No I.D.

From YouTube Skits to Live Laughs: Josh Gedeon Comedy Hustle

Jerome Davis Season 9 Episode 6

Send us a text

Ever chuckled so hard that your sides ached? Well, get ready to flex those laugh muscles as Josh Gedeon, the comedic gem of the 757 scene, takes us through his leap from crafting YouTube skits to seizing the mic at Kazi's. We reminisce about the early days of viral Asian YouTubers and the art of translating digital giggles to live audience roars. Desi Banks may have made it look easy, but Josh's candid tales offer a heartwarming glimpse into the comedy grind and the unexpected turns one encounters on the road to a punchline.

Lights dimming mid-joke, the echo of silence in a church hall—sound like a comedian's nightmare? You bet. These are the battle scars we laugh about now but were the shaping forces behind my own comedy saga. Navigating the tightrope of humor, I've felt the guidance of Lionel Harris and the pull towards talents like Roe Davis and Ron Taylor. The lockdown served as comedy's chrysalis, urging us to weave authenticity into our acts, and I can't wait to share how those solitary rehearsals are making the live comebacks even sweeter.

Aspiring jokesters, lean in for a bit of wisdom wrapped in wit. The spotlight may be alluring, but it's the gritty love for the craft that'll keep your feet on stage, night after night. You'll hear how a shout-out to the relentless Josh Gedeon embodies the hustle this game demands. Keep your eyes peeled on my social channels for the next chance to catch my act live—where the laughter's fresh, the stories are real, and the camaraderie's infectious.

https://noidmediallc.komi.io

Support the show

Speaker 1:

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode of the no ID podcast. Here I have a comedian I would say like double XL, freshman of the 757 comedy community. This man has been killing it his originality, his voice, his realism and all his jokes, his punchlines. I met him last year, man, and I've only seen nothing but growth. He's I think he's only been doing it a year, the one and only Josh getting what's going on, josh.

Speaker 2:

I'm gonna appreciate you having me appreciate it.

Speaker 1:

No, bro, appreciate it how you been bro.

Speaker 2:

I've been doing good, let's make good. Can't really complain. Can't complain you how you doing.

Speaker 1:

I'm good, bro, I'm good. I'm good, I'm trying to get like you. You know you got your hair, man, sean, I got to put on a cap. Just I'm gonna my shit up tonight bro.

Speaker 2:

I'm ready. I'm ready to.

Speaker 1:

Alright, motherfuckers, keep playing, go shit, I'm gonna get you 12. We get 10 more years. See if you're singing this same song and dance.

Speaker 2:

I got a fucking live.

Speaker 1:

So, josh man, your comedian brother, how did that start? What made you decide to get into comedy?

Speaker 2:

To be honest, it's always been in the back of my mind, like at first, what I wanted to do is I wanted to do YouTube videos. You know me, I don't want to do skits, but I feel like a lot of the YouTube sys skits that's been coming out has been like it's not the funniest you know me.

Speaker 2:

I feel like it's not and I wanted to be legit funny. So I was like, how can I get funnier? Stand up. And my uncle was also in the back of my head. He was like, hey, man, I can see you doing comedy, I can see you doing it. I was alright, you know a boom. But after the first time I ever did come. After the first time it wasn't the best in the world, but I had one joke, that one joke that did good, and then that's, I was hooked ever since. That's, that's, that's, that's all I needed. That was all I needed. It was insane.

Speaker 1:

You remember the first time you tried comedy? No way you was. It was a Kazi's or something.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it was that Kazi's. Yeah, I was like usually pro every week leading up to it it was like no crowd, there's like little crowd and there's at least one new comedian every time. You know it's like one up to watch a couple times before I went up. The one time I went, that shit was packed. I was the only new comedian that takes first comedian ever. You know, first time doing comedy. You know me that day it was just, it was like it was scary, but it was a good time. I had a good time definitely, man.

Speaker 1:

What Was something like you say you was gonna try and do skits, initially like a YouTube channel, but there's somebody that influenced you like that you will watch like down. This shit is actually good. It makes you want to fall into those footsteps.

Speaker 2:

Like that's on YouTube wise.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I you can't find Twitter Instagram light. Is there an influencer? That was like damn, I could try this.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I used to. I mean, you know I'm an Asian, you know, you know YouTube, at least in the early stages of YouTube. There's a lot of big Asian, there's a big Asian community. So I used to love nigga Higa. I don't know if you knew that is I love Kev Jamba you know, I mean I used to like, you know, just like, yeah, those were the main ones that really you know. I mean I used to be Enjoy the most. You nervous big up. I mean, you know, takes me a little bit.

Speaker 1:

You know me, you hug me every time you see me.

Speaker 2:

You're right, you're right.

Speaker 1:

This is just a shoot the shit, like yeah, when we had the mics and shit with each other bro right, right, I mean just relax man, this is natural, you know me. I'm just, I'm no fucking celebrity. This is, this is just Rome, the same room that you see on the open mics with you. I mean, yeah, man, so Did you ever attempt to do a skit? I.

Speaker 2:

Mean, I do. I actually have a few uploaded still up, not the best, not the best shit in the world, but it's up there. But yeah, I got a couple to say it's in.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I know, I did you. I came up in the vine era, the six seconds, so, like the vines, a low quality camera, like the straight Pixelated images, that was just so fucking hilarious to six seconds. And then, once Instagram allowed Videos to come up and I was like, oh okay, you saw Facebook run a while, so I get it. I like one of the people I like Before he became desi banks was ambition banks. He was ambition banks on vine and he became desi banks. I was rocking with him a lot on vine Nat Kang Cole, that's fine. And then, like, the only one I rock with now that I can actually see me following now is, um, it's juice key, juice key.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, but like yeah, yeah, it's insane cuz I just heard, like to be honest, that shit doesn't always translate, at least on stage. You know I'm saying, but I heard desi banks. He is actually was it funny? Also on stage.

Speaker 1:

For sure. Yes, I think it's harder to transition, and to both realms, even though it's the same realm in the aspect. So, like you know, you got comedians that do stand up, but they're telling jokes and stories, and then you got the comedic actors that's doing the skits, but they just add it, not what we saying. So, yeah, it do translate. Now I've seen some Influences. They shit was like I like. I was like I don't think this is it, I don't think this is your name, but they had the following though so how has stand up been treating you, man? Because you've been doing it for a year, right?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, like a year and a half, a little bit over a year and a half, but like you know what I mean, it's why I love stand up. It's like it's so. I mean I don't know if I've done it for so short, but like I'm constantly going like, oh yeah, this shit easy, I got this. You know what I mean. I do it every time, but that's whenever comedy be humbling you so fast. You know what I mean. They be humbling me so quick, you know. So like comedy has been treating me like bro, it's everything for me. You know what I mean. It's everything. This is it. You know what I mean, Like, but I'm not going to say it, it's just like I just love how honest it is. You know what I mean. At the end of the day, you got to be funny regardless, no matter what, and it's just it's been treating me I don't know how to explain it, but like it's just been treating me good, I guess.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it opens up some doors for you, though, right, yeah, 100%, you got to meet some different people.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, and that's what I love. It's so diverse. You know what I mean First time I met with one arm. You know what I mean First time I'm dealing. You know what I mean First time I'm dealing with different individuals and characters. And yeah, it's insane. I think this is the most fun I've ever had in my life, you know so it's just you know, comedy is man, comedy is a humble motherfuckers boy. Yes, Tell me how that went.

Speaker 2:

You remember your worst set you ever had, like your worst bomb you ever had on the stage, your worst, I think my worst one because, like, my first time was in the worst set in the world, but the second set, right after, like I didn't even finish, you know what I mean? I didn't even make it to the light. I only did two jokes and I quit. I was like God, that's all I do, I'm out. Yeah, that was that cause as well, and yeah, that's it was. I was like damn, that wasn't good that wasn't a good set.

Speaker 2:

It wasn't good at all. I wasn't getting the reactions I wanted and it was not good, not good.

Speaker 1:

Shit, I had some horrible sets, horrible. I had one set where they cut the lights off on me. Oh wait, yeah, I took it. It was so bad. I apologize to the host. I didn't do comedy for like a month and a half. I'm way. Yeah, I started podcasting right after that set. And then the last bomb and I had was January. It was this past January. It was at Longboard.

Speaker 2:

No way. Wait, wait, so wait. What made them cut off the lights?

Speaker 1:

Oh, so you want the whole story?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, a little bit.

Speaker 1:

So you remember in one of my jokes when I'm like when you I got booked at a black church.

Speaker 2:

Okay.

Speaker 1:

Right, it was a black church crowd. I didn't want to put it on to that black church. It was a black church crowd Now they know a black church crowd and you couldn't cuss. So I was fresh, new to the game. It was at this bar it's not this far from my house and they gave me five minutes. At the time I thought my five minutes was killing. I was still doing the same shit from comedy school. So I said one day I was going to write the jokes while I was at the bar no rehearsal, no, nothing, no pen, just I'm like I'm gonna do it. And then, if they ain't working, I was like yo, I'm gonna do 85 South show, I'm just freestyle, some shit. We said I bombed like they cut the music off and the lights on me. I was like all right, and the worst thing about it was I had a girl with me and Linel Harris was there. Linel was actually. Linel was actually the reason why I got back on it.

Speaker 2:

Oh, ok, that's dope.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, linel was the dude that was like help me get back on to us. So yeah, it was. It was bad and I used to be a clean Christian comedy when I first started and then obviously not no more. I love it. No man, is there been anybody that you've worked with or want to work with since you've been in comedy? He got it and it could be like a big name or it could be like just somebody you've seen around the way, like them, just so amazed at every time they get on the stage they kill it. I saw them.

Speaker 2:

Of course, Roe Davis, you know. But I definitely want to work with Linel Harris. Linel Harris, I don't know, I just want. I just like he did. He has so much he could. I could learn from him, you know. And plus, he's reachable. You know what I mean. I got his number. Yeah, I want to get Linel Harris on a bigger scale. Oh, I don't know. I mean, like a lot of people, do you come to me? He's actually like a really funny. I really like I don't know who Ralph Barbosa is. I really like Ralph Barbosa. There's this guy. His name is fuck. What's his name? Ron Ron. Ron Taylor Black out with a friend.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, black out with a friend yeah, I think he's hilarious, but, like you know, yeah, this is the name of a few I just yeah, I just yeah. All you want to do is just any learn. That's all I'm trying to do. Anyone could learn from, and that's it's we have to learn from anybody at this point, but yeah just like be careful from the ones that you learn from.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you got to look at they resume, right, you know what I?

Speaker 2:

mean, that was one of the first advice I got to take everything with a green assault, especially from my open mics.

Speaker 1:

Oh, I had. I forgot what I even know, but I had. I can share it with anybody. I had a dude come up to me and say don't write your shit, don't write down nothing, just go up there and just talk shit. What do I got to talk shit. I see funny boy.

Speaker 1:

We used to go to long, so everybody went to the car. I started going to long shots. This was when certain somebody was running at Mike. I used to go. So I went. I met this dude. He was telling me the same thing Don't write your shit, let your nuts hang.

Speaker 2:

All right.

Speaker 1:

Cool, I did. It Got the lights cut off for me.

Speaker 2:

No way oh no.

Speaker 1:

So then what's the? What happened? We funny bonus do open mic on Wednesday. This is how I met Joe Paulo funny bonus. I met Joe Paulo funny bonus, so you will see the who of comedy in this open mic Right these part low Tory hugins before he moved Bunch of the cars you folks that couldn't get in and I was like but cool, you know what I'm saying. And he did. The same dude came up to me. No, josh, you froze babe.

Speaker 2:

I don't know what. I don't know what's happening. What do I do?

Speaker 1:

Oh bro Hello, and what do you normally write about? Yeah, how's your writing going? What do you normally write about? Hmm, you.

Speaker 1:

You, yeah, you got realism in your jokes, you got a lot of realism. So you actually talk about shit that you go through like the, the, the yellow emperor, shit. I think you say the other emperor yeah, I was like this shit actually pretty good, bro, it's actually good, you got it. Sometimes you, yeah, sometimes you got, oh, okay, okay, just trying. Is you, you, mm-hmm, you, for my writing it's when I first thought I used to lie like hell. They used to lie like hell when I first thought it. Now it's realism. So like the jokes that I have, those are true fucking stories. Yeah, so like a lockdown.

Speaker 1:

Lockdown was one of the best times for me to actually sick, to fuck down and write shit out. So I used to watch I Still watch it and listen to it. Mom's Mabily right, you ever heard of her? My own Mabily is the first stand-up comedian ever. All right, so, moms, if you listen to her stuff, she would tell stories, family dating, her life, just anything. Now that, okay, she vulnerable on the stage. So I Was like, let me try some realism. So like some jokes that I write. They just like either they will all of my realism, but let them just like some random shit that I may see like observational shit. Like I got a joke about body wash. I went to Target one day to get some fucking body wash and I am. It made me switch over from Duh for men what I was down to do for women, because the men shit was three for one, the women shit it's separated, they actually have a name of they sent. So I like, oh shit, what the fuck? So I wrote that down Me getting old.

Speaker 1:

It's true, I'm old, up to 35 next year. I'm old, they get that down. That's what I usually do, and sometimes I'll watch a stand-up special. I'm like, fuck, he is talking about his family and I'm like, all right, I got to talk about my. And then I'll listen to some shit that my mom or my aunts, even before my dad passed, they would tell me about my aunt, some uncles, like all I know people think I cap when I say my aunt booty, uncle dick, that's, that's their names, that's the nickname, that's the fucking name. So Mm-hmm, you have, you'll get there, bro, you don't even doing it a year and a half. You know me like you'll find your voice. It's just, I got tired of hearing the uh, the extra fat. I got tired of writing about with the extra fat and the over exaggeration, like it's just. That's just what I pride myself on. I tell you this because I switched up my writing styles. I am more miserable after an open mic. I know that sounds crazy. I See like I'm digging into some shit that I shouldn't even breathe.

Speaker 1:

Did a set about my dad's funeral. They have him back in September and I was like, yeah, I was in a black funeral, that's like a 2b movie special. I just went on the deep end of all of the shit that was happening and the lady came up to me first. They was like no, it was a dude, was a couple. I did Something like a piece of dude came in.

Speaker 1:

I'm sorry about your loss, man, but that shit was fucking funny. I like Sorry about your loss, but you were fucking funny. I like thank you, bro. That me up gave me his business, cause it call me yeah, man, but you know you'll shit me, you'll shit be hitting the stand on, the jumping on the bed and the Angle like that. I saw a joke that you had that. I wish I had the warp joke. I wish I had that in my bed. Fuck, fuck, ain't no when I see you, bro, it made me want to step my game up a lot too.

Speaker 1:

Each Federal US, you only the, the, the, and that's crazy, because that's actually about a cousin they used to holler about. Yeah, I had a cousin, actually did some time and what you'll probably hear tonight of some next mic you see me on talk about his ass and some of the shit that he did. So, yeah, you, you, you hear like I got some new shit. I'm cooking on man who, some of those stand-up comedians that you like, yo, I really love him. Like you, if they drop a special, you automatically locked in today special. So like somebody that you really admire as far as stand-up on the biggest scale is bacon good, so move just name a few.

Speaker 1:

Cat is on my list too. I'm not gonna lie to you cat. Sign. Feel Steven Smith. I had him on my podcast and like I got me fun about him that I like his comedy. John Mulaney I like John Mulaney, I love baby J. Yeah man, it's so fucking diverse and like you would look at me like you would think Bernie Mac or cat, or Richard Pryor, eddie, I'm like no, it's sign. Feel John Mulaney. George Carlin whoa, whoa, what you know.

Speaker 1:

You got a name nobody. What's some of the bad advice that you've ever gotten on the stage? Don't name nobody. I got you. If you can't think of it, I got one for it. We can pivot with some of the thing that you didn't heard. He ain't nobody.

Speaker 1:

That's been like man, this motherfucker full of shit no, not on the stage I'm talking about like they came on to you, was trying to give you some advice. Like this motherfucker full of shit like I got you, I got I got. No, you're you're cuz I can. I can tell you I can attest to this shit. I got son one time and this was back over the summer. I'm like like it wasn't even some, probably spring. I was like nigga, what I just got. Like I just got you know me. I just can't. I'm about to go to Connecticut. I just came from DC. My, you don't try to fucking send me. I like yeah, I think I like I know I had one dude when it was. It was a girl, it was a girl.

Speaker 1:

It was like way back into my comedy journey she was trying to send this shit out of me. She's like I want to be a manager. I was like fuck no, like fuck no, he ain't being my fucking manager. She's like, yeah, I want to be a manager. Like we had a, it was a comp, a how long was I doing comedy? I think I was a year it was.

Speaker 1:

My comedy didn't really pick up until like lockdown, lockdown, zoom shows, zoom comedy. I was fucking killing it. I was making, I was making money. So they open up these fucking bars and shit. Like fuck, I gotta go back to square one. But um, she kept asking me to manage me. She wanted me to mentor her. She wanted. She kept trying to give me like etiquette critiques. Then she would go up to the host and tell him that she want to help expand and shit. And I had to apologize to the host. But I asked her, as you know, what comedy have you done? She's like I've never done comedy in my life. It's all like I like you better try and tell. I forgot the guy name. His name is time because he's the smoke.

Speaker 1:

A cigarette can do a monologue, a comedy like Dick Gregory on the stage, and I'm so sorry, like she kept coming to him about that. I said, well, what do you do for a living if you don't do anything? She was a social worker, like my jokes, my jokes, like some of the jokes you hear now, some jokes I had stashed away for years but she was trying to help me with a bunch of the jokes. I like I don't think that shit working. Yeah, it is going up in my, in my own, my bottom level recording. If it's not, well, fuck, I hit you up again. The fuck we still recording the island.

Speaker 1:

I appreciate the concern is that, like when you go on to the mic, when you do your jokes, what should mentality? As far as going to my, you can be like yo, I'm about this shit on everybody on the stage or you like I Not get it. I pace. I think one of times you the last, one of the last times I was at Georgia. She'll see me pace Back and forth. So I pace and I talk to myself. I don't want to be bothered before I go on the stage, like you'll depth me up, but I'll pace. Like when was that the, the black Friday show? Like that was the most sitting down I've ever done before in the show. So I get it. You doing this shit like a cracker. Yet I'm pacing. I'm pacing, talking to myself, and I can be saying some jokes that I've already said. There's already been workshop. I already feel like they had a point where I could just fit on, but because Whoever goes on that card before me, I don't know if they lost the crowd or the energy is out, yeah, so it's like it is what it is.

Speaker 1:

Man, what's some of your biggest fears of comedy? You? You Not afraid of the bomb? I'm not even afraid to offend people. It's the people that have offended. It's gonna come up to me because I've had to be with a layman. I could whoop his ass. Hey, tell me time. I've been pressed like five or six times. Hmm, I've been pressed five or six times. And let me tell you something, cuz I'm two different people on the stage and and they're like I talk all the shit on the mic, but when you see me, I'm public, I'm like I'm just quiet, I want to be fuck with. But yeah, I've been pressed about five or six times and that's this year and it's always been at the same room. Artist vibes. I've been pressed a few times. No, I do, I don't.

Speaker 1:

I don't like yo, this is I'm saying the shit that I never thought of saying, so it's whatever, this, whatever. Hmm, well, before we sign off, josh one, I appreciate you coming on to the show and being a guest. Let's not be in fucking professional. Why? Why do y'all motherfuckers do that shit? You know what I'm gonna say. I'm not gonna say it because when I, when I, it's like, when I come around, like some of y'all be straightening the fuck up, I'm like bro, I'm here in a bar telling jokes with your ass, yes, to prove man, amen. No, I'm saying yeah, yeah, motherfuckers, I'm gonna call y'all out. When I see y'all today, like any time I see one, right, I like one time I went to a um, the VCW, the wrestling shit at the Masonic temple, and I love Christian rice. I love him to death. He goes damn wrong. I ain't no, you was here. I was like bro, you like I do is come like.

Speaker 1:

I only come out to do a mic and go back to fuck home to the back gate. What's I'm like? Oh, like, then I got there. There's a wrong like Friday matter fact. That's all I want to get on your ass about the the day to funny show. We sit in there and you got a drink, you like. Oh, am I okay to drink around you? I'm like what the fuck yeah?

Speaker 1:

What? I'm not nobody's parent. Josh, you got a whole foot and a half of hate on me. What the fuck do I look like Checking your? And you're younger to me. My reflexes have slowed down.

Speaker 1:

What do I look like in China? Yeah, we go. Oh, I'm not. I'm a tense up cuz we're on here. The fuck is that you can't answer that. I don't know. I'm nobody daddy in this bitch. Calm down bro.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I'll be doing this shit on purpose. I like this shit is so annoying. Went to long. Boys they eat french fries, smoking weed. Oh, what you doing, you do it. Who cares?

Speaker 1:

But what advice do you give to any before we sign off? Uh, I'm gonna need two or three things. One, what advice do you have to any comedians that's actually in the game, are looking to get into the comedy game, to your top five comedians, dead or alive, in any order. And three, your social media handles you. You At least. I just talked.

Speaker 1:

If you're on Astro, then you can go on to write down your film. Fiddle me, market, like I can name some shit I just told you. Like John Mulaney, you guys can follow me on my comedian page at comedian rom. Listen, all social media platforms, no ID media TV that's on Instagram, facebook and YouTube. No shows. Well, I do got some shows coming up in January. I think January I'll be in DC at the social comedy lounge, so I can't pronounce, I just got it. December 15th. Catch me doing ghetto Christmas at sweet Royals. December 7th I'll be at Zadda's Theater. Next year is DC and some Virginia Beach open mics. You may see me pop up at an open mic some very selective about my mics and make sure you guys support Josh Gideon.

Speaker 1:

Like I said, he's one of the like double XL hip-hop comedy freshmen that's popping out on the scene right now, a year and a half of the game, and this man has made me want to step my shit up even more per se because I bombed that. Well, everybody bombed at Jam Cafe, but, josh, this nap is not bombed. That jacket you bomb items was a motherfucker and you can sit on that like fucking. Cat Williams and Kevin Hart could have walked through the dorm. I'm gonna hit it. Do some new shit. They were not Going to laugh. So is that that bruja hot thing or oh, welcome to the fucking life of being a comedian.

Speaker 1:

That's the ground I took. Took a 12 hour train ride, got a hotel just to do a show at the Mohegan sign. So I know how this shit is after three hours for five minutes. So I know how this shit is. So that's the grind man. This is the most humbling Career that you can get into. And if you do it for money, if you do it for cloud, is this, isn't this, ain't this, ain't it, this ain't it, is ain't it. You got a, you're grinding is some comedians that been doing it longer than us put together and they still like I'm driving, I'm flying it, la do a X, y and Z and like, yeah, well, that's what it is. Brody, go ahead and stop the recording.

People on this episode

Podcasts we love

Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.

No I.D. Artwork

No I.D.

Jerome Davis