Well, I just returned from a long weekend golf trip with a few old high school friends, so I suppose that would be the logical place to start this column considering the spring travel theme of this month’s issue. However it’s the article in TravelScene on comedy clubs throughout the state that really gets me juiced.

You see, I am a HUGE fan of standup comedy and think that when it comes to getting the most bang for your entertainment buck, nothing could be better than live comedy. Not to mention, as a teenager my first ever out-of-town gig as a standup was right here in Ohio. The local club in my hometown of Detroit received a call from the owner of The Cleveland Comedy Club (think Tony Soprano in a Browns hat) asking if there was anyone interested in coming down and hosting for a week. Next thing I knew, my ‘78 Chevy Impala was headed eastbound on the Ohio Turnpike and I was taking the first step in following my dream of becoming a professional comedian.

The gig itself is a long lost memory, but I do recall the check for $250 bouncing and barely making it home on change dug out of my ashtray. Lesson learned: Never take a check. I’ve been told since then that the stage was exactly where third base currently sits at Jacobs Field today.

It wasn’t long after that the Giggles Comedy Club opened in the basement of the old Blarney Stone tavern on state Route 161 and Huntley. Those were some great times. In fact, that club was such a success that a second club was opened in Sarasota, Fla. and a few of us Giggles “regulars” were soon flying People’s Express Airlines out of Columbus to work the Sunshine State on a regular basis.

Cincinnati and Tampa soon followed and we were living the dream. As the ‘80s comedy boom began to wane I ended up in Los Angeles and the Funny Bone opened here in Central Ohio, where it remains to this day as the pre-eminent club – an “A” room as we used to call it, because of the top name talent they bring in. In the interim, there was a Comedy Caravan club located in the Ramada Inn right off of Interstate 71 in Worthington, and numerous one nighters, aptly named because they were just regular dives that did comedy one night a week to bring people in and sell alcohol. I always loved the way certain owners wouldn’t pay you when your set was over so you’d have to hang around the bar till closing and they could sell more booze. (They have a name for girls who do that …) There were Joker’s and Wiley’s in Dayton and more than a few in Cincinnati over the years.
Now that I think about it, it doesn’t seem like a whole lot has changed in the comedy world over the years. Cable TV, which was supposed to be the savior for standup actually hurt in the long run because people could see the same acts (or better) in the comfort of their living rooms and not have to pay a cover charge. MySpace has been a boon for young guys trying to build a following and it seems like everyone has a CD out now. A few of us lucked out and ended up in radio (locally, myself and Sunny 95’s Dino Tripodis). No more one nighters, washing up in the Mobil restroom or eating in 7-11’s. The health plan’s better, too (although, I should knock on wood). Given all the recent swaps, sales and mergers in radio, you never know, I could very well be appearing at the Chuckle Hut nearest you. Let’s just hope the check doesn’t bounce.

Jerry Elliott hosts the WLVQ-FM-96 Morning Show.