Two Comedy Pros Explain Stand-Up to an Idiot (Me) | Laura Kightlinger & Tony Camin
November 3, 2026 · 51 min
Why listen
Two seasoned comedy veterans critique a live pitch and reveal what actually makes stand-up work.
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In this episode
- What two working comedians say is wrong with most stand-up bits
- The real story of surviving a brain aneurysm and what was said en route
- How a documentary got saved and why professional rats were required
- The night Bill Hicks laughed at a joke and what that moment meant
About this episode
I’m a pretty good comedian. Not great. Pretty good. So this week I brought in two people who really know what they’re doing to tell me how to get better.
Laura Kightlinger has done just about everything in comedy. She was a featured player on Saturday Night Live, wrote for Roseanne, and spent years as a writer and producer on Will & Grace, where she also played Nurse Sheila. She created and starred in her own IFC series, The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, and she’s turned up in Anchorman, Shallow Hal, Lucky Louie and PEN15. She has stand-up specials on HBO and Comedy Central, and she directed an award-winning documentary. Tony Camin got his start on Bay Area college radio and at San Francisco’s legendary Holy City Zoo, where Robin Williams used to play. He has done stand-up on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and at Just for Laughs. With Arj Barker and Doug Benson, he co-created The Marijuana-Logues, which ran a full year Off-Broadway. His album is called Ass Pocket of Whimsy.
I pitched them a brand-new bit and asked whether I’m doing this all wrong, and I got some answers I wasn’t ready for. Laura tells the wild story of surviving a brain aneurysm, including what she said on the way to the hospital. She explains why she had to hire professional rats for her documentary, and how Jack Black helped save it. Tony remembers the night Bill Hicks liked his joke, and both of them talk me into a road trip to the weirdest comedy festival in Bigfoot country. It’s funny, it’s surprisingly moving, and I come out a slightly better comedian. Maybe. Stick around.Subscribe to Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen for more conversations with writers, comedians, actors, creators, and thought leaders exploring life, creativity, politics, and the human experience.
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About Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen
Don’t Be Alone with Jay Kogen is a comedy/advice podcast trying to fight the isolation of modern life. Each episode, Award winning TV writer/comedian/philosopher Jay Kogen has a conversation with a friend about how to solve the problems on Jay’s mind.
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