Writing & Performance
I moved to New York City in 2007 and something didn't feel right. I loved going to weird bars, cool rock shows, underground comedy shows and art openings but I still felt empty, like an extra in someone else's cool life.
Then I went to The Moth in early 2008 and it was like pulling a sword out of a stone. All I wanted to do was get better and better at telling stories and for the next eighteen years I had two driving creative mottos:
“It's better to be onstage in a bad show than front row at a good one."
"Never let your IQ get in the way of a good time."
Ever since then I’ve written essays, produced and performed in my own variety show, made comedy albums, built a solo show, and played drums in a loud two-person rock band. At the peak of my productivity I was getting onstage to tell jokes or a story between 5 and 10 times a week.
Most of that work made people laugh, some of it made people cry. Sometimes I failed to make people laugh so spectacularly that I cried. At its best, my work made people reconsider what they thought they knew about testicular cancer, caregiving, corporate life, or what aging punk rock has to offer.
All of this experience taught me that an audience's attention is a precious, conditional gift and to honor that attention by finding the part that matters, recognizing when an audience would rather be anywhere else and earning their trust one line at a time.
Storytelling & Stand-Up Comedy
My stories have appeared on This American Life and PBS’ Stories From the Stage. Two of my stories have been featured on The Moth Podcast. I’ve also released two comedy albums, And I Am Not Lying and Why You Should Be Happy, built from years of telling stories and jokes on stages - mostly in New York City but really all over the place.
Making Waves: An Empathetic Screaming Match on the NYC Subway
This is a true-ish story about an empathetic screaming match on the New York City subway. I told it at a 2015 Moth GrandSLAM with the theme “Making Waves.” The story became my calling card, a teaching tool in my storytelling workshops, and eventually my “Free Bird.”
Ryan Gosling, a Dead Cat and a Nightmare NYC Apartment Hunt
My fiancée and I searched Brooklyn for the impossible: an affordable apartment with central air and a dishwasher. The hunt involved a dead cat, razor wire and an encounter with Ryan Gosling. This story is my favorite old pair of jeans. If I get booked on a show last-minute, I bust this one out.
This Bidet Is SERIOUS | Stand-Up at New York Comedy Club
I performed this stand-up bit at New York Comedy Club. When my father had ALS, I dealt with the abstract horror by focusing on concrete caregiving tasks. That included renovating his bathroom and installing a bidet powerful enough to knock meat out of your back teeth.
Comedy Albums
I released my first album, And I Am Not Lying, through Comedy Dynamics in 2017. It reached #1 on the iTunes comedy chart, and I produced a limited edition on hot-pink vinyl distributed by Dischord Records. Why You Should Be Happy followed through 800 Pound Gorilla Records in 2020.
Because I’m determined to use my art degree every chance I get, I also designed the album covers and promotional materials for both releases, collaborating with poster artist Fred Struckholz on the cover of Why You Should Be Happy.
And I Am Not Lying
Comedy Dynamics, 2017. Cover designed by Jeff Simmermon. Click the cover to listen on Bandcamp.
Why You Should Be Happy
800 Pound Gorilla Records, 2020. Cover designed by Jeff Simmermon in collaboration with poster artist Fred Struckholz. Click the cover to choose a listening platform.