Local comedians ready to bring their best to Attic

Three students will share one bill as The Comedy Attic presents the Best of Bloomington show at 8 p.m. today.

The free show will feature student comedians junior Josh Murphy, senior Josh Cocks and graduate student Jamison Raymond alongside local comedians Tom Brady, Jack Skolnick, Mat Alano Martin and Jon Hancuff.

Murphy, who said he has been performing at least once a week at the Attic throughout the past two years, declared an interest in stand-up at a young age.

“I loved it as a kid, but it was never something you could do. Comedians were just these people you see on TV, titans who live on Olympus,” he said.

After revering comedy greats from a distance, Murphy said he grew the chops to give open mic nights a try himself. Though the initial performances are pretty rough, he said growth as a comedian is really a process of getting “less worse.”

Cocks echoed this sentiment of grappling with the idea of personal talent. He said before a show his mind often turns to worry.

“You sit by yourself and wonder if you’ve ever been funny before and reassure yourself that this won’t be the worst thing you’ve done before,” Cocks said.

Rather than an open mic, it was a contest that drew Cocks into the comedic circuit.

On a whim, he entered the Rooftop Comedy College Contest in 2008 and went on to be a two-time member of the IU Comedy Team.

Cocks said his reasons for enjoying stand-up are purely selfish.

“I’m a huge attention whore,” he said. “I want people to look at me and listen to me. Even if people talk at me, I can talk louder.”

Raymond rounds out the Hoosier comedic trio. He also got his beginnings early on, participating in improv and comedy in high school. Raymond said once he had a taste of being onstage, he was instantly addicted and hasn’t stopped since.

Despite their different beginnings, all three students said they have maintained their interest in performing for a common reason: talent.

“It’s the only thing I’ve ever done where I see my potential to excel and have the drive to do so,” Raymond said. “I keep doing it because I have to. There is a drive that I can’t really explain that makes me get up there.”