Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you know that Comedy Central's Stand-Up Showdown is going on right now. And if you have been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you might as well stay there for a while, because there's no way you'll sell that rock in this market.

Anyway, as the end of the Showdown approaches, we're going to be doing interviews with some of the competitors. It's all part of a new feature called The Comedy Central Insider Boilerplate Interview. First up, Josh Sneed:

Who are your biggest comedic influences?
As a kid it was Steven Wright, Bill Cosby, Wendy Liebman, and Jake Johannsen. Since I got into comedy, I’ve been influenced by Mitch Hedberg, Dave Attell, Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr and Ron White.

When did you decide to become a comedian?
I always wanted to be on Saturday Night Live, so in October of 1997, I decided to prepare for my first open mic night… which ended up not being until February of 1998.

What was your worst gig?
Doing stand-up dressed like an umpire during a minor league baseball game.

What was your best gig?
Performing in front of a sold out theater in my hometown of Cincinnati that was right across the street from my old day job.

If you weren't a comedian, what would you be doing?
I am an owner of a funny online t-shirt company called Donkey Tees, so I’d probably continue to grow that business. I’d also like to have my own radio show some day.

What's the funniest thing you've ever seen on the internet?
This: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zALqMWimBbM

What's the funniest thing you've ever seen in real life?
Once in college during prank week, some guys from my floor and I rented two chickens from some hillbilly and let them loose in our resident advisor's room. To this day I don’t think I’ve ever laughed that hard.

How do you think comedy will change in the coming years?
It is my hope that people will once again fall in love with the idea of going to a comedy club, and not only go when it’s someone they’ve heard of.

Who are your favorite underrated or up-and-coming comics?
A lot of people in this competition are hilarious. Chad Daniels, Tommy Johnagin, Jamie Lissow, Dan Cummins, Pete Lee, and everyone else who thinks I should’ve mentioned them here.

What's your advice for someone just getting into comedy?
Get as much stage time as you can. Hang out at the club when you’re not performing to see how the professionals do it. Try to be funnier than I did in this interview.

After the jump, you can see a PSA Josh made for the Showdown. And be sure to cast your vote right here.