STAND-UP TUESDAYS: Josh Sneed

April 22nd, 2014

Angie Frissore

Stand-Up Tuesdays is a weekly comedy spotlight written by the wonderfully talented Angie Frissore. Covering both known and unknown comics, Stand-up Tuesdays is your new source for all things funny.

This week, Angie puts a spotlight on Josh Sneed’s comedy career. If you or your comedy troupe would like to be featured on Stand-Up Tuesdays, please email utgjames@gmail.com.

This week in Stand-Up Tuesdays, we take a look at comedian Josh Sneed‘s latest album, Unsung Hero, which was recorded at The Funny Bone in Columbus, Ohio. Sneed headlines comedy clubs across the country and finished 2^nd out of 100 of Comedy Central’s top comedians in the 2008 Annual Stand-up Showdown competition. He’s performed at the ‘Just For Laughs’ festival in Montreal, the inaugural South Beach Comedy Festival, and the Aspen Comedy Festival, and continues to make a name for himself on the national scene.

Sneed, a Cincinnati native, offers a delightfully laid back hour of comedy that touches upon everything from America’s obesity problem to becoming a first-time father, with a healthy amount of self-deprecation thrown in for good measure.

“I know you guys are like, ‘Is this guy gonna make fun of fat people while using his stomach as an arm rest?’” Sneed quips. “I sure am.”

From the moment Sneed takes the stage, he creates an instant rapport with his audience by sharing an hilarious story about one of his worst gigs – offering up details about himself along the way that puts him on the audience’s level immediately. The bulk of Unsung Hero consists of personal experiences that seem genuine and real, allowing listeners to easily become a part of each story’s landscape. You might not have ever traveled to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, but with Sneed’s colorful and clever descriptions, you are instantly familiar with the city: “Gatlinburg is an American Indian word that means ‘land of the couples that wear matching airbrushed t-shirts.”

Sneed’s stage presence – at least in audio – is relaxed and laid back, creating a feeling comparable to settling into a comfortable easy chair. One downfall to such relaxation, however, is that without a bit more variety in his inflection, one does run a risk of losing focus. It would be nice to see a momentary change in pace, just to shake things up.

Josh Sneed’s Unsung Hero is a great example of how well clean comedy can work. While his material certainly isn’t all puppies and lollipops, he does work clean and doesn’t need to curse or be overly dirty in his set – a wonderfully refreshing (and difficult) thing to do. One can’t help but respect the comedian who can pull that off, and Sneed certainly can. I highly recommend picking up a copy for yourself – I keep mine in my car, which has been incredibly effective at minimizing my road rage.