Messed-Up To Set-Ups - A MichaelHalcomb.Live Podcast

How To Find Your Next Move When Your Joke Is Stuck

Hello, Friend! It’s episode 156 of the Messed-Up To Set-Ups podcast and Garrett McDonald is back in the lab with me. In this one, we spend our time in a comedy-writing se

How To Build A Comedy Career That Fits Your Life

Hello, Friend! In episode 155 of the “Messed-Up To Set-Ups” podcast, I’m back in the lab with comedian Garrett McDonald. He’s actually my first repeat guest! In Part 1 of

How To Make An Audience Buy Into Your Comedy

Hello, Friend! It’s episode #154 of the “Messed-Up To Set-Ups” podcast and I’m back with “Glacier” Ray Lloyd. In this one, we dig deep into the surprising similarities be

What A Pro Wrestler Learned From Starting Stand-Up Comedy

Hello, Friend! In this first half of my conversation with Glacier Ray Lloyd, we travel from his wrestling-loving childhood in Brunswick, Georgia, through college football

How To Fix A Joke WITHOUT Changing The Words

Hello, Friend! In this solo episode of the “Messed-Up to Set-Ups” podcast, I’m digging into the concept of “timing” or, more specifically, “comedic timing.” I talk about

How To Turn Your Name Into A Full Bit

Hello, Friend! In Episode 151 of Messed-Up to Set-Ups, I’m back in the lab with comedian and producer Chris Tester. This time, we’re seeing how much comedy we can squeeze

How To Make A Good Joke Even Better

Hello, Friend! I’ve made it to Episode 150 of the “Messed-Up to Set-Ups” podcast. How cool is that?!?! In this episode, I sit down with comedian Chris Tester for a hilari

How to Turn a Good Premise Into a Better Joke

Hello, Friend! In Episode 149 of Messed-Up to Set-Ups, I’m back in the lab with comedian Casey Peruski. In Part 2 of our chat, we do a live joke-workshopping session. Cas

What Comedians Need To Get Booked Besides Being Funny

Hello, Friend! In Episode 148 of Messed-Up to Set-Ups, I’m in the lab with Florida-based comedian, producer, and Dry Bar Comedy performer Casey Peruski. Casey talks about

Is Being Messed-Up Our Advantage Over A.I.?

Hello, Friend! In Episode 146 of Messed-Up to Set-Ups, I’m back in the lab with comedian and humor researcher Von Sprecken. We dive back into the psychology of comedy, me

The Hidden Psychology of Jokes

Why does a joke actually work? That’s a much more complicated question than it initially appears. I recently sat down with comedian and humor researcher Von Sprecken, and

How Far Can You Push a Joke?

Hello, Friend! In this episode of Messed-Up to Set-Ups, I’m back with Brad Brauser for a live joke-writing session that gets deep into therapy bits, self-trolling, and th

Tips For Producing Shows In A Small Market

Hello, Friend! In this episode of Messed-Up to Set-Ups, I’m get to hang out with comedian Brad Brauser. This is a super fun, honest, and practical conversation about come

Emotional Hangovers After A Bad Set

Hello, Friend! In this episode of Messed-Up to Set-Ups, I’m joined again by Shannon Sullivan, and we get into some of the most practical and eye-opening conversations I’v

What Bombing Does to a Comedian's Brain

Hello, Friend! In this episode of Messed-Up to Set-Ups, I’m joined by Shannon Sullivan, a nurse and holistic nurse coach. So, why would I have a nurse on my comedy podcas

Tips For Finishing Jokes That Feel Stuck

Hello, Friend! In this episode of Messed-Up to Set-Ups, Bassil Kamas is back in the lab! This time, we dig into something every joke writer eventually deals with: What do

The Value of Producing & Performing

Hello, Friend! In this episode of Messed-Up to Set-Ups, I chat with comedian Bassil Kamas about the value of getting in on both sides of a comedy show: Performing and Pro

Deep Joke Surgery with 2 Comedians

In this episode 139 of Messed-Up to Set-Ups, Paula Jane Newman is back in the lab with me for Part 3 of our chat. In this one, we pull back the curtain once again on the

Fixing Jokes That Kinda Work

Hello, Friend! In Episode 138 of Messed-Up to Set-Ups, I’m back with Paula Jane Newman for Part 2 of our conversation, and this one is all about shaping jokes in real tim

Pain, Healing, & Stand-Up Comedy

Hello, Friend! Welcome to Episode 137 of Messed-Up to Set-Ups! In this first part of three (something that’s never happened on the podcast before!), I kick off my convers