Breaking Bread with Tom Papa

Josh Johnson talks with Tom Papa about developing his stand-up voice, hosting The Daily Show and why creative skill cannot be outsourced to AI. He also explains how Comedy Band Camp turns a live show into a community experience and why even a great set cannot silence a comedian's self-doubt.

Josh's tour Comedy Band Camp is on the road now.

Josh Johnson Comedy YouTube is out now.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Josh Johnson Says Elon Musk Sounds Broke
02:56 Finding His Stand-Up Voice
12:08 Why AI Cannot Replace Creative Skill
17:12 Nine Years at The Daily Show
22:49 Hosting The Daily Show
25:38 How Politics Entered the Stand-Up
37:26 Elon Musk Hecklers and Changing Minds
45:12 America's Main Character Syndrome
49:36 What Algorithms Say Josh Johnson Does
54:00 Building the Comedy Band Camp Tour
58:43 Releasing New Stand-Up Every Tuesday
1:07:50 Why Comedians Still Doubt Themselves
1:13:55 Bread and Tour Plugs

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Max Amini joins Tom Papa to talk about building a global stand-up audience through crowd work, curiosity and comedy in both English and Farsi. He shares stories from growing up in Iran, directing James the Second and shaping a live show that changes with every room. They also discuss his upcoming special and worldwide tour.

Max's film James the Second comes up in this episode.

Max's next special is on the way.

Max's international tour is on the road now.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Max Amini Knows How to Joke With Any Country
03:58 Directing James the Second
07:08 Building a Stand-Up Career on Instinct
09:51 Discovering Crowd Work
12:29 Finding a Place Outside the Industry
16:20 The Class Clown Becomes a Comedian
18:23 Growing Up Between America and Iran
21:43 Teenage Rebellion in Iran
24:48 The Iran Beyond the Headlines
27:55 Hope, Technology and a Fairer World
30:54 Performing Stand-Up in Farsi
34:19 How Max Amini Learns Every Culture
37:08 Bread, Podcasts and Real Connection
40:14 The Famous Comedian You May Not Know
43:53 Building a Global Audience Independently
48:16 Max Amini's Next Special
49:34 How Crowd Work Shapes the Show
52:23 Why Comedy Rewards Originality
56:05 Turning Old Ideas Into New Films
57:26 Cairo, Albania and a Tour Documentary
1:00:28 Bread for the Road

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Chuck Lorre joins Tom Papa to talk about his book Sitcom and the improbable road from aspiring songwriter to one of television’s most influential comedy creators. They dig into Two and a Half Men and the Charlie Sheen years Chuck admits he was in denial about, The Big Bang Theory, Roseanne, casting Jon Cryer, and the creative rules that keep audiences laughing and caring.
Chuck's book Sitcom: A Memoir is out now.
Chuck's show Leanne is out now.
Chuck's show Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is on the way.
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Tom sits down with Zach Zucker for a freewheeling conversation about cheating on the ACT, finding his artistic home in French clown school and bringing his creative family to Netflix with Stamptown. Zach also explains the Iams voiceovers keeping the operation alive and the full-circle moment that took him back to Étampes.

Zach's special Stamptown is out now.

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Brian Posehn joins Tom Papa to talk about nearly 40 years in stand-up, his lifelong love of metal and Rush, and the call that brought him into a new HBO Max show from the Big Bang Theory universe. They also get into Star Wars, The Mandalorian, Deadpool, creator-owned comics, and the joy of building a career around everything that made Brian Posehn a smart, weird kid.
Brian plays Bert in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, the Big Bang Theory spinoff, streaming now on HBO Max.
Brian's stand-up tour is on the road now.
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