Starting Standup in Maine with David Walton

After receiving brutally honest feedback from a high school friend about my last episode being "boring and no laughs," I've rekindled my creative fire and am preparing for my first stage performance in weeks. This episode walks through my process of mining previous conversations for comedic material, sharing the awkward, honest moments of parenthood that make perfect stand-up fodder.

• Responding to criticis...

David tracks the messy evolution of his act, from joking about kratom and morphine drips to nearly launching a debate show on illicit substances. Along the way he revisits a live “Armchair Expert” set that almost tempted Dax Shepard off the wagon, questions why certain highs are illegal, and brainstorms a future lineup that jumps from psychedelics to tennis and gambling. 

Book mentioned: Drug Use for Grownups by Dr. Carl L. Hart

http...

Ever wonder what your teenage fashion choices revealed about your desperate need to fit in? David Walton takes us on a hilarious journey through the social currency of Z Cavariccis—those ridiculously baggy pants with multiple belt loops that somehow signaled coolness in the 90s—and draws parallels to watching his own children navigate the treacherous waters of adolescence today.

With raw honesty and self-deprecating humor,...

Casey Watson is one of the fastest rising comedians in Maine. In 4 short years he has gone from open mic newbie to featuring for many big comics including Ari Shaffir and Big Jay Oakerson. He performs regularly at the Empire Comedy Club in Portland Maine. 

Casey stopped by my house and we hit record. We talked about joke writing, clam digging as a day job, and how important it is to find a woman who won't dump you aft...

Sometimes doing nothing tells you where you need to go. A frank episode about putting comedy on pause while pursuing acting opportunities, featuring audition stories, a serendipitous mentor discovery, and why Maine's comedy scene deserves more attention. 

https://www.instagram.com/startingstandup
https://www.instagram.com/davidwalton
https://x.com/davidwalton
Email List
https://forms.gle/Xyd7Y2sLkbr5dey16<...

David begins the day filled with confidence and hope as he preps for his 20th open mic. By nightfall these positive emotions have transformed into face melting shame, but the warrior in him transmutes humiliation into strength and resilience. A hero's journey, all same day.

https://www.instagram.com/startingstandup
https://www.instagram.com/davidwalton
https://x.com/davidwalton
Email List
https://forms.gle/Xyd7...

Caleb Sherman is a comedian and has worked for almost a decade at the Empire Comedy Club in Portland, Maine, where he's become something of an accidental anthropologist of the open mic scene. 

In this conversation, we explore the strange and beautiful world of amateur comedy, what it actually means to "find your voice," and why the grind of showing up night after night might not be such a grind after all. 

From philoso...