'Clean' comedian Brian Regan to perform at Mabee Center on Friday
BY NOUR HABIB World Scene Writer
Thursday, December 06, 2012
12/06/12 at 5:12 AM
It was in college that Brian Regan decided he wanted to become a comedian.
After a presentation in his speech class left everyone laughing, Regan said he remembers thinking, "Wow, I don't feel like this when I leave biology class."
The comedian returns to the Mabee Center, 7777 S. Lewis Ave., for an 8 p.m. Friday performance. It will be his third time at the venue.
Most of Regan's material comes from everyday life, he said during a phone interview with the Tulsa World this week.
"I just live my life the way I normally would," he said. "I see things, read things, experience things. And for whatever reason, sometimes things jump out like 'Hey, pick me! I'm kind of funny!' "
Regan's performances are known as relatively clean, as he avoids profanity and raunchy topics. He said that's mostly just because of how he thinks, not because he's consciously focused on creating clean comedy. He said the important thing for comedians is that their material and style is truthful and organic.
Regan said his favorite aspect of the job is making a comedic connection.
"There's something very honest about laughter," he said. "People will fake applaud, but people will rarely fake laugh."
Regan's tour hits about 80 cities a year, and he estimates he does more than 100 shows annually.
Each show lasts roughly one hour, which mainly consists of his most recent material. Regan said repetition means he doesn't really worry about losing his train of thought while on stage. He likened his jokes to arrows in a quiver.
"You know which ones you have and which ones you shot and which you haven't shot," he said.
Occasionally, you may reach back for an arrow and realize you've already shot it, he said, at which point he'll walk over to his stool to take a sip of water and gather his thoughts.
"It's amazing how much thinking you can do in five seconds," he joked.
Regan said comedy, and the ability to laugh, is important because it allows people to enjoy the ride of life.
"Say life is like a carnival ride," he said. "It's fun to ride it, but it's fun to step away from it and look at it, as well.
"Comedy is a way to step out of life and think, 'Wow, that is kind of silly.' "
BRIAN REGAN
Where: Mabee Center, 7777
S. Lewis Ave.
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Tickets: $39.75, available at
918-495-6000 or tulsaworld.com/mabee
Original Print Headline: Pure comedy
Nour Habib 918-581-8369
nour.habib@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Brian Regan will be at the Mabee Center 8 p.m. Friday.
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