Like many comics, James Johann landed in the stand-up business after washing out at a number of other vocations. “I used to be a welder,” he recalls. “I don’t know what I made. They   

“I was a funny kid that enjoyed comedy,” explains Kyle Grooms, “but I never thought of comedy as a job. We had Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy, but it was like they came from outer space.”   

“I was never a class clown,” says comedian Sean Patton. “I was more of a smokin’-weed-with-his-friends-in-the-backyard-while-skipping-school clown. I was pretty shy, believe it or not. I  

Many comedy fans know that comedian Jeff Foxworthy left a job at IBM to start a career in stand-up. Detroit native Rob Little also worked for “Big Blue,” but when he left he advised others to   

Comedian Keith Alberstadt has always been sarcastic. “I was in a wine store,” he tells an audience, “and I couldn’t see the label very well so I asked the woman who was working there, ‘W  

Eddie Ifft is one of America’s most popular comedy exports. Perhaps that has something to with the political science degree he earned from the University of Pittsburgh. “I didn’t really cons  

Not only has Cincinnati produced dozens of homegrown stand-up comics, it has been the adopted hometown of several more. That list includes Greg Warren, Mike Lukas and Jeremy Essig. The latter came  

 It’s been quite a year for comedian Dave Waite, highlighted by an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. “That was the best day of my life,” Waite says. “It definitely helped. I  

Comedian Maronzio Vance hails from North Carolina, but he refuses to admit he’s from the South; after all, his home state starts with “North.” His storytelling style covers everything from  

 Erik Griffin isn’t embarrassed to say what the biggest key to his success has been. “Admitted mama’s boy here,” he laughs, “put that on the record.” He elaborates: “She was one of