Get ready for laughs on #ouitalkraw with comedian, Lance Weiss! With 20+ years in comedy, Lance has been on The Today Show, FOX’s Laughs, and ESPN Radio, and worked with brands like PlayStation and Bud Light. From his hit NYC show Gandhi, Is That You? to national tours, Lance shares the ups and downs of his career, with plenty of laughs and behind-the-scenes stories. Don’t miss it!
Comedian Lance Weiss on Oui Talk Raw – 20 Years in Stand-Up
Life in the Laugh Lane: Inside the Comedy Grind with Lance Weiss & Tommy Hornbuckle
When you’re in the studio watching Jennifer Busco sit down with comedians Lance Weiss and Tommy Hornbuckle, you know it’s not going to be a quiet hour. Between chakra talk, Prius jokes, and a very detailed description of chicken fingers flying through a comedy club, this one had us laughing and scribbling notes like crazy.
This wasn’t just about jokes — it was about the messy, hilarious, exhausting life of a working comedian.
Bombing Builds Character (And Prius Payments)
Early on, Lance confessed the reality most comics avoid saying out loud: sometimes you bomb. Sometimes the crowd is two people. Sometimes the tip jar money just barely covers gas for your Prius.
But that grind? That’s where the magic happens. You do the bad shows so the good ones feel electric.
Writing Jokes: From Beads to BBQs
Tommy and Lance broke down their writing process, and spoiler alert — it’s not glamorous. It’s notes in your phone, scraps of paper, half-thoughts you test on stage.
Lance shared how one of his favorite jokes came out of nowhere: standing in a Petting Zoo/BBQ hybrid and realizing that was, somehow, the entire bit.
As Tommy put it, comedy is about chasing those little “what if?” sparks.
Reading the Room Without Losing Yourself
Jennifer compared it to yoga, Tommy to music: performers have to feel the energy in the room, but not let it run the show.
One of the best raw quotes from the episode came from Lance here:
“I don’t care about being famous. I don’t care about making a lot of money… What I’ve always wanted is to go to a city, see my face on the poster, and people come out to laugh.”
Simple. Honest. And the kind of thing only a comic grinding it out in the clubs really means.
The Daily Grind Nobody Sees
By this time, things got real. Lance broke down his daily rhythm, which basically looks like:
- Wake up somewhere between 9:30–11am.
- Force himself to exercise (pushups, pullups, a little hang-on-a-bar action).
- Hate the computer, but spend hours on emails, booking travel, editing clips, and battling social media.
- Around 5pm: shower, food, and then out the door until 1am.
Editing clips, booking hotels, Taco Bell road trips — not exactly the Netflix special life people imagine. But it’s the unglamorous stuff that makes the stage possible.
Why Comedy Clubs Are the Dream
Toward the end, Lance painted a picture so vivid we could practically smell the queso:
“The waitstaff’s running around. People are dressed up on dates, they’re excited, people are celebrating things. There’s like chicken fingers going by, there’s quesadillas going by. I love that atmosphere.”
It’s not about arenas or fame for him. It’s about the buzz of a room where people are leaning in, laughing, and forgetting life for a bit. That’s the dream.
Quick Takeaways for Creatives
Whether you’re a comic, musician, or just trying to make something of your own, here’s what Lance & Tommy left us with:
- Bombing is part of the deal. The small shows make the big ones worth it.
- Write constantly. Jot it down, even if it feels dumb. Test it on stage.
- Read the room, don’t be owned by it. Bring your energy, but stay flexible.
- The grind is real. Emails, editing, travel, repeat. That’s the work.
- Love the atmosphere, not the fame. Comedy clubs, quesadillas, laughter — that’s the reward.
From chakras to neon-lit Priuses, this episode reminded us that comedy is equal parts grind, joy, and weird roadside BBQ inspiration. And if you see Lance’s name on a poster in Greensboro, trust us — grab a ticket and the chicken fingers.
About Me – Lance Weiss
A national touring stand-up comedian for over 20 years, Lance Weiss is also an actor, podcaster & writer based in NYC. He most recently served as a co-executive producer as well as an on-camera talent for KarmaNetwork.com‘s comedy sketch show “Hey Gordon”. Prior to this, he was co-host of CNBC’s “Common Cents” on digital channel Make It, as well as a co-host in several videos for Conde Nast’s channel The Scene. He was a Top 4 finalist in CMT’s “Next Big Comic”, and has been seen on NBC’s “The Today Show,” FOX’s “Laughs,” MTV’s “World of Jenks,” Bravo’s “The Love Broker,” PBS, Comcast, NY1, NY’s FOX 5, NY’s PIX11, Sirius/XM, ESPN Radio, Today.com, Cosmo.com, AOL.com, NYmag.com, Aboveaverage.com, VisitFlorida.com, Complex News, and in the NY Times, NY Post, and commercials for AT&T, Bud Light, Kit Kat, Liberty Mutual, IBM, and MLB.com. Lance has also been hired to perform for companies such as the NY Times, Meredith Corporation and AB InBev.
He has written for CNBC.com’s “Common Cents,” MTV’s Video-on-Demand, HuffingtonPost.com’s “Celebrities Have Issues,” Luckymag.com, Elite Daily, Storia.me, EpicThings.com, Dramafever.com, iHeart Radio and brands such as PlayStation, Motorola, Honeywell, USPS, The Central Park Conservancy, DXC Technology, Movember & Borsheims Jewelry, as well as several television pilots.
Lance was a semi-finalist in the New York Comedy Festival’s “NY’s Funniest Standup Competition”. He’s a past champion in Like2Laugh’s March Comedy Madness, beating out 64 other comedians. He has performed at the Bridgetown Comedy Festival, Boston Comedy Festival, Out of Bounds Comedy Festival, Laughing Skull Comedy Festival, San Francisco Comedy Festival, Rogue Island Comedy Festival, Asheville Comedy Festival, Woodstock Comedy Festival, Indiana Comedy Festival, Magners Comedy Festival, North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival and theHoboken Comedy Festival. His one man show, “Wine And Questions With Weiss” debuted at The Pit Theater in NYC.
Lance is co-creator of the popular comedy show “Gandhi, Is That You?” which Time Out New York chose as one of their Critics’ Picks as well as calling it “Wildly popular” and one of “The best weekly comedy shows in NYC.” It was part of the NY Comedy Festival presented by Comedy Central. The show also had a 3 year run at UCB Theatre East. Lance co-created and hosted two weekly comedy shows “Anyone Can Be President, Even Us,” and “Grab Them By The Politics” @ Carolines on Broadway leading up to the 2017 Presidential Inauguration and thereafter. He co-created and starred in the viral video Trump or Porn? which was featured on the Funny or Die homepage. Currently, he is the host of the Party With Lance Podcast. Previously, Lance co-hosted the Gandhi Show Podcast, the Crazy New York Stories Podcast and The Cheat Day Show Podcast. Connect with him @partywithlance on the sites!
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