Praise For
A Better Trip

​​Award winning comedian, science communicator, and psychonaut Shane Mauss has joined forces with video jockey Michael Strauss, Emmy nominated Comedy Central ‘Tales From The Trip’ creator and animator Grant Lindahl and a number of psychedelic artists around the world to visually bring his unique brand of psychedelic stand-up and storytelling.

Shane Mauss caught his first big breaks as an absurdest Conan, Kimmel, Comedy Central, Showtime and others. While touring he decided to use any free time explore his interesting science by interviewing scientists for his podcast ‘Here We Are’ where he has interviewed over 400 professors about evolution, the mind, and the meanings of life.

Science inspired a variety of themed one person shows giving Shane a style unique to American comedy. In 2016, the lifelong psychedelic and mental health advocate partnered with the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) on a 111 city psychedelic comedy tour during which a film crew followed him for the Amazon Prime documentary ‘Psychonautics: A Comic’s Exploration of Psychedelics’.

In 2023 Shane created his new multimedia ‘A Better Trip’ for a Vegas residency at the immersive psychedelic entertainment complex Area 15. Having created this accessible, informative, hilarious, visual comedy experience, Shane is now hitting the road with his live VJ Micheal to bring this one-of-a-kind show to over 100 cities all over the country.

This show is full of surprises, including impressionist The Ungooglable Michaelangelo resurrecting historic psychedelic figures such as Hunter S Thompson, Timothy Leary, and Terrence McKenna for some fun sketches.

We usually connect with local psychedelic organizations everywhere we go for an opportunity for audience members to connect more with members in their community and get more information about some of the most intriguing substances and experiences on earth.

This show sells-out everywhere and ticket prices increase closer to the show. So reserve your seats today.

Note: This is a one-person show that starts promptly at showtime so arrive early, get a good seat, and enjoy the fun, moodsetting collection of related video potpourri we have put together for your pre show entertainment.

MICHAEL STRAUSS is a VJ, digital artist, and event producer from Los Angeles who has crafted psychedelic audiovisual experiences & immersive environments for nearly 20 years.

By improvising with technology and creativity, he has enhanced live experiences for countless artists by opening hearts, lifting spirits, and blowing minds with his stunning real-time visual work.

Previous Artists Collaborations: Shpongle, Alex Grey, Desert Dwellers, OTT, Kayla Scintilla, and many more.

Q:  Is prior experience with psychedelics necessary to enjoy the show?   

A:  No experience necessary! You don’t need to try psychedelics to enjoy the music and art that’s inspired by them.  In fact, it’s very common for people who have seen one of my past shows to come back with people who they have been trying to explain psychedelics to.  I’ve spent decades making the ineffable accessible.

Q:  Will you be on drugs while performing?   

A:  No. Although I come up with much of this material during experiences, there is nothing appealing about performing while tripping.  Why do psychedelics and go to work? What a waste of psychedelics.

Q:  Are you going to pass out psychedelics to everybody? 

A:  Umm NO. Obviously.

But if you come and support this kind of message, meet like-minded people at the show, and help keep the conversation going; maybe one day these outrageous drug laws will change.  I often have local meet-up groups and organizations join my meet-and-greet after the show so interested audience members can find more information and support in their area.

Q:  Should I come tripping?

A:  I’m not going to tell you how to live your life, but it’s not what the show was designed for. It’s not a Pink Floyd laser light show in a planetarium ;) (I personally I enjoy tripping in nature).

Stand-up comedy generally requires more of an attention span and this show is much smarter and more informative than typical stand-up. The show was made to integrate past experiences, learn while laughing, and inspire better future trips.

You will reflect fondly on this show during future experiences.

Q: What’s your favorite part about the show?

A:  I’ve done traditional stand-up full-time for nearly 20 years and various sciencey themed shows for 10 years.  I’ve performed nearly everywhere at every kind of venue and audience I can imagine.  The psychedelic audiences are always the best combination of friendly, smart, attentive, enthusiastic, and fun.  And sometimes I get to see strangers with this similar interest make new friends.  It’s a great community.