Episode 511
I’m Michael Palescak — Bringing clean laughs to The Jones Center Friday!
We're stoked — Michael Palisack is coming to the Jones Center Friday night as part of their Center Stage clean comedy series. I chatted with him about why his set is clean, family-friendly, and still hilarious — he says being himself and tightening the jokes does the trick. We even laughed about the “no splash zone” front-row-safe vibe and how live shows are just way better in person. Tickets are $28 for the public, $23 for Jones Center members (fees included), and they’ve got a Parents Night Out childcare option so you can bring the whole crew. If you want a night of big laughs without the cringe, come snag a seat — might be one-time-only, folks.
Takeaways:
- I say his clean comedy comes naturally from his upbringing, not a forced shtick, ya know.
- We noted he avoids shock value and crowd picking, so families can relax and actually laugh without worry.
- I liked hearing him say being a dad cranks up the feels and the funny, giving him richer, more relatable material for his live sets.
- We hyped the Jones Center show as a one-night family-friendly laugh fest — tickets affordable, childcare available, and it's a real live vibe you can't get on TV, seriously.
- I pointed out his creds like Tonight Show and Conan, but he reminded us live rooms are the best, where shared audience energy makes jokes land harder and turns ordinary nights into something unforgettable.
Links referenced in this episode:
Transcript
It's Haystack and Michael Palisack is coming to the Jones center in Springdale Friday night.
Speaker A:It's a part of their big center stage comedy series where they're really focusing on comedy shows you can bring the entire family to.
Speaker A:And Michael joins us on the phone now.
Speaker A:Michael, good morning.
Speaker A:Welcome.
Speaker A:Thanks for taking the time, buddy.
Speaker B:Oh, of course.
Speaker B:Good morning.
Speaker B:Hey, Stack, tell me.
Speaker A:One of the things that jumps out about your comedy is that it's clean.
Speaker A:And I don't mean clean where, like, someone just tries to take the good jokes out.
Speaker A:It's from the very beginning, and it's built on clean.
Speaker A:And so was that a conscious decision for you early on as you decided to do this comedy thing, or is it just kind of naturally the way that you're funny?
Speaker B:I think kind of both.
Speaker B:Like, I think being funny has to do with being yourself.
Speaker B:And I was raised in a pretty, you know, like, religious, stricter household, and I think when you.
Speaker B:If you're gonna swear, you gotta start when you're like, six.
Speaker B:And otherwise it just sounds like you're pushing too hard, like you're trying to be cool.
Speaker B:So it sort of made sense also when I became a comedian.
Speaker A:Does being clean make writing comedy more difficult?
Speaker A:You don't have that escape hatch of just saying something outrageous or dropping what I call a wordy dird to get the reaction from the crowd.
Speaker A:Does it make writing your content harder?
Speaker B:Maybe in the short run, but I think in the long run, audiences are pretty smart, and they kind of get when you're just saying a word to get a laugh.
Speaker B:So I don't think it would really work all the time anyway.
Speaker B:Um, and also, I felt like.
Speaker B:I feel like the more.
Speaker B:The.
Speaker B:The tighter you can put, the more, like, specifics you can put on what you're writing about, the more creative you're forced to be.
Speaker B:And if you just practice doing that, it's going to be a lot easier in the long run.
Speaker A:So you're a dad now, and you've.
Speaker A:You've even got this podcast.
Speaker A:What is it?
Speaker A:I just got my kid to sleep.
Speaker A:Is that right?
Speaker A:Is that what it's called?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:How.
Speaker A:How.
Speaker A:How is becoming a parent changed what you notice as a comedian in your observations?
Speaker B:Well, I think with Stand up for me, what I really like about it is when it allows me to feel something on stage, whether it's like an emotion, like frustration or happy or whatever.
Speaker B:And when you become a parent, I just think you feel more so then you just see more comedy.
Speaker A:One of the things I love about this kind of a show is it's the kind of show that you can invite your spouse, your bae, your significant other to you can invite your parents, you can invite your coworkers, your grandparents, pretty much anyone.
Speaker A:And you're not spending that sitting there thinking, oh, no, I hope he doesn't go there.
Speaker A:Do you get that feedback a lot from audiences?
Speaker B:That's a good question.
Speaker B:I, I don't know.
Speaker B:1.
Speaker B:Yeah, people definitely come up and tell me that they like that for sure.
Speaker B:Yeah, they, they go out of their way.
Speaker B:If they came there for that, they go out of their way to tell me they appreciate it.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's, that's true.
Speaker A:You've done the Tonight show, you've done Conan the Late Show.
Speaker A:You've been top five last comic standing.
Speaker A:After all of that, is there still, you know, the stuff in front of the cameras, is there still something different about doing a room live where you can hear the reaction of the audience?
Speaker B:Yeah, it's the best.
Speaker B:That's why we do it.
Speaker B:You know, it's like Friday Night Lights.
Speaker B:Like, you get up there and you do your thing and then the audience is there and it's real and, and it's like going to like a baseball game or a football game instead of watching on tv, like it's all its own thing now.
Speaker B:And, and that'll be that way, like, no matter what happens, we're going to be a part of the same thing for that night.
Speaker B:And I think that's that adds a special level of, I don't know, connection.
Speaker B:And also it can lead to a lot more fun and humor.
Speaker A:Michael Palisack, going to be at the Jones Center Friday night as part of their Center Stage comedy series.
Speaker A:Go to thejonescenter.org to get your tickets or details.
Speaker A:And I'd like to chat a little more about the show coming up Friday night and ask a few more questions, if you don't mind sticking around just a moment, Michael.
Speaker A:Of course, it's Haystack, and I'm joined on the phone by Michael Palisack, who's going to be at the Jones center in Springdale on Friday night, part of their Center Stage comedy series, a clean comedy series at the Jones Center.
Speaker A:Tickets just $28 for the public, $23 for Jones center members.
Speaker A:That's taxes and fees and everything included.
Speaker A:And parents, they've got the Parents Night out child care program available again, details@thejonescenter.org and so that's coming up 7 o' clock Friday night.
Speaker A:And so, Michael, if someone's never seen you live and they come to this show, what kind of a night are they walking into?
Speaker A:Friday night?
Speaker B:Well, yeah, I think it's more of a.
Speaker B:They've never seen Stand Up Live because I.
Speaker B:There's a point where everyone sees their first show.
Speaker B:And I think the biggest thing for me when I remember going to my first time is just, I mean, maybe, maybe toward better to be surprised by it, but you're going to have a really good time.
Speaker B:Like, to be able to laugh live at something is a completely different experience than any other thing and for a whole, you know, the whole show.
Speaker B:So I just think to be ready to be in a good mood or a better mood when you left.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:Now, Michael, will you primarily just tell stories about your own life and family, or will you walk into northwest Arkansas and immediately start looking around for things that we do that seem ridiculous to an outsider and point those things out?
Speaker B:That's a really good question.
Speaker B:I don't.
Speaker B:I don't.
Speaker B:I wouldn't say that would be fair to know enough about the area.
Speaker B:I feel like to make fun of something, it's all only fair if you're, like, in it, you know, And I didn't grow up necessarily there.
Speaker B:I grew up in a small town, Indiana.
Speaker B:So I think if something pops out that that's.
Speaker B:That's something simple to recognize.
Speaker B:I think things could come up.
Speaker B:But it's mostly just my show.
Speaker B:And also, like, I didn't like getting made fun of when I was a kid.
Speaker B:And when I became a comedian, I kind of wanted people to be able to come out and.
Speaker B:And not feel like they're being made fun of.
Speaker A:So you're not going to do any picking on the people in the front row crowd work or anything like that?
Speaker B:No, no picking on the front.
Speaker B:There's no splash zone.
Speaker B:It's all safe.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:No splash.
Speaker A:Yeah, there you go.
Speaker A:So it's all safe and it's safe for the entire family.
Speaker A:But the truth is there are a lot of people who tend to like comedy who love to laugh.
Speaker A:Don't we all that have stopped going to comedy shows because so many have just become two hours of shock value.
Speaker A:Could we assume that part of your mission is proving that you can be absolutely hilarious and still be clean?
Speaker B:I didn't become a comedian to prove anything, Haystack.
Speaker B:I would have been like a scientist to discover things.
Speaker B:There's no proving I don't have a chip on my shoulder.
Speaker B:I really don't care what other people do.
Speaker B:I think there is a scene where that's a big thing.
Speaker B:And I think some people might emphasize it a little more, a little less, depending on who they are.
Speaker B:But in the end, we're all trying to, to, I think, bring a smile on people's faces.
Speaker B:And that's the important thing to recognize.
Speaker A:That's absolutely true.
Speaker A:Okay, wrapping up.
Speaker A:Give me the sales pitch.
Speaker A:It's, it's Friday night.
Speaker A:I'm sitting at home trying to decide what to do.
Speaker A:I could go to the movies.
Speaker A:I could go out to the entertainment district.
Speaker A:Why should I come out and bring the family and spend an evening with Michael Palisack at the Jones Center?
Speaker B:Well, because I don't live there, so you won't be able to see me maybe ever again.
Speaker A:You're one time only.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:Michael Palisack, this Friday night, seven o', clock, the Jones center in Springdale, part of the Center Stage comedy series.
Speaker A:It's all clean Comedy.
Speaker A:Tickets are $28 for the public, $23 if you're a Jones center member.
Speaker A:That includes taxes and fees.
Speaker A:And parents.
Speaker A:They have the Parents Night out child care program available that evening.
Speaker A:Details and Tickets, the Jones Center.org Michael Palisack going to be there Friday night.
Speaker A:Michael, thanks for taking the time with us.
Speaker B:Oh, of course.
Speaker B:Thank you.
