You started doing stand-up in 2017 after your friend signed you up for a variety show. What was that experience like?

There was a lot of tequila involved, that’s for sure. God bless my friend, she’s awesome! She’s still my friend to this day; it’s like 15 years of friendship. She always heard me talk about how badly I wanted to try stand-up and she was like, “Hey, guess what? I signed you up for this thing! It’s 7 minutes. Prepare your best stuff. I know you’ve been writing for years.” I put something together, I survived the 7 minutes after 3 shots of tequila, and the rest is pretty much history.

The experience was lovely and challenging. It was this mini-adventure into this really crazy world. It’s only been 8 years, but looking back, it kinda blows my mind. All the things I’ve done and the places I’ve gone and the people I’ve met, all because my friend signed me up for a variety show and people were like, “Hey, not bad! Keep doing that,” and I was like, “Maybe I will.”

What role would you say comedy has played in your life?

It’s my child and my worst relationship and somehow my mom and my absent father all in one - it’s crazy! It’s so many things. It has gifted me so much and has also made me cry a lot and has made me really rethink and reflect. There’s so many layers to it, but I think for the most part - not to be super cheesy and unfunny - I found some purpose and some real passion and community for sure. The comedy world is a lot smaller than people think.

It’s a platform to talk about my experiences and about shared experiences with other human beings and being able to scream, “Look at me! But look at you, too,” into a microphone. It’s such a loaded question and it’s a great question. I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me that. If I had to really pinpoint a role, I would say purpose. It’s like a big hug and then a punch in the face. It’s real good, it’s nice. [laughs]

How would you describe your writing process?

For a very long time, I was writing nonstop. I was writing on bar napkins and really anything that I could get my hands on. If something funny happened in conversation, I wrote it down. If just a quick idea came into my mind, I wrote that down. I like to say I have a solid 45 minutes of material that I semi-love after 8 years. I think that taking on a lot of projects and producing a lot more comedy has really taken away from my writing, which is a blessing and a curse at the same time. I think that if I were to get back to a writing process, I would have to superglue my ass to a chair and I would have to make myself do it. When you first start doing something and it’s very exciting to you, you just want to do it all the time. Almost a decade later, I still love it.

I still really enjoy it, but I don’t feel like a kid anymore. I feel like an adult with responsibilities because I provide platforms for other comics and I put on events. It’s all very admin, grown-up, like I’m wearing a suit and tie. I do want to get back to being that kid who is running around and having fun with it. At the very moment, my writing process is lacking. [laughs] But I think throughout the years, it’s been, “Where’s a piece of paper or something I can write on or a cardboard box and a pen? Anything! I need to get these thoughts down.”

I’m silly on stage, I riff as much as I can and try to have fun with it. A lot of comics probably don’t talk about this, but you record your sets. You record them so that way if you say something on stage and it gets a big laugh, you can listen back to your recording and then write off of that. That was a part of my process for a long time, and I would say it definitely still is.

Is that where the “bathing in the silence” bit came from?

Oh, I forgot about that! I think I started saying that because you can tell that people are uncomfortable and with stand-up, a lot of the time, people feel uncomfortable. [laughs] I think it’s important to talk about the thickness of the air and kind of smush their faces in it. I wanna be like, “Oh god, the silence is good. I wish I could have this silence all the time. I wish I could bottle it up.” Then they start to realize, “Ok, wait, we need to loosen up a bit. She’s talking about the silence and we’re providing the silence.”

For the most part, I say outlandish shit so I don’t blame them, but I’m also like, “Hey, let’s remember you bought a ticket to watch me be ridiculous, so let’s make fun of the silence.” I think I probably said that one time and I was like, “Oh shit, that works!” That’s just kinda what happens, you grab something and you’re like, “Ok, that worked, so we’re going to keep doing it.” [laughs]

Why do you think audiences have discomfort around stand-up?

Everyone obviously has their own beliefs, so there’s that aspect. It depends on what the comic is talking about. It’s our job to dissect the day-to-day and life experiences - we’re there to dissect it to make fun of it. I think that a lot of topics can be very taboo and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we’re a reflection. We’re human, so we experience the poopoos and the peepees of life that not everyone likes to talk about all the time but here we are talking about stuff like, “Hey, this is gross, but it happens to all of us. Let’s fucking have a giggle.” I do think that we’re exposing parts of ourselves that we share with other humans, so therefore they’re going to be like, “Oh shit, I don’t talk about that part of myself.”

That’s why it’s very important for comedy to have a dark room. Audience members don’t want to be noticed laughing at something that is inappropriate. If they’re laughing in the dark, no one can see them and it’s very much like, “Ok, now I can really let loose.” But if a room is pretty well lit, it doesn’t make for good stand-up. You want them to have a good time in order for you to have a good time.

It’s that energy exchange.

Exactly! I think people don’t know how to make fun of themselves or how to let loose, and also realize that you’re not the only one who goes through x, y, or z; we all do that or some of us think that. I went and saw Louis C.K. live a couple nights ago - he’s Louis, so whatever, can’t truly relate - but he’s picking apart taking his dad to a nursing home, which is probably something a lot of people are going to have to do eventually. He’s digging deep into the sadness and darkness of it, but making it so funny. I couldn’t help but watch him and think to myself, “What if an open micer was doing this material?” I don’t think anyone would laugh because the shit he’s saying is so outlandish and, in a way, hurtful to somebody who probably doesn’t have a good sense of humour and is having that experience. But comedy fans can take a touchy subject and be like, “Oh shit, that’s actually really funny because we’re here to enjoy the funny in it,” whereas some audience members get very uncomfortable and are like, “Ugh, how dare he talk about that?” When people get uncomfortable, honestly, it makes me laugh because I’ll never understand it. I’m like, “You’re here to laugh and find the funny with us.”

You released your 30-minute stand-up special Elsa in 2024. How did you decide which material to record?

To be honest, I think I released it way too early because looking back, I’m like, “Oh god, I’ve been saying that one, but I wrote tags on it. I changed it, it’s different now. It’s funnier now.” But I did feel ready. I felt like I had run that half hour a ton of times and I just wanted to get something out on the Internet that showcased what to expect, just so people weren’t taken aback too much.

The process of it is always, “What do I like?” I think that’s the most important thing: What do I like, what do I think is funny? I don’t think I’ve ever really tried for a target audience. I would like to hope that I am for everyone to a certain extent, but I do obviously take that into consideration. A lot of it is just trial and error, you go and you do a bunch of sets and you do a bunch of mics and start getting paid and do longer sets and all of that, you start to build. There’s always going to be jokes that you love so much that the audience never loves. I do this all the time - and I think a lot of comics do this - I tell it anyway and it doesn’t do well and I go, “Man, that joke never ever does well, but I can’t let it go!” You’ve gotta meet in the middle between what you love and what the audience loves and what always works.

I haven’t watched it in a long time, but when I watched it back, I was like, “Man, I forgot to say this!” I left out 3 jokes that I absolutely love. I had a setlist up there, but I don’t think I ever looked at it. I just went and did it and recorded it. I left it up to my editor to decide what to keep and what to get rid of. I’m a firm believer in getting it done and seeing what happens. I try not to think too much about it. [laughs] I just kept what was working and what I also loved.

Which joke has changed the most?

It’s been my opener for a long time, or at least at the top of my set for a long time. I don’t want to give away too much, but I basically confuse some sort of group of Hispanic men and it turns out they’re my uncles and I flash them. It’s this really silly, stupid bit, but I think that joke has changed the most. I think it changes depending on location too. If there’s a community of Latinos near where I’m playing, I’ll bring that into the joke just to add a little extra funny to it because it’s like, “Oh, you get what I’m trying to say.”

That one’s changed so much because it started off as, “I was hammered at this one place and then I went here and then I did this awful, crazy thing to my relatives.” It’s been moved around to like, “I was at a pool party.” The location changes a lot, what I’m doing changes a lot, and to this day, it’s still one of my favourite ones. I think it’s also a great representation of, “This is what we’re getting into. Buckle up because this is nonstop ridiculousness for the next 10-40 minutes.” [laughs]

You run a production company and you put on the show Heavy Flow: A Night of Dirty Jokes. You also recently started the YouTube series Mayo Packet with Chef Ross Flack. How did the production company and the shows come about?

You start off as an open micer and nobody knows you. You start going to these very public places, signing up for mics, and trying your best, so I was doing that. Then the people around me who had been doing stand-up for however many years were like, “Who the heck is this girl? She came out of nowhere. She’s showing up all the time. She’s working hard.” It’s that weird thing - and I don’t know if it’s societal - where a newcomer comes around and people are skeptical. There’s a bit of uneasiness and a bit of, “She’s just coming out of nowhere, who the hell is this chick?” Before I was really heavy into the open mic scene, I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t know who to talk to. I didn’t know anything about the community. I just had to show up like the new kid and be like, “Hi, I’m Johanna,” and people were like, “You’re fucking weird.” It’s like it was the first day of school at a new school where I knew nobody and they all knew each other.

All that to say, I started my own comedy production company. It was called Honorary Mentions because me and my team were a group of feminines and gays and queers, so it was like, “We’re honorary mentions.” It was really awesome. We were doing stuff like pop-up shows in my backyard, pop-up shows at local venues, and we actually made it to the Detroit news. So I went from being this weird girl at a new school to, “Oh wait, she actually does well and knows what she’s doing.” I did that at the beginning and then a local production company called 313 Comedy reached out to me and they asked me to join their production team. Not only was I doing my own thing, but I’m entering the Detroit comedy scene as a respected producer and joining a team that’s been around for years who work with really great names and all these things.

Then the Independent Comedy Club opened and they asked me to join their team very early on. I’ve been a part of the Independent Comedy Club for 6 years now. I went from helping them out with social media and helping them run the room a little bit to now I’m their booker and their lead producer. I’m leading the team and all that. I’m also the co-producer of Don’t Tell Comedy Detroit with Camila Ballario. She’s my co-producer. Don’t Tell Comedy is a nationally known production company, and we’re the local branch of it.

The same with any career or hobby turned profession - as much as I can say that because the arts don’t pay much - I think you start small and you’re like, “Hey, nobody knows me, let them figure that out.” I’m here to really bring community. I like the art form of stand-up and I want to provide a good time and collaborate. I want people to learn about me. You start small and you get invited to do cool shit and then you get invited to do even more cool shit. It’s kinda wild! It’s so cheesy, but really, if you just try you’d be surprised what the hell could happen.

I also co-produce Sam Tallent’s Show at the Independent Comedy Club, and I also do Heavy Flow: A Night of Dirty Jokes. Those have been my two main focuses right now, along with Don’t Tell Comedy, which is a secret venue with a secret lineup at least once a month. That’s a moving, pop-up comedy show. I’m staying very busy. I don’t know if it has something to do with my horoscope or what, but I kinda show up and start running shit and it goes decent, I think. [laughs]

My partner, Ross, and I started Mayo Packet where I interview comedians about the most memorable sandwich they’ve ever had and he’s a chef, so then he prepares said sandwich. It’s a YouTube series and we’ve had some really awesome guests on. Most recently, Sam Tallent came on and it was really, really great. He gave us a full breakdown of his family history and why he chose the sandwich. We shoot it at our home, so it’s very personal. It’s like, “Come on over, let’s make a sandwich and have a chat.” It turns into story time and it’s been amazing. We have a great production team; Libby O, who is going to be the photographer for Punx Can’t Laugh Fest, and Marissa Roesch, who also produces my podcast, Each Other’s Mothers.

The idea kind of came about because I was eating a sandwich at my counter. I think I was feeling very manic that day, I don’t know, but I posted a photo of the mayo packet on my Instagram story and I was like, “Guys, what if I started a podcast where I interviewed comedians about the best sandwich they’ve ever had?” People started to respond with all their sandwich stories. It was crazy! It was like, “This one time I was in Mexico,” or “This one time I was in the hospital,” or “I’ll never forget the sandwich I had in jail,” or “This one time I had a breakup and this sandwich was there for me.” It was so wild, my DMs were flooded with all these sandwich stories.

When I talked to Ross about it, he was like, “That’s such a good idea! Why don’t I make the sandwich?” It’s been going really great. We only have a handful of episodes out and people are really loving it. When you bring comedy and food together, you can’t go wrong. It’s been great. That’s how that came about, from that wild idea I had while eating a sandwich at a counter. [laughs] It’s been really fun getting to know comics on a different level.

You’ll be playing Punx Can’t Laugh Fest for the first time this year on October 17 at the Bovine in Toronto. How did you get involved with this festival?

Ross had just moved here, so I was like, “Hey, I’ve got all these gigs so I’m buying you plane tickets and you’re coming with me,” because I’m wild like that and he’s wild as well, so he was like, “Alright!” One of the trips was to New Orleans for Hell Yes Fest and it was such a great festival. Shoutout to Hell Yes Fest in New Orleans! If you’re ever in the States, please go to that festival. It is so fun. They do a really, really good job of producing that festival. That’s where I met Jeremy and we stayed in touch. He’s come to Detroit to stay with us. He’s played the comedy club that I run and he’s so funny and so kind and persistent. [laughs]

We really hit it off with a handful of comedians who were from all over the States and Jeremy was from Toronto. I was like, “If you ever want to come down to Detroit, let me know.” I said this to all of them, and Jeremy was the only one who really circled back. He was like, “Hey, you said…” and I was like, “I did say and I do mean it. Come on down, we have a guest bedroom. We’ll put you up and I’ll put you on all these shows.” He did that and spent a bunch of time with us. He was like, “Hey, I’m part of this really cool thing in Toronto. I would love for you to do some stand-up there,” and I was like, “Say less!” Libby, like I said, is my photographer and she’s coming up for it. We’re going to drive up and we’re super stoked! I had a really great time the last time I played Toronto. It was so much fun, so I’m stoked to come back.

What do you feel is so special about the city?

The vibe that I got is that it’s very open-minded. Obviously, there’s this whole assumption that Canadians are very polite and I do feel that way with the audiences; they’re very good listeners and they’re there for it. I’ve really only played Windsor and Toronto, so I’m not really sure what it’s like outside of those cities. I’ve only played Toronto once and it was received well. It was a blast. The audience was very open-minded, had a good sense of humour, and I feel like they kinda clamped up a little bit, but they were quick to come back to me.

It does seem very progressive and open in general. It seems very queer, at least the neighbourhoods I was in. It seems very accepting of the ridiculousness of the world and looking at it like “let’s have a laugh” instead of being angry. I do feel like it’s a lot of artists and very punk rock. It reminds me a lot of Chicago for a lot of different reasons; the buildings, the water, the people, the queer neighbourhoods for sure. I think that they’re just on the right side of history and they know how to laugh about it.

What are you most excited about for Punx Can’t Laugh Fest?

I am excited to get out of Detroit for a second. It’s always nice to go on the road, especially with Libby, who’s my friend and I love her dearly. I’m very much looking forward to being in the car, meeting new people, having the opportunity to connect and bring the stuff that I think is funny to another city, and spending time with Jeremy and meeting all of his friends. And eating food, I love to eat food. [laughs] Last time I was in Toronto, I saw a couple comics I hadn’t seen in a really long time. I think just being in the excitement of it all, having a beer, hanging out.

There’s something very - I don’t want to say the world magical, how lame [laughs] - but there’s a bit of magic to being on the road. I live for peepee and poopoo jokes, but at the end, if you strip me down, I’m just a romantic. I do love being in the car with the windows down, just being on the road, and getting away from the reality of it all for a minute.

I’m also looking forward to getting to know the city a bit more. I was basically just on one block when I was there last time, so I think being there for a longer stretch, I can kind of check out some of the best spots. I want to have the best coffee, the best burger, and go to the best dive bar and get to know a new place.

Is there a difference between putting a festival set together and a regular set together, or are they about the same?

I’d say they’re about the same. It all depends on how much time you’re given. Do I wanna jam pack my 3-4 favourite jokes in a 7-minute set or do I want to ramble on about whatever for 20 minutes? It all depends on how much time I have. For something like this, I can only assume that our audiences are going to be a lot of fun and ready to laugh with me and all the dirty, ridiculous shit that I say. I think I probably would prepare very loosely and try to have as much fun as possible with something like this and just remember that you guys are cool as shit. It doesn’t have to be this suit and tie, buttoned up, perfect set. I think I have room to really move about and have fun and see what ridiculous shit comes out of my mouth.

Just go with the vibes.

Always, in any setting. Festival or not, open mic or not, you always want to read the room. You want to navigate your set in a way that’s like, “Maybe we’ll stay away from that and go in this direction instead.”

Which joke that you’ve written are you proudest of?

I don’t know if I’m proud of any of them! [laughs] I think the newer stuff that I’ve been working on for the past 6 months or whatever, I’m really excited about because it’s new to me in so many ways. I am talking a lot about my queer experience and how funny it was to me and I think a lot of people can relate to what I’m saying. I’m also talking a bit about my relationship and all that. I think I’m most proud of the things that can be relatable because that’s really all you’re trying to ever do. There’s obviously the stand-up that gets you thinking and finds humour in these bigger concepts, but I’m pretty frickin’ easy when it comes to what I’m joking about because I’m like, “Let me tell you about my experience and see if you also relate.” I write with that in mind.

If you say something and if people are laughing, that’s one thing, but if you get one verbal little heckle of reassurance, like somebody’s in the background like, “I know that’s right” or something like that, it’s like, “I didn’t realize that was something I was working towards, but wow, that felt good.” [laughs] I also get proud of jokes that are sneaky, like just when you think the joke is over, I take a pause and come back like, “Oh, tricked you guys.” It either retracts what I just said or brings a different light to it.

Is there anything that I didn’t ask you that you’d like to add?

Come check out the show at the fest and come say hi if you see me around. I’ll be the girl with a beer in her hand, side by side with a photographer. [laughs]

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