Real Comedians Of The Poconos: Chris Jones [FREE POST]
In this five part series, I aim to showcase stellar laugh slingers of the mountains
I first met Chris at a Sunday open mic that was being held at Sherman Showcase while on a weekend visit to Stroudsburg. It was a good scene; a dozen or so feisty comedians were taking to the stage to try bits out in front of an actual audience (and not just a room full of only comedians). One of my takeaways from that night was comedian Chris Jones.
That mic has since vanished, but we have managed to stay in contact. It hasn’t been easy, either. I forgot his name and wasn’t able to look up our early Facebook chat thread we exchanged from the time we met, and I’ve tried to look it up several times using all varieties of keywords (Sherman? Poconos? Dave?). (I know, how could I forget Chris Jones!)
Then, one night after a comedy show just a few miles away from our original meeting place, as I drifted from table to table to connect with the show attendees as I try to do after every show, there he was, sitting in the audience with friends. We picked up right where we’d left off, was it a year, or two years earlier at that open mic?
Since then, he has opened for Gilbert Gottfried, performed at the big deal local Musikfest and regularly runs his own show, a must in the Poconos if you’re serious about being a comedian and getting regular stage time.
More recently, I happened to catch him at a delightful little show called Popcorn Poetry, and he has grown so much as a comedian in the several years since I first met him. I brought my young son with me to the open mic, as I do sometimes, and we laughed and laughed together at jokes about him being a cat dad, football and more. What’s disarming about Chris is how immediately likable he is, and how incredibly relatable his jokes are. Because of these two observations alone, I think he will go far in comedy. But then add to that that he’s really funny, and very kind, and he’s got a winning combo. His look is very casual, every man, and that’s another bonus. He could be your neighbor’s adult son, your cousin’s boyfriend (who you actually like), an Uber driver, or the guy on stage making you choke on a sip of seltzer.
Right now, he’s hiding in the hills of the Poconos, but he has plans to get up and out of here, and he should, because the world will love the comedy he has to share. Though I’ll miss having him around, I will be watching and rooting for him.
You can catch Chris performing all over the Poconos and like his Facebook page here to learn where to see him next.
Today’s inspo:
Why in tarnation does Yosemite Sam say tarnation? | Mental Floss
Laughter: The natural high | Psychology Today
The secret to accomplishing big goals | Scientific American
Your ad here | $10 per day/$40 per week, 9k+ subscribers | jessdelfino at gmail
Happy Wednesday, bud.