Comedian AJ Higlesias joins ONLY BOMBS! to talk bombing, open mics, Kill Tony, finding your voice, social media, psychedelics, and the realities of trying to make comedy work.
AJ talks about why he moved to Austin specifically for comedy, doing stand-up on mushrooms, learning from rough sets, finding his place in the Austin comedy scene, and figuring out who he is on stage.
We also get into something almost every comedian has to deal with now: social media. Somehow, one ridiculous frog video AJ posted exploded to 90 MILLION views and 1 million likes. 🐸
If you love stand-up comedy, comedian interviews, Austin comedy, or just hearing what life behind the mic is really like, this episode gets into the side of comedy that people do not talk about enough.
🔥 IN THIS EPISODE
• Why AJ moved to Austin specifically for stand-up comedy
• What the Austin open mic grind is really like
• Doing stand-up on mushrooms and talking psychedelics
• Bombing, confidence, and finding your voice as a comedian
• Kill Tony, Vulcan, and the Austin comedy community
• Why social media has become such a huge part of being a comedian
• How a random frog video somehow reached 90 million views
📱 FOLLOW AJ HIGLESIAS
Instagram: @thatfunnydudeaj
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📌 CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:44 AJ's Man on the Street Comedy Interviews
00:08:03 Gnar Bar and Austin Open Mics
00:09:10 Doing Stand-Up Comedy on Mushrooms
00:17:09 DMT, Psychedelics and Bad Trips
00:20:29 From DIY Punk Shows to Comedy Interviews
00:26:46 Why AJ Moved to Austin for Stand Up Comedy
00:30:15 AJ's First Austin Open Mics and Kill Tony
00:34:31 Moving From a Small Comedy Scene to Austin
00:39:26 Why AJ Started Stand Up Comedy
00:44:44 Bombing at a Huge San Francisco Comedy Show
00:47:12 Family Support for Becoming a Comedian
00:48:49 Finding Your Voice as a Stand Up Comedian
00:54:48 Finding a Comedy Community at Vulcan
00:56:14 What Professional Comedians Do Differently
00:59:15 Confidence, Humility and Lessons From Comedy
01:00:51 The Advice Comedians Hate Hearing
01:03:15 "Killing Your Babies" and Letting Go of Bad Jokes
01:06:25 Why Social Media Matters for Comedians Now
01:09:53 The Viral Frog TikTok That Hit 90 Million Views
01:14:01 Wrapping Up With AJ Higlesias
🎬 ABOUT ONLY BOMBS!
Real comedians. Real stories. 🎤💣
ONLY BOMBS! sits down with working stand up comedians for honest conversations about bombing, getting better, surviving the grind, and why they keep going back to the mic.
Hosted by Trey On Stage.
New episodes every Friday from Austin, Texas.
Directed and edited by Trey.
Theme song lyrics by Trey.
#StandUpComedy #AustinComedy #ComedyPodcast #ComedianInterview #OnlyBombsPodcast