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Snackin' & Yakkin'
Some podcast episodes open with coffee or chips. This one opens with a Bloomin’ Onion and two comics pulling fried onion petals apart on camera like that’s a normal Monday.
That odd snack choice ends up fitting the whole conversation. The episode is loose, funny, and surprisingly thoughtful, with David Furr and BIG Ben Kennedy talking about stand-up, coaching, Disney, rough crowds, good crowds, and why local artists still need more room to shine.
If you like comedy talk that sounds like hanging out after a show, this one earns your time.
The Bloomin’ Onion steals the opening act
David Furr’s snack pick might be the funniest one the show has had yet: an Outback Steakhouse Bloomin’ Onion with Coke. It came after a short run of other ideas, including Chick-fil-A nuggets, which hit a very obvious Sunday taping problem. Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays and no one wanted reheated nuggets from the fridge, so the onion won.
That choice also came with a little comic one-upmanship. Michael Clayton had previously picked boneless wings and Coke, which already felt fancy for a snack show. David looked at that and went a step further. Not in a red-carpet way, more in a “movie theaters should serve this” way.
A few things made the bit work:
- It was absurd enough to be funny on sight.
- It was easy to pull apart while talking.
- It matched the show’s whole charm, snacks first, then wherever the conversation goes.
David flat-out called it “one of the best appetizers in America,” and honestly, he made a decent case.
You can catch the full episode on the Snackin’ & Yakkin’ YouTube channel or browse more episodes on the official Snackin’ & Yakkin’ site.
Why David Furr wanted this show, and why BIG Ben said yes
Ben explains that when the show started, he chased reach. He wanted bigger names, bigger audiences, bigger splash. Then the idea shifted. Instead of only aiming at “big fish,” he started thinking more about what local comedy used to have, regular places where artists could get seen, heard, and talked about.
That made room for comics like David, who had wanted to do the show from early on, back when they first crossed paths around the Charleston scene and at Wit’s End Comedy Lounge. Ben saw some of his younger self in that crowd, hungry, eager, trying to build something. The show became a way to give local comics a little push.
David, for his part, is a newer comic, about a year into stand-up and 36 years old, though Ben jokes he doesn’t look it. He got started after turning 35, when birthdays stopped feeling magical and started feeling like a nudge. He already loved live comedy and music. The question became simple: if he could make friends laugh, could he make strangers laugh too?
“Being funny is second. Making a connection is first.”
That idea sits under almost everything David says in this episode.
From college and Disney to coaching and Charleston
David’s road into comedy wasn’t neat, which makes it more interesting. He attended Anderson University, left before finishing, then later went back to school at Columbia International University, where he studied communications. For a while, radio and sports announcing were on the table, though he jokes he landed in that awkward period between radio fading and podcasting taking over.
After graduation, he did the Disney program in Orlando and worked in guest services as a park greeter, not as a costumed character. He explains that side of Disney with great detail, including why being short doesn’t automatically mean you become a character and how he was somehow too tall for Mike Wazowski and Mickey.
Then came soccer coaching, first with very young kids, then high school players. That theme, mentorship, comes up again and again. David talks about caring for the person before the player. Ben gets it. He connects that to his own work with people with disabilities, and later to EMS, where taking care of one person often means supporting a whole family.
David eventually wanted out of Columbia and looked toward cities with a stronger arts scene. Charleston won. He moved in 2022, lives on Johns Island, and works at The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, which leads to a whole side conversation about Charleston’s beauty, local paintings, and the strange peace of places that can feel both dreamy and remote.
The best part of the episode is what it says about comedy
This isn’t one of those “how to make it” comedy chats. It’s better than that. It’s about what makes stand-up matter when you’re still building.
Ben talks about starting comedy at 22, stepping away because of family, work, and life, then returning with more appreciation. David talks about wanting regular spots on shows, not arenas. He wants reps, stronger material, and rooms where he can bring friends, coworkers, and family.
Their talk about joke writing is sharp, too. David leans toward short, quick jokes because that feels native to the internet age, memes, clips, and fast punchlines. Ben comes from a longer-form style, where bits grow through repetition and audience feedback. Both agree on the same thing: a joke isn’t finished when you write it. The room finishes it.
They even loop Taylor Swift into that idea. Oddly enough, it works. What they admire isn’t fame, it’s attention. She seems to remember fans, value their time, and show gratitude without faking it. For comics, that’s the lesson. If someone comes up after a set, that moment matters.
Ben’s stories drive that home, whether he’s talking about drunks at a bar show, a stranger recognizing him at the DMV from a comedy set, or another person thanking him for taking care of a family member as a medic. Different jobs, same result: people remember when they felt seen.
Comedy, in this episode, isn’t treated like a ladder. It feels more like a series of rooms, and the job is to connect in each one.
David Furr comes off as thoughtful, funny, and clear-eyed about where he is. Ben gives him room to be that, which is why the episode works.
If there’s a takeaway here, it’s connection. The Bloomin’ Onion is the gimmick. The real hook is two comics talking about how to make people feel less alone, one laugh at a time.
