Today we’d like to introduce you to Geoffrey Asmus.
Geoffrey, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Chanhassen but raised in Woodbury, a brutally boring suburban hellscape for adults but a pretty fun place to grow up. I went to Catholic grade schools and then Hill-Murray high school, another religious school. I was a shy nerd who desperately wanted to play sports, but was never really good at them. But I was very good at academics and did very well in the not-so-cool pursuits of Quiz Bowl and Math Team. Then I went to college in Madison at the University of Wisconsin. I was sheltered and never drank alcohol or did drugs before college and then went absolutely wild. So wild that college took five and half years but I eventually made it through with worthless degrees in Religious Studies, History and Asian Culture.
The second I graduated I started performing stand-up comedy at the local comedy club in Madison, Comedy Club on State and I was immediately hooked. I’ve had other odd jobs since then – mostly tutoring or taking care of kids – but comedy has been my main passion since 2013. I’ve slowly ascended the ranks and in the last two years, I have made all my income from stand-up. I performed in Chicago for five years and then recently moved to New York City. But I come back to Minnesota to perform at least five or six times a year and am a part of the Twin Cities comedy scene. I always love performing at Acme, Sisyphus and Comedy Corner Underground – the Twin Cities has a gem of a comedy scene. Also, RIP to the Joke Joint in Lillydale, a great spot as well.
After years of hard work I am now a regular at the Comedy Cellar in NYC, headline comedy clubs around the country and have opened for Mark Normand, Dave Attel, Sam Morill, Dan Soder and many other great comics I always looked up to. I am also filming my first comedy special in Minneapolis in mid-November at Sisyphus Brewery.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I struggled with bed wetting until the end of high school along with severe bouts of depression along the way. I was so sad in college I didn’t leave my room for many weeks on end and certainly became an alcoholic along the way. But I finally made it to therapy a couple of years ago and have kind of figured it all out. Maybe.
Also a few years back one of my best friends in comedy died from alcohol poisoning, which set back my mental progress for a few years certainly.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a stand-up comedian – I write and act in sketches occasionally but stand-up is always my main pursuit. Onstage I mix intelligence with dirty comedy, but I try not to be an edgelord hellbent on offending everyone in the audience. My favorite comedies were always The Simpsons or South Park who never really picked a side. I find partisan comedy very boring so I spread the humor around to all sides of the spectrum. Originally, I was known as a prop comic who talked about religion a lot onstage. I have mostly stopped doing that, but for the first half of my career, I almost exclusively talked about religion in a sardonic and crass manner onstage. I think my blend of intelligence and dirty comedy certainly sets me apart as does my rapid-fire delivery, I pack more punchlines in my sets than most comics do. Whether they are all good, is certainly up for debate.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
The best way to support me is simply to follow me on Instagram/Tiktok and then sign up for my mailing list so I can tell you when I’m performing in your city. Come to shows, share my clips. Support live comedy. There is so much good comedy at smaller venues that is so much better than the comedy in theaters and arenas. We are in a comedy golden age now with 100s of comedians leagues funnier than Kevin Hart out there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.whitecomedian.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geoffreyatm/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GeoffreyAsmus
