Josh Johnson is an Emmy-nominated author, a humorist and is currently applying his creative talents at “The Every day Show.”
Sure, he’s got all of the accolades now, however the Louisiana native began chasing his dream post-college after moving to Chicago.
There, he slept on couches and worked at grocery stores.
But he has an interesting perspective on his early days.
On this week’s “Renaissance Man,” Josh told me that in the event you aren’t used to having creature comforts, “you don’t actually know the difference.
“Like when someone’s broke, they’re not like, ‘Oh, I’m out here grinding.’ They’re similar to, ‘You recognize, that is probably the most comfortable couch I’ve been on.’”
Josh’s perspective was “I’m here and I’m having fun and I’m meeting funny people,” he said.
“So yeah, perhaps the associated fee of doing it’s sleeping on some couches or sleeping on the ground. Or if I even have to, paying this $19 bus ticket that’s $19 since it’s 19 hours.
“But I feel so long as it’s in pursuit of something that you simply love, it’s a small price to pay.”
Growing up, Josh watched funnymen Christopher Titus and Bill Burr, and credited Richard Pryor and George Carlin as his Top 2 most influential comedians.
But he didn’t think it was a profession option.
“Whenever you’re little, in your head, you’re like, any adult with a job is particularly made for that job,” he said.
“You think that of teachers as like, ‘That’s just the one that knew all the mathematics. So she teaches math,’ you realize?
“And in the event you saw a pilot, you were like, ‘Oh, that’s a special guy that knows how one can fly.’ You forget that all and sundry is just regular.”
Well, he’s barely into his 30s, and he’s flying himself.
Most recently, he released “Up Here Killing Myself,” a stand-up special now streaming on Peacock.
It’s based on the actual experiences he had in therapy.
Josh hasn’t had a probability to rehash it along with his therapist yet, but he did share some scary stories in regards to the occupational hazards for comedians — specifically bombing onstage.
“Whenever you’re bombing, you’re not likely excited about improving. Like if you’re in the midst of battle, you’re not like, ‘How am I going to make use of this to show every thing around?’
“You’re more similar to, ‘Oh, my, that is horrible. This is de facto bad. They hate me.’”
He explained that sometimes bombing is a results of other aspects completely beyond your control.
Josh recalled doing a comedy festival in Recent Orleans where he was speculated to go onstage first. But one other name was called — and the entire night blew up.
That performer “bombed so bad that half the audience left,” Josh said.
“After which I’m going up and, doing what I feel any comic would do, I roasted him slightly bit for being so bad.
“I wasn’t even that mean. I just flippantly was like, ‘OK, wow. You recognize, that’s, that’s sort of crazy. I’ve never seen a half-the-room walk before.’ And I feel I said two things about him. Like, not even going after this guy.
“But it surely seems everyone that stayed were his friends. And so then I bombed. But it surely’s like, I didn’t even should.
“Everyone else hated his comedy. In order that they left. After which they hated me for mentioning how much everyone hated his comedy.
“So, you realize, it didn’t really give me any courage. There was no silver lining. That was only a horrible night. But you progress on.”
And I’m going to guess some interactions soften the blow from the bad ones.
“One time I did a show and Bob Odenkirk was there,” Josh said of the legendary sketch comedian-turned-dramatic actor (starring because the titular “Higher Call Saul”).
“He was like, ‘That was really, really great’ … He was just so complimentary and it was so real that it took me aback.”
“I still give it some thought sometimes,” Josh added, “since it was just very cool to know, OK, I’m on the fitting track doing the fitting things.”
Detroit native Jalen Rose is a member of the University of Michigan’s iconoclastic Fab Five, who shook up the faculty hoops world within the early ’90s. He played 13 seasons within the NBA before transitioning right into a media personality. Rose is an analyst for “NBA Countdown” and “Get Up,” and co-host of “Jalen & Jacoby.” He executive-produced “The Fab Five” for ESPN’s “30 for 30” series, is the writer of the best-selling book “Got To Give the People What They Want,” a fashion tastemaker and co-founded the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, a public charter school in his hometown.
