S1 E1: Steven Marcus Releford

Performing at Rocco's in West Hollywood, 1/20/25

Instagram: @STEVENMARCUSRELEFORD

YouTube: @stevenmarcusreleford

In this episode, comedian Steven Marcus Releford shares how being comfortable and flexible on stage allows him to tap into a deeper, more authentic comedic flow. He reflects on treating comedy as a conversation rather than a performance, drawing inspiration from battle rap and the rhythm of language. Steven also talks about “Welcome to AA,” his jazz-comedy show that blends improvisation, music, and storytelling to create a dynamic, collaborative experience.

Performing at the Undiscovered Genius show at The Hollywood Improv, 6/2/25

QUOTES FROM EPSIODE:

Jaime: And so I want to ask then what comedy I know a little bit about comedy means to you. Part of it is this conversation discussion, but can you elaborate in a broader sense? What is comedy to you?

Steven: Yeah. I think comedy is that it's two-parted, it’s one serves as like the Band-Aid to getting up. ... We all fall, we all have ... rain that we experience ... we all feel like we're going through various ebbs and flows at different times, and comedy, similar to music, comedy allows you to get up with the least amount of resistance....

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Jaime: Is that how you would then identify whether a show is successful for you?

Steven: Mm hmm. A hundred percent. I always like. We can all do the ..." this person got mad" or "this person heckled" or "I didn't do this joke or I didn't do that joke" or ... "they put me up last" or "they put me up first." Whatever. I don't care about that. Ultimately, I judge myself by two criteria. Was I, 1)  comfortable, and was I, 2) flexible? That's it.