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PODCAST

The Funny Muscle Podcast

Mike Lukas and Chris Stiffler

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.

comedy stand-up

All Episodes

44:49

What Makes an ‘Unlikely Scenario’ Funny? (And Why...

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2025/09/19

“You never see…” — it’s one of comedy’s favorite springboards into the ridiculous. In this episode of The Funny Muscle Podcast, Mike and Chris grab the metaphorical coach’s playbook and diagram how pros turn that setup into laugh-out-loud gold. Along the way, they break down three humor heightening devices — Uncommon Worlds, Unlikely Scenarios, and Incongruity — showing how comics bend reality, collide worlds, and twist expectations to squeeze every laugh from a premise.

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52:04

Comic Timing with Tim Alexander

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2025/09/12

You’d think comedians would be the ones giving lessons on timing. But this week, we flipped the snare. Our guest is Tim Alexander, the legendary drummer for Blue Man Group and Primus, who joins the Funny Muscle Pod to teach us about timing. Turns out, drummers and comedians share the same secret weapon: the pause. The space between the beats, or between the setups and punchlines, is where the tension builds and where the audience leans in before the payoff.

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37:32

Hook, Line, and Punchline: The Science of Bait and...

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2025/08/27

Think you saw the punchline coming? Good comics make sure you don’t. In this Funny Muscle Pod, Mike and Chris break down bait and switch — the move where you’re sure you know the joke’s ending, then wind up face-down in a completely different punchline. We analyze the tape of the Naked Gun’s deadpan reveals, Dave Barry’s elegant sentence swerves, and stand-up jokes from comedians Tom Cotter, Jon Stewart and Jim Jeffries. We show how great comics bait the hook before yanking the rug. Plus, we share

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27:20

Hacking a Small Crowd

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2025/08/11

Not every room will be packed—sometimes you’re on stage for fewer people than your car’s backseat can handle. In the latest episode of the Funny Muscle Pod, Mike shares battle-tested tips for how to turn a modest crowd into a memorable performance, like boost your pace and go local. We also learn how to say what they’re thinking—lightly. If your audience is thinking, “Is this crowd supposed to be this small?”, Mike teaches how to nudge that thought without making anyone feel self-conscious.

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36:16

The "Excellent Choice" Effect: Stand-up Techniques...

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2025/07/31

Why do we feel so good when a waiter says “excellent choice” after we order the salmon instead of the flank steak?Mike and Chris break down the psychology behind that little dopamine hit and show you how to use the same principle to level up your comedy, corporate communication, public speaking, and even your skills as a great emcee. They also dig into the respective articles they wrote for Finding Your Funny Muscle: How to Strengthen Your Corporate Communication Using the Funny Muscle Method -

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43:44

Feel Something, Say Something: Turning Topics Into...

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2025/06/14

On this episode of Funny Muscle, the team tackles one of the most important — and often overlooked by new comics — steps in joke creation: assigning an emotion to a topic. Because “air travel” isn’t funny. But your deep personal betrayal by a TSA muffin confiscation? That’s a premise. They look at how pros use an emotional POV to instantly transform a generic idea into a living, breathing premise that’s ready for punchlines.

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26:30

Hour A Day to Write Comedy? 12 Comics' Advice (part 2)

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2025/05/06

In this episode, we cornered a dozen comedians—some voluntarily—and asked:“If you had one hour a day to train your comedy off-stage, what would you do?” There’s a wide range of answers. One practices in front of a mirror. One writes down everything that irritates them until they become punchlines. One looks up 20 facts about a topic. And yes—several review their sets like it’s game tape, pausing to say things like “Here’s where I lost Iowa.” This episode will give comedy training ideas for you to

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01:05:15

Work to the Top of Your Intelligence with Jimmy Shubert

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2025/04/14

Nationally touring comedian, actor, and verbal hurricane Jimmy Shubert stops by the Funny Muscle Pod to talk about his legendary career, offer some top-shelf joke-writing advice, and reveal his secret weapon: the “20 Facts, 20 Jokes” method. Basically, he starts with facts and then writes jokes about them. That’s it. That’s the system. And it works, because he's Jimmy Freakin’ Shubert.Described by some as a “renegade wordsmith who works to the top of his intelligence” Jimmy shares wisdom, war

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45:37

The Business Side of Stand-Up

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2025/03/26

Here at the Funny Muscle Pod, we chat a lot about the skills in crafting jokes, but in this episode, we take a hard turn to the business side of comedy. And although the business of stand-up is as glamorous as a motel continental breakfast, it’s needed. We grill Mike, a seasoned touring comedian, on crucial survival skills, such as how to avoid burnout on the road (step one: don’t live entirely on gas station taquitos), why you need an EPK (which we promise is not a new cryptocurrency), and the

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45:26

Marketing Your Comedy Brand with David Uribe

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2025/03/13

How do you market your comedy brand? How do you get more likes, shares, and followers without resorting to bribery or adopting an emotional support ferret for viral content?The biggest comics know the secrets of online marketing—like how to trick the algorithm into showing your jokes to more than just your mom and that one guy from high school. To help us crack the code, we invited David Uribe—marketing consultant at comedybranding.com, dabbler in comedy, and full-time knower of things—to our

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52:31

Comedy Competitions with Kenny Lee

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2025/03/04

Join us on the Funny Muscle Pod as we sit down with Kenny Lee, winner of the 2024 Purvis Wilson Funniest Stand-Up in Dallas Competition. Known for his sharp, cunning comedy, Kenny (@KennyLee270) takes us behind the scenes of his joke-writing process, shares how he developed his comedic persona, and talks about the power of working clean. Plus, he breaks down the strategy behind competing in stand-up competitions and how he crafted his sets to win each round.

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52:46

Not Giving Up on a Bit with CAIN

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2025/02/26

In this episode of the Funny Muscle Pod, we sit down with rising Dallas comic CAIN (@funnycain_) to talk comedy, persistence, and the art of refining bits. He shares valuable advice on not giving up on jokes, reworking material, and navigating the Dallas open mic scene. Plus, CAIN reveals how he draws inspiration from professional wrestling and magic to elevate his act. Don't miss this insightful conversation.

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50:51

Punch Lines and Cruise Ships with Brad Tassell

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2025/02/15

Comedian and author Brad Tassell joins the Funny Muscle Podcast to talk about joke writing, performing comedy on cruise ships, and how the comedy scene today compares to the 90s. As the creator and co-host of the Virtual Comedy Show, Brad brings years of experience and insight into crafting punchlines—sharing advice that’s simple yet often overlooked.

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43:10

Find the Funny and Never be Annoyed: Payton Payne

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2025/02/05

What better person to teach us how to do your first year of comedy more efficiently than someone who recently did her first year of comedy very efficiently. Payton Payne, a Dallas comic, joins the Funny Muscle Pod to teach us how she uses stage time to craft jokes, and how, when you constantly are looking for ways to make things funny, typically annoying instances no longer bother you.

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52:43

Get Better at Comedy Faster with Paul Varghese

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2025/01/27

Paul Varghese is a comedian and actor who appeared on the reality show Last Comic Standing 2. He’s toured with Joan Rivers and Gabriel Iglesias. He has been doing stand-up since 2001 and lives in Dallas Texas, so Mike (also in Dallas) had some questions about the local scene. We talk a lot about comedy writing, what it’s like being a comic of Indian descent, and the evolution of comedy over the past 3 decades. Paul has a completely innovative way that he uses to get his mind into the

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01:15:44

Being Yourself on Stage with Dwayne Kennedy

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2025/01/18

In this episode we chat with Dwayne Kennedy, a stand-up comedian, actor and writer. Dwayne has also written for The Arsenio Hall Show and The Orlando Jones Show. He has played roles in such classic series as Seinfeld, Martin, 227, and Amen. Having done comedy for more than 3 decades, Dwayne is in the unique position to talk about the state of comedy today. His advice on “being yourself” on stage is a great tip for younger comedians.

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57:14

Blue Man Comedy with Jeffrey Nicholas Brown

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2025/01/07

The Funny Muscle Podcast welcomes our first Blue Man in this episode. Which is challenging since the Blue Man Group doesn't talk. Fortunately, this Blue Man is also Nickelodeon Famous. Jeffrey Nicholas Brown is most known for his role as "Jake Hart" on Nickelodeon's Henry Danger. (So, he can talk and does so during the interview) Jeffrey also does stand-up. His advice about getting laughs without talking like he does as a Blue Man is great for new comics.

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58:33

Million Words Writing Challenge

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2024/12/23

Chris travels to Dallas for this one. He joins Mike's comedy office hours on Wednesday at the Dallas Comedy Club to workshop material with students. They talk about crafting comedy bits in a group setting. They also chat about Mike's journey to improve his writing using a challenge: The Ice Bucket Writing Challenge which involves writing Hemingway-like prose or taking an ice bath. (Kidding! Though such prose would look like “I took the bucket of ice. It chilled me to the bone. But a man must endure

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56:33

Comedy as a Booker, Teacher, Mom and Comic: Magen King

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2024/12/08

The Funny Muscle Podcast chats with a comedian, a storyteller, an award-winning radio host, a mom and a comedy teacher in this episode. And they are all the same person: Magen King. She was a finalist in the World Series of Comedy and a finalist for three consecutive years in the Funniest Comic in Texas. She teaches at the Dallas Comedy Club. We talk about booking talent in the Dallas area, her tips on writing new material, her comedy lens as a mom of three teenagers, and some advice she obtained

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01:03:52

Comedy Song Writing with Tim Cavanagh

The Funny Muscle Podcast ·

2024/11/25

The Funny Muscle welcomes to the podcast its first guitar. And accompanying that guitar is comedian and songwriter Tim Cavanagh, who has been in the comedy business for almost four decades. His first CD, “Sounds Like Fun!” was released in 1997. Tim tells us how he credits deadlines and his weekly segment called “The One Minute Song” on “The Bob & Tom Show” for his ability to create laughs. Tim gives us advice on finding connections for joke writing, turning a premise into a song, and

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51 results

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