(This article was originally published for Ignite, a pocket-sized publication produced by the same team responsible for kontakt. I got a good chuckle reading it, as the differences between writing for print and the web, along with my own improvement since 2006, are very apparent. I’ve edited it only to replace URLs with hyperlinks.)

Daniel Tosh doesn’t think he has a real job.

He doesn’t wake up early (usually), know how to knot a tie or have to worry about punching an alarm clock.

But he’s damn funny.

Tosh, one of the most requested headliners in the country, has been featured on Comedy Central, The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (to name a few). He’s performed at over seven hundred college campuses and hosted TENS, a popular late-night show he created. He admits he’s anxious for a role on a TV show (to date he’s participated in five failed pilots), but until that happens, stand-up will remain his passion.

Ask him about his job and he will just laugh. According to him, he makes fun of dumb people for a living (a great gig if you can get it) and has nothing but good times doing it.

“At this point in my life, it’s the only thing I’ve proven I’m good at,” Tosh said.

Ask him why he’s in stand-up and you’ll get a surprising honest and refreshing answer: 70% for the money, 25% for the chicks and 5% because he likes being on stage.

Don’t think he doesn’t appreciate his fans, though. He just knows his act doesn’t require him to perform to a crowded, packed-to-the-rafters amphitheater. His ideal audience looks more like ones at successful comedy clubs, where everyone in attendance is there to hear the jokes rather than just see a big-name comedian. He credits his comedic style to personal creativity, as he’s just not interested in biographical or current event type material. Rest assured you won’t be subject to current-event influenced political ramblings from Tosh, his material is much more cerebral and imaginative.

“How many jokes can you do about not allowing shampoo bottles on planes?” Tosh asks. “Where can you go with that?”

Tosh’s act goes beyond stand-up nowadays (well, you don’t have to always buy a ticket to see him, anyway). He released “True Stories that I Made Up” about six months ago and is scheduled to film a one hour special on Comedy Central in the coming months in addition to his seemingly nightly tour stops.

Look for Tosh at the Tempe Improv (tempeimprov.com) on September 28th-30th and October 1st at 8 pm.