Shane Mauss
Comedian. Science Communicator. Mind Explorer.
Stand-up Comedian
Science Communicator
Mind
Explorer
Originally from a small town in Wisconsin…
I got my start catching late-night breaks early in my career, gaining recognition for a style of cerebral absurdism that made me a regular at comedy clubs. Over time, I developed my own brand of brainy musings on the nature of existence, eventually scaling up to small theaters with themed solo performances.
For the past 15 years, I’ve been interviewing scientists while honing my ability to make ambitious ideas accessible, thought-provoking, and funny.
Doing Weird Shit with Smart People
Over the past 15 years, I’ve visited hundreds of universities, recorded conversations with more than 500 academics, and produced live shows with over 200 scientists. I tend to focus on topics like behavior, psychology, and perception—things that are surprisingly relatable when you dig into them. Somewhere along the way, I carved out this weird little niche that blends science and comedy in a way that just makes sense to me.
That mix of experiences doesn’t just make me a good fit for comedy podcasts, it’s also led to some amazing conversations across all kinds of shows and media, especially where curiosity, humor, and big ideas come together.
A Psychedelic Odyssey in Two Acts
In 2014, I took a chance on creating a new show about psychedelics and quickly realized there was a growing public interest in the topic. By 2016, that idea had evolved into a sold-out, 111-city psychedelic comedy tour—which ended up inspiring the documentary Psychonautics: A Comic’s Exploration of Psychedelics.
In 2022, I was offered a residency at Area15 in Las Vegas, where I launched a visually immersive comedy experience created in collaboration with 20 amazing artists and VJ Michael Strauss. Then in 2023, we took the show on a 170-city tour that wrapped with the filming of this two-part special at Meow Wolf—an emerging mecca for psychedelic art and culture.
Now, that journey is culminating in TRIPS—a two-part psychedelic comedy special that captures the heart of this evolving project. It’s part stand-up, part immersive art experience, and part mind-expanding field trip. We filmed it at Meow Wolf to bring the full visual experience to life, and I can’t wait to share it with everyone who’s been curious enough to come along for the ride.
