Corpus Christi Originals Podcast
The Corpus Christi Originals Podcast showcases the stories, talents, and perspectives of Corpus Christi and South Texas. Featuring engaging conversations with local personalities, entrepreneurs, and artists, the podcast explores trending topics, culture, and community. Tune in for a fresh take on what makes Corpus Christi, Texas unique!
Corpus Christi Originals Podcast
EP113: Ben Mann Comedy | Local Comedian
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Ben Mann is one of the most recognizable voices in the Corpus Christi comedy scene — a four-year standup veteran, all-state debater, full-time uncle, and visually impaired comedian from Port Connor who figured out early that the best way to beat a bully to the punch is to throw the first joke yourself.
In this episode of the Corpus Christi Originals Podcast, we talk about what it's like to pursue standup in South Texas — the open mics, the paid shows, the crowds that laugh at the wrong part, and the ones that don't laugh at all. We get into how Ben structures his sets, why he leads with his disability, the merch game (yes, he sells signed baby dolls), and the piece of advice from a mentor that's stuck with him: a dirty set pays your bar tab, a clean set pays your mortgage.
If you've ever thought about getting on stage — or you just want to know what the local comedy scene actually looks like from the inside — this one's for you.
Find Ben: at Ben Mann Comedy on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook
Corpus Christi Originals amplifies the unheard voices in our community — the people making our city unique but not always getting the spotlight.
Thanks to Premier Hearing Solutions Of South Texas for making this content possible! premierhrg.com
Follow us at corpuschristioriginals.com
Disclaimer: Views expressed by guests are their own and do not reflect the podcast, sponsors, studio, or affiliated entities.
What's going on, y'all? Welcome back to the Corpus Christi Originals podcast. I'm your host, Asusi Ladio. Uh, this is a podcast where we sit down with interesting people from Corpus Christi and the coastal band uh to hear their stories, experiences, and perspectives. Uh today I'm joining with the local comedian, Ben Mann. Uh, we're gonna talk about comedy, local scene, uh, crazy show stories, and uh what it's like pursuing stand-up here in South Texas. Uh so what's going on, Ben? How you doing? I'm good, man. How are you? You good? All right, all right. We got Port La Vaca in the house.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's me.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So is Port La Vaca like an extended version of uh Flower Bluff or no?
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah, it's it's very, very similar kind of people, uh, very similar kind of substance problems. Um not quite as bad as the bluff, though. They got like a circus going on out there.
SPEAKER_02Oh wow. So so do you live in the bluff?
SPEAKER_00Like, no, I used to make pizzas in the bluff once upon a time, not too long ago.
SPEAKER_02When did you figure out you needed to put that in your like in your stand-up?
SPEAKER_00Like people kept telling me that I look like that place smells. That's what I've I was like, well, you can't you can try to run away from it or you can just let them have it.
SPEAKER_02It's funny, but so do you do you purposefully go over there to like try to figure out like like make jokes about it?
SPEAKER_00Or uh no, I mean I just I I've had my my I've lived in the corpus for four or five years, something like that. And I made like I worked at the Papa John's there for a little bit, and then I also uh won season coached my nephews played in their uh football league. Yeah, so I got familiar with the parents and stuff. That's very similar to Port Lovaca.
SPEAKER_02Hey, Port Lovaca for real. Yeah, I drove I drove to Point Comfort like often with my my last job I was at, so we would go through all the time. There was a there was a we seafood place there, man, called Kathy's. It was a trailer.
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah, oh yeah.
SPEAKER_02Kathy's bro, it's good.
SPEAKER_00Oh man. All you can eat shrimp, shrimp and onion rings, bro. Yeah, you can't beat it. And it's good.
SPEAKER_02And she loads it down to yeah. The last couple times I went, they she moved. I don't know where she went.
SPEAKER_00Uh they're like down the street. Uh if you looked it up, you could find it. That's fine. I don't know the exact location, but yeah, they've they moved uh the smaller location.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, what's it like growing up over there in Port La Vaca?
SPEAKER_00Um, so I'm actually from I'm from Port O'Connor, which is about 30 minutes towards the water.
SPEAKER_02Okay, okay.
SPEAKER_00Uh, but I went to high school in Port LaVaca. So that kind of having to get up 30 minutes early to catch the bus, to go to school, and then you know, doing extracurriculars, having to not get home till 10 or 11 o'clock at night and still doing having to do homework and stuff, and then get up at five o'clock the next morning, builds character, definitely wouldn't sign up for it again.
unknownDid you play football?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, yeah, yeah. I I played football.
SPEAKER_02That's cool.
SPEAKER_00It's kind of what you do there. Yeah, right. What everyone's doing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_00If you make any friends in middle school, they're probably playing football and nobody wants to quit because everybody's there together.
SPEAKER_02We've all kind of Yeah, you had you had a joke about the seventh grade. Did do you usually go back to those types of stories whenever you joke?
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah, when they're applicable. When I can fit them in.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, see, that was interesting. We were talking before air, how like you kind of read the crowd to figure out what's what might or might not work.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and and you were and we were mentioning how a lot of the open mics are like at nighttime. So the crowd that's there's just kind of getting out of work, blowing off steam or what have you, you know what I mean? And so do you learn how to structure your jokes like around that?
SPEAKER_00Uh kinda.
SPEAKER_02You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's kind of like that. Like you you can just kind of feel it. You can't normally, and if you watch the people in front of you, especially at open mics, you can kind of tell what the crowd wants and what they don't want. Like if someone comes up there and they're they're pushing the limit and they're being super gross and yeah, yeah, no one's saying anything, probably not that kind of crowd. But on the same note, somebody might come up and do super clean, witty material. But you know, these people have tossed a couple back and they're not they're not trying to think too hard. They want you to feed them the joke.
SPEAKER_02So why so like do you like sign up late or let the first let them go first so I can figure out the room?
SPEAKER_00Or sometimes, but also you gotta go first a few times because once you get start getting booked on shows, nine times out of ten, you're the first guy.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00So you gotta have that skill set to break the room in yourself, also. So it's a balance, it's just dependent on how you feel that night, I guess. Yeah, at least for myself.
SPEAKER_02How much how much different is uh actual paid show as opposed to being uh an open being at open mic? Uh like where the where the customer actually pays to go see.
SPEAKER_00It's kind of crazy. The stage I'm at now, I do a lot of paid shows at bars that don't sell tickets. So like they're just people that come to the bar to come to the bar. Okay. And then I'll just, you know, me and whoever will get up and just start talking to them, and they're like, Well, we didn't know this was happening. Oh wow. So sometimes even these paid shows feel like open mics, weird in a sense. But the good paid shows, uh, where the crowd bought $30 tickets uh and is there and is invested to laugh. Sometimes those those feel like I can't do anything wrong sometimes.
SPEAKER_02Wow, like they're just ready to laugh.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, like I'm just they're like laughing at things that aren't punchlines, and I almost get mad because it's funny, like it's a weird thing to say. Because when you start out, you know, five minutes feels like a long time, but as you get your material, it's not that long, and uh it's wild. Like sometimes when I'm doing a five-minute set in front of a headliner that I want to impress, and people start laughing at the part of the joke that's not the punchline. I almost want to be like, shut up.
SPEAKER_01Oh, damn.
SPEAKER_00Like, like I'm glad that everyone's having a good time, but but this joke gets better if you damn wow, it's a weird feeling because you you want them to laugh, that's why you're there. But like as an artist, you're like, Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's not the punchline. Yeah, and then you do the punchline and it doesn't get the pop because they're all tired from laughing.
SPEAKER_02Well, you'll do you so do you learn about that particular joke and you maybe use what they laughed at next time?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, you you kind of roll with it. Everything's a learning experience, yeah.
SPEAKER_02That's awesome, man. So it back so growing up, were you usually the funniest guy in the group?
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah, I'd like to think so. I I actually I did my uh my high school reunion not too long ago. I got to perform in front of those guys and I looked in the yearbook and realized that I didn't win class clown one time. Oh shoot, ridiculous. Um, I actually won most clumsiest, which is screwed up because of visually impaired. Oh damn, that was messed up for them to do.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. So so visually impaired, I I wanted you to mention it first before I well, you usually bring that up like at the onset, like as your your opening material.
SPEAKER_00My intro. That way I can just make blind jokes whenever and like talking about how sometimes I accidentally stumble into things. Yeah, sometimes I'll accidentally stumble into a blind joke, and if I if I don't address it off the top, then I'll say the blind joke and I'm like, what's he talking about?
SPEAKER_02That's interesting. Do you feel like you need to address just in case? Just in case. Okay, okay. Let me have that base covered.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, for sure. It'd be the same as if I was like a fat guy, like I would go up and be like, I'm a fat guy. You know, it's just like getting it out of the way.
SPEAKER_02What's up, Lito? Where are those other clowns at now? Not on CCO. I don't know.
SPEAKER_00All of my class, yeah. Okay, okay. That guy's about to be a father. He sells gas.
SPEAKER_03He sells gas.
SPEAKER_02Propane, mutane, yeah.
SPEAKER_00He's he's Portlovac's Hank Hill, but he's got like he's got long, luscious locks of hair. He's been growing his hair out since high school.
SPEAKER_02Dang, so I imagine you had to deal with that that type of uh I guess bullying, would you say, like, as far as like your your vision, because you've been uh have have vision in one eye for a long time, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I've never been able to see out of my left eye, and then I got it removed in the second grade.
SPEAKER_02That's so crazy, bro.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's crazy when I when I think about it from so like if it was someone else's story, yeah. Wow, that'd be nuts. And then I think about it wasn't you had to grow, I had to learn. Yeah, it's just it's your reality.
SPEAKER_02Hey, what's going on, Sammy? Thanks for watching the live. Uh, I'm gonna have a drop every Wednesday. There's always an episode, and then of course I'm gonna do a single live out there uh talking about different topics by myself. All alone. Uh yeah, that's cool. Uh yeah, so man, do you feel like you hear out of one side more than the other side?
SPEAKER_00Nah, the that's actually a common misconception, and I don't mind answering this question because it happens all the time. It's a thing people like legit think.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Uh, my like my hearing and my smell isn't any greater than anyone else. I'm just more dependent on them. Like, like if you're blindfolded, you're gonna listen a little better because you have to.
SPEAKER_02Right, right, right. And it was interesting. We talked last time on our on our other episode that didn't record the ghost episode. When you were mentioning that it's like hereditary, like certain people in your family have that same type.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's on my mom's side, all the most of the dudes.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00So most my uncle and then I have cousins and my brother.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and you and you said that too, that you learned how to uh beat beat somebody to the punch before they bully you about that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. I would always I I it was always the same customers that were always trying to start nonsense. And I learned at a young age that those people like they have something going on with themselves and it had nothing to do with me.
SPEAKER_02Oh dang.
SPEAKER_00That doesn't stop it from hurting when you're going through, you know, puberty and stuff, but like it makes it easier to deal with.
SPEAKER_02It did it take you a minute to like figure out like okay, I need to figure out how to get over this, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, because the world doesn't stop just because you got a problem.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, right on, man. Yeah, so growing up, so you're so who and is there anybody in your family that you that's funnier that that you learn how to be funny from?
SPEAKER_00Uh my my whole family on both sides are full of characters. Uh they could all do stand-up if they wanted to, they just don't have the they don't have the need for attention like I do, I guess. But they're all I got come from a long line of storytellers and stuff like that. So our family functions are pretty fun. I don't really have to do too much work if the family functions they handle it.
SPEAKER_02And I think I heard a joke, like most of your jokes are about like kind of around your family and stuff too.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they're they're an interesting bun.
SPEAKER_02That's awesome, man. Like makes me think of uh Foxworthy, Jeff Foxworthy.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he talks about his family a lot.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's cool, man.
SPEAKER_00Is there any like comedians that you like aspire, well not aspire, but like that are influential to your my earliest when I first when I was like eight or nine, and I thought you can make people laugh for a living. Uh the earliest guy I remember like wanting to be like is Ron White, which is a crazy thing for a nine-year-old to be like that's that's my guy, that drunk guy.
SPEAKER_01The drunk dude, the goo with the glass and the cigarette. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he looks he looks like he's got his life figured out. But like I just liked his style and the way he the way he approached things, and then right before I started stand up, I discovered Theo Vaughn, and I was like, Well, that guy's crazy. Yeah, if his crazy thoughts people like him, maybe they'll like my crazy thoughts.
SPEAKER_02Interesting, bro. Wow.
SPEAKER_00So I'd say those two guys probably the most.
SPEAKER_02So when you were growing up, did you feel like you had to be funny growing up, or it was just kind of natural? You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00I never had to work too hard at it, I don't think.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. I saw your stand-up last night at Open Mike, dude. It was I was like, dang, how the heck does he do that, man? Obviously, it's a lot of practice, it seems.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I've I've always done uh I've always wanted to like speak in front of people, like whatever the fear of public speaking, I have the opposite. The crowd, no matter what the occasion, I'm like, let me talk to him. It could be like a subject I don't know anything about. I was like, let me just see what I know, you know.
SPEAKER_02And I seen you, I seen you too doing on your open mic, and uh, and the crowd won't laugh, but you're I could see you laughing like that is funny. But even though they're not laughing, like I still think it's funny.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you know that takes that takes a lot of practice to get comfortable like that. Wow, because in the beginning I definitely if if they didn't think it was funny, I didn't want to do stand-up anymore. Like I was like, I'm not coming back out tomorrow. This is it, I'm gonna go find a real job, I'm wasting my time. But now I'm like, eh, yeah, it's not for them.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and you mentioned something too that uh you don't really throw you don't throw a joke away after one one try of of people not laughing at it, like you Nah, you gotta test it out.
SPEAKER_00You gotta there's a lot of variables.
SPEAKER_02Test it out a few more times, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Take it, try to get it in front of a one a crowd that you feel like is more receptive to comedy if uh if you feel like that's the reason it didn't work the first time, yeah. But sometimes you gotta be honest with yourself. But didn't if it didn't work that time, it didn't work the second time, and it didn't work the third time, and these are in three different towns, probably not great.
SPEAKER_02Probably not gonna work, yeah. Wow, uh what uh what what comedians or comedy shows did you watch? Oh, you obviously Ron White. Uh, did teachers ever tell you to stop joking around in class?
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah. Uh the earliest story of this uh that I can think of that my mom likes to tell at family functions. I was in kindergarten and we just got in from recess and we were in line at the water fountain, and this kid pushed me. And I turned around and I was like, hey man, and I was just I was messing around, I was just trying to get my spot back. I was like, hey man, I could kill you for that. Oh and of course, like he freaked out and told the teacher. So they sent me to the the principal's office, and my mom said she got a phone call, and but like the first thing she heard on the other line when she answered was it was a figure of speech. Haven't you guys ever heard of a figure of speech? Like, how was I gonna kill that kid? There's no way I could have killed that kid. And the principal was like trying not to laugh, and he's like, Hey, we gotta send him home for the rest of the day.
SPEAKER_02Joe Hillard says, uh, when I was first started, Ben was intimidating, but he's only been doing it for a year a year longer. Great dude in CC comedy mainstay.
SPEAKER_00How you feel about that, man? Those are way too kind of words. Uh but I appreciate the I've I intimidating is weird. I never maybe I need to work on that. But try to be more more welcoming. I think he means timing-wise, maybe. Hopefully that's what he means. I like I'd like to think not not a scary guy. Yeah, dude. I mean, uh when all the lights are on, I could see if it was like dim lit right at the folks.
SPEAKER_02Do you do you think growing up in South Texas influences your humor?
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I uh I definitely I was um gifted enough to be really close with a lot of different different kinds of people where I grew up. Like I I had African American friends where I'd stay the night at their also staying in Port O'Connor and then having to do school in Port La Vaca and not being able to drive, I just stay at a lot of people's houses. And then I'm gracious to anyone that let me stay at their house ever. But they were all different walks of life, so I got to hang out with different families and kind of kind of see the common grounds of what everyone was going through, despite background, you know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it seems like uh like in comedy when you're when you're wanting to do comedy as a career that that that still even might happen, you know what I mean, as you're still kind of coming up. Because I've heard a st I heard a story on one of the podcasts you were on that you had to sleep in somebody's car or something like that.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah, that was recently.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I was like, dang, what?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, um shout out to Tidasoto for letting me sleep in his Jeep and spoon his golf clubs. Uh I had I had a late show that night, and I had plans to stay at um a female friend's house, and she fell asleep, and then so I was kind of up a creek without a paddle, so to say. And then my buddy, a couple of my friends from high school were staying at my buddy's apartment, but like it was like a youth hostel in there already. They already had like people passed out on the floor, like everyone came up from Port Lovaca and was staying at his house. So initially, when I asked them, they were like, Yeah, you can sleep in the car, and I was like, What? I was like, I'll shower or whatever. Like, what's the problem? And and then when I got there and assessed the situation, I was like, Oh, there's literally no room for me to sleep here. The car is way better. Damn, and so I slept in this jeep on top of on top of this hill in San Antonio, which is fine. I slept good. Uh, I was tired from that, it was a long day, but uh I woke up and I got out of the jeep, and this lady was walking her dog, and I was in like this shirt, and a pair of basketball shorts scared the crap out of me. That walk turned into a run super fast, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Man, so getting into stand-up. So I guess there's that shift from just joking around to actually taking it on stage, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Trying to format it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, when did you first decide to try stand-up?
SPEAKER_00Um, I did it the first time I ever did it was I was 16 at a church camp, and I I told a story about how I got kicked out of class for eating play-doh in the 10th grade, um, which is way too old for that. But um, so I I told that story, and then everybody came, oh you're so funny. But like, if you've ever been to a church camp, they they have to be nice to you. It's like the main thing Jesus talks about. So I didn't really think anything of it. Like, I didn't I didn't go to school and try to do stand-up at school or anything, and then um I went to college, failed out of college, was living in college station, busing tables, and I had a lot of free time as a busser, and all the waiters would be super stressed out about all the tables, so I would come up and just whisper stuff in their ears just to throw them off. Yeah, I I'd be like, Hey, are you gonna come watch me at my night job where I dance? And I'd tell that to like old, old white dudes, and they'd be like, What? Like, you just look like you look like you're a big tipper, and he's like, get away from me. Uh but uh so eventually I I kind of said I looked it up and I was like, There's an open mic in Brian, the town over, and they're like, Oh, you're you're going to that, and I was like, No, I'm not. And then they picked me up and we're like, Yeah, you're going. We're not not letting you go. And it was a terrible time. Uh, my first open mic experience was awful. I got way too uh inebriated, and they had to tell me I wasn't even, you know how they give you the light to get off stage? Yeah, yeah. I wasn't even looking up. That's how drunk I was. I was looking straight down at the ground and just talking to the ground because I was hammered. And then I immediately vowed, I was like, I'll never be that drunk on stage again if I do this again. And then I did it a couple more times and called station, and then I moved to Corpus and started doing it for real.
SPEAKER_02Wow. Was it like right after that first one you meant we wanted to make it real?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, immediately. I was like, Oh, I even even through the the fog of being drunk, I was like, I I like this.
SPEAKER_02Is it because you felt like you bombed you bombed that first one?
SPEAKER_00And you're like, Oh yeah, yeah, I bombed bat.
SPEAKER_02Dang.
SPEAKER_00But it was I I knew what I did that made me bomb and I wanted to fix it. And then when I came back the second time and I fixed it, I was like, oh, okay, I could do this.
SPEAKER_04Whoa.
SPEAKER_00And then also the same co-workers were all super supportive, they're still all super supportive. Uh a couple of them have come out. One of them drove from College Station to New Bromfels to help me win a crowd vote contest, which is like three hours.
SPEAKER_02Wow, what does it feel like to bomb?
SPEAKER_00It sucks. It is the worst thing.
SPEAKER_02What what is okay? What is it? What is your definition of bomb? Like no laughs, uh getting booed off the stadium.
SPEAKER_00That's uh uh for me if if a stranger doesn't if there's multiple strangers in the crowd and one of them doesn't come up and tell me I'm funny after, like doesn't make it a point to come shake my hand and tell me I'm funny, then I bombed. But that's my standard now. That wasn't always my standard. Uh no laughs, I guess, would be the easiest way to define it. Like if you're just up there and maybe you and if you if if it's so bad that you don't do your full five, like that's bombing. Like that's bad.
SPEAKER_02Do you feel do you so do you bomb now?
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Not as often, but yeah, it happens. Weird. I don't think you can escape it.
SPEAKER_02That's so strange. Yeah, I guess the definition of bombing would change as your uh your experience.
SPEAKER_00Your expectations for yourself should grow, I would think.
SPEAKER_02Okay. So bombing is more an expectation on yourself that you have.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, it's whatever I guess bombing is not meeting uh your own criteria for a good set. Whatever that might be in whoever's head, because this is all perspective comedy super perspective.
SPEAKER_02Crazy, bro. It's crazy. Uh yeah, so how long did it take you to get uh finally get comfortable on stage?
SPEAKER_00Um I don't know if I'm comfortable on stage now, if we're being honest. Uh because of the nerves, like for me, I I get super anxious right before I'll be cool right before whoever's bringing me up, like takes the microphone, and then I freak out. Every time open my show, it doesn't matter. I freak way out, and then uh try to keep it together, and then when I get my first laugh, even if it's just like a little snicker, I'm like, oh yeah, I do this for real. Like I get my feet underneath me and wow.
SPEAKER_02Did you ever like use notes, take notes uh at the beginning?
SPEAKER_00I got away from that as quickly as possible. Really? Yeah, it's a crutch and it looks terrible.
SPEAKER_02Oh wow.
SPEAKER_00Um, I mean, if you have to do it in the beginning, you have to do it in the beginning. I'm not telling people not to. Yeah, no, no, no, for sure. But like it's it it it takes away from the performance, I think, if you don't know your stuff.
SPEAKER_02Oh, for sure, man. That's professional right there, dude. Uh, so how do you remember you? Do you recite it before you go on there?
SPEAKER_00Uh I have the luxury, most of my stuff is stories, as you heard last night. So I can just pull them out of things.
SPEAKER_02Wow, amazing.
SPEAKER_00And I've I've told them all the parties and stuff so many times that I know which parts are funny and which parts are unnecessary.
SPEAKER_02Wow, that's crazy. So when you know some so what do you know when something is not funny, like you just kind of listen to the crowd and just uh segue into something else, right? Yeah, I try to figure figure out a way out of it. Do you find that you're you you use like uh like language to help you get out of those? Cause I noticed that you use you kind of do that. I I don't know maybe if it's just me, but like you'll like you're talking about last night about the the ratios or the inflation for ten dollars to a hundred dollars. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we'll call it that.
SPEAKER_02Is that part of the bit or what I was just making all that up?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you see what I mean? Like that was all like a side part. The the real part of the bit was uh my the stuff that had happened to me in high school.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00But uh I don't know what this podcast is rated, so I don't want to get into it.
SPEAKER_01But yeah, no, that's all good. Come see the show. Yeah, it was dude. It was funny as hell. I was like, oh dude, that is freaking funny, dude. I don't want to get it. Was that a true story, bro? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00That happened. I'm still I'm still uh fighting. Traumatized. I mean, I it's whatever. Um it kind of helped me like realize that like nothing really matters. Like people, people's perception of you can be their perception, you know, you know who you are. Oh, like I know I wasn't that guy all the time, like that was just one instance that got recorded in somebody's mind.
SPEAKER_02For sure. Do you ever go up with stories that aren't your own or like didn't no?
SPEAKER_00Nah, I always my life's crazy enough. I don't have to I don't have to take from anyone else's. I don't know, it makes me feel better if it's my story. I think if I tried to tell someone else's and it got a laugh, it would feel like plagiarism.
SPEAKER_01So crazy, bro.
SPEAKER_00I'll if I I was sorry, but if I like I'll tell a story, if I if like my dad told me a story from his childhood, like I'll tell his story sometimes or something like that. But okay, I don't like find something on Reddit.
SPEAKER_02Nah, for sure. So you'll you will use somebody's story if it's if they're related to you, if you know the story well.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and I'll I'll put in preference like this this was my dad, like this happened to him.
SPEAKER_02Oh, okay, okay, okay, okay. And like how how much do you think like actual uh details of the of the of the whatever like say the stripes are there, you know what I mean? Is that important? Do you think that's important um when you're writing?
SPEAKER_00I try to make it as truthful as possible.
SPEAKER_02You do, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I would I would say mine's like 98-99% truth. Uh I'm starting to realize that it doesn't have to be, and I don't I don't want to give away any secrets anymore. Right. But I mean, I I I am realizing I'm allowed to fabricate a little bit, and uh okay, okay. Yeah, I've heard that trying to do that a little more.
SPEAKER_02That's dope, man. Uh so uh what so what keeps you coming back to the stage?
SPEAKER_00Uh people started paying me, so that's cool. That's a pretty big motivator.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, do you try to hit every open mic in town?
SPEAKER_00Or yeah, you do yeah, right now I'm unemployed except for this. So I have to, I'm living with my parents. If I'm not doing that, I I'm like just laid up on the couch. I'm not trying to be that guy. I gotta at least make it look like I'm doing something.
SPEAKER_02That's for you. Yeah, and I didn't realize like how how much uh the visual aspect of that has has an effect. Like you can't even drive, you can't even have a license. Nah, I thought that was interesting, like, oh shoot, like if I didn't have a license, I wouldn't, I'll be out of job. Yeah, yeah, because I'm a truck driver and I I need a license, which I I feel like I'm kind of going blind a little bit, but yeah, man. Uh so once uh once you start doing stand-up and you started learning about the local comedy community, uh what's what's it what's it been like so far here in Corpus Christie?
SPEAKER_00Uh it's been pretty cool. Um, much like any group of people, you know, there's ups and downs. I'm not gonna air any of that out, but yeah, for sure. Yeah, but there's there's ups and downs for sure. I mean a lot of people striving for a common goal. That um but people generally I I feel like us compared to other places, we're a pretty welcoming spot. Like a lot of other places I've heard horror stories about uh like having trouble getting on and people being gatekeepy. Um we'll we'll let we'll let whoever get on and we'll be quick to tell you that that you need to work on it. Like we'll we'll let you know if you suck, but not in like in like a big brother kind of way, not in like a don't come back kind of way.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, yeah. So would you tell somebody that in a big brother way if they asked you or would you volunteer that advice?
SPEAKER_00Uh it depends. Um I I I don't want to say I profile people, but I can I can kind of tell like if it's if it's a guy like a bro uh that's like played sports and stuff, I can tell they can kind of take it a little more than like maybe maybe somebody who doesn't isn't used to people giving them critiques. Right, right. I'll leave it at that.
SPEAKER_02Oh shoot for real. What's going on, Gabriel? On uh Facebook. Thanks a lot, man, for joining the live chat. Got any questions for band? Leave them here. Uh so when did you first get involved in the local scene?
SPEAKER_00Oh I just celebrated four years. So 2020, like spring of 2022. I guess that's that math.
SPEAKER_02Um, that's what's up, dude. So how long how long were you doing open mics before you started actually people were actually asking you to get on shows?
SPEAKER_00Um, six months.
SPEAKER_02Wow.
SPEAKER_00And I the crazy thing about that is like I went and won a contest and that had no effect on it. Like a month in, I went to San Antonio and won this contest.
SPEAKER_02Wow, amazing.
SPEAKER_00And uh nobody cared. I mean, like people cared, but it didn't. Uh I thought like when I that night as they were giving me the trophy, I was like, all right, now it begins. I've done my work, and nobody cared outside of texting me, congrats, nobody in the comedy community cared that much. Damn. Uh, which is fine. I I see now that there those contests are dime a dozen, and uh not that again if you're trying to get exposure and winning contests is a good way to make cash.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_00Um but uh yeah, I thought it was a bigger deal than it was, and and that that time after humbled me because if I would have if if my ego would have gotten lit at that point, I would have been insufferable. I would have not been a cool guy to be around.
SPEAKER_02Oh wow, yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_00But that that extended time after I thought I had made a name for myself where I still had to work, let me know. Like it's never done. There's always somebody out there that's got more accolades that's funnier. It's always something to chase.
SPEAKER_02Oh man. Tina says, Happy birth month.
SPEAKER_00Thanks, Tina.
SPEAKER_02Thanks a lot, Tina, for joining. Miguel, he says uh Bigelito says Ben is someone who I can always count on for advice on my jokes because he understands my comic voice and can help me write material that suits me. Not a lot of comics can write for another comic and make it sound like that comic.
SPEAKER_00Oh, that's cool. That's a that's a nice compliment.
SPEAKER_02I was sitting next to him last night, and when you when you were about to tell that your last joke, he was like, Yeah, like he knew what was coming.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he was. I don't mind it, knocked me out. I was like, Oh, somebody's excited. I knew I was hoping it was whatever he was thinking of. I would have hated to say whatever it was gonna be, and then let him down. Yeah, he was like, Oh man, yeah, yeah, but yeah, no, he was yeah, but I I appreciate those kind words too. A lot of kind words in this chat, yeah, for sure, man.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's kind of what what I want to do with this platform, man.
SPEAKER_00Just positive, positive light, you know, and that's beautiful, especially because everybody like we talked about uh on the on the ghost episode, um like it's crazy for me when people down talk corpus because to me, growing up where I grew up, corpus is it. Corpus could be Broadway for all if you would have told 18-year-old me, like you're gonna be doing comedy in Corpus, I would have been like, nah, no way. Wow, comedy in Victoria, maybe, but not corpus.
SPEAKER_02That's amazing, dude. It's amazing how people look at corpus like that, and we're here, don't see it like that. We look at like like that, but to like Austin or Stone.
SPEAKER_00You always want that. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
SPEAKER_02For sure, man. What what are some uh what are some venues here that to support the local comedy scene?
SPEAKER_00Um The Annex, which is where we were at, which is every last Wednesday. The artist and I always get those two confused. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Sound and they're right next to each other. The Annex and the Artisan are both run by Tina. Uh, those are fun. The artisan's super fun on Tuesdays, and I think they're gonna start doing it late night Thursdays, too. Uh Rich is always supportive. Shout out to Rich. He's always trying to do stuff over there, which is cool. Uh he's always been super supportive of us. Trying to think. Oh, uh Renee at Panacea on Everheart, the smoke shop. They they were for me specifically, they were super, he's always been super down to just let me do whatever I needed to do in his backyard.
SPEAKER_02Wow, that's cool. Yeah, it's so you mean like throwing your own shows and stuff?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, anything. I ran an open mic there for a little bit, uh, but it's running an open mic is a thankless job. Um but um yeah, anything I want to anything anybody really wants to do. Like I I have a had a Friendsgiving there for a couple years. I'll probably remove it back over there this next year. Uh also, yeah, I do have Friendsgiving, which is a comedy thing that I started, which has nothing to do with comedy, but it's more of a community thing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, dude, that's cool. I think a lot of us need that. Uh yeah, it's a cool thing. We need a hug sometimes.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I just it's like we can do an open mic if y'all want to, but the idea is just to pump the brakes and everybody bring their dish and we just kind of chill.
SPEAKER_02That's cool, bro.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's always we've done it a couple times and it's had a super good feedback.
SPEAKER_02Oh, uh Trey Armijo says you the man, Ben.
SPEAKER_00Thanks, Trey.
SPEAKER_02With two ends, bro. They've got two ends on your last name, Ben Man. That's what's up, dude. Um, yeah, uh uh do you is there so when you do shows, do you do them with the same com same comedians? Because I seen you with Corinth on a on a bill just recently.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we're doing the uh PTA. I don't want to butcher the title. It's like the PTA founders event, like pet parent teacher association? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, but like celebrating the founding of it, I guess.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's cool.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm excited for that one.
SPEAKER_02And that's gotta be clean comedy. I heard I heard you do clunk uh clean comedy.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, last night, bad example, but yeah, it wasn't so squeaky clean, but I can clean up nice when I need to that's hey, that's what's up and put on a suit when you got it. Yeah, I can I can divvy into any audience. I try to pride myself on having a little something for everybody.
SPEAKER_02Hey, that's awesome. How did you get into clean comedy? Did somebody just ask you?
SPEAKER_00Um a couple of my mentors. Um, shout out Mario and Raymond um from the Valley. They Mario Raymond Orte both uh Raymond pulled me aside when I was first starting out and was like, Hey, I see you teetering. I'm not saying you can't do those dirty jokes like from time to time, but a dirty dirty set will pay your bar tab, a clean set will pay your mortgage. Oh, dude. And so that's what I try to try to lean more towards. Even if I write something that's dirty, I'm like, how can I take take this dirty concept and make it make it to where I can do it at the PTA place? Not that that's what I'm doing at the PTA place. Yeah, no, no, for sure.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, there's definitely a definition of clean for clean for different people. Yeah, I got yeah, dude. Got something fun for those guys, but yeah, you and you mentioned your mentors and they're both Hispanic. How do you feel about most of your crowd being a Mexican-American or Hispanic down there?
SPEAKER_00Uh I'll stand by this. The more Hispanics in the crowd, the funner the time. In my experience, if you walk in, like I'm not saying white people can't have fun, yeah, yeah. It's different, especially doing shows in the valley and Laredo. It's it's different down there. Like, they just want to have fun, they don't care.
SPEAKER_02Wow, the valley in Laredo. So you've done shows down there, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Well, they love me down there.
SPEAKER_02Well, you told me that you did uh all Spanish.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I opened up for this guy named uh Ivan Batista and from Laredo. I think it was a soccer player or something, but he does comedy now, and uh at least that's what they say. I don't know Spanish, so I don't know what his set sounds like. Shout out to Ivan. Uh but he asked me to come open for him, and I was like, Are you sure? And he's like, Yeah, it'll be some people will get it. Don't worry about it. I I like what you do, come come do your thing. Wow, and so I did it, and this lady came up to me and she was like, Oh, very good. And uh I was like, Yeah, and I started to talk to her, and she was like, Oh no, habla, you habla espanol? And I was like, Nah, I had some tequila in me, so I thought I did for a little bit. We talked, we talked for like 15 minutes, and then it occurred. I was like, I probably should go get somebody. This lady's just probably being nice. And I went and I got Miguel actually, and he thought I was in trouble. I was like, hey man, I need you to come translate. And because I gotta figure out, and then he thought like I I had offended somebody, but no, this lady was just a really big fan, which is crazy because she didn't speak English and I didn't speak Spanish. Probably my highlight of my comedy career so far is that interaction was crazy to me.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, how do you how do you feel about like like race jokes and stuff like that, dude?
SPEAKER_00Uh I think I think if done correctly, uh they can be they can be an asset. If you but they there has to be some truth to them, they have to be funny. This is the best way to put it. If you're gonna make fun of a group of people, race, religion, what have you, it has to be funny to the people it's about. If it's not funny to the people it's about, then you're bullying and it's like then it's down that road.
SPEAKER_02Okay, okay.
SPEAKER_00So if you if it's funny to who you're talking about, like if if I make a Hispanic joke to a crowd of Hispanic people and they're dying laughing, then like what's the harm? But if like I do it and I've had this happen, no, where I I stepped a little outside of outside the line and uh and they didn't like it. Um I was at a contest, I'll tell the story because just for suspense, uh I was at a contest in Alamo, which is you would think is by San Antonio, but it's not, it's right outside of McCallan. Um, and I was doing this little five-minute prelimb thing, and I said, and I never said this before, and I haven't said it since, but something in my head was like, these people are really gonna dig this. Oh shit, and so I go, I was trying to describe how blind I was, and I was like, Well, blindness isn't like citizenship, I don't have to prove it to anybody. And of course, you know, those people were like, What? And so it was like dead silence, definitely bombing. But by the end of it, I had them all laughing. Not on that, I switched up subject super bad. I was I was like, I'm an uncle, I'm doing stuff for other people's people. I promise you, I'm a good guy, I like tacos, I'm not trying to get anybody out of here.
SPEAKER_01Miguel says that lady really liked Ben.
SPEAKER_02That's cool. Yeah, that's very interesting that you make it funny to the people that you're talking about.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's really that's how that should go. If you're gonna walk the line, it should try to be humorous to the other side. That's what's up. Everybody should be laughing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's awesome. And of course, to try to get out get out of there as quickly as possible, get them back on your side.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, just trying to make things right, yeah, whatever that may be. A lot that's uh that's where the self-deprecation and the blind jokes and stuff play in.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_00If I'm making fun of myself and then I make fun of someone else, they're like, well, fucking just made fun of them.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, what when did you fit when did you figure out that not all your stuff has to be self-deprecation?
SPEAKER_00Um I I think I figured out that I needed a little bit of self-deprecation when I started taking shots at other other things, um, just to kind of level the plane.
SPEAKER_02Level it out, right? And yeah, but um you're talking like observations, yeah.
SPEAKER_00When I was when I wanted, yeah. So that's why my intro is the way it is and set up so that people know that I'm blind, but it's done in like a very fun, like haha, we're all laughing, we're all laughing at me. Yeah, cool. Now we're gonna laugh at y'all. That's not all. That's just sometimes I'll go after people. Most of my stuff, like we said, is about my family.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, for sure. Do you have what what people what they call like a tight five?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, okay. Yeah, I got I got my my locked and loaded five.
SPEAKER_02So do you have like more than one? Like uh what is a tight five to you?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's um like I would say my type I depending on the situation. I like I know I have a rotation of a type five, I guess. Yeah, like it's not always the same type five.
SPEAKER_04Okay.
SPEAKER_00In order to sell my merch, I don't know if you've ever seen me sell my merch.
SPEAKER_02Nah, you got merch, bro? Yeah, you have no idea what my so buckle up for this one.
SPEAKER_00Um, so at the end of my shows, you you ever seen Tal Degan Knights with Will Farrell? Okay, well, he's a race car driver and he's signing like a baby's forehead. Like, you know how like people get like stuff, like crazy stuff signed. He's like signing a baby's forehead, and so I get these dolls uh from an undisclosed location, and I sign their foreheads and I sell those. And ideally, uh what you give me, like I sell them for a donation. And ideally, like as I get more famous, my my handwriting, like my signature will go up in value. And people will pay crazy money for those things. Well, if I have a good set, but in order to sell those babies, I have to do my closer for it to make sense. And uh, so my type five, if I'm gonna sell babies, always has to have that closer. So I have to set it up a certain way and make sure I give myself enough time. But on longer sets, it's not as big of a deal because I can just put the closer at the end.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so merch is definitely a something that comedians should probably look into.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah. Yeah, don't let to have that revenue stream and people people uh that have been doing it a long time like to, and not everybody, the people I work with, like my my mentors were the guys that told me to give merch. I told them I was like, no, I'm not ready. And they're like, you're always you're doing shows, you can sell merch.
SPEAKER_02Wow.
SPEAKER_00But a lot of a lot of guys that have been in the industry a long time don't want you to take away from their merch sales. And instead of instead of saying that, they'll which is fine, like they're the ones drawing in most of the crowd. If you're a young comedian and you want to sell merch at a show, always talk to the headliner about it first. That's rule number one about selling merch. Okay, is if you got to talk to the headliner because you don't know what their deal with the producer is. They might all of their money might come from merch. They might let you know, like, hey man, not this time. Like I need that money, uh, which is fine. But a lot of a lot of older guys will uh talk down to young dudes with a a big merch set up and be like, you're not ready. Don't let if you're a young comic, don't let that affect you. No, smokes. Get get your merch.
SPEAKER_02Wow, how do you find yourself navigating that that the those waters right there? Because it seems like that could be it out there, you know.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, like I said, you just gotta be straight up. Like, hey, I do this, but I don't have to do this. If you I essentially you work for the headliner that night, your job is to help them have the best show they can have. And I I'm not saying that, like, don't hinder your performance to try to make them look better, but as far as little things like the merch and stuff, if they don't want you to sell merch, that's their business, yeah. Then then you don't sell merch.
SPEAKER_02But well, it seems like you could get into to where they might not invite you back, type of type of thing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that kind of deal. That's why you just always straight up like it's a it's a common question in the industry, I think. Like, I've I've never I've never asked a headliner, like, hey, can I sell merch? And they were like completely flabbergasted. They're like, I can't believe you'd asked me that. You know, like it's never happened like that. They're just either like most 99% of them are like, Yeah, bro, no problem. And then when I tell them what it is, they're like, Yeah, we want to see, I want to see how this goes down. And um, but and even the ones for whatever reason, like I said, if they have a door deal or something where the merch is most of their money, they'll just be like, No, man, you for this reason you can't, and it's just okay, like no hard feelings. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You understand?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so what are some other ways that that comedians can, I guess, uh make make their money? I know merch is one way.
SPEAKER_00Merch is a good way, because I I mean you can cover gas and stuff if oh yeah, for sure. Yeah, I've made an extra I've made an extra three, four hundred bucks one time selling those babies.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, how do you f how do you find yourself uh trying to get your name out there on social media?
SPEAKER_00It's just consistency. Uh I'm I'm finally monetized on Facebook. Dope. Which, yeah, I nickels at a time. I mean it's cool seeing uh seeing that my thoughts are getting some kind of revenue stream.
SPEAKER_02So do you post uh clips of your your sh your show?
SPEAKER_00Uh sometimes. Okay. If I feel like it's good. Okay. Um I don't I gotta record more. I I normally just do audio and then I'll listen to that for like my own critiques. For practicing. Yeah, but I'm I gotta get better about filming. I just got some wireless mics, so hopefully coming soon. Oh yeah. More more Ben Man on.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, a couple more things on the on the scene. Uh um what's going on, Gabriel? Thanks a lot and uh on Facebook for joining anybody. You got questions for Ben, drop them down there. Uh last I guess the last thing, uh what um, let's see, how do you think the scene here is growing in Corpus Christi, Texas, the the comedy scene?
SPEAKER_00Uh I think going back to saying how we we're not as gatekeeper or we don't run people off as much as other places that I've heard of, which is which is the crazy thing, because normally from like hearing rappers talk on documentaries and stuff, uh most most artistic scenes want to be like other scenes. And we are as I could think I could speak for all of us, we're cool being us, like we're we like who we are as a group. Um, like I said, that doesn't mean we don't have problems, but we handle it in-house. And uh I think um some and because of that, because of that energy that we're fostering, um people feel like they don't have to wait in line. They can if they know a place to go produce a show, they can go produce a show or they can find. A place to go get a mic. Like we just got a new mic out on the island at uh I think the place was called Bombshells.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah, Jay Everett, right?
SPEAKER_00Was it Jay Everett or Jay Everett's the host of this lady whose last name escapes me, but her first name is Jen, is like the cook there, and she got it hooked up. She just started doing stand-up.
SPEAKER_02Okay, cool.
SPEAKER_00Uh but yeah, it's but like people are people just feel the need to add on to it because it's such a good thing that we we have fostered, and I think that's pretty cool. And it's like you seem it's like we can like just finding different places and yeah, and people aren't people don't hold out on advice, people are real quick to give advice. Sometimes, sometimes nobody asks for advice and people are quick to give advice.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, for sure, man. Uh damn. Uh it makes me think about like go when going to a new place, what the owners might expect of the comedy scene. You know what I mean? And say maybe we might kind of getting into the weeds here. Maybe, maybe it might uh discourage them from wanting us to come back because of the stuff that we talk about.
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah, yeah, and that's that's just whoever's setting that up, uh, that falls into their that's whoever whoever's setting that up needs to have a conversation with the owner to set the the guidelines. And most of the time we do. That's something um whoever will have like we'll have like a pep talk before a new mic or if a show's happening, they'll let you know like the guidelines, okay. What the owner is okay with, what he's not okay with. If he's just like, yeah, shoot from the hip, whatever.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's usually like on days that are kind of slow, I guess.
SPEAKER_00For the for the open mics, yeah. They they try to that's the quickest way to get one built is asking the owner, like, what's your slowest day? Let me fix that.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, so I guess it's having a level of respect for the actual owners of the place that are having you do an open mic there.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, for sure. That that definitely comes with it. Um, you definitely don't want to bite the hand that feeds you in any way.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, for sure. Yeah, that's cool, man. Uh, so is there anything you want to share, Ben? Going for 45 minutes, man. Better than the ghost uh better than the ghost episode, because we got audio here.
SPEAKER_00Um, let me think. What was I thinking about? I'm trying to think of stuff that we talked about on the last one that's all good. Didn't get brought up. I don't have anything anything off on the tip of my thumb.
SPEAKER_02No, it's all good. Uh, you want to get into to the uh joke writing process? Uh uh what's your process in writing jokes?
SPEAKER_00Uh living life. I like to just get out, do stuff.
SPEAKER_02Do you write stuff down? Like an actual Yeah.
SPEAKER_00You do? I write down bullet points, and then I'll take the bullet points to the open mic and audio record that, and then I'll I'll write down what I liked for me, just taking wild stabs at the bullet points.
SPEAKER_02That's crazy, bro. How do you remember it though? Like it's weird because like I can't remember for crap, dude. Uh it's like because I take my phone up to to try to get me to remember. Yeah, because I'll I feel like I'll go blank because everybody's not everybody, but some people are staring, yeah, the crowds moving. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I get and then and in those instances, I know I I know I badmount the phone thing earlier. That wasn't a personal shot. I want to get that out there. Uh but like in those instances, if you're dealing with a little bit of stage anxiety, having your phone, there's no shame in that. Yeah, you know, if you better to have your phone and and be able to help yourself calm down, like, oh, I do have stuff to say, than to try to not have your phone and have an anxiety attack, and then you don't have yeah, and it's like at what point did you figure out okay, this I need to be professional with this, and I'm probably having a phone is not um professional, you know. Pretty early on, I I've always done public speaking.
SPEAKER_02Um okay, okay.
SPEAKER_00So, like, yeah, like I I can I was an all-state debater in high school, and so uh I didn't really that's I guess how I my memory of like knowing how to form a speech together based on like one or two points. Wow, and that skill set of being like looking at my evidence and looking at the arguments I had to attack and being like, okay, I gotta I gotta get from here to here to here. I don't know how I'm gonna do that, but we're gonna figure it out.
SPEAKER_02Okay, so how so definitely be prepared with what you're gonna talk about. Yeah, that helps a lot instead of going on what going up with nothing, yeah, and then like yeah, just gotta try to wing it or whatever.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, the the more you the more prepared you are, the better always, I think. But sometimes, especially to open my cheek and wing it, maybe see if something something comes out of crowd work.
SPEAKER_02Do you do crowd work? Like, do you feel like that will help you?
SPEAKER_00If someone yells out something, I'll do crowd work, but I don't see great, so I don't I don't try to get into it. I'm not gonna get in a you look like competition with someone. That's that's not my bag, but but sometimes people will yell stuff out and I'll have a little comeback for them that shut them up.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00We'll play along if they yell out something funny. I I'm not one to detour audience participation if it's funny. If it's not funny, I gotta I gotta get that.
SPEAKER_02You gotta figure out how to get back. Wow.
SPEAKER_00But if it's funny, I'll let them play. Yeah, they can they can yell.
SPEAKER_02Man, so you got you were all state debate, bro?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Whoa, what would you talk about?
SPEAKER_00Uh let's see. My freshman year, because there's only one topic each year. I did CX debate, which is the most complicated. Um one year was about space exploration, one year was about water exploration, uh, one year was about transportation infrastructure. It's weird that I could remember those off the top of my head.
SPEAKER_02Who picks the topics?
SPEAKER_00The UIL, like um big debate organization. I don't know. That was above my pay grade. The only reason we the only reason we got to go to All State is because my senior year we switched from being in the corpus districts to being in the Houston district, and there was no one in my event in that district. So my senior year and me and my partner weren't even gonna do debate. We were just like, we're gonna focus on sports. Wow, we just kind of did debate just for fun. We were like, we already have it for the resume for college, we don't need to do it. And then the UIL director, uh, the second semester of my junior year, like kind of put the pieces together and was like, Well, y'all could go to state. And we were like, no, we're cool, we don't need to go to state, we're fine. And she's like, We're not because it looks good for the school. They're like, We're not really asking you. We're like, All right, I guess we'll do it. And then they sent us to state the state debate meet. We broke down on Ben White in Austin. Oh, like, and our coach, God bless him, had a fake leg, so he couldn't help us push. And you have to wear suits for that. So we're in suits on the way to the University of Texas to compete. The van just sputters out, and he's like, Well, boys, get out and push it to gas station. Luckily, this other school was driving by. Like, if you know what debate looks like, you can see a you know what I mean? Like, we have the stuff, and so they stop and pick us up, and our coach is like, Hey, just go, we'll we'll meet y'all, or I'll I'll catch up. I gotta handle this. And so I thought that lady was gonna, the lady from the other school was gonna be helpful, but like she essentially dropped us off away from where we were supposed to be at, like sabotaging. And if she knew anything about us, she would know we were gonna sabotage herself. She didn't have to do that. That was fun though. We made we made fun of the spat kid because he thought dolphins were going extinct. He was like from West Texas, he was like, the dolphins are going extinct, and we were like, You can come swim with them. We we see them every day.
SPEAKER_02How often do you try out bits like in in a group of people or like with your friends?
SPEAKER_00Uh I don't know. That's a tough question. I don't I don't ever intentionally do it. I I don't think. Wow, but I'm sure my friends would my friends and my parents like my family would probably beg to differ. Because I've always just kind of been a goofball, so like I'm always screwing around or whatever.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Uh I wouldn't necessarily say I'm trying bits, but I'm definitely not being serious. Um I don't know. I'm always I'm always goofing around, I'm always trying to hone in on making people laugh.
SPEAKER_02That's cool, man.
unknownCool.
SPEAKER_02Do you prefer do you prefer uh jerk jok storytelling or punchline, uh set up punchlines?
SPEAKER_00Uh setup punchlines are easier, I think, to keep attention, especially in the modern era of like TikTok. And every everybody just wants to laugh like right now. Uh, but if if I can get a long story, like last night, nobody was nobody was laughing, but it's because they were listening. And I can feel that.
SPEAKER_04Wow.
SPEAKER_00And it it it gets my rocks off for sure. Like it's uh it's fun to be able to know that I want on your every word and telling a story. And then when you get to the end, it better pay off. Because if it doesn't, oh yeah, you can feel it, they're like, Well, we're not listening again, so you gotta wrap it up.
SPEAKER_02So how do you make the how do you make the pun like the setup punch lines like not like corny?
SPEAKER_00Uh practice.
SPEAKER_02Just practice, just practice different stuff. Like, do you mess with like words, like types of words that you use? Yeah, like you know what I mean.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'll change like yeah, I'll I'll I'll write it out and then I'll just cross just like old like the writing exercises that have you do in school before you wrote an essay. Like, I just cross it out and change out the words to see if I can think of like a funnier combination of words, and then you say it out loud, probably to see people.
SPEAKER_02Say it out loud.
SPEAKER_00I'll I'll run it by whoever's by me that's not a comedian. That's a big thing is having people that aren't comics to talk to. Because sometimes comedians uh don't like their mind, they're like, Oh yeah, that's hilarious, but in like retrospect, it was like the dirtiest, grossest thing ever.
SPEAKER_02Have you ever written a joke that you you were like, man, this is gonna kill, but it it didn't? Yeah, a bunch of them, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I would say more of them. I wrote more more more in the graveyard than they're in the hall of fame for sure. Wow, but it's gotta be like that. If that I mean, you gotta write a bunch of duds to get to the goal.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah, for sure. What's harder, writing jokes or performing them?
SPEAKER_00Uh I think it depends on the joke for me. Uh probably writing, I guess. Because once you got them, once you know what you're doing, like it's it's pretty easy.
SPEAKER_02That's what's up, man. Uh yeah, so behind every community, there's a regular life person uh that people don't always see.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, somebody they're bouncing jokes off of.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, yeah. What so what's something what's some stuff you do outside of comedy? Well, you talk about your your nieces and nephews a lot.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm a I'm a full-time uncle. Full-time uncle. I'm always doing uncle stuff. That's cool. What's the what's a what's some uncle stuff that you do? Um, I get to um for my nephews, I got to coach their football team a couple years. I didn't get to do it this year, but I was sometimes like for that, I think your kids, I mean they're not like my my kids' kids, but like I feel like your kids should have other people coach them. I think that's part of it. Like part of what makes sports good. Um because I'm yelling at them all the time. It doesn't make a difference if it's a football, like I'm I'm pretty critical.
SPEAKER_02They can't tell the difference between the yell.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so like getting someone else to yell at them to to let them know that I'm not crazy, and then also getting to be a fan too, and not being getting to enjoy watching my nephews play football without being like, oh, what what's the score? How many timeouts do we have? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like getting to just sit back and watch all the other parents go insane. Sports parents are insane.
SPEAKER_04Yep.
SPEAKER_00I'm I'm I hate to break it to your corpus. 80% of these kids aren't gonna get college scholarships, and that's just the statistics, all right.
SPEAKER_02Why do we treat it new?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, like just let them have fun, yeah. And if your kid doesn't want to play, don't make them play. Because volunteers have to deal with that. Oh, didn't I had a kid when I was coaching in the bluff, uh, that that didn't really like football. These were six-year-olds and under. So these kids, a lot of them didn't even once they get hit once, they're like, ah, why am I playing this? Why they make they make you as a grown man. That hurt my head. Why would I want to do that again?
SPEAKER_02Why would we do this?
SPEAKER_00I'm like, I don't have a good answer. Just line back up. Just do it again. I did it, you're gonna do it. Because this is Texas, and that's what we're doing here. But this one kid, uh, he he never wanted to go in, but he wasn't like a bad player, and I was like, dude, I need you to go in. And he goes, Coach, I don't want to. I said, I don't care if you don't want to. And he looks up in the stands and he goes, If I don't go in, my mom's gonna yell at you after this again, isn't she? And I go, Yeah, man. And he goes, All right, I'll play for you. And I was like, Thanks, buddy, I appreciate that. Taking one for the team, yeah, because those parents will yell and scream, why isn't my kid playing? I was like, Your kid doesn't want to play.
SPEAKER_02Damn, dude, you're stuck in the middle there.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's weird, especially with young kids like that. Because I you still want to encourage them to try because you don't know if they don't want to play or if it's fear. Yeah, yeah. I don't want to play. Peer pressure, too, I guess. Too we were we we had a moment, same kid, uh, one of my favorites, because he he was like the spokesperson for the team. Because we we had a relationship with these kids, six and under. Oh but me and this dude had a relationship where he knew he could come tell me what whatever because some of the kids were scared to talk to the coaches because they're little kids, right? But this kid found out early that I was I'm an uncle, I know how to talk to these guys. Okay, okay, and so uh he would come up to me and like so-and-so doesn't want to play anymore. And I'm like, hey, he's still gonna play, tell him he has to play. And then so we were having like it was uh our before our last playoff game, we were having like a ruddy moment, like we're we're clapping, we're like, Boys, you boys want to play again next week, then we gotta win. Do you boys want to play again? And from the back, Buddy goes, Acno, there's mosquitoes out here, and all the coaches got real quiet, and we went, just bring it up, just bring it up. All the mojo was gone. Like, let's just call that was the last practice we had all year. That's what I like about coaching those little kids, is they're so funny, they're hilarious.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's cool. It's awesome, man.
SPEAKER_00But yeah, just getting to do stuff like that. I got to take uh my niece. I took her to the father-daughter dance because her dad's not around. She actually got to take me and my brother both went, and uh, we were in there just walking around, like we were just telling because it's it's out in Benquete. So um, we were just telling all those macho dudes, we're like, we're not a couple. That's my brother, we're not a couple, we're just uncles, we're not a couple, and they're like, We don't care. Look, we don't want to be like everyone's just on their phone, like we don't want to be here either. Like, and then my niece, they started playing the Kumbia music, and my niece is half Hispanic. She goes, Can we dance like that? I said, I can't, but I can't find you somebody around here that can.
SPEAKER_02How many brothers you got, man?
SPEAKER_00Uh, I got three brothers and two sisters.
SPEAKER_02Nice. Are you in the you're in the middle somewhere?
SPEAKER_00Uh, I have an older sister on my dad's side that I wasn't really around growing up, and then I have my older sister on my mom's side, and then and then me, and then every uh three younger brothers.
SPEAKER_02Nice, nice, nice.
SPEAKER_00And then my my parents did uh my mom and my stepdad did foster care uh while I was growing up. So there was always people in and out of the house, which is cool now. It sucked in because they were always breaking my stuff, but now I can reflect on that, and like I don't I'm not as materialistic as I might have been otherwise. I I'm more compassionate towards other people. But at the time I was like, Mom, quit bringing in these ruthless heathens in my room. She was like, Oh, this so-and-so is gonna share the room with you, his family's gotta get back on the man, and then she would like take it a step further. Kids we weren't even adopting, like she would just have like local neighborhood kids that maybe like were having a tough go of it. She'd be like, Um, let me think of a name that's not anybody from the neighborhood. I almost said the kid's name. Um she'd be like, Frank staying. Me and my mom were just talking about this the other day. She'd be like, Frank's staying over. And I'm like, All right. She's like, Well, play with him. I was like, no.
SPEAKER_04You have to play with him.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, uh he can stay here. That's cool. I get that, like, you know, he's not eating at home or whatever, but I don't have to. Last time he was over, he broke my Madden. And I know you're not gonna replace it. Hey, are you a gamer now, still? Uh, I just play sports games, really. That's that's my beginning and end of gaming.
SPEAKER_02I guess the debate is uh on on this podcast is uh PC or uh I play console.
SPEAKER_00Console, but I I bet the PC is better. I people in the bet it's better. The like the graphics and stuff, uh there's just more going on. Like when I see people playing PC games on like YouTube and stuff, okay, okay, it looks like they can do more.
SPEAKER_02Wow, wow.
SPEAKER_00You know what I mean? Like the console, you only got like five buttons, but you got that whole keyboard and all kinds of stuff.
SPEAKER_02That's funny, man. Yeah, that's what's up, dude. Uh, dude, how how supportive are your your friends and family of you?
SPEAKER_00Oh, I couldn't if we could we could be on here for another hour with my thank you list. Uh everybody's been super supportive. Nobody, nobody's ever and anybody from my past before jokes that just found out is like, ah, that makes sense. That's what you should be doing. That's wow. And so it's very reassuring. It feels like I'm where I'm supposed to be.
SPEAKER_02That's dope, man. Uh, what are some some of the real quick a couple more questions? What are some of the sacrifices that that come with pursuing comedy?
SPEAKER_00Uh dating's hard. I'll I'll tell you.
SPEAKER_02I was just thinking about that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, uh it's hard to ask girls out on lunch dates when you don't have any money, uh especially with inflation. Um so that's kind of difficult to like navigate that. Um but uh another like other also just time, just a lot of like my that show I did in Moreto, funny enough, um my best friend's little cousin was getting married and it was like a big deal. And that's like my second family, but I couldn't go because then it was a big deal. When else am I gonna get to go perform in Spanish? But yeah, like so like that kind of you have to make decisions like that. And I luckily my career is not big enough where I've I've had to make too many decisions like that, but I can't imagine it's gonna get any easier.
SPEAKER_02Wow. Man, that's awesome. Uh how has c how how has comedy changed your perspective on life?
SPEAKER_00Um I'm a little more confident, I think. I think I I've kind of realized that like other people's opinions don't matter if you like yourself. Like if if I like the brand that I'm putting out, it doesn't matter what comic B has to say about my brand or what I'm doing. I think in the beginning I was very I wanted everyone's opinion so I could I could fix myself. I could I could get wherever I needed to be. But as time has progressed, I realized uh, and this is something that's not I haven't just taken into comedy, but just other people's opinions don't matter if you like yourself or if the people you respect respect you, that's all that matters really. If you don't respect somebody, like based on their life choices, whatever that may be, then it doesn't really matter if they respect you, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, that's good, man. That's good stuff right there. Oh wow. Is there anything you want to mention, Ben, before before you got any shows coming up?
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah, yeah. I uh I just got on one. We will be in the big city of Skidmore, Texas. If you hit Beeville, you went too far. Uh at the no-name cantina Saturday night.
SPEAKER_02What's that highway there? Uh 36?
SPEAKER_00Uh I just get in the car, man. That's that's the part that's another part of the vision. Nobody ever asked you to be the DD.
SPEAKER_01What's the best place to get tacos in Corpus? Oh. You love tacos?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna have to I'm gonna have to go with uh a fan of of my brand. I'm gonna go with uh GJ Eats. George makes delicious tacos. That's that's my favorite.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, if if someone wanted to start stand up here, what advice would you give them?
SPEAKER_00Um just do it. Just rip the band-aid off. Whatever you're whatever magical thing you're waiting around for, like whatever that may oh I I gotta write. I gotta just do it. If you want to do it, just do it. It you'll progress faster getting on stage. There's no way around getting on stage. No, there's no amount of time you can wait and and do work in the shadows where getting on stage isn't gonna be painful the first time.
SPEAKER_02Fix it as you go, change it. Change one thing as you go. That's awesome, man. Well, Ben, thanks a lot for coming on the show, man. Um, yeah, check them out. And skid more when is that?
SPEAKER_00Uh Saturday night.
SPEAKER_02Saturday this Saturday night.
SPEAKER_00At the no name cantina.
SPEAKER_02No name cantina. Yeah, that's how you come upon that kid. Like, did they call you?
SPEAKER_00Uh this one um crashed out comedy and Albert Salazar putting together, and uh, they're out of Beaville. Cool. And so I I saw here's here's a little inside baseball for young comics trying to get on a show, and this is no shade towards Albert, but this is what happened. I saw the flyer. Normally, if there's a lineup, it's on the flyer. This said Albert Salazar and Friends. I thought, hey, I'm Albert's friend. Let me see if he has some room for me. So I just hit him up and of crazy, yeah, I come through. So I'll be selling babies and skim more on Saturday. And then the last Tuesday of the month on the 31st, I'm at that PTA thing.
SPEAKER_02Cool, man. That's awesome. Well, thanks a lot, Ben, for coming on the show again. Uh, shout out to Maya back there, the producer, you guys. Uh, thank you everyone for listening. Make sure you check out Ben Man. What how do we follow you on uh on Instagram or Facebook or whatever?
SPEAKER_00Uh Ben Man Comedy. Two one in on Ben, two ins on man. Some variation of that. If you type that in in the search bar, it'll pop up. Yeah, some of them have like the underscores of Instagram, I think, has underscores of spacing, TikToks all one word. I gotta, I gotta get it unified.
SPEAKER_02Nice, nice. If you enjoyed this conversation, uh check out check out our YouTube channel, also on with Spotify, Apple Podcasts. You can check out this uh this episode and other episodes there. I'm Asusi Laudio, I'm your host. Uh, thanks a lot, you guys. For this is Corpus Christi Originals. Have a good one.
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