First Mic

He Studied Bill Cosby on VHS Hundreds of Times | Josh Stovall

Josh Stovall is a preacher, a comedian, and the kind of guest who'll sip Zinfandel like it's communion and then tell you about the last time he made his mom laugh before she passed six years ago this March. He spent two and a half years writing jokes in his phone before he ever set foot on a stage — and when he finally did, at an open mic at Fours on High in Columbus, the host was so drunk he butchered Josh's name on the way up. Josh killed anyway. In this conversation with host Ira Cross, Josh gets into why he studied Bill Cosby on VHS as a kid (and what We Must Talk About Bill Cosby gets right about him), why Columbus is the perfect place to get your soul bruised before you go anywhere else, and the unhinged way he handles hecklers. There's a tribute to Murf Henderson's feet, a Craftsman sponsorship pitch, a mystery Friday involving five cop cars in Westerville, and one of the cleanest pieces of advice we've had on this show: take notes on everybody — the ones you like and the ones you don't — and be yourself. Filmed at Rehab Tavern in Columbus, Ohio. What's the wildest first open mic story you've ever heard? Drop it in the comments. 🎙️ Follow Josh Stovall: Instagram: @pastorpeace Facebook: Joshua Eric Stovall 🔗 First Mic is part of the Indie Comedy Collective: YouTube: youtube.com/@IndieComedyCollective Instagram: @indiecomedycollective ⏱️ CHAPTERS: 00:00 — Pastor with the Zinfandel 01:25 — The Last Time He Made His Mom Laugh 02:40 — Jason Banks, Henry Allen, and the Night the Attic Changed His Mind 03:00 — His First Mic at Fours on High (and the Drunk Host Who Couldn't Say His Name) 04:20 — Studying Bill Cosby on VHS, Hundreds of Times 05:33 — "Something Happened on Friday…" 07:11 — The We Must Talk About Bill Cosby Documentary 09:28 — "I Didn't Bomb. Surprisingly." 09:55 — Tyson Colson Is a Comedic AI 12:25 — Why Comedy in Columbus 13:57 — Columbus Will F You Up — In a Good Way 15:48 — All the Ingredients, Nobody Baked the Cake 17:09 — Jesse Sisson Walks In 19:30 — Advice for New Comics: Take Notes, Be Yourself 20:00 — Five Cop Cars in Westerville 22:55 — Favorite Columbus Comic: Murf Henderson 24:30 — Murf's Feet Need a Craftsman Sponsorship 27:25 — Nef Johnson Will Rip Your Soul With Two Words 28:45 — How to Handle a Heckler 30:10 — Fine People Are Insecure Too 33:55 — Least Favorite Social Media: Threads and TikTok 34:30 — Why Facebook Still Wins 36:00 — Where to Find Him + Mom's Ghost Cameos

Stand-Up in Tokyo on English Night | Janaris Cain

Janaris Cain (@PrincessNaris) thought she was going to dance for Missy Elliott. Instead, the wig got snatched off her head on a Wild 'N Out tour stop, her friends told her she had to do comedy, and she said "f it" and walked into Shrunken Head for her first open mic. She bombed. Then a stranger in the crowd yelled "your booty though," and Janaris took it as the green light to get back into her joke. Since then she's performed in LA, New York, New Orleans, Chicago, Louisville, Cincinnati, Dayton — and on English night at a comedy club in Tokyo on her birthday trip, where her "big bag of rice" joke about getting comp passes at Universal absolutely killed. She was the only woman on a Mike Epps show at Nationwide Arena, sharing the stage with TK Kirkland, DC Young Fly, Mojo Brooks, and Tony Roberts. She also has thoughts on hecklers — specifically the one in Cincinnati who called her a piggy, and the comeback that shut the table down. Plus: why Sista Lu's open mic at The Attic is the most structured room in the city, the difference between Columbus's community vibe and Chicago's nine-to-five competitiveness, her hot take that Snapchat is "for the cheaters," and what comics need to understand about Instagram being their resume. Janaris is shooting for her first 20–30 minute special by the end of the year. As she put it: "You gotta be delusional when you do this. Or — what's the new term? You gotta be the birthday." 🎙️ Follow Janaris: Instagram: @PrincessNaris Facebook: Janaris Cain 📍 Recorded at Rehab Tavern in Columbus, Ohio.

Make It Make Sense: A Mother's Day Conversation with Mom | Sheila Taylor

Happy Mother's Day. For this special episode, Ira sits down with the woman everyone in his life has called hilarious for as long as he can remember — his mom, Sheila Taylor. She's the first non-comic guest on First Mic, the first mom, and (sorry Murf) the first one to take her shoes off on camera.   They get into her first live comedy show at Powers Auditorium in Youngstown back in the late '80s, what it's like watching her son show up on TV commercials and Walmart displays, and the sister-and-fiancée tag team that keeps trying to put her on Tinder. Sheila explains why peace and quiet beats a partner who can't take the trash out, runs through her favorite Columbus comics (Tyson Carson, Sister Lou, Larry Danflows, Murph Henderson, Wendy Ferguson, Def Goldblum), picks Steve Harvey as her Kings of Comedy MVP, and reveals exactly how she'd handle a heckler — and yes, prayer is involved.   Whether she'll ever actually do an open mic? She says one time, with a drink, with Jackie and Myra in the front row. We'll hold her to it.   CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold open 0:14 Welcome to a Mother's Day First Mic 2:31 Murf, the shoes are off 3:08 First non-comic guest in show history 5:04 First live comedy show: Michael Blackson at Powers Auditorium 8:12 Watching her son in commercials 10:14 Why your "intimate community" still counts 13:33 Would Sheila ever do stand-up? 17:00 Plugs: Da Fuck, The Valley, Rehab Tavern open mics 19:18 The Tinder situation 19:35 "I can buy myself flowers" 22:07 Favorite Columbus comics 25:48 Favorite comics, living or dead 28:20 How Sheila would handle a heckler 29:50 Why she left social media 32:55 Happy Mother's Day   PRESENTED BY The Independent Comedy Collective   OPEN MIC LINEUP Fridays — Dafuque Beer Company Wednesdays — The Valley (with Def Goldblum) NEW: Rehab Tavern open mic, sign-ups 7pm / start 8pm   Filmed at Rehab Tavern, Franklinton, Columbus, OH.   LISTEN Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get podcasts.   #FirstMic #MothersDay #ColumbusComedy #Standup #IraCross

Why This Comic Practices in Her Closet Before Every Set | Tanya Vora

Tanya Vora doesn't wing anything. Before her first open mic in July 2023, she recorded herself practicing in her closet, showed up at The Attic early to visualize the stage, and went ninth on the lineup so she wouldn't have to go first. She also Googled what a "tight five" was the week before — because she thought it meant five jokes. She was wrong. She was also great. The comic who followed her, Chris Toiloi, told the room he couldn't believe it was her first time. In this episode of First Mic, Tanya sits down with Ira Cross at Rehab Tavern to talk about moving from Startup Weekend pitch competitions into stand-up, running Brats (the women-centered mic at Space Bar), building Spice Up (her live show where comics interview chefs while the audience eats), the Picasso theory of why year-one comics aren't supposed to be polished yet, and the one thing every headliner she's ever asked said made their career. 🎙️ First Mic is the podcast where Columbus comedians share the story of their first time on stage — the bombs, the lessons, and the moment they got hooked. 📍 Recorded at Rehab Tavern — shout out for hosting us. 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every Thursday. 🎙️ Follow Tanya: Instagram/TikTok: @tanya.vohra YouTube: Tanya Vohra Spice Up: @spiceupeats Mic: @bratscomedy

"I Looked at Comedians Like Dorks and Dweebs" — Then Tony Rock Changed His Mind | LeRon Crowder

LeRon Crowder is the reason First Mic exists. Before this podcast was a podcast, he and Ira Cross sat in a Columbus library sketching the idea out on dry erase boards like a couple of professors. This is his first mic story — and it starts with Tony Rock at a Cheesecake Factory telling him, "You need to get on stage." After two years of driving up to open mics, looking at comedians like "dorks and dweebs," and turning his car back around, a divorce and a need for something tangible to grab onto finally pushed LeRon through the door. He hasn't stopped since. In this episode, LeRon sits down with Ira Cross at Rehab Tavern to talk about starting The Green Room podcast at iHeart with his brother Mark Gordon, how Tony Rock planted the seed that became a career, being 40 in a scene full of kids, why work ethic matters more than punchlines, raising four young children while chasing stand-up, and his wildly unserious take on his favorite Columbus comics (Tyson Colson, Josh Albert, Jason Banks, Henry Allen — sorry in advance, fellas).   🎙️ First Mic is a podcast where Columbus comedians share the story of their first time on stage — the bombs, the lessons, and the moment they got hooked.   📍 Recorded at Rehab Tavern, 456 West Town Street, Franklinton. Go give them your money. 🎤 Follow LeRon Crowder: Instagram: @leroncrowder Facebook: LeRon Crowder   🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every week and get a front-row seat to the Columbus comedy scene. What's the piece of advice someone gave you that changed your whole trajectory? Drop it below.