This Columbus tech guy who tells ‘weird’ jokes is finalist for $10K comedy grant
If you find yourself on comedian James Etchison’s Twitter feed, it won’t be long before your eyes spot something that makes you cackle or, at the very least, forces a smirk.
Here’s a prime example for you Auburn fans:
“[1896]
Weird guy: I’m gonna open a pharmacy and sell lemonade! I planted two trees to throw toilet paper on when we win football! Weagle weagle!
Everyone: Ok Toomer.”
By day, the Auburn grad and father of two works as a web developer for Global Payments (formerly TSYS). But several nights a week, you’ll see and hear him on stages in Columbus and other nearby cities in Georgia and Alabama.
He’s also one of 21 finalists for a $10,000 grant meant to aid up-and-coming stand-up comedians.
Etchison, 31, is a finalist for the Martin Grant. Established by comedian Steve Hofstetter and Next Round Entertainment, the grant will be awarded to one comedian to cover rent, car payments or anything else that allows them to further their career. A panel of television executives, comedy club owners, talent agents and managers selects the winner.
To even be considered for the grant, Etchison said, is pretty cool.
“That’s really awesome,” he said. “$10,000 is amazing. …The money I have now is invested in bills.”
Etchison’s first hint that comedy might be his thing came during his senior year in a speech class at Auburn. The first assignment was a funny speech, and he did well.
“I remember (the professor) wrote on my paper, ‘This is not stand-up comedy class. Stop putting so many jokes,’” he said. “I knew then that I should try it.”
Comedy started in Columbus theater
It’d take about two years for Etchison to finally take the stage. He first performed at No Shame Theatre in November 2012 after finding out about the event online. The weekly program hosted at Springer Opera House remains a big platform for Etchison’s comedy.
“No Shame is everything,” he said. “It’s important to perform in other places, but there isn’t a better place in the world, I think, to perform than No Shame. It’s a huge crowd, really supportive and really fun. ...I don’t think I’d be doing this if it weren’t for how good No Shame is.”
He started gradually performing in more venues and in nearby cities. Now, he’s doing comedy three or four nights a week.
Etchison’s comedy schedule on a given week could look something like this: on Mondays, there’s an open mic night at the Irish Bred Pub in Opelika. Tuesdays, The Cantina Grill, Bar & Lounge downtown hosts an open mic, “Uptown Originals.” Every Wednesday, he and Jerry Farber host the recently-started comedy showcase “Up Close and Funny” at Lemongrass Thai and Sushi. Thursdays, there might be an open mic at Fountain City Coffee downtown or GTSouth Geek & Gaming Tavern in Montgomery.
Friday, of course, is almost always for No Shame.
“I like the puzzle of it,” Etchison said of stand-up comedy and the art of writing jokes. “You’re trying to find where the pieces fit, I guess. ... I think about it terms of scrabble because that is the other things I’m good at.”
Telling jokes helps with ADHD, depression
Etchison sells himself to audiences as a clever, odd-ball character with deadpan delivery and witty one-liners. There’s a lot of ways that he creates his jokes. Some just come to him, and others start as a base idea that are tweaked and molded over time. Twitter and Reddit are popular social media sites where Etchison will share some of his jokes.
“The jokes do a lot of the lifting but I have to deliver them in a way like, ‘Oh, this guy is weird,’” Etchison said. “That’s the goal.”
Some of his approach is shaped by his love of funny movies and shows like the Jack Benny radio show or the more modern Simpsons.
Having a funny family helps, too. He was the second of six kids in a military family that moved around a lot, and he was home-schooled for much of his life. It was like having six class clowns around all the time, he said.
“They’re all really funny,” he said. “My dad loved movies and shows that were funny and he kind of showed them to us when we were growing up. ...It’s a lot of that exposure to media that gives you a passion for that kind of entertainment.”
Stand-up comedy also provides Etchison with some comfort and relief. The friends he’s made along the way help him deal with his ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), bipolar disorder and depression.
“Even the kind of friends you make in comedy — it’s better in Columbus than it might be in someplace else — it gives you a support system where you have someone you can talk to all the time,” he said. “I still have problems being alone with my thoughts. It spirals downward. I’m a lot better about that … but (comedy) was definitely a big help for me.”
How would prize be used?
The grant would help further his career, Etchison said. The money would make it easier for him to go on tour, invest more in the “Up Close and Funny” show at Lemongrass and help him create high-quality sketch videos. His ultimate comedy goal is to perform a five-minute set on Conan O’Brien’s TBS late-night show “Conan.”
Etchison said he expects to find out if he is the winner towards the end of the year or at the beginning of 2020.
He’s already got ideas for the mandatory scripts and treatments he has to write if he wins. He said he may write them, even if he doesn’t get the grant.
“If I win … I think I would put (the money) in the right places,” he said.
This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 6:00 AM.