The January edition of Local Grins profiles Michigan comedian Johnny Mocny and rounds up some must-see shows across the state. Plus, see how you can volunteer for LaughFest.

In the Spotlight: Johnny Mocny has a lot of irons in the fire. (Photo/Virginia Anzengruber)
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JOHNNY MOCNY’S ‘BAZOOKA JOE’ AMBITIONS
Full-time high school teacher, stand-up comedian and podcast host Johnny Mocny has wanted to be a comic for a long time. The 26-year-old Lansing-based comedian has performed stand-up in Michigan and around the country since he was 18 and hosted multiple shows since 2021. But the drive to express himself began well before that.
“I started stand-up because when I was young, I wanted a creative outlet. I was writing. I tried acting. I didn’t like either of those that much on their own. And I think stand-up is like both – you’re your own writer and actor. It’s the only artform the fully clicked with me.”
Mocny often uses his own life as material on stage, and among other things, jokes about his experiences as a teacher to high school students who themselves are not much younger than he is.

Johnny Mocny (Courtesy Photo/Johann Medranda)
As one of the rotating hosts of Crunchy’s Open-Mic Night, The Weekly Crunch, and Ozone Comedy Night (both in Lansing), Mocny has spent the last few years helping to cultivate a weekly and monthly cadence of comedy, a mantle he’s looking forward to passing on.
“I never started a show. I joined a team, or it kind of fell at my feet. And it’s great. You don’t have to get the ball rolling, it’s already established, you’re just on now. Crunchy’s is like SNL. it’s this continuous body of people coming in.”
Mocny’s enthusiasm for the artform betrays his age. “Eddie Murphy is the first [comedian] I remember watching. The first specials I watched were ‘Delirious’ and ‘Raw’ and I think I was just obsessed with the concept, you know? The art of saying something that’s a joke, but it’s not a joke in a way that you know jokes to be. They’re not like Bazooka Joe jokes. Hopefully, I get to Bazooka Joe [level] one day.”
When asked about the comic contemporaries that inspire him, Mocny is just as quick to enthusiastically share again: “Nick Mullen, from New York, is my favorite working comic right now. He has a special out called ‘Year of the Dragon.’ He does underwriting incredibly well, I think. In a really tactical way. And Jerrod Carmichael, I think is one of the best.”
As Mocny moves into more free time after retiring as one of the rotating weekly Crunchy’s hosts, he looks forward to focusing more on performing outside of Lansing. He was recently featured at a sold-out “Don’t Tell Comedy” show in Grand Rapids, “Hell Yes Fest” in New Orleans, and also hosts the recurring “We Are Movies” podcast, which just released its 196th episode. You can keep up to date with all Johnny’s projects and live shows on Instagram.
LAUGHFEST 2025 SEEKS VOLUNTEERS
Gilda’s LaughFest is back for another great year of comedy all in support of Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids. This multi-day, multi-venue comedy festival features headliners from all over the US, and audiences from Michigan and beyond.
Not surprisingly, the festival depends on volunteers to help things run smoothly. Interested folks can RSVP for a volunteer training date, which will be offered Jan. 28 from 6-8 p.m. and Feb. 1 from 10 a.m.-noon. All new and returning volunteers must attend a volunteer training date. Visit laughfestgr.org/volunteer/ for more information and how to get involved.
UPCOMING SHOWS YOU SHOULD KNOW
VIEW MORE COMEDY LISTINGS HERE
Slaptail Nation Presents: Adam Minnick January 24 at Dormouse Theatre
Kalamazoo-based comedy purveyors Slaptail Nation, headed by local comic The Beaveman, are hosting another live show later this month at Dormouse Theatre. Comedian Adam Minnick “combines his act of observational humor with stories of traveling, teaching, appearances, sports, family and his wife to deliver a clean and intelligent act that entertains and engages audiences of all ages. Adam’s unique view on life is due in no small part to having spent much of his youth in the small town of Napoleon, Ohio and Perth, Australia and traveling everywhere in-between.”
Tickets are $15 each and on sale now at Dormousetheatre.com. This show also features comedians Emmy Buttrick and Jen Flaxman, with host (and Grand Rapids’ favorite) Devarron Thomas.
Sunday Night Funnies Winter Roast Battle at Woody’s Press Box (Concludes Feb. 2) – Running through Feb. 2, the Sunday Night Funnies stand-up comedy show will hold its first ever Winter Roast Battle. Brian B., founder/MC of the Sunday Night Funnies says, “Comedy roast[s] have really taken off in popularity. Everything from celebrity roast like the one that recently aired on Netflix for Tom Brady to roast battles done on a local level at comedy clubs throughout the country. I thought that it would be fun to do at the Sunday Night Funnies as well. It something different- a little change of pace for the show.” As for the format: “For four weeks, up to four comedians will pair off to roast each other with one comic coming out on top taking home the $25 weekly prize. Each week the winner will also advance to the finals on Feb. 2 where one will emerge victoriously with the winner taking the spoils — in this case, an additional $100 plus a personalized trophy for their efforts. The audience each night is the judge and jury. The comic receiving the best response each round moves on till one is the 2025 Sunday Night Funnies Winter Roast Battle winner.” Sunday Night Funnies is a free weekly show, now in its 15th year, hosted at Woody’s Press Box, 5656 Clyde Park Ave. SW in Wyoming. Winter shows start at 7:30 p.m. More information is at Sunday Night Funnies on Facebook.
Local Grins Presents: Beat the Winter Blues with American Idol’s Nathan Walton – Renowned Michigan musician Nathan Walton and Local Grins writer/comedian Virginia Anzengruber invite you to “Beat the Winter Blues” at The Stray Music and Arts Cafe at 7 p.m. Feb. 7. The event will showcase a slate of incredible musicians and comedians hand-picked by Walton and Anzengruber, who promise a night to remember. Anzengruber notes, “It’s always amazing to work with Nathan, but to collaborate on an event like this that is intentional about its goal of making folks laugh and feel that mood shift from hearing music that moves you — I truly couldn’t be more excited to be working on this together.” Walton, who holds a weekly residency on Monday evenings at Greyline Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids, has released multiple records, competed on “American Idol,” and has most recently been recording his forthcoming solo studio album, featuring Doug Watkins and Zach Dubay, to be released Jan. 24, via all platforms. Tickets are $5 and will be available via https://www.thestraycafe.com/events.
VIEW MORE COMEDY LISTINGS HERE
Local Grins is assembled by writer and comedy devotee Virginia Anzengruber. Email comments, questions and show additions to virginia.anzengruber@gmail.com.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
The Comedy Project – The Comedy Project (TCP) is a comedy theater and moonshine bar in Grand Rapids’ vibrant Westside Business District, Joe Anderson and Kristin Kendall helm TCP and foster an incredible community of comedic performers and writers right here in West Michigan. Anderson, a veteran of improvisational theater training, created The Comedy Project’s Training Center Program, which “provides training in Improvisation, Sketch Comedy and Stand-Up Comedy.” They host private events, and their slate of weekly sketch and improv comedy shows can be found at https://thecomedyproject.com/shows/.
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