MFTC Ep. 15: Dr. John-Paul Spiro Diagnoses Involuntary Laughter

Well, folks, after fourteen episodes of hearing almost nothing but Ridiculum nostalgia, you FINALLY get to hear from someone who was NOT in the club. My former professor, Dr. John-Paul Spiro, spent the greater part of his youth watching SNL and telling jokes at school. As he grew, he performed in a sketch group at Vassar College, meeting various comedy personalities and learning a lot about the industry. Moving from his sketch group in college, he pivoted to teaching and got his PhD in English. He now teaches the students of Villanova, and spends one hour a week every fall teaching a stand-up comedy class. Picking his academic brain on the nuances and psychology of comedy has always been, and will always prove to be, a fascinating and worth-while endeavor. Just listen for yourself.JP did not have any socials to plug, but he requested that the listeners of this show know about a Peace and Justice course he is teaching in the Spring of '26 at Villanova:"PJ 4000 - Comedy and Justice"And listen to "My Friends, The Comedians" wherever you find your podcasts!