Cincinnati Punchline (05-19)

I had a good time writing this story for Soapbox Media, an online Cincinnati-area magazine. I’ve always been fascinated with stand-up comedy, and there’s a relatively well-known comic in this area who I wanted to write about for the web site. The editor said that was fine, but he also wanted a broader take on the state of stand-up comedy in Cincinnati. I traveled with Josh Sneed, his girlfriend and his dog to one of his college gigs in Louisville and spent the entire evening with them. It was an interesting time – getting his take on the art of stand-up and what it’s like to be a comic on the road while discussing how strong or weak the Cincinnati scene is.

I knew I wanted to lede the story with him being on the road (driving to Louisville or eating for free at the tiny dining hall on campus or something like that). After thinking about a couple ideas – and discarding them because they were all kind of stupid – I decided to go with the comic listening to another stand-up’s comedy CD and going crazy over it. I thought the lede effectively blended Sneed’s sense of humor and his appreciation for the art form in general. At least, that was the point.

My favorite line, though, was this:

Now, he’s reaping the rewards. And as Todd Barry ends his set on the car stereo, Sneed looks in the backseat once again at his girl and his dog (one of whom is snoring rather loudly). He’s about to cross the Brent Spence Bridge into Cincinnati and is close to home after a fulfilling night’s work. He shifts his body frontward and looks through the windshield, content with his career and with his life.

And funny enough, the next time I saw Sneed and his girlfriend (perhaps inappropriately enough, at a funeral), that’s the first thing she mentioned.