’s Funniest Comedian Top 10 Finalist, Winner-Carnival Cruise line Comedy Challenge, Finalist in Search for the One Christian Comedy contest, has a wildly popular Dry Bar Comedy Special (now available on Apple TV, Amazon, & Peacock), and has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Chris Rock, Damon Wayans, Bob Saget, Billy Gardell, Richard Lewis, Rickey Smiley, Norm McDonald, Howie Mandel, and a variety of others.
Danny had the privilege of filming NateLand Live at the famous Zanies Comedy Club in Nashville, TN. NateLand Live is the brainchild of Nate Bargatze and features some of the best clean comedians touring today.
Danny’s latest comedy special, “Everything Bothers Me,” has taken YouTube by storm with over 100k views in its first month and still climbing!
His North Florida footprint is well known, calling the Comedy Zone his home club for almost two decades, performed at Murray Hill Theatre, The Florida Theatre and Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. Locally, you may have also seen Danny on his many appearances on the News4Jax Morning Show, Jacksonville’s River City Live, or his extremely brief/ distant appearance on season 4 of Netflix’s Cobra Kai (don’t blink).
This week on Here’s What We Know, we’re rolling with the laughs—and some heartfelt moments—with the hilarious and down-to-earth Felipe Esparza! Felipe joins us ahead of his sold-out show at the San Jose Civic (May 10!), and we dive into everything from his early days at the San Jose Improv to what it’s like raising a stepson who’s enthusiastically trying to embrace his Mexican roots (despite being very white).
Whether you’ve been a Felipe fan for years or you’re just getting to know him, this episode is full of laughs, real talk, and the kind of heart that sticks with you. Listen now!
How Felipe transforms personal pain into laugh-out-loud comedy
Hilarious dating stories featuring “smart women with low standards”
Lessons from comedy greats like Richard Pryor
A peek into his hit podcast, What’s Up Fool? and History for Fools
Behind-the-scenes look at the art of stand-up, comedic timing, and joke crafting
Quotations:
“ I’ve never been with a woman who didn’t have a degree in my life.” ~ Felipe Esparza
“ You could just make anything sound funny just the way you say it, or the timing, or you put the right word in.” ~ Felipe Esparza
“When I’m learning about standup, I learned that, um, if you end a word with a letter K, it’s funnier than any other word.” ~ Felipe Esparza
Bio:
Felipe Esparza is not just your average comedian – he’s a force of nature on stage, leaving audiences in stitches with his wild stories and real world experiences that make up his material. Since winning NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” in 2010, Felipe has worked hard to solidify his place among the top touring headliners working today.
With four successful stand-up specials under his belt at HBO and Netflix and his popular “What’s Up Fool? Podcast”, holding steady as a top comedy podcast for the last ten years, fans have gotten to know Felipe and the world he comes from, and they want more. They are flocking to his live shows to be part of the total experience. With Felipe’s new “At My Leisure” Tour launching fall of 2024, he’ll be going international for the first time, to include Australia, New Zealand, Canada and several European dates to close out the year. Felipe’s infectious energy and undeniable charm make every live performance an unforgettable experience.
In addition to his stand-up success, Felipe has started to make a name for himself on the small and big screens. With recurring roles on hit TV shows such as “Superstore”, “The Eric Andre Show”, “Gentefied”, and “Victor and Valentino”, as well as appearances in films including “Guest House” with Pauly Shore, “7th & Union” with Omar Chaparro, “Daddy Daughter Trip” with Rob Schneider, and “You People” with Eddie Murphy and Jonah Hill, Felipe has proven himself to be a versatile and talented performer.
Felipe will be working on his 5th stand-up special during this new tour, promising even more laughs and unforgettable moments. With a slew of exciting projects on the horizon, Felipe shows no signs of slowing down.
This week on the Here’s What We Know, buckle up for a conversation filled with laughter, quirky stories, and a surprising amount of heart! We’re thrilled to welcome T.J. Miller—a comedian, actor, and voice you’ll recognize from Deadpool, Silicon Valley, and How to Train Your Dragon. T.J. is here to share his refreshingly down-to-earth approach to comedy, life, and everything in between.
This episode is sponsored by:
(Be sure to use code “Gary20” to get 20% off your order!)
In this Episode:
Learn why his website is humorously named tjmillerdoesnothaveawebsite.com, a playful nod to the early 2000s domain craze.
Discover the quirky backstory of T.J.’s cowboy baseball hat, inspired by a friend’s bold character transformation that brings plenty of laughs.
Get to know his unique perspective on performing in tech-heavy places like San Jose, where he shares how the Bay Area audience has shifted post-pandemic but still appreciates his signature comedy.
Uncover T.J.’s approach to comedy, centered around not taking himself too seriously. His live shows are a celebration of authenticity, inviting the audience to laugh with him and at themselves.
Learn about his personal life, including meeting his wife in college theater and the steadfast support they’ve shared through life’s many twists and turns.
Discover the charm behind his gruff, recognizable voice that’s landed him memorable roles—and why he thinks audiences are drawn to those “rough around the edges” characters.
Get to know his love for improv, making each live performance an unforgettable, interactive experience that keeps comedy fresh and engaging.
Quotations:
“I don’t like performing for people who are too self-serious.” ~ T.J. Miller
“My father’s way of sort of showing affection is making fun of someone. So he’ll sort of tease my mother and that’s kind of how, and she knows that means that he loves her and is paying attention to her and thinking about her.” ~ T.J. Miller
“It still blows my mind when people say like, knew, I knew from the voice because I don’t, my voice doesn’t sound different to me.” ~ T.J. Miller
“I think there’s something very American in my voice.” ~ T.J. Miller
“I can wear a mask in the airport and a cap and glass, a regular cap, not a cowboy cap and glasses. And then as soon as I speak, people will be like, I knew it was you.” ~ T.J. Miller
“Wow, I took care of that whole table. That whole family. I made that whole family laugh. And so because of that, like, yeah, I think I did my job.” ~ T.J. Miller
“I feel as though I come off as really friendly because I am ultimately a very kind person.” ~ T.J. Miller
“I’m very happy with my rating as an actor in the sense that there aren’t a lot of bad things about any of my work that’s happened.” ~ T.J. Miller
“We’re all in our screens, androids, and but we’re streaming. Just get out of the house. Put your phone down and come and see a show.” ~ T.J. Miller
Bio:
T.J. Miller is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer known for his unique style of humor and versatility across television, film, and stand-up comedy. With memorable roles in hit films like Deadpool and Cloverfield, and as the voice of characters like Tuffnut in the How to Train Your Dragon series, T.J. brings his quirky, energetic presence to every project. He gained widespread recognition for his portrayal of Erlich Bachman on HBO’s Silicon Valley, where his eccentric, over-the-top performance made him a fan favorite. A staple in the comedy world, T.J. continues to tour and bring his boundary-pushing humor to audiences worldwide.
This week on the Here’s What We Know Podcast, we sit down with the hilariously insightful and widely known recovery comedian, Mark Lundholm. Known for his unique blend of humor and mental health advocacy, Mark shares insights from his life’s journey—from dysfunctional beginnings to becoming one of just three people in the country who do what he does (and arguably doing it best). With anecdotes that range from humorous to profound, he reflects on personal growth through experiences and his unique perspective on life. Now, he’s sharing the tools he uses to captivate, entertain, and educate audiences around the world.
Whether you’re looking for laughs or life lessons—or ideally both—this episode promises plenty of each, courtesy of one of the most distinctive voices in stand-up today. Tune in now!
Discover shared interests between Gary and Mark bond over their mutual love for cigars and a specific shop they unknowingly frequented together.
Learn about Mark’s unique niche that combines humor with mental health advocacy. As one of only a few in his field, he shares insights on using comedy as a platform to educate and enlighten.
Reflect on how age brings experience over energy, particularly in comedy. With years spent touring different countries and all 50 states multiple times, hear about what longevity has taught him.
Explore Mark’s language fluency across audiences: From inmates to politicians, Mark prides himself on speaking ‘all languages’ due to performing for diverse groups.
Dive into personal stories from Mark and Gary that reveal their youthful misadventures and learning curves.
Discover how growing up in Oakland during turbulent times shaped much of his perspective on making mistakes—and learning from them collectively rather than individually.
Stories about playing golf—including an enlightening moment with an older golfer—Mark draws parallels between sportsmanship, business ethics, integrity, and personal improvement.
Quotations:
“If you’re young, you’ve got a ton of energy for something. When you get old, you’ve got a ton of experience for something.” ~ Mark Lundholm
“Golf and lovemaking are a metaphor for everything in life.” ~ Mark Lundholm
“You can’t hide for 18 holes. You finish 18 holes, you know whether you would ever play with that person again, do business with them, introduce them to your family, tell them anything intimate. So it’s a very, very good finding out.” ~ Mark Lundholm
“If I do really well, then I’ll put pressure on myself.” ~ Mark Lundholm
“I’m not afraid to fail and failure is really mental anyway.” ~ Mark Lundholm
“And so the road will tell you who you are, who you’re not, and who you are today.” ~ Mark Lundholm
“Comedy has a fine edge to it where you know too much you cut something; it’s like a scalpel too much you cut somebody deep just the right amount you cut just deep enough to get them to do their work.” ~ Mark Lundholm
“I am disappointed if I don’t do as well as I could have, would have, should have because this is what I do for a profession. So if I don’t do well, I know now. If I’m an eight on a 10 scale, I’m okay. Anything less than an eight on a 10, I feel like I should give some of the money back.” ~ Mark Lundholm
“Anger is a human emotion. Anger is one of the greatest tools I have because I’ve discovered that anger becomes a passion to change something.” ~ Mark Lundholm
“So dysfunctional can mean I wasn’t informed very well. Turns out misinformed sometimes leads to mistreatment.” ~ Mark Lundholm
“So the simple twist is trauma is a teacher or it’s a perpetrator. Sometimes a perpetrator starts out as a teacher.” ~ Mark Lundholm
“If what you don’t forgive, you will become.” ~ Mark Lundholm
“People are real insecure when it comes to you doing their job too. So what I learned from that is I could forgive them and say, well, okay, or I can become them and beat the crap out of the next person I work with.” ~ Mark Lundholm
“So know your place. And I don’t mean that in a demeaning way, but I know my place. I’m very happy with my little niche corner of the comedy market. Nobody does what I do better than me, but nobody else is me. I’m the only one of me that’s ever gonna be in this universe just like you. And people are listening. There’s never gonna be another you in this universe.” ~ Mark Lundholm
“Funny and smart, they were like two bullets in a gun that only had two chambers for bullets, you know, boom, and I’m done.” ~ Mark Lundholm
“High IQ equals more failure for some of us because I’m going to rely on my intelligence instead of my experience or my ears. Smart people don’t listen as, as well as we should.” ~ Mark Lundholm
“Trauma is a teacher, disappointment is a teacher, poor example is a teacher.” ~ Mark Lundholm
“When the truth shows up, the excuses disappear. When the truth shows up, the denial is lessened because if enough people are telling you something, it’s probably got a relative amount of truth to it.” ~ Mark Lundholm
Bio:
Mark Lundholm is a comedian, author, mentor, sponsor, father, and ex-husband. He has been performing stand-up comedy focused on the challenges, struggles, and experiences of those struggling with addiction for more than 30 years.
Soon after attaining sobriety, Mark began professionally entertaining others with his irreverent and spot-on humor about life, relationships, perceptions, and challenges as someone who grew up in a dysfunctional, traumatic home environment. Before long, his popular comedy performances created national and international demand, and Mark continued to grow his audience. As of 2019, Mark has performed in all 50 states and 10 foreign countries and has presented his stand-up comedy for Presidents and other heads of state, world-renowned musicians, and Fortune 500 companies, from audiences of less than a dozen to more than 20,000 people.
In addition to his work in stand-up comedy, Mark has written and performed his own one-man show off-Broadway, achieving critical acclaim from the New York Times and Chicago Sun Times among many others, and has also appeared on Comedy Central, A&E, CBS, and NBC.
From the beginning, Mark performed his stand-up comedy in jails and prisons, addiction treatment centers, homeless shelters, and recovery conferences, and this work helped to cultivate his capacity for working with individuals in early recovery. This work eventually evolved into day-long workshops at leading addiction treatment centers, where Mark works with groups in early recovery, ranging in size from a dozen up to more than a hundred clients in early recovery. Mark’s skill at reading and working with the audience has enabled him to help clients identify and hone in on challenges that prevent individuals from achieving their goals, and work to overcome those challenges to long-term recovery.
More recently, Mark continues to perform stand-up comedy at theaters, clubs, and special events worldwide, while also developing materials for professionals. These tools are designed to assist in using humor to enhance recovery and enable counselors and therapists to more effectively reach their clients and help them to attain and maintain long-term sobriety and recovery. Whether it is his clinical stand-up comedy products (“Humor in Treatment, the 90-minute clinical comedy series that has sold over 5,000 copies, or “Family in Treatment”, the six-hour video set of interventions, interactions, psychoeducation, and tools to help families and primary clients more effectively understand each other), his clinical products for professionals (“Recovery 101”, a comprehensive curriculum utilizing humor to address the common underlying issues contributing to addiction; “Recovery Bingo”, a clinical game that fosters understanding and openness; “Doing Good Group”, a video and written guide to more effective group facilitation strategies, injected with humor), or his practical psychoeducational tools (the forthcoming “Shortcuts”), Mark possess a rare gift for identifying challenging issues, helping others to see them and to learn effective strategies for improving their lives and achieving long-term sobriety and recovery.
