Justin Kincaid is a world class comedian who has honed his craft, blending quick wit and cutting edge topics that range from every day to controversial. He is no stranger to the bright lights and has featured for many big name comedians and bands. Justin is a headliner in his own right and performs all over the country in comedy clubs, colleges and corporate events. Justin was featured on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham series as well as Showtime’s Rising Stars Showcase. He is currently actively touring and is in negotiations with F/X on a sitcom development. Justin is a can’t miss, so don’t miss out. Just sit back and enjoy playing along as he spins tales of Inappropriate Behavior and Bad Decisions.
Recovery Comedy: What were you like as a kid?
Justin Kincaid: I was a bright kid, really smart but became bored easily and I would look for ways to have fun, or even better to allow others to have fun and laugh. I distinctly remember being the class clown and making everyone laugh in the second grade. My teenage years were being the life of the party and working material as a way to get people to accept me. I worked my material and SNL skits mixed with Murphy, Pryor and Carlin. I always got laughs and it was infectious. It got me out of fights but many more times, it got me into fights. Through that I came to believe early on that words had power.
Recovery Comedy: What made you decide to become a stand-up comedian and how long have you been performing?
Justin Kincaid: Like I said previously I always tried to make people laugh so deep down it was my escape and I knew I liked making people laugh. The turning point came in 1992. I was 18 and a buddy I knew had family connected to the TropWorld Casino in A.C. NJ. He promised a comp room for me and my girlfriend and tickets to see George Carlin Live. It was a surreal experience. I remember looking at the people, not George Carlin. I sat in the audience watching as a man made 1,000 people laugh. I remember being awestruck but not at George Carlin but at the fact that one man made all of these people laugh. At that point I told myself “I want to make people laugh”.
Recovery Comedy: Were you performing stand-up comedy before you got into recovery?
Justin Kincaid: I have performed stand-up way back to my earliest memories. I will say this. I never made real money in stand-up until recovery. I never had people come and watch me bomb and still support me until recovery. I have never felt so alive and making a difference until I performed at my first NA Convention.
Recovery Comedy: Does your comedy have a message and if so what is it?
Justin Kincaid: My message is simple “don’t have sex with animals” If you do someone is videotaping it and then it gets sent to me and I don’t wanna watch….but I do. The real message is “it’s a promise of freedom and a message of hope”. I’m just a guy that found my calling that gets you, out of you, for an hour. Let’s all celebrate the things that most don’t understand.
Recovery Comedy: Who are your comedy idols?
Justin Kincaid: My idols are the truth tellers. A simple honest message of recovery rings true and so does comedy. I grew up on 78’s of Carlin, Cosby, Pryor and Winters. I like a lot of current guys as well.
Recovery Comedy: Where does your inspiration for material come from?
Justin Kincaid: My life. Period. The majority of stuff I say is true, 99% of it. I just try to spin awkward situations into humor that people can relate to because we have all been there.
Recovery Comedy: What is your joke writing process?
Justin Kincaid: My process is odd. I work more these days off thoughts and ideas. I will write them down (usually in my phone) when they pop up. Then I make bullet points on those topics and then I kind of just go with it. Or I will just basically recount stories in a humorous way. I really believe that I am funniest when I am me, my authentic self. That doesn’t mean I don’t prepare but I never do a scripted set.
Recovery Comedy: What is your kryptonite?
Justin Kincaid: My ego. Both sides, the side that tells me I am the greatest guy ever and the side that tells me that I will never be enough.
Recovery Comedy: Is your family supportive of your comedy career?
Justin Kincaid: I guess it is just kind of what I do now. There were some tough years coming up and Comedy Clubs took their toll on me. Being a road comic at comedy clubs isn’t my aspiration anymore so it’s not really an issue. As for support, I guess we all just take the good with the bad and know that it is my calling in life to make people laugh. Laughter heals wounds that some of us have carried for years.
Recovery Comedy: Is comedy part of your healing process?
Justin Kincaid: Always has been. A joy shared is a joy doubled and a sorrow shared is a sorrow halved. The greatest gift I can give people is laughter. Stop thinking about what ails you for an hour and just laugh. We all can take these snapshots in time and begin to heal because my story and my set are real and maybe, just maybe you can see that someone else is just as screwed up as you and understands. The kicker is….we get to laugh about it.
Recovery Comedy: What was your worst experience performing comedy?
Justin Kincaid: I was attacked on stage by a woman from Oklahoma who was drunk at a club. She lunged at the stage after refusing to shut the hell up and began to try to wrestle the mic from me. Pandaleirium broke out and it was a madhouse. Good times on the road.
Recovery Comedy: What was your best experience performing comedy?
Justin Kincaid: I was supposed to be booked for this NA Convention. It was a local convention and was going to be my first convention I would perform at. I was devastated when they passed on me (like a week before the event). I went anyway and went to the comedy show and shook the event chairs hand and told them I understood that they went with someone else and said “maybe next year”.
At that point their comedian took the stage. I have NEVER in all of my years seen such a sight. It was a woman, or a man dressed as an old lady telling horrible jokes. I have seen a lot of people bomb and have bombed myself but NOTHING to this magnitude. This NA crowd was on their feet booing and waving their arms like Sandman from the Apollo was going to come out. This he/she took the abuse for a solid 10 minutes. All of a sudden got a tap on my shoulder from the event chair. He was frantic to speak to me. I walked out of the auditorium and spoke with him in the hallway. He asked if I would go help them out and try to save this disaster. He told me they had zero money to pay me since the funds went to the comic who bombed. I made a deal for some mugs and t-shirts and chalked it up to service. I remember thinking “there are 300 people in there who are angry and are frothing to keep booing, I am insane for considering this for no money.” Worst of all, if I bomb after this person it will look worse on me. This is what I wanted to do, make addicts laugh.
I knew that deep down I could turn this around but it was intimidating. I told him “let’s do this”. At that point they introduced me, I came out to a crowd voicing every imaginable emotion and thought. I started into my unrehearsed, unprepared set and began to kill. They sat there laughing and having a great time for the rest of the 30 minutes owed to them as part of the comedy show and when I tried to end the show, It got ugly. The crowd had another revolt, this one standing ovations and chants to “10 more minutes”. I wound up doing another 45 minutes. After the show I must have had what seemed like a hundred people come up to me and thank me for making them laugh. Some hadn’t laughed in years. I knew right then that this was the most gratifying feeling ever doing comedy. I did it for some shirts and mugs and to be of service. The gift I received was people who laughed and on that night, I made a difference. I have done many more since then and was actually booked at that convention the next year and this time I was greeted by people who were there the year before ecstatic to see me again. We had another great hour or so the next year. NA/AA Conventions are the greatest because we can just be us. I live and breathe for that. The thought that one guy can make a difference and maybe bring a little laughter to people who need it and can relate. Comedy to me isn’t jokes; comedy to me is a bond where we all connect because of our similarities and not our differences.
Recovery Comedy: What is your favorite joke?
Justin Kincaid: I haven’t performed it yet. It’s any joke that gets a laugh.
Recovery Comedy: What is your comedy dream?
Justin Kincaid: Make as many people laugh as possible. A sitcom would be awesome but until then it’s one show at a time. If any of us can dream it, we can do it. I am an example of that.
To find out more information about Justin Kincaid or to book him for your next Recovery Event just click here!
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