"Comedy Saved Me with Thom Tran and the Healing Power of Laughter"

Podcast: takin' a walk (iHeartPodcasts)
Host: Lynn Hoffman
Guest: Thom Tran (comedian, military veteran, musician)
Date: September 22, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Lynn Hoffman sits down with Thom Tran—a military veteran, Purple Heart recipient, standup comedian, and musician—to explore the transformative and therapeutic power of comedy. Tran shares his remarkable journey from combat in Iraq to the comedy stage, discussing how humor became a lifeline through trauma, PTSD, and major life transitions. The conversation delves deeply into resilience, mental health, the intersections of music and comedy, and the nuances of vulnerable storytelling—both for veterans and for anyone who has experienced trauma.

Key Discussion Points

1. The Importance of Stretching and Physical Wellness

[00:02–03:37]

• Opening with Unexpected Wellness Advice: The episode begins with an engaging, relatable chat about the importance of stretching, particularly as one ages.

  • “You can work out all you want, but if you don't stretch as you get older... you're going to fall.” — Lynn Hoffman [00:09]
  • Tran highlights that stretching is now integral to both his physical and mental health, echoing military habits.
  • “The bad guys don't care if it was leg day or strength day. You gotta be ready, whole body, to fight with everything you got.” — Thom Tran [00:32]

• Tran’s Routine: Daily pre- and post-workout stretching.

  • Dynamic stretches pre-workout (“I call it the Seven of Nine stretching...everything for seven to nine reps, just to get the muscles loose—just ready to go... those numbers are literally because of Star Trek.”) [02:55]

2. Introducing Thom Tran and his Unique Path

[07:43–09:24]

• Introduction: Lynn formally introduces Thom, who turned his military experience and trauma into comedy.

  • “Tom Tran is not just someone who brings the jokes. He is proof that comedy can be a lifeline, a coping mechanism, and a bridge to a connection.” — Lynn Hoffman [08:27]
  • Highlighting his journey: military service, injury in Iraq, transition from Army Special Operations to stand up comedy and music.

• Music as an Original Career Choice:

  • Tran reveals he initially wanted to be a musician after the Army but struggled with “the business part of music and having to deal with other band members” following his combat deployment.
  • “When comedy became a viable option in my life as a tool for therapy, but also as a career, that’s when I went, okay…” — Thom Tran [10:07]

3. Comedy as a Survival Mechanism

[12:02–17:18]

• The Pivotal Moment: Tran recounts being shot in the head on his fourth day in Iraq, and how humor became an instinctual way to survive.

  • “I crossed the border on a Sunday... on Wednesday, I was in my first gunfight, and I got shot in the back of the head. So that's how my war started.” — Thom Tran [12:32]
  • He self-bandaged while bleeding, kept talking to stay conscious, and lightened the harrowing situation with jokes to sustain himself and his team.
  • “I remember the combat life saving training kicking in, just going, keep talking, keep talking. Do not lose consciousness... And the entire time, I'm trying to stay awake by making myself laugh, making the major laugh, making the colonel laugh, making our interpreter laugh.” — Thom Tran [13:09]
  • Signature moment: Joking over the radio about stopping for donuts after being shot in the head.
    • “This is going to sound way worse than it is. I got shot in the head.” [14:20]

• Innate Humor: Tran didn’t always realize he was funny; his early comedy attempts were clouded by nervousness and blackouts on stage, but the instinct to joke in crisis came naturally.

  • “Do you think it was just a reaction within you that you couldn't control?...” — Lynn Hoffman [16:55]

4. The Role of Comedy, Music, and Routine in Healing

[20:47–23:36]

• Three Pillars of Wellness: Tran outlines his non-negotiables: working out, performing stand-up, and playing music.
  • “If I don’t do [these] for any extended amount of time, I am a terrible person to be around... my physical and mental health are so tied together.” — Thom Tran [20:59]
  • Shares a quirky anecdote about always having guitars—even in the bathroom—for impromptu songwriting, referencing legends who recorded in bathrooms for their acoustics.

5. Breaking Down Stigma and Building Bridges

[23:36–31:35]

• Comedy as Education and Empathy: Tran’s one-man show, Laugh After Death, uses comedy to help audiences process veterans’ experiences without discomfort or pity.

  • “[I] put them together in a cohesive story that when people hear it, they leave understanding a little bit better what veterans and combat soldiers go through without feeling bad for us... If you can't make that information digestible through comedy, then people aren't gonna listen.” — Thom Tran [23:36, 24:10]

• Turning Trauma into Relatable Jokes:

  • Example: A PTSD joke that connects his trauma to funny, universal experiences (e.g., hearing Coldplay after being caught in an affair).
  • “Veterans don’t own PTSD as a stigma. It’s anybody who goes through any kind of trauma… The numbers are... less than 7% [of Americans] are veterans. So what about the other 93%? I turned my comedy into a thing that the other 93% can understand.” — Thom Tran [25:52]

• The Healing Cycle for Comedian and Audience:

  • “I still remember Eddie Murphy jokes from 1983 that I definitely should not have been watching. But when you hear good comedy, emotional, good comedy that hits you in your soul, you take that, you remember that… that laughter is the thing that I use to heal me after war.” — Thom Tran [29:07, 29:30]
  • Tran describes the “muscle memory” that gets him through tough mornings: get up, work out, then create. [37:45]

6. Advice for Aspiring Comedians

[41:25–44:59]

• Get On Stage:
  • “Get up on stage as much as possible… just do it.” — Thom Tran [41:49]
• Record Everything:
  • “Record everything. Every time you go on stage, record it. You don’t know when lightning is going to strike... you will forget.” — Thom Tran [42:07]
  • Value of writing down every funny idea: “Even if it makes you laugh just for a second, write it down. Cause it could turn into something amazing.” [43:08]
• Back Up Your Phone!
  • Anecdote: Kirk Hammett from Metallica lost hundreds of musical ideas from an unbacked-up phone. “As an Asian, back up your phone. Just plug it into your computer, back it up.” [44:07]

7. Handling Failure & Resilience in Comedy

[44:59–49:42]

• Bombing on Stage:

  • “Have I ever bombed? Tuesday, I bombed.” — Thom Tran [45:05]
  • Emphasizes experience and adaptability: a bad set is like a malfunctioning parachute—you must have the right “reserve chute” (backup jokes or tactics) to get out safe.
  • “As a comedian, you have to realize when things are going wrong and have the experience to go in your head very quickly—what joke can pull me out of this dead spin?... what can I say or do right now to turn this back around?” — Thom Tran [45:25]

• Professionalism in the Comedy Scene:

  • Navigating following an act that bombs or torches the audience.
  • Both bond over backgrounds in broadcast traffic reporting—quick thinking developed in radio proves invaluable in comedy. [49:42–50:57]

8. Music, Star Trek, and Joyful Side Stories

[51:41–55:58]

• Music Projects:
  • Tran fronts multiple bands, including the “Tom Tran Band” and a Star Trek-themed Motley Crue cover band “The Bridge Crew.”
  • “We played William Shatner's 93rd birthday.” — Thom Tran [52:03]
• Extraordinary Connections:
  • Shares a surreal story of presenting an award to William Shatner at Jay Leno’s request.
  • “One of the things Jay said to me was, ‘If you do it, you'll never get a ticket again.’ And I said to Jay, ‘I have Purple Heart plates on my car. I haven’t had a ticket since I was 25 years old.’” — Thom Tran [55:27]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “[Comedy] became the thing that I turned to...after my career in the Army.” — Thom Tran [10:07]
• “I kind of got shot. And before I could give them the details, the radio signal gets broken up...I said, this is going to sound way worse than it is. I got shot in the head.” — Thom Tran [14:20]
• “I want my message of, ‘Hey, this is what I came home to deal with... Well, let me explain using comedy so the other 93% of the American population go, I get it, and I can laugh at it.’” — Thom Tran [27:23]
• “That laughter is the thing that I use to heal me after war. Because every day is a struggle. Every day I am just, I’m waking up... I open my eyes and go, I don’t want to do this. I get up, I go to the gym because I know that’s the thing that I have to do. And that gives me the energy to go write comedy or write music.” — Thom Tran [29:30]
• “You want to give the laughter to the people to make them feel better and to know that they’re not alone. ...And then one night you go out and then they’re not laughing. How do you deal with that?” — Lynn Hoffman [45:06]
• “It’s about experience…what joke can pull me out of this dead spin?...you have to realize when things are going wrong and...what can I say or do right now to turn this back around? Sometimes you just hit the ground at 300 miles an hour.” — Thom Tran [45:25, 46:23]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:02–03:37] — Stretching, fitness, and mental health: “bad guys don’t care if it was leg day.”
• [07:43–09:24] — Introducing Tom; transition from Army to comedy and music.
• [12:02–17:18] — Getting shot in Iraq; humor as survival; “I got shot in the head.”
• [20:47–23:36] — Three pillars: working out, comedy, music.
• [23:36–31:35] — Comedy for breaking stigma and building empathy; Laugh After Death.
• [41:25–44:59] — Advice for new comedians: “Record everything.”
• [44:59–49:42] — Handling bombing on stage; professionalism; parallels with radio work.
• [51:41–55:58] — Music career, playing for William Shatner, Jay Leno story.

Tone & Takeaways

• Tone: Deeply authentic, warm, irreverent, insightful, and vulnerable, blending humor with raw honesty about trauma, resilience, and the human need for laughter.
• For listeners: The episode is a testament to the healing power of connection, routine, creativity, and humor—offering both a window into the veteran’s mind and practical wisdom for anyone struggling with pain or purpose.

Final Thought

Thom Tran embodies comedy as survival and service, using laughter to bridge divides, heal wounds, and offer solidarity to fellow vets—and anyone who needs a reason to laugh through their own battles.