A Chat With Josh Nelson
Who doesn’t love a good laugh? Every month, join ginger's in the Gaslamp for their Cocktails and Comedians event, featuring a hilarious lineup of comedians. The evening guarantees plenty of laughs alongside amazing cocktails! ginger’s, located just below barleymash, is a swanky cocktail lounge featuring live music, DJs and karaoke throughout the week. Cocktails and Comedians is a free show that lasts from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., so be sure to arrive early to grab a good seat and laugh until it hurts! Doors open at 7:00 p.m. and there is a two-drink minimum.
Dean Hall: What process do you use to develop your stand up material?
Josh Nelson: Most of my stand up comes from my everyday life. I take my experiences with my friends and family and I find the funny. Id say my comedy is observational and it is 95% real life stories with 5% exaggeration.
DH: If you could do a comedy tour with 4 other people who would it be?
JN: Thats a tough question. My 4 comics that I would choose would be. Kevin Hart. I think Kevin is hilarious and he would have us performing in stadiums. Chris D'elia is one of my favorites out right now. I watch him and he has me crying laughing. Andrew Santino is another one. The things Andrew thinks up makes me wonder, "how did I not think of that?" The last one would be Greg Giraldo. This might be hard because he died but its my tour so hes going. Greg is the reason I got into comedy. I saw him perform and I was hooked.
DH: Can you share 2-3 career highlights.
JN: My first highlight was performing all the big clubs in San Diego and then LA. Second best was getting on TV on the show Laughs on FOX. Next highlight...well doing this interview of course
DH: Whose career do you most admire in Hollywood?
JN: Another tough question! I think I admire Bill Burr the most in the comedy world. He says whatever he wants and doesnt look back. We are in a world where people get offended so easily, so a lot of people watch what they say. I know I think about whether or not a joke would offend people a lot. It would be nice to not care.
DH: Mad TV or SNL ?
JN: SNL. But old SNL with Will Farrell and Adam Sandler. Im not a huge fan of SNL now. Every sketch is political now. Come on already!!
DH: What made you want to become a comedian? JN: I started comedy on a dare from my friend. I went to an open mic and most of the comics werent very good. Most were so bad that I felt I could do better. I told my buddy and he dared me. YOU NEVER BACK DOWN FROM A DARE!! At least when you are young. I wrote jokes for 6 weeks, then did 5 minutes at an open mic. My act was recited word for word. The feeling was amazing. One person came up to me and said "wow you are really funny." Thats all I needed to be hooked. Here I am eight years later.
DH: What’s the toughest part of being a comedian?
JN: Toughest part for me is the traveling and waiting. You have to travel to do shows all the time. I also hate waiting to do my set. I wish I could go first every time. Another tough thing about comedy is the fact that every audience is different. A joke that works for some crowds doesnt work for all crowds. This is the tough part that I love though. It makes for a good challenge.
DH: Favorite city you performed in?
JN: Best city is San Diego!! I love the crowds here. LA is fun, but the audiences can be too cool to laugh like they do down here.