# Everyday Life Is Your Material

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/messed-up-to-set-ups-a-michaelhalcomb-live-podcast-7140071/everyday-life-is-your-material.md
Podcast: [Messed-Up To Set-Ups - A MichaelHalcomb.Live Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/messed-up-to-set-ups-a-michaelhalcomb-live-podcast-7140071)
Published: 2026-05-23T13:46:46+00:00
Episode link: https://www.michaelhalcomb.live/p/everyday-life-is-your-material
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/198581965/beff6a5f1829ab3f4834efa2ba93e22e.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/messed-up-to-set-ups-a-michaelhalcomb-live-podcast-7140071/episodes/everyday-life-is-your-material
Duration seconds: 1909

## Resource

Hello, Friend! It’s episode 120 of the “Messed-Up to Set-Ups” podcast. In part 2 of my chat with comedian Hal Wilson, we get into his journey from thinking he was a gangster to embracing stand-up comedy. We dive into hilarious stories from the 90s, explore the concept of emotional truth in comedy, and even create some jokes on the spot. Hal shares his unique perspective on suburban life and the unexpected humor it brings. Hey, before you tune into the episode, let me share a short story with you. About 18 months ago, I went to an open mic in Hawai’i. Not a single actual audience member showed up. The room was just filled with other comedians, arms crossed, waiting for their turn. Maybe you’ve encountered something similar. Anyway, since all these comedians had already heard my material several times, I decided to throw my jokes out and use my 7 minutes to practice crowd work. Yes, crowd work on other comedians. It pissed one guy off so badly that he started cussing at me, while I was on stage, in front of the booker and other comedians. He was furiously telling me to “do real comedy” and to stop wasting everyone’s time. The fact is, he was wasting my time on the mic. Y’all, comedy can be cutthroat, and even open mics can be a battlefield! The truth is, many comedians operate on a toxic, “limited good” mindset. They believe that if you get stage time or fame, you are stealing it from them. So, they try to stop you. They criticize you to weed you out. It sucks!!! I’m trying to create the opposite: an environment of encouragement and camaraderie. Anyway, I confronted that guy in the parking lot that night right to his face, but the real victory came months later. We ended up booked on the same lineup for a weekend string of five real shows for Don’t Tell Comedy . Afterwar…

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## Transcript

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