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Podcast Host (Jo)
Guaranteed Human.
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Laugh With Me Podcast Co-host (Jeremy Odom)
All?
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Kalpen (Host of Hearsay Audible Podcast)
Hey, everyone, it's Kalpen. I'm inviting you to join the best sounding book club you've ever heard with my podcast, Hearsay, The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. Every episode, I nerd out with amazing guests and dive into the best new audiobooks available on Audible. It's the book club for your ears. Listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Podcast Host (Jo)
Weather, traffic.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Hey, stay in your lane.
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from the show last night to this drive, why is it never chill? Cause this is our live backstage on the road. It's loud, messy, real. And that's the best part. Whole crew, no plan, just moving. Good thing Nissan builds for that kind of chaos. Not just test tracks, real life scenes, late nights, road trips, all of it. That's why it holds up. Nissan was ranked number one in initial quality among mainstream brands by J.D. power. Yeah, you can tell. 2026 Nissan Rogue built for what really happens. For J.D. power 2025 U.S. initial Quality Study Award information, visit jdpower.com awards awards based on 2025 model year newer models may be shown.
Laugh With Me Podcast Co-host (Jeremy Odom)
Hit that intro. Go laugh with me when the rent's past due and the car won't start Laugh with me when the only sponsor is my broken heart we're hanging on this janky stream Two weird voices in the glow of a screen if the world won't sing then let it laugh with me.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Welcome back, it's a brand new episode. This is Laugh With Me, the POD podcast with Jeremy Odom and I'm your host.
Laugh With Me Podcast Co-host (Jeremy Odom)
Jeremy stares at the stats, hand shaking over takeout boxes. Johnny's already mapping hotels on a napkin with greasy crosses. They quit jobs, they kinda hate it. Tell their bosses, catch the show. Boss just shrugs. Hope it's funny. Johnny grins, you'll never know.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Hey, it's Jo. And thank you to everybody who listens, but especially thank you to everybody who's listening on Apple Podcasts, cracking us back into the top 200 comedy podcasts in the United States. Johnny, I'm telling you, we got to be doing something right. I don't know if it's the people that we're talking to, if it's that banger of a thing song from the Pepper Spray Singers, if it's your producing, I don't know what the magic is. But thank you to everybody who does listen to the pod and of course you can find us anywhere. You can find us on the free I heart radio app and Spotify and of course the YouTubes.
Kalpen (Host of Hearsay Audible Podcast)
Yes.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Well, today we have an amazing guest. He has done well. He's done just about it all. He's not only conquered the comedy world where he's done everything from producing, hosting, headlining, big shows including arenas. This guy also you can hear him on morning radio across the United States. He's just released his first children's book. Mikey finds his Voice. You can find it out in anywhere. But what we're going to really get into is what's going on this Friday, June 26th in Lincoln, Nebraska. It's a Friday night, fights at the Complex. He is the in ring voice of MMA and boxing at the Complex. Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to find out exactly how he got himself in to the squared circle for this one. Ladies and gentlemen, it's Doc Peterson.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
So the president of the boxing association came into my office on like a Wednesday and he said, hey, we're doing there's a local fight. He didn't really tell me too much about it. There's a local fight coming up this weekend and we need a second pay per view guy, not necessarily the play by play but the guy that can fill in the background and just bs. And I said, sure, yeah, I'll do it, I'm a boxing fan, but I can't do the play by play. I don't know enough of the, the intricacies to do that because now we got you covered. Just come in and bullshit. Yeah, I said, done. So the night before the fights during weigh ins, I went and I interviewed all the fighters. So I had some background stuff to talk about. The ring announcer didn't show up to do weigh ins, so I filled in and did weigh ins that night, just off the cuff. And the next night, the pay per view went really, really well. In fact, the guy that was producing it came to us the next day and said, dude, that was awesome, we want to hire you to do more. And I said, well, I had fun doing this, but that's not really my personality. I'm the over the top personality. I want to be the ring announcer. And he got with the owner of the complex and they said, okay, done, he's out, you're in, let's go.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Well, that was simple. Well, you have, I mean, and we'll get into it, but man, your background of comedy and hosting and putting together show, I mean you were perfect to be front and center in the ring. Give him a mic like let's go in front of this audience. So it was kind of a perfect fit.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
I appreciate that. It wasn't, that wasn't always my life, but it was something that I found later in life and I ran with it.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Well, on Friday, June 26th, we've got a main event for the Nebraska state heavyweight title belt. Clyde Junk Johnson from Lincoln versus Corey McIntosh in Minnesota. When I saw you did you did a preview kind of interview, they're kind of hyping up the fight. As you're like preparing for these fights, do you get much access to the fighters ahead of time or is this kind of. You have to do your own research and kind of go from there.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
All the local fighters I can have as much access to as I want. I've just recently started doing some of those interviews like you saw online. They had other people from the venue doing them from time to time. And I said, you know, look, I'm already the face and the voice of the complex. Let me jump in and I'll do this one and we'll see how it goes. And we had fun doing it. We actually did like a 20 minute interview and we edited it down just for that 2 1/2 minute sound clip that we played on Facebook. But yeah, and it's kind of fun because I've gotten to know all the regional fighters, all the local fighters, and then of course, you make connections from all over the country as they come in too.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Oh, absolutely. So what's your favorite? Boxing? Mma? I mean, what do you like? You feel it in your bones?
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Honestly, I would say boxing. I'm back to being a more of a true, tried and true boxing fan. When I first started practicing 21 years ago, MMA was just exploding, especially in the Midwest. And it seemed like every fighter who was anybody was coming into my office to get adjusted. So I was going to a lot of the MMA fights in the early days following a lot of the UFC and that. And now I've, I've kind of started to switch back towards the sweet science of boxing and understand it a little more. And so I would say overall, yeah, it's, it's boxing over MMA for me, man.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Anytime people say, oh, boxing's a dead sport, or whatever, I'm like, go watch, watch a fight and then tell me it's a dead sport. Like the, the game within the game is so much fun. And if you actually like, watch a fight, you fall back in love with it all over again.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Well, and to anyone who says that boxing is a dead sport, come out to the complex on Friday night and see 1500 people screaming their ass off at a fight. There's nothing dead about it. In fact, I'm going to let a cat out of the bag here. The complex is doubling their seating capacity. We're going from 1500 to 3000 seats this year. And with our ticket sales, we anticipate selling out all 3000 as well. So there's nothing dead about it.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Wow, 1500. When you said 1500, I'm like, that's a good size venue, but to double down. And I saw you guys have music, you know, that's starting up or has started up. And yeah, I mean, the complex is very much becoming a big time player.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
They are. And what they did was they took an old, it was called Champions Fun center and they gutted it and they turned it into just this huge event space. And so we've already started with some concerts in there and we have, I can't, I can't say any of the big names that are coming yet because the ink isn't dry on the contract yet. But we have some big names, some rock bands coming from the 80s and 90s that are going to come through. We have a couple of big one off Mexican Celebration shows coming in, I think I can say that Los Lobos is coming in. So we have. And for those shows, since they're not seated, our capacity is 2,500, 3,000 people for those shows, and we expect every bit of that. So we're taking the place of, like, the old Pershing Auditorium in Lincoln and, you know, things that aren't quite Pinnacle bank arena size now, those are going to the. Going to the complex, which is much
Podcast Host (Jo)
needed in Lincoln for an indoor facility. Yeah, very much so needed. So what's your. What's your role in this then? Like, what's your. I guess I'm not aware of kind of your hand in hand, like, relationship there at the complex.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
So I really. I'm a hired hand. But if you talk to anyone who is involved with the complex, we are a family. And so Tommy Arciaga, the owner, he pretty much says, if you work for me, your family, and I've treated it that way. So everything I do has to reflect his values and their values and project that out as well, whether in the ring or the way that I carry myself outside the ring and interacting with people. Because now it's. It's not just 500 people who saw me at a comedy show. It's 1500 people who saw me at a fight. It's. It's. And that's month after month after month. It's not just a one off and then six months later, another show. We're doing this every month or every other month. So. Yeah, yeah. So I have no ownership in it, but I take a lot of pride in personal ownership and everything that we do.
Podcast Host (Jo)
And then I've, you know, and I've been following you for a few years now, and it seems like anything you do, you're all in, and it's going to be awesome. It's going to be professional. It's going to run, you know, the way it's supposed to run. Everybody has a good experience. Like, I, I was seriously, like, looking around, I'm like, all right, what's the. I mean, you and I started talking, you know, a little bit because I was getting in the mud, and I'm like, where's. Where's Doc getting in the mud at? He's not like he's a pro. He's a pros pro. Kudos to you, man.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
I appreciate that. It may look like that from the outside, but let me tell you, before I walk to, like, a huge show that sold out with 500 people in the audience, I am shitting bricks. I I'm not, I'm not an asshole to any of the performers, but man, I am not fun to be around for that last 20 minutes before I get on stage.
Podcast Host (Jo)
That's awesome. So in. All right, so Friday's fight night. When, when you're preparing, you know, for your presentation of, of the fight, what are some things you do to, to like, get prepared to be, you know, the voice of it?
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
So the week of especially, I'm really working on the afflictions in my voice and making sure that my voice is going to last through a four hour show. So it's a 12 minute ride to my office in the morning at home from lunch, back after lunch and back after work. And that entire 12 minutes I am rehearsing my intro. Not because I think I'm going to screw up the intro, but because I want to push my voice and have it ready for Friday night. Because the first time you step in front of 1500 people and you've got that huge sound system behind you and you still can't hear your own voice, you over, you over project, you over push. And so I'm always, that week of I'm pushing my voice to make sure that I have it for the final call of the main event at the Last minute at 11 o' clock at night after I've been on the mic for four hours.
Podcast Host (Jo)
So are you someone who's, you know, and I'm sure you got many fights, you might probably have a card in front of you with all the info. Are you somebody who tries to memorize as much as you can and, and you know, put that forth to the audience?
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
So both, a lot of the things that I do are completely memorized, but I always have a card in front of me because you can't forget a sponsor. You can't forget a fighter's hometown or their weight and things like that. They, they get pretty pissy if you forget where their hometown is or what boxing club that they represent. So I do have a fight card in front of me. I try to just reference it instead of reading it word for word. And my comedy background has definitely helped with that. Because if you've heard any of the love hate about my comedy is I never allowed notes on stage. I don't care if you take them to a chair or a stool or on the back of your drink cup. If you brought notes on my stage, it was the last time you ever performed on my stage because I was paying you better than anyone else pays in the state of Nebraska. I expected professionalism and my 50 minute set, I didn't have one single note written down anywhere.
Starbucks Tropical Butterfly Refresher Narrator
Right.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
So if I can, if I can do it for 50, you can do it for 10.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Yeah, and that's, I've seen a lot of that too, where it's like, you know, open mics, whatever, but when you, when it's a paid show, you, you're, you're expected to put on the show and be an entertainer. And part of that is knowing you're, you know, knowing your act. And that's exactly when, when you're out there in the bright lights in the middle of the ring, do you feel the, like the, the adrenaline pumping much like the, the fighters themselves? I mean, do you have to do anything to kind of physically get yourself amped up too?
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
So they play an intro song for me, just like they do for a comedy show, just like they do any of the fighters. They play Dr. Feel Good by Motley Crue. They crank that up. They play that for about 30 seconds. And I start all the way up at the top of the venue next to the DJ booth, and I walk down the hall, walk down the steps, I walk into the ring and that's kind of my moment to gather my shit.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Yep.
Kalpen (Host of Hearsay Audible Podcast)
And.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
And everyone's like, oh, that's just you being cocky and getting pumped up and. No, that's me biting my tongue in my mouth so that I don't have a panic attack as I start to speak and speak too quickly and hyperventilated. Because that crowd energy of fight fans is 10 times what a comedy crowd is.
Podcast Host (Jo)
So one of their there and they're there. Yeah. And one of the things that I love about, like, MMA fights, to your point, is Bruce Buffer. I will watch just for him. Like the fights, the fight, it is what it is. But I'm tuning in for the introductions, I'm tuning in for the winner announcement because he, you can tell physically, like he is 100% in and he gives just as much as the fighters do. So, like, to your point, I mean, it's, it's, it's a show and it's in itself.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
It absolutely is. And I bought it. Like you said, there's nothing in my world that I do half ass. So that first show that I was the ring announcer, I went out and I ordered the most crazy ass sequin blazer that you could ever imagine. My shoes all match every blazer that I own. Now it's become a thing where I walk in and everybody wants to know, what's Doc wearing, what coat Is he wearing what shoes is he wearing? What's his wife wearing? What does she wear to match? Because her and her. My wife and her best friend come to all the fights together, so they have, she has somebody to sit with and they both match my, my coat every night. So it is a spectacle and we go all in. There's no half ass here I have seen.
Podcast Host (Jo)
So I did see that. Your wife, she. Did she do the like, ring cards at one time or for a fight or anything like that?
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
No, no, she's just the hot blonde that gets to hang out, sit ringside and, and hang out with me and get a great view of the night.
Podcast Host (Jo)
That's awesome. What a. What a family affair. And that's. And I have seen you said the hot blonde. I have seen you do some content with two hot blondes. Was that her sister? Like, what's the story there?
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
No, that's her best friend. Her best friend and she's a boxing fan. And the fact that now my wife has somebody to sit with at those fights is awesome because I'm working. I don't get to hang out at a table and have a drink or anything like that. So now she gets to go along too and hang out and watch all the fights.
Kalpen (Host of Hearsay Audible Podcast)
That's awesome.
Podcast Host (Jo)
It makes it more enjoyable for her as well. Yeah. So you do some, you were telling me that you do some radio work, you know, on the, on all across the country. And I'm, I, I have a radio background myself. I was just very interested in that. So, like, tell me where, I guess people can hear you and where, where you're, where you're working. Radio.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
So I work for a company called Enchilada Radio and they are subcontracted through syndicated radio stations from New York to la, and they provide voice actors for some of the skits that you hear on morning drive shows and morning radio shows. I don't want to, I don't want to let too much out of the bag, but if you listen to morning radio and you hear the horrible date stories or the my bosses and asshole stories, I'm going to tell you that 99.9% of those are voice actors.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Yes.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Like me.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Yes. That's awesome. So do you get like, I guess a schedule or anything like that? And it's like, okay, hey, you're today, you are this. And here's your character. Let's go.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Yeah, so. So I get, I get a call or a text from the agent that I work with and she'll say, hey, are you available on Monday at 10am, we're doing it. We need 12 minutes or eight minutes or whatever it is. And then if I'm free, then, yeah, I sign up for it. They send me a script. Some radio stations, they want you to go literally line by line through their script and say it exactly as it's written because they have it timed down. They'll say, this section should take 13 seconds, and then they're going to take a commercial break. Or this section should take 37 seconds, so we're going to take a commercial break. And sometimes they do that so that they can then sell it to other radio stations and they can put their own spin into it and their own host voice. They can clip into whatever I've said and respond to it. Other times, the radio station just wants you to have the idea and the premise that they threw forth. And it's all improv. And sometimes I'm online with another actress. A lot of them that I've done lately are about, like, catching cheating spouses, things like that.
Kalpen (Host of Hearsay Audible Podcast)
And.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
And they're funny and they're weird and they're whatever. But then it's just improv between me and another actress I've never met in my life.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Right.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
We're not even. We're not even on a zoom call. We're just on a telephone and we're riffing off each other and telling each other to go to hell and quit banging her sister or whatever else is going on in that script.
Podcast Host (Jo)
People don't realize that morning radio is so much more like sketch comedy than it is, you know, live, you know, interactions. It very much is sketch, and it's always been that way. I mean, and it'll never not be that way.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Yeah, it makes it go so much smoother because if you don't know who's going to really call in and what kind of personality they're going to have, and if they're going to be able to relatively tell a story and get the facts out in a. In a way that makes sense to the audience concisely and with some humor or with some drama or whatever. So, yeah, hired. Sorry, guys. It's not real.
Podcast Host (Jo)
So have you done any other voice work? I mean, you. I've been reading or listening to audiobooks a lot lately, and as we're talking, you have kind of those deep tones and good inflection that I would hear a lot on, like, audiobooks. I don't know. Have you done any work like that?
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
I haven't. My wife keeps pushing me to do it. She wants me to read the smutty dark romance novels and. And he slowly removed your panties and like, what I could do that.
Kalpen (Host of Hearsay Audible Podcast)
I'm in.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
But no, I. I've looked into it and it's a lot more in depth than people give it credit for it. Sometimes some of these sites, they'll have you read a generic script and then you just set it out in the universe and people can click and listen to your sound bite and see if that matches what you want to do or what they want to do or their vision. You can also click on a book, read it, and submit it. And then if they use it, you get 10 cents a page or, you know, something ridiculously low. It's a lot of time and the return on it is pretty low. So I would be doing it for passion and the love of doing it, not not to make money. If you're interested in going that route right.
Podcast Host (Jo)
And you don't have that kind of time to just be sitting around reading for 10 cents a page. Yeah, that's wild.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
No, no.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Hey, more from Doc Peterson in just a few seconds. But remember, you can find out all of his comedy shows and any other events he has going on@docpeterson comedy.com.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
we'll be right back.
Boost Mobile Announcer
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Kalpen (Host of Hearsay Audible Podcast)
everyone, it's Cal Penn. I'm the host of Irsay The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast, I am sitting down with Ray Porter, the narrator of Andy Weir's audiobook project, Hail Mary, Massive sci fi adventure about survival and science and what happens when you wake up alone, very far from Earth.
Starbucks Tropical Butterfly Refresher Narrator
I really had to make a decision because I caught myself getting that frog in my throat and starting to get teary as I'm narrating some of these sections. And it's like, okay, yo, yo, yo. Is this indulgent? And I really thought about it. I was like, no. AT this point, it would kind of be betraying the trust the author and the listener have in telling this story if I don't go through it. But there's places in this book that that deeply, emotionally affected me. And I left it on the mic. That's great because it served the story. People will say like, oh my God, I cried at the end. It's like, yeah, dude, me too.
Kalpen (Host of Hearsay Audible Podcast)
Listen to Irsay, the Audible and I Heart Audiobook Club on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts, bro.
Nissan Commercial Narrator
From the show last night to this drive. Why is it never chill? Because this is our life backstage on the road. It's loud, messy, real. And that's the best part. Whole crew, no plan, just moving. Good thing Nissan builds for that kind of chaos. Not just test tracks, real life scenes, late nights, road trips, all of it. That's why it holds up. Nissan was ranked number one in initial quality among mainstream brands by J.D. power. Yeah, you can tell. 2026 Nissan Rogue built for what really happens. For J.D. power 2025 U.S. initial Quality Study Award information, visit jdpower.com awards awards based on 2025 model year. Newer models may be shown.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants switch you
Podcast Host (Jo)
to Mint Mobile today.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
I'm told it's super easy to do@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month required intro rate, first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees, extra fee, full terms@mintmobile.com well
Podcast Host (Jo)
you, you did write a book. Mikey finds his voice is out right now it's a children's book. And tell me about that. How did you. I mean from ring announcing to, you know, radio sketches. How'd you get to this?
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
So my wife is a first grade teacher. She went back to school late in life and found a new passion, became a first grade teacher. And one day she had me come into her class as a guest reader. And it wasn't just her class. All three classes in the first grade group came down. So I had 60 some kids sitting in front of me and I read a book, read where the Wild Things Are. And as you can probably imagine, I was as animated as I could possibly be. I had the kids standing up and growling and roaring and, you know, having a good time. And when I went home, I went, I think I should write a children's book. So I did.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Wow. It's that simple. Tell us about Mikey Finds His Voice.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Got it right here.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Awesome. Perfect. There you go. Little Mikey. Little microphone.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
I love that. So Mikey Finds His Voice is the story of a shy, quiet schoolboy who has a very famous family. Everyone in his family is in the entertainment industry. And he tries different things in the entertainment industry and fails in some way or another throughout his entire life. And about the time that he gives up, he falls into exactly what he was meant to do and he becomes a professional ring announcer. So a little bit of real life and a little bit of just made up in between. And it was fun to write, it was fun to draw. I drew pictures and then I had AI help me. And then the editors from Amazon Kindle helped take it to the next level. But yeah, it was a fun book to write. It's 50 pages long, so 26 pages are writing and 26 pictures or so. And it's kindergarten to third grade is where the demographic is for that, targeting towards, obviously, first grade, because that's where my wife is. That's the first captive audience that has to listen to it.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Well, I was just wondering that, is this already in the curriculum? You know, Mikey Finds His Voice is in the curriculum there.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
So I've already contacted Lincoln Public Schools and they have sent out an email to the media people and the librarians and some of the curriculum people to see what schools would be interested. If every school is interested, I'd come out and I'd read the book and obviously leave some signed copies behind. And sometimes the PTO picks up and buys 10 or 12 copies and puts them in the library or distributes them into some of the other classrooms. So we're working on that deal right now. August. August 8th, I think it is. I have a big book signing and release out at the complex where we're inviting several different big groups of kids out. I'm gonna. We have a 20 foot projector. So we're gonna put the story on a projector behind me and I'm gonna read the book every half hour or something like that. And we'll have cookies and fun shit like that too. So it is funny. If you've ever seen me do comedy or you've ever seen me in the ring or ever heard my voice acting stuff and then go. And he wrote a children's book.
Podcast Host (Jo)
So that's that. When you. When I'd seen that you had this children's book come out. I'm like, okay, now I need to know, is it really a children's book or is it like a parody for adults? Like, children's book? Because knowing your comedy, I was like, I wonder where this is going.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Well, one of my favorite books that I used to buy brand new parents is called Go the Fuck to sleep. And it's a children's book written for parents with newborns, and it's hilarious and I love it. But no, this is truly for kindergarten to third grade little kids.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Yeah, that's awesome. All right, August 8th at the complex. The book signing and reading, that'll be a lot of fun. I would be remiss if we didn't talk comedy. Even though you're not like, actively doing shows currently, is it. Is this something you're putting to bed for good or you just kind of biting your time right now?
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
I never closed the door on anything that was good and successful and fun. In fact, last week, right after we talked the last time I had a bar in Lincoln hit me up and begged me to produce a show coming up here in August. And I haven't committed completely yet to it. I've already told them that I would not headline it because I haven't been practicing. I haven't been rehearsing that material. So if anything, I would produce it and host it and bring in other people that I felt could rock a show like that. But no, I'll never say never. With the right circumstances and the right group of people and the right venue, I'd come back again.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Yeah, and you can. You can find all that info. DocPeterson comedy.com. when you were doing shows and producing shows, I mean, you're talking sellouts, full rooms. I know you're very particular about your lineups to make sure you put on, you know, a show that represents your name and is appropriate for the audience that is there. I mean, take me through, I guess, your kind of your thought process there on when you're putting together a show.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
So to me, venue is paramount. You need to have a stage. You need to have a sound system. You need to have lighting. If you don't have those three things, you don't have a show. And I believe, and it is my opinion, that most of the comics in the region, Omaha, Lincoln, don't understand business first and don't understand that if you set the business side of it up for success first, the comedy will be easy. You can hire mediocre comedians and have a fantastic show. But you can't hire great comedians and have a shitty business plan and have a good show. It does not work. And they don't understand that. No matter how many times I've had that fight, that argument, that talk, they don't get it. And so first thing I look for is do I have a vet? It has to have a stage, it has to be elevated above the audience, it has to have lighting, it has to have sound. Next, the thing I'm going to look for is how the seating is played out. Notice I haven't said anything about the comedians yet. Right, so then, so then I'm going to look for the seating and the layout. Are we at a bar that serves food? And if so, then I want open seating. So people come early and they order food and they order drinks and everybody's bar tabs go up and the bar is happy and the waitresses are happy and all that. I look for who is going to attend that particular venue. You can't have. You have to know your demographic. And that is something that I have preached from day one. It was hammered into my head by a sliceball producer who I learned more or what not to do than what I learned to do from. But one of the things that he taught me was whatever your brand of comedy is, everything in the show has to represent that. Yep. So you. I know my demographic very well through five years of doing huge shows all over the country. I know that the people who buy tickets to my show are 35 to 65 years old, women and married couples, or married and divorced. But they've had that part of the life experience. Most of them have had children, most of them work outside the home. All of those pieces go into then the final piece of who I'm putting on the stage. They have to relate to the people who are going to go to the venue, who are going to buy the tickets, who are going to order those drinks, eat that food and show up. So comedians then are the last piece. But that to me, that's the easy piece. I can't hire for a, for a Doc true Doc Peterson comedy show where I'm the headliner. I know that everyone in the audience is going to be 35 to 65. It's got to be predominantly women and married couples. I can't put a 20 year old college kid who tells college humor on that stage. He will get murdered. I've done it and it was horrible. I felt horrible for him. But I was then embarrassed because I had to go out there. I was hosting the show where I put one of these college kids on and I had to drag his ass off there. I'm like, I don't buzz people again. That's something that, you know, I don't have a timer or a light or a buzzer when I'm producing a show. If I tell you I want 10 minutes, then damn it, you better have 10 minutes of material. And if you need to look at your phone and put it on the stool so that you know that, hey, it's nine minutes, I need to wrap it up and get the hell off stage, do it. But this poor kid, after like five minutes, I was ready to yank his ass off stage. I'm like standing next to the stage going, how the hell do I get his attention? Yeah, get off, dude.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Wrap it up, bro.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
You are, you're, you're drowning and you don't even realize how bad you're drowning.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Well, that's like I always live by. In any business I've been in, great marketing is like the quickest way to ruin a business because you can draw them in with big names or whatever you want to do. And then you get there and to your point, the seats aren't right, the acoustics aren't right, the, the stages, the floor like that, the sound system is non existent, you know, all those little things. And then people are like, oh, I thought I was coming here for a good time and this sucks. Like, I want my $10, $20, whatever it is back, you know? Yeah, I've always lived by that. You got to make sure the, the fundamentals are there. So. No, it makes sense why your, your shows do so well.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Thank you. Thank you again. It was one of those. I didn't set out to be a comedian. I fell into comedy. I was going to support a friend who was hosting an open mic and it was done at a bar, a really kind of tough blue collar bar where the people weren't interested in the comedy. They wanted to show up on Wednesday night and have a cold beer and a greasy cheeseburger and go home to their wife or kids after a 14 hour day pouring concrete and hanging drive. And then they had these, these comedians sitting in front of them. They would go and grab the remote and turn up the TVs to drown out the comedians. So my wife finally goes, you know, look, I know you love your buddy and I'm glad you're supporting him doing this. Because at that time, I wasn't on stage, I wasn't doing anything. I was just there as a ass on the seat to support. And she's like, I can't do this anymore. The comedians, you can't even call them comedians. This shit is bad. Yeah. So I said, tell you what, there's a different open mic next week at a different bar. I'll get up and I'll do five minutes. This is just me and that bravado. Like, I'm gonna.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Like, I could do it.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Do this.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Yeah, yeah.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
I'm gonna do five minutes. And if I suck, you don't ever have to go to a comedy show ever again. She's like, yeah, I'll take that bet.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Five years later.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Five years later.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Yeah.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Yeah. I mean, I got off stage that night. I'm 10 foot tall and bulletproof. And you know as well as I do at an open mic, people are there for their own benefit. They're there to practice their own shit. They're not there to listen to comedians. If you catch another comedian's attention while you're at an open mic, congratulations.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Yeah, that's a big deal.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
You get something special.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Yeah.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
So I got off stage, and people were like, hey, that was pretty good. They laughed. And the owner of the bar comes up and he goes, hey, we have an opening and a comedy competition next week. Would you be interested? Now, he had no idea that that was my first time on stage, that I only had that four and a half minutes of material that, like, no. And I went, hell, yeah.
Podcast Host (Jo)
I'm in.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Let's go.
Podcast Host (Jo)
You're. Once again, I could do that. Yeah, that's great. But sometimes that's how people fall into, you know, something that they are really, really good at, but they just have no idea. And it's just a matter of, like, for you, a challenge, a bet, you know, to your wife and be like, I'll tell you what, I'm gonna do it. If it doesn't work out, we're done for good. But it did. It worked out. You found a passion.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
It's been fun. It's been. It's been a fun thing to do all over the country and sell out shows and clubs and venues, South Dakota to Las Vegas. And so it's been fun.
Podcast Host (Jo)
So I know you're complex, Lincoln, Nebraska. But you've done a lot of shows in Omaha. Do you keep tabs on Omaha, Lincoln comedy? Do you.
Kalpen (Host of Hearsay Audible Podcast)
What's.
Podcast Host (Jo)
What's your finger on the pulse on it? Like, currently, would you say
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Lincoln is struggling? I don't know that they really have a pulse for the comedy scene. And. And I don't mean that with any disrespect, because there's a couple of new people who are really trying to. To fill the shoes of some people that were really, really, really, really fucking horrible. They're trying. And so I give them all the credit in the world for trying and trying to elevate it and bring it into. In line with the venue and the slides and the sound and the comedians and all the things Omaha is. Omaha is the most welcoming comedy group that I've ever been around, really. As long as you do it exactly the way they want you to do.
Podcast Host (Jo)
There it is. I was waiting for the shoe to drop.
Laugh With Me Podcast Co-host (Jeremy Odom)
Yeah.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Yeah. If you. If you don't do it their way and whatever their way is, if you don't do it exactly like they think you should do it, you are an outcast. And I was an outcast immediately because I didn't know. I didn't know their little rules. I didn't know their little, hey, this is the way we do it. So you have to do it that way. And when I do podcasts for other. Other shows talking about comedy specifically, I always tell up and coming comedians and people who are aspiring to go to the next level, whatever the next level is for them. If you see comedians in a particular scene and they've been doing what they're doing for 10 years and they're still in that scene, don't do whatever the fuck they are doing.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Right.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Do the exact opposite of what they are doing, because they've been doing it for 10 years and they're still in Omaha, Nebraska, doing it for $35 and a cheeseburger if they're lucky.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Yep.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Don't do that. So do something different. And that's exactly what I did.
Podcast Host (Jo)
So they don't, like, who do you have? Like, I guess I'm sure you've got folks that you look up to that you're like, this person's doing it right. Or this somebody who I've kind of idolized, you know, and not necessarily in the scene or anything, but somebody that I've taken a lot of inspiration from that I could say, hey, watch, watch. This person. Like this. This person's doing it right.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
So I think that goes back to speaking about the kind of comedy that I did and the kind of comedy I did was I was a storyteller. Everything I said on stage was rooted in trajectory, truth. Everything that came out of my mouth at a comedy show started as something that really happened in my life.
Podcast Host (Jo)
No, I love that.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
And so it's easier to remember. You don't screw up the details. You don't screw up the timeline. If you lose your place, you know exactly where you were because you really lived it. Now. You embellish the details. You change some things. You convict the innocent and protect the guilty and do those kind of things. But because it was real. I never lost place at a comedy show, ever. I never stood on stage in the middle of a set and went, oh, shit. What comes next? Because I didn't make it up. It was real. And the audience may not know it, but everything I said also came in a logical timeline in my brain. So it wasn't like I told a story in a chronological order with this happened and this happened, and then this happened in my life. But the way I put it together, it made sense in my brain again, so I never got lost. So the people that I look up to and modeled myself after, if you will, would be like Tom Segura and Bert Kreischer, storytellers.
Podcast Host (Jo)
I was thinking, Bert, when you were talking about that. Yeah, yeah.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Everything they say started with something that really happened in their life. Fortune Feaster. I love her. Her stories are off the wall, but you know damn well that most of that really happened. And then she just took it to the next level. And I love that. I appreciate it about. And it shows a little bit of it shows some vulnerability, and people can relate to that. Hey, this happened to me in my real life, and this is how we made it funny. Or this is. This is my experience in life, and this is how I turned it into a positive or whatever and. Or the world shit on me, and let's all laugh together at it because it was funny. But people relate to that because it's real.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Yeah. I think the. That's something that people forget. Like, even the. Your worst moments, if you can find a little humor in it, people will. Will too, because they love when you're the butt of the joke and that's content. Like, that's material. Like, take it to the stage. Like, it's. That stuff's real and they can connect with real.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
People don't realize how many funny things happen to them in a day. And if they just took a sticky note and wrote down, okay, like, this happened to me today. How do I make that into a bit? Or how do I embellish that or add that to a larger story of random shit that my children have done or my wife has done to me or whatever. And I mean, talk about the good and the bad. My wife passed out in the shower after A comedy show.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Yeah.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
I made this into a whole bit, so this isn't anything that I haven't said before. Yeah. My wife's beautiful round ass landed on the shower drain.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Oh, my.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
And so the shower filled with water and it flooded my basement. Basement?
Podcast Host (Jo)
Oh, no.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
I had to rent a shop vac. I had to go rent a rug doctor from hy vee at 4am and clean out my basement because I had 21 gallons of water in my basement that came through the ceiling because this beautiful blonde's ass plugged the shower drain, filled up the bowl, and overflowed. And I only found out because I was passed out in bed because the water turned cold finally.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Yeah.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
And it woke her up.
Podcast Host (Jo)
It's like, what can your ass not do, girl? It could do it all.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
So you talk about real life and people that can relate to stupid that happens to them.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Yeah.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
There you go.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Oh, how does she handle when you take a story like that to the stage? Because she. Can she find the humor in it and laugh at it, or is she
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
like, come on, she's a good sport. There's been very few times that I've said stuff that she's like, really? You're gonna tell them that?
Laugh With Me Podcast Co-host (Jeremy Odom)
Yeah.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
So usually I have to equal it out with something equally as bad on my part. Yep. So that, you know, we're equalizing the playing field. But she's a great sport. She takes it all in stride. She knows that, you know, it's provided a good side income and a lot of fun and. And a lot of experience. She. Everywhere I went, she toured along with me, so she got to go and experience all that stuff too. So.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Yeah, it makes a lot more fun. Yeah. All right. This is something I ask every guest at the end here, or I've started to do. My shower song is the Thong Song by Cisco. This is something that is my go to when I'm belting out in the shower.
Nissan Commercial Narrator
What.
Podcast Host (Jo)
What about you? What's your kind of go to song when you're in the shower and you're just belting it out?
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
If I'm doing it for myself, it's going to be simple, man. I'm gonna do the Shinedown version. I do play guitar a little bit, so I'm gonna crank that one up and I'm gonna sing that one in the song. I have a horrible singing voice. It's probably one of the top ten worst singing voices you've ever life.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Yeah.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
But that does not stop me from singing at the top of my lungs. Now, if If I'm trying to like shoot a shower Snapchat to my wife and I'm singing a song, it's gonna be like one of the theme songs from one of those dirty romance books or movies and, you know, doing the shower.
Podcast Host (Jo)
Exactly. That's why Thong song's my go to because it's so theatrical. You said you play guitar a little bit. Have you thought about busting it out for the national anthem before the big fight on Friday?
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
That's a lot of pressure. I love to play guitar. I'm not good at it. There's a reason I'm not a famous rock star. I am barely average. I've gotten on stage with a lot of my friends that play in cover bands over the years and that gets out that little bit of creative juice, that little bit of love for love, live music and things like that. But to perform the national anthem live in front of a crowd like that with just me and my guitar, that scares me way worse than standing up and telling jokes or, or announcing or anything else. I'd have to think real hard on that.
Podcast Host (Jo)
So you won't see him play guitar on Friday, but he is the in ring voice of Friday night fights at the complex. Friday, June 26th. This is in Lincoln, Nebraska. Also, you can get tickets, nitro tickets. And you can watch it on pay per view.
Kalpen (Host of Hearsay Audible Podcast)
What?
Podcast Host (Jo)
DocPetersonComedy.com We've got the book Mickey finds his voice out now.
Kalpen (Host of Hearsay Audible Podcast)
What.
Podcast Host (Jo)
What do you. What else you got to promote? Did I miss anything?
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
No, that's it. It's Mikey finds his voice. It has its own. Yep. It has its own Facebook page. So if you want to follow that one. And I'll put up events and signings and fun stuff like that. I do donate a portion back to some local char. Well, so go and support that. Look for. Look for a comedy announcement possibly coming up. It kind of depends on if they put it all together and. And do that. But that would be probably in August as soon as they could put that together. But everything else you can find it on my regular Facebook page is Jeremy Peterson. I'll put anything. Any fun things that I'm doing up, I'll put those right there.
Podcast Host (Jo)
He's a fun follow, especially when you got around fight time. You got some good stuff that always comes up. So make sure to check them out there at Jeremy Peterson, man. Thank you for coming on the show. It's been a long time coming. I know we kind of talked about it a while back and it was good to get you on and and as we go forward. I mean, when you get back into comedy, get some shows going, let's do it all over again.
Jeremy Peterson (Doc Peterson)
Sounds good, man. I appreciate it. Thank you for having me on.
Laugh With Me Podcast Co-host (Jeremy Odom)
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Kalpen (Host of Hearsay Audible Podcast)
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Host: Jeremy Odem (Jo)
Guest: Jeremy “Doc” Peterson
Release Date: June 24, 2026
In this lively episode, comedian and host Jeremy Odem welcomes Jeremy “Doc” Peterson: comedian, sports announcer, children’s book author, and morning radio voice actor. The conversation explores Doc’s journey from chiropractic office to the boxing ring, his love of the “show” in both comedy and combat sports, how he crafts events that work, and why his real life always supplies the best material. They also dive into Doc’s new children’s book, the truth about radio skits, his methodology for producing unforgettable comedy shows, and stories that blend the gritty, the hilarious, and the heartfelt.
[05:26–07:02]
Doc's Start as a Ring Announcer:
Doc recounts how a serendipitous visit from the boxing association president turned into a last-minute gig—and an unexpected new role.
“They said, ‘Just come in and bullshit.’ Yeah, I said done.” (Doc, 05:34)
He shares how filling in for the absent weigh-in announcer led to an ongoing position, thanks to his over-the-top personality and presence.
Adapting Comedy Skills:
Jo and Doc discuss how his comedy and hosting background was a perfect fit for the in-ring spotlight.
[07:09–11:01]
Event Prep and Fighter Access:
Doc describes building pre-fight hype through interviews and building relationships with fighters, both regional and national.
“I’ve gotten to know all the regional fighters… You make connections from all over the country as they come in too.” (Doc, 07:55)
Boxing vs. MMA:
Doc shares his evolving appreciation—though he began as an MMA enthusiast, he’s become a “tried and true boxing fan.”
“Now I’ve kind of started to switch back towards the sweet science of boxing… overall, yeah, it’s boxing over MMA for me, man.” (Doc, 08:46)
Boxing Is Not Dead:
With energetic crowds and venue expansion, Doc dispels myths about boxing’s demise:
“To anyone who says that boxing is a dead sport, come out to the Complex and see 1500 people screaming their ass off at a fight. There’s nothing dead about it.” (Doc, 09:18)
Transforming Event Spaces:
The Complex, an old fun center, is now a hub for sports and big concerts:
“We’re taking the place of the old Pershing Auditorium in Lincoln… things that aren’t quite Pinnacle Bank Arena size are going to the Complex.” (Doc, 10:31)
[11:15–17:13]
Doc’s Role:
Though not an owner, Doc embodies the Complex’s values and takes pride in its family-like culture.
Pre-Show Anxiety and Preparation:
Even as a veteran, Doc admits to feeling “shitting bricks” before big events:
“Man, I am not fun to be around for that last 20 minutes before I get on stage.” (Doc, 12:38)
Vocal Conditioning:
Doc spends commute time rehearsing to prepare his voice for hours on the mic.
“That entire 12 minutes I am rehearsing my intro… because I want to push my voice and have it ready for Friday night.” (Doc, 13:28)
Memorization vs. Reference:
While Doc memorizes large sections, he always brings cards for crucial details and sponsors.
He expects professionalism—his comedy shows had a strict “no notes” policy.
Building Theatricality:
Doc matches his sequined blazers and shoes, creating spectacle, and his wife and her best friend coordinate outfits for the full effect.
“Now it’s become a thing where I walk in and everybody wants to know, what’s Doc wearing? What coat? What shoes?” (Doc, 17:21)
Pre-Fight Rituals:
Doc’s intro—complete with “Dr. Feel Good” by Motley Crue—helps manage nerves, not ego.
“That’s me biting my tongue…so I don’t have a panic attack as I start to speak.” (Doc, 16:18)
[19:06–22:28]
Sketches and Syndication:
Doc explains his work as a voice actor in syndicated radio, revealing that most “call-in” segments are scripted performances.
“If you hear the horrible date stories or the my boss is an asshole stories, 99.9% of those are voice actors. Like me.” (Doc, 19:36)
Improvised Comedy:
Sometimes radio bits are entirely unscripted, riffed over the phone with other actors, leading to wild scenarios:
“We’re riffing off each other and telling each other to go to hell and quit banging her sister...” (Doc, 21:08)
Audiobook Work?:
Doc’s wife encourages him to pursue audiobooks, especially “smutty dark romance”:
“She wants me to read the smutty dark romance novels – ‘and he slowly removed your panties’...I could do that!” (Doc, 22:17)
[26:24–30:27]
Inspiration:
Doc’s wife, a first-grade teacher, invited him to guest-read; his performance led him to write a children’s book.
“I had the kids standing up and growling and roaring and… when I went home, I went, I think I should write a children’s book. So I did.” (Doc, 26:56)
About the Book:
Mikey Finds His Voice follows a shy boy from an entertainment family who finally discovers his calling as a ring announcer—mirroring Doc’s own journey.
School & Community Impact:
Doc is working to get the book into local schools and will do a projector reading/signing event at The Complex (August 8th).
“If every school is interested, I’d come out and read the book and obviously leave some signed copies behind.” (Doc, 28:50)
[30:27–41:19]
On Producing Shows:
Doc won’t say never to a comedy return and explains why venue, lighting, sound, and layout always come before comedic lineup.
“If you set the business side up for success first, the comedy will be easy. You can hire mediocre comedians and have a fantastic show…” (Doc, 32:13)
Understanding Demographics:
He “preaches” knowing your audience and crafting shows for their real interests—not just slotting in inexperienced comics.
“I know my demographic very well...35 to 65 years old, women and married couples...” (Doc, 33:28)
Tough Love for Comics:
Doc tells a story of rescuing a young comic and stresses timing, professionalism, and respect for the craft.
Falling into the Comedy Life:
Doc only tried comedy after seeing a bad open mic; a bet with his wife was his entry.
“Five years later” — the bet that launched his career. (Jo & Doc, 37:49–37:52)
[39:15–43:59]
Lincoln vs. Omaha Scene:
“Do the exact opposite…they’re still in Omaha, Nebraska, doing it for $35 and a cheeseburger if they’re lucky.” (Doc, 41:08)
Storytelling Roots:
Inspired by Tom Segura, Bert Kreischer, Fortune Feimster—Doc’s act is based on real stories, “rooted in trajectory, truth.”
“Everything I said on stage started as something that really happened in my life.” (Doc, 42:05)
[44:22–46:39]
“My wife’s beautiful round ass landed on the shower drain…and so the shower filled with water and it flooded my basement.” (Doc, 45:05)
[46:39–48:36]
Shower Songs:
Host Jo’s is “Thong Song”; Doc’s pick is “Simple Man” (Shinedown version), confessing gleefully to his bad singing voice.
“But that does not stop me from singing at the top of my lungs.” (Doc, 47:22)
On Playing Live Music:
Doc sometimes joins cover bands, but playing guitar and singing the national anthem is “a lot of pressure – that scares me way worse than announcing.”
On taking the leap:
“So I said, tell you what, there’s a different open mic next week at a different bar. I’ll get up and I’ll do five minutes...If I suck, you don’t ever have to go to a comedy show ever again.” (Doc, 37:39)
On professionalism in comedy:
“If you brought notes on my stage, it was the last time you ever performed on my stage because I was paying you better than anyone else pays in the state of Nebraska. I expected professionalism...” (Doc, 14:30)
On storytelling:
“Everything they say started with something that really happened in their life...Because it was real. I never lost place at a comedy show, ever.” (Doc, 42:45)
| Timestamp | Topic | |---------------|-----------| | 05:26 – 07:02 | Doc’s entry into ring announcing and comedy crossover | | 07:09 – 11:01 | Building the Complex, relationship to venue and event scope | | 11:15 – 17:13 | Performance, pre-show nerves, and ritual | | 19:06 – 22:28 | Truth about voice acting and morning radio bits | | 26:24 – 30:27 | Writing and launching Mikey Finds His Voice | | 32:03 – 36:27 | Comedy show production philosophy | | 37:35 – 38:36 | How Doc fell into comedy via open mic bet | | 42:05 – 43:13 | Storytelling in comedy; real-life inspiration | | 45:05 – 45:39 | Flooded basement story | | 46:39 – 48:36 | Shower songs and musical aspirations |
Tone: Energetic, authentic, supportive, and peppered with backstage comedy wisdom and candid storytelling.
For Listeners: Great for fans of stand-up, live events, radio, and anyone who loves a heads-up look at “the show behind the show.”