DELRAY BEACH – Los Angeles policies are bringing people together – in Texas.
Several times in the past year Applause Break highlighted stories about comedians leaving Hollywood for the Austin hill country. Well, the trend continues.
Today’s Stand-Up Spotlight offers three stories about the west coast exodus – one declaring Austin the “Third Coast of Comedy.”
Joe Rogan, has played a part in this though his podcast and, later, his new comedy club. There’s also a Spotlight story about how Rogan helped fellow comedian Joey Diaz.
Finally, there’s a story about a comedian who can’t talk. Ahren Belisle used text-to-speech to help land a spot on “America’s Got Talent.”
Let his story serve as a reminder that there are lots of ways to create the funny.
STAND-UP SPOTLIGHT – June 14, 2023
How L.A. helped detonate the explosion of the Austin comedy scene
Austin, Texas — The glowing red and green neon lights on the marquee of the Comedy Mothership have become a symbol of L.A.’s invasion into Austin’s stand-up comedy scene. Flanked by twin alien heads, the megawattage sign shines on the city’s clubgoers like a UFO that’s just landed in the heart of Sixth Street.
Within the stretch of debauchery between Congress Avenue and I-35, dubbed the “Dirty Sixth,” lines of ticket holders brave the balmy drizzle on a recent Thursday night amid bass-rattling Top 40, tequila shots and vape clouds. The crowd is being steadily sucked into the belly of Joe Rogan’s new comedy club, finally open after more than two years in the making.
‘The third coast of comedy’: Austin’s comedy scene tells us why they’re blowing up
During Austin’s evolution into a bona fide hub for comedy, Texas comics who told their L.A. peers to “move over,” “take a seat” and “hold our beer” probably didn’t think the Angelenos would actually take them up on it. The result has been a great migration of some of L.A.’s biggest names onstage and behind the scenes in the comedy world, who are happily planting themselves in Texas, beer in hand, laughing their butts off.
Last week, we did a story on how Austin’s booming stand-up scene is inspiring headlining and open-mic comics from all over the country to take part in making the local culture even bigger. There are so many reasons for their glow-up that they couldn’t fit into one article (don’t worry, we’ll be back). For now, we asked a number of local comics, club owners, promoters and writers to tell us why the Austin comedy scene deserves to be seen.
“Joe Always Put the Love Into Me”- Joey Diaz Reveals Multi-Millionaire Joe Rogan’s $15 Gesture That Left Him Inspired
After hosting nearly 2000 podcast episodes, Joe Rogan has soared to unparalleled heights as a trailblazing podcaster. Known for his thought-provoking conversations on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’, Rogan has amassed a massive following and achieved incredible success. However, amidst his many achievements, Rogan’s dedication to stand-up comedy remains unparalleled.
Joey Diaz, a comedian known for his larger-than-life personality, has been one of Joe Rogan‘s closest friends throughout his journey from his comedy days to his podcast success. Moreover, Diaz has been a frequent guest on the JRE. Recently, Diaz revealed an inspirational story about Joe Rogan from his early TV days.
This northern Ontario comic can’t talk, but he’s made it on America’s Got Talent
Ahren Belisle can’t talk because he’s living with cerebral palsy, but that hasn’t stopped the Canadian standup comic from landing a spot on America’s Got Talent.
Belisle, who grew up in Bonfield and North Bay in northern Ontario, uses a text-to-speech app on his phone for his stage routine.
The 28-year-old’s television debut on NBC’s America’s Got Talent is set for Tuesday night, although the widely popular show has already released his audition on its social media channels.
