Caitlin Menosky's first Columbus open mic went about as badly as it can go — only woman on the lineup, put up last, and heckled through her whole set by a room full of comedians she'd never met. One comic's apology afterward is the reason she didn't quit. Now she's headlining 45 minutes and building toward an hour.
Caitlin sits down with Ira Cross at Rehab Tavern to talk about memorizing Jim Gaffigan specials as a kid, bombing in front of parents' weekend at a Catholic university, why "polite but firm" beats coming out swinging on hecklers, doing a show at a literal rest stop, and why it takes less than two hours to find out if comedy is for you.
First Mic is the show where comics tell the story of their first time on stage. New episodes weekly.
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TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@caitlin.comedy
YouTube: @CaitlinMenosky
Facebook: Caitlin Menosky
CATCH HER LIVE
Hot Girl Summer at Hashtag Comedy — Saturday, June 13
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Recorded at Rehab Tavern, Franklinton — Columbus, OH
CHAPTERS
00:00 Cold open
00:37 Caitlin with two i's (read the poster, people)
01:17 Why comedy? A kid who memorized Gaffigan specials
02:18 Everybody used to suck at walking
04:44 Why Columbus?
06:37 Hocking County → Chicago improv → the gap between open mics and Gaffigan
08:04 Advertising into the void: Columbus comedy nobody knows about
09:27 First time on stage: parents' weekend at a Catholic university
11:21 The post-bomb reality check every comic needs
12:02 If you're a megalomaniac and you just started, you're trash
13:24 Advice: sub two hours to try out a dream
16:18 Her first Columbus mic: heckled by the whole lineup (the Ty Moore story)
18:23 How to handle hecklers: polite but firm
21:12 "No, thank you."
21:43 Teacher talk & catch a bubble
23:33 Rapid fire: favorite Columbus comic
24:39 Patton Oswalt and the height dilemma
25:51 Favorite open mic: Hashtag on Fridays
26:43 Could you do an hour?
27:34 Weirdest gig: a rest stop in Western PA
29:17 Social media takes & where to find Caitlin
30:41 Hot Girl Summer at Hashtag — June 13