John Moses crafts comedy he likens to getting smacked—shaped by Tough Crowd-era sharpness, Sarah Silverman’s subversion, and classic bite from Rodney Dangerfield and Joan Rivers. His gateway came at twelve through Eddie Murphy’s Delirious, opening his eyes to a world beyond his understanding—a sensation he now associates with artificial intelligence. Spending six years hosting Bronx strip contests in a packed, smoke-filled club where he was routinely the sole white face aside from cops taking bribes taught him crowd management skills most comics never acquire, and yes, Cardi B passed through that same venue.
How would you describe your comedy style?
Like a playful little spank on the bum… Ok, maybe not so playful.
Who are some of your influences?
I used to love me some Tough Crowd back in the day, Greg Giraldo, Nick Di Paolo, Patrice O’Neal, good stuff. Sarah Silverman always made me laugh. Of course, some of the OG classics like Rodney Dangerfield and Joan Rivers. Locally? Derek Edwards was one of the first comics I ever saw live. I was a teenager when I saw him at Yuk Yuks. He had a joke about going to the Dentist and asking for strawberry fluoride, and he says, “Strawberry? This doesn’t taste like strawberry. Maybe if they were soaking in a bucket of goat piss…” Or something like that. Ha, I can still hear his voice.
Who was your favourite comedian growing up?
Favorite? I can’t pick one. But the first time I watched stand-up comedy, I was 12 years old at a friend’s house, shout out to Jeff Gilbert. He popped in Eddie Murphy’s Delirious, and I was blown away. It was the first time I had ever heard anybody talk like that. I remember thinking, “Wow, there is a whole world out there I know nothing about.” Which is how I currently feel about AI.
Who is your favourite comedian now?
Again, so hard to narrow the field, but here we go. Dan Soder, Doug Stanhope, Eddie Pepitone, there are easily ten more. As a comedian, you can watch another comic and think they’re really funny and not laugh because you’re appreciating the mechanics of the joke or something specifically about the performance, but those guys make me laugh out loud like an audience member.
What is your pre-show ritual?
Well, I don’t eat anything heavy before the show, did that a few times, big mistake. Then I’m up on stage feeling bloated like I’m gonna have a heart attack. I still got another 20 years left in me before I go out like that. Depending on the show, I like to get there early, sit in the back and take an inventory of the crowd, spot the drunks come up with a little plan to head them off at the pass.
What is your favourite place you have performed? Why?
I used to host/roast an amateur strip contest in the Bronx. It was wild, the place was always jammed packed and smelled like blunts. I was the only white person there other than cops outside, and the only reason they were there was to collect their payoffs. I worked at that club for 6 years. Cardi B is also an alumni.
What is your favourite bit you have written and why were you proud of it?
Well, this segues nicely. I got a stripper to come to my dad’s bedside while he was dying of cancer. Guess which Toronto hospital?
What is your favourite medium for listening or finding new comics/comedians?
Instagram reels, at the airport, on the John, on the John at the airport…
Tell us a joke about your city.
I came back to Toronto for my high school dropout reunion, nobody is doing well. We had to have it in Oshawa.
Do you have anything to promote right now?
My special, ‘Best Son‘, and my podcast Fight Stories that I co-host with my buddy Tyler Morrison. Got a Fight Story? Give me a buzz.
Where can we follow you?
PAY IT FORWARD: Who is another local comic/comedian we should know about?
Well, I gotta plug my co-host for Fight Stories, Tyler Morrison. He’s an assassin.
And Dan Guiry is a silly goose who makes me laugh.
