Is This Thing On?

Is This Thing On? The True Story of How a Man Uses Comedy as a Lifeline, Finds Vulnerability, and Learns to Survive Out Loud The microphone was never the point. Survival was. Is This Thing On? begins in the quiet moments before laughter—the seconds when a room holds its breath and a man decides whether to tell the truth or retreat behind the joke. What follows is not a rise-to-fame story, but a chronicle of how humor becomes a lifeline when life refuses to soften its blows. Through open mics, empty rooms, and unexpected connections, this book traces how comedy transforms pain into language. Each laugh is earned. Each silence carries weight. The jokes are not shields—they are invitations, allowing vulnerability to exist where it was once too dangerous to speak. Rather than portraying comedy as escape, this story treats it as exposure. It explores the risk of being seen, the discipline of timing, and the strange courage it takes to stand alone and ask strangers to listen. Along the way, the stage becomes a place to practice honesty, to test resilience, and to learn how to remain standing when the laughter fades. At its heart, Is This Thing On? is about choosing presence over protection. About discovering that being heard matters more than being perfect. And about learning—slowly, imperfectly—to survive out loud. This is not a book about being funny. It is a book about being human, with a microphone in your hand.