American comic JT Habersaat interviews stand-up stars for new book

A new book is promising ‘a wild and uncensored glimpse into the mad world of life as a touring stand-up comic’.

Written by cult American comic JT Habersaat, the title, Doing Time, features extended conversations with a raft of comedy stars including Patton Oswalt, Dana Gould, Doug Stanhope, Maria Bamford, Chris Gethard and Bobcat Goldthwait.

Publishers Jawbone Press say it offers a ‘deep dive into the realm of stand-up comedy as both a career and an art form’ and calls it an ‘often hilarious, sometimes tragic, and always compelling reveal of what it truly takes to live behind the laugh.’

Big Bang Theory regular Brian Posehn told Habersaat of his start in the business: ’That first year I hustled pretty hard … I was branching out anywhere I could find, just yelling my jokes at five people … I had never hustled at anything before. When it’s something you care about, you don’t mind doing the work.’ 

While Jackie Kashian explained: ‘When I was 19, I saw Sam Kinison and I heckled him. The manager came over to tell me to shut up and eventually said, Open mic is on Sunday. I tried stand-up three weeks later and never really stopped.’

Dana Gould spoke of his approach to: ‘I use the stage very aggressively. I will walk to the lip of the stage … and I don’t even do it consciously. My feet will hang over the stage, like, This is MY area. This is my time. You know … alpha dominance. You really have to do it. Audiences can smell fear.’ 

While Patton Oswalt told of his breakthrough moment: ‘In 1993 I made $11,000 doing stand-up, and I had made it. I had succeeded. I didn’t have a day job. I was living with four other roommates, but all I had to do was stand-up. I had won. Everything that has come after that has been gravy.’

Habersaat has been working the American stand-up circuit for more than 15 years, supporting the likes of Posehm and Eddie Pepitone on the road.

Doing Time is his third book, following The Altercation Archives – a collection of his interviews with punk rock stars, and Killing For A Living, charting his time own the road with the Altercation Punk Comedy Tour of underground comedy  acts/ 

Stand-up Adam Cayton-Holland said:  ‘JT is like the guy at the record store who knows more about music than you ever will, only his music is comedy. And unlike that guy at the record store, he’s not a dick about it—he’s just trying to teach you, to steer you away from the vapid bullshit and turn you on to something real. Plus, he’s a killer stand-up himself, so what JT has to say comes from a place of absolute knowing, of walking the walk.’

Doing Time will be released on July 8 and is available from Amazon priced £13.15   – or from uk.bookshop.org, below, which supports independent bookstores.

Published: 14 May 2025