I did this instead of killing myself

On this episode of “I did this instead of killing myself,” I interview Christina Rose Yasi. Christina is a talented theater actress, turned standup comedian. You could think of her as Greenville’s own Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, but there’s a lot more to her. On stage she brings a polished confident delivery of thoughtful, smart, and personal material. I always enjoy talking with Christina, because her...

On this episode of “I did this instead of killing myself,” I interview Anderson Nance, AKA, Sauce Got Jokes. Sauce was one of the first comedians I met when I started doing standup in 2020. He immediately stands out at any show, particularly as an audience member, because he laughs louder and harder than anyone else in the room!  On stage, Sauce is hilarious.  Whether he’s delivering his...

On this episode of “I did this instead of killing myself,” I interview Ken Wood. Ken works as a manager at the bar of the Comedy Zone in downtown Greenville, SC.  He’s one of my favorite people in local comedy because he is such a down to earth, likable, and supportive guy. Originally from Philadelphia, PA, Ken began his standup career by walking into the Comedy Zone and applying for a job. A...

On this episode of “I did this instead of killing myself”, I interview Asheville comedian, Jess Cooley. Jess is one of the funniest comedians I’ve ever seen perform live. He’s been doing stand-up for about 3 years, but it feels like much longer. I’m not exaggerating when I say I am ridiculously jealous of his talent. Jess is always gracious helping newer comics, and I learn a lot from our conversa...

On this episode of “I did this instead of killing myself”, I interview comedian Chris Diorio. Chris was born and raised in Connecticut, and now lives in Charlotte, NC. He writes dark, edgy one liners with hard hitting punch lines, cagey wordplay, and clever misdirection. He is a two time winner of Elevate Lifestyles “favorite comic” award, and was featured on the 2021 Testing Negative Tour. I love...

On this episode of “I did this instead of killing myself,” I interview local Greenville, SC Comedian, Bill Riner. Bill is one of my favorite new comics in the area. He’s one of a kind.  Bill’s day job is a tailor at a bridal shop. Outside of work, Bill has many creative hobbies including painting, legos, and creating a life-size Batman costume affectionately known as the “Bat-mannequin.” Bill...

On this episode of “I did this instead of killing myself,” I interview South Carolina Comedian, Brad Deaton. Brad’s style of comedy is a combination of likable southern charm, contagious stage energy, personal stories, and “oh my gosh, did he actually just say that?” Brad is hilarious. In addition to writing and performing stand up comedy, Brad is a musician, DJ, TikTok’er, and author. His childre...

On this episode of “I did this instead of killing myself”, I interview Caroline Eaton. Caroline is a very special guest: one of my favorite cousins. While she’s not a stand—up comedian (yet), she’s a talented student athlete, theater performer, and TikTok’er. On this episode, we talk about life as a 16 year old in high school, the pandemic, her background in performing arts, The Office, and what s...

On this episode of "I did this instead of killing myself", I interview Dougie Almeida. Hailing from Queens, New York, Dougie spent most of his adult life as a corporate presenter for one of the largest financial planning firms in the country. His specialty was taking lifeless insurance presentations and transforming them into works of comic art. Winner of Improv’s New Faces of Comedy & partici...

On this episode of “I did this instead of killing myself”, I interview Kirkland Manning. Kirkland is a new comic from Greenville, SC. He’s one of the most likable comics in the area, and has already had success in his young career including being a finalist the “I’m Ready Competition” at The Comedy Zone. By day, Kirkland is a salesman, and by night he tells jokes about Stevie Wonder, Pentecostal c...

On this episode of "I did this instead of killing myself", I interview David Zasloff. David is a stand-up comedian/multi-instrumentalist – vocalist and has performed in a wide variety of venues throughout the United States including, NA, AA, CA, DA, OA, CEA-HOW and GA comedy festivals and conventions, prisons, nightclubs, universities, theaters, retirement homes, corporate events, private parties,...

On this episode of "I did this instead of killing myself", I interview Donovan Stroud. Donovan is a hilarious comedian from Columbia, South Carolina. By day, Donovan delivers the mail and is a supportive husband and father to his household’s dogs and cats. By night, he performs and hosts standup shows in Columbia and around the state. He also hosts the “Don’t Go Postal” podcast. In this interview,...

On this episode of "I did this instead of killing myself", I interview Monika Scott-Rodgers, aka Queen Momo :). Momo is one of the first friends I made in Greenville standup comedy. She works as a hostess at the Comedy Zone downtown, is a member of Stone Grown Comedy, and manages the “Jokes Out Loud” show: the local Greenville talent showcase @ Comedy Zone on Thursday nights @ 8PM. In addition to...

On this episode of "I did this instead of killing myself", I interview a special guest: my dad, Mitch Bakker. My dad is not a comedian, but he is very creative and talented, and I’m one of his biggest fans. My dad is a successful designer, real estate investor, author, and now restaurant owner. On June 25, Streats Taco kitchen opened in Zeeland, Michigan. On this episode, my dad and I talk about c...

On this episode of "I did this instead of killing myself", I interview Jeff Thompson. Jeff is a former resident of Washington D.C., and has been doing stand-up comedy for 2 years. Jeff’s comedy has no limits. He comments on everything from Peanuts to “Past Lives”, to Kobe Bryant. I enjoy every second I get to see Jeff on stage. In this interview, Jeff shares the time he got busted for doing drugs...

On this episode of "I did this instead of killing myself", I interview Ryan Rubin. Ryan is a very funny stand-up comedian, father, and life of the party. Ryan is from New Jersey, and has performed in New York, Atlanta, and throughout South Carolina. He specializes in story telling and crowd work. On this episode, we talk about Saturday Morning Cartoons, his background in New Jersey comedy, and whe...

On this episode of "I did this instead of killing myself", I interview Adam Schulte. Adam is one of my best friends in Standup comedy. He has been doing comedy for 9 years since moving to Greenville from West Virginia. In addition to performing standup, he hosts a mic at the Radio Room every Wednesday, books shows around the state, practices Muay Thai, and runs his own Hugs and Hardcore show on Fa...

On this episode of "I did this instead of killing myself", I interview Tucker Lawson. Tucker is probably the smartest person we’ve had on the show so far (no offense guys). His day job is in politics: Tucker worked for several political campaigns in his 20’s, and this fall, he will be attending law school. Tucker began doing standup five years ago. In this interview, we discuss his experience in h...

On this episode of "I did this instead of killing myself", I interview Whitney Rayner.  Whitney is a very funny stand-up comedian originally from Richmond, Virginia, now living in Greenville, SC. By day, she works in advertising, writing material for her clients’ ad campaigns. In 2021, she began applying her creativity on stage through stand-up comedy. Whitney has been a guest on the Michael...

On this episode of "I did this instead of killing myself", I interview Michael Garrick.  Michael is a very funny stand-up comedian from the Columbia, SC area.  He hosts the PoppinCulture Podcast (link below), performs and hosts comedy shows in Columbia, Greenville, and throughout the South East.  In this interview, Michael shares his background as a former Jahovah Witness transition...

On this episode of "I did this instead of killing myself", I interview Donte Anderson.  Donte is a hilarious stand-up comic from Greenville, SC. He has been doing comedy for 3 years, and has no intention of working a 9-5 for the rest of his life.  In our interview, Donte describes the only real difference between white people and black people, tells a story of an STD scare at the health department...

On this episode of "I did this instead of killing myself", I interview Jaylen Orr.  Jaylen is young, up-and-coming comic based in Greenville South Carolina.  He works as a D.J. and part time host at the Comedy Zone downtown. In this interview, we talk about the celebrity comics he's met at the Comedy Zone including Mark Normand, D.L. Hughley, Lavell Crawford, Bruce Bruce, and Robert Kelly.  We als...

On this episode of "I did this instead of killing myself", I interview another one of my good friends in stand-up comedy, Kelby Tidey. Kelby's style is...unique, to put it mildly.  He takes us into the mind of a joke to him, which involves who would win in a battle to the death between a Chik-Fil-A employee and a Publix employee.  He shares his best Bill Clinton impression.  And he offers spiritua...

On the first episode of "I did this instead of killing myself", I interview my friend, South Carolina Comedian, Matt Addy.  We talk about his former career as a professional bowler, how he crapped his pants during a drug test, and discover he can rap. https://mattaddycomedy.com/​  https://www.facebook.com/MattAddyComedy​  https://www.instagram.com/mattaddycom...​

Introducing "I did this instead of killing myself":  A Standup Comedy and Lifestyle Podcast I host out of my apartment.  Each Episode I interview fellow standup comedians about their biggest failures in life, their start in comedy, and best life advice. We only have two rules: 1. Tell the Truth 2. Don't Kill Yourself