Josh Nasser (@yeshuanasser) is a comedian and writer living in Brooklyn. He currently co-hosts two regular comedy shows: Oh, Such a Good Show, Oh! at Union Hall and Jake and Josh Are Not Funny at Pine Box Rock Shop. He is currently working on recording an EP of his original comedy songs, hopefully to be released at some point this year.
This week, Joshua and I talked goofball dads, April Fools’, and being called weird in high school.
This tweet’s just dumb. I don’t know why it got so many likes, but it’s fun nonetheless. (This might not be enough of a reason, but I do love this tweet just ‘cause it’s dumb.)
What made you decide to start doing comedy?
People always said I was funny as a kid and I liked making people laugh! I went through a period where I didn’t think I was funny enough to do it or make a career out of it, but I did an open mic and had a lot of fun doing it. And here I am all these years later! It feels like a generic answer to just say that, but it’s true. Haha.
Do you think Twitter has been beneficial to your comedy in any way?
I have a lot of fun with my tweets, but that’s probably because I’m trying not to take tweeting too seriously. I’ve found a good balance and a great way to have fun with it. I love doing music at live shows and haven’t found a way for that to translate on social media in a way that I like, but I’m working on it! I guess I’m just kind of going with the flow.
I wanted to highlight this tweet partly for promo reasons and partly because it’s a video I’m very proud of. It’s my first-ever music video and I had so much fun making it. It’s one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written, and it’s nice to have a piece of content that I can love so much. It brings me an artistic joy despite how odd the music video is. Also my friends like it and that’s all I could really ask for!
Your sense of humor is … offbeat, to say the least. What inspires your weirdness?
I was called weird a lot in high school. I feel like a lot of comedians were (I hope this isn’t a dig, not trying to be mean at all)! I spent a while wishing I could just have a more normal sense of humor, but I realized I like the weird stuff a lot more. I wish I could go back in time and tell my past self, “Hey, man, just be yourself! You’ll be okay if you don’t worry too much about this stuff!” I still care a little about what others think of me (I feel like it’s impossible not to), but me being weird is kind of me being more comfortable with myself. But I also probably get it from my dad — that guy’s a real goofball, hahaha.
In addition to doing stand-up, you also make music and act with the Story Pirates. Have you always incorporated other kinds of artistic expression into your comedy?
I went to art college, so I think being artistic in some way was hammered deep into my brain, hahaha. I love being artistic in some things I do, but I wouldn’t say I do it all the time. I also think it’s equally important to have fun. I think I’m trying to find the perfect mix. I want something easy or fun and something that makes you go, Oh, wow, I think I felt something. Or something just plain stupid. I’m just trying to make myself and others happy. Sometimes artistic stuff does that; sometimes dumb stuff does that.
I love this tweet because it was a chance to do something insane in public. I want to get better at getting out of my comfort zone, and this tweet was a great way to start.
What can we do to protect ourselves from the April Fool?
Nothing. Run.
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