Photograph by John Cafaro
If you’re a fan of stand-up, odds are good that you’re familiar with Josh Johnson. From the Daily Show desk to his viral sets on YouTube to his new HBO special Symphony, Johnson’s distinct calm and conversational storytelling style has taken the comedy world by storm. Now, Johnson is touring the world with his new “Comedy Band Camp” show that includes all sorts interactive elements (including a personality quiz) and surprises.
Before he sets up camp at the Taft Theatre on August 1 and 2, Cincinnati Magazine got the chance to talk with Johnson about the tour, his new special, The Daily Show, and his writing process.
Music appears to be an constant presence in your recent work with Symphony and now “Comedy Band Camp.” Is there a connection you have with it?
Well specifically with “Comedy Band Camp,” the whole reason behind it is that when I was a kid, we didn’t have money for a sort of fancy sleep away camp, but everything that I’m doing in this show is what I’ve held in my imagination as what that would be like since I was a kid. So there’s a personality test that people can take when they show up to the show that tells them what troop they’re in, and that’s a good way to meet people. You can meet other people in your troop that you already know you have a lot in common with because you answered some of the same answers. Then the music and and dance and other comedy elements are just things that I never really learned to do when I was growing up and I started doing performance, so it’s once again something that I imagined camp would be like, and I’m just trying to make that experience now.
Have you taken the quiz yet? I got put in the Ivy Leaves. What troop are you in?
I don’t have a troop because I’m putting on the show and everything so I wouldn’t want people to be like, “This is this is the troop to be in,” or something. I really want everybody to have their own experience and and have fun with it.
Very fun. So you mentioned there’s music on stage along with the comedy?
Basically with Symphony, music was used to complete that sort of timeless element to the project and to what I’m talking about. So music is interwoven because I think that with music, you can walk away with many different interpretations of what the the piece means and with comedy it’s pretty specific. This person was talking about this thing and they were joking about this thing.
Obviously there are metaphors and there’s language that could be a double entendre, but as far as music goes, it just opens up so much more the interpretation of the audience to what’s happening and and why the artist is choosing to do what they’re doing. I think with “Comedy Band Camp,” it’s not just that I didn’t get a band camp experience or any camp experience in the way that I wanted. It’s also that music helps complete that full circle of a memory.
Do the same musicians come with you through the whole tour?
We actually have different people in different cities, and I just find that it helps keep the closeness of something more local and fresh. So there’s people that we grab that do different aspects of the show. As far as bands, we’ve we’ve been rotating through three different acts in different cities, and then the rest of the musicians that you see are local. What I imagine in my mind is that people will walk away with the experience of something that is not necessarily your traditional camp experience. Obviously, it’s one night and it’s and it’s one show, but it it can be something that really lasts as a as a memory.
The other big things you’re known for are political standup and doing The Daily Show. Is there a preferred process between just going up there on stage with stand-up versus sitting in the writers’ room and going on camera?
I don’t have a preferred process, I suppose, but they are different. So when I’m at Daily Show, it’s incredibly collaborative. I’m super thankful that I have the support of so many people. When you’re doing stand-up, you are just on your own. So you’re just writing for yourself, and you’re just doing your own thing. I think I think that they’re really different in the preparation and I don’t really have a a favorite. Obviously, I love doing stand-up and have been doing it for a while now, so I’m the most used to it. But I like learning the new aspects of everything that goes into making a show.
What was the process of going from correspondent to host?
It took some time, and it’s still kind of a dream that I get to do it. It feels a bit wild, but it really just came together through the the people at the show wanting to give me a chance and see what the what the look of me hosting would be like, and so I’m super thankful for that. I really feel more like I lucked out. I feel like I’m just really blessed to be working with everybody there and have their support.
Our mayor was just recently a guest! Ronny Chieng was hosting, but did you meet him?
I don’t think we got to meet, unfortunately.
When you get such new and topical stuff on the Daily Show, how do the ideas come together of the pieces that’ll be touched upon in an episode?
The show gets decided on that day after being sort of generally assessed for how people feel about the stories and what’s really going on. Obviously, there’s times where there’s more of a wait-and-see approach to the the day. Then there are some things that get covered a day later, or covered in in tandem with something else. What the show is really good at doing is finding the urgency in whatever it is we want to talk about. And I think that with stand-up, it’s a little bit easier to just do sort of what you feel. Like I think that in stand-up, even if you are known for doing topical stuff, you get to pick the topic just because it’s interesting to you. Whereas I think the the show really does a good job of thinking of what is on people’s minds.
So for people going to “Comedy Band Camp,” can they expect something closer to your YouTube sets, Symphony, or does it vary more from night to night?
it is different from night to night, and I wouldn’t necessarily expect a Symphony experience where there’s music throughout. But they can definitely look forward to some amazing music as they get going and we have lots of fun stuff planned for them.
Facebook Comments