Denver comedian Josh Blue has been in the national spotlight for two decades. His breakthrough came in 2006 when he won “Last Comic Standing.” Since then, he’s only sharpened his timing and delivery. But as he releases his fifth comedy special, “Freak Accident,” he says there is still a lot to learn.
“What’s beautiful about stand-up is I’ll never figure it out completely. Every time I think I’ve got something pinned down, something new in the world happens or my brain puts a new connection together,” he told Colorado Matters.
In his new special, filmed at Comedy Works South in Greenwood Village, Colo., Blue invites audiences to laugh along with him at his disability (he has cerebral palsy), his divorce, child-rearing, and the absurdity of life.
Editor's note: Blue’s interview with Senior Host Ryan Warner below has been lightly edited.
Ryan Warner: Going into a special like this, do you think, “What is the balance of jokes I'm going to make about my disability versus other stuff?”
Josh Blue: There's no map on that. I've never written anything down physically. It's just all kind of off the top of my head. So it's basically whatever happens in my life in that timeframe.
Warner: If you don't write stuff down, does that mean you've lost jokes occasionally?
Blue: Oh, I probably have three specials worth of lost jokes.
Warner: Tell us about your right arm, because it's the brunt of many of your jokes in the show.
Blue: It does its own thing. Having cerebral palsy, the arm is doing whatever it wants. Over the years, I've been able to control it a bit. Right now I'm sitting on it. That way it's not fidgeting with the dials and stuff. It's a very mischievous body part.
Warner: In the special, you imagine that it has its own mind– that it orders things from mail-in catalogs or the internet.
Blue: Yeah, and obviously, I take it over the top, but that's how it feels. Definitely my whole life, it's been like having a raccoon attached to my body.
Warner: Were you always able to laugh at it, or did you come to that at some point?
Blue: Yeah, as a kid in elementary school and junior high, there was definitely a learning curve– of how to not be sad about being disabled. But eventually, I realized that I had the gift of humor. Once I learned that, I was able to throw myself under the comedic bus. It just broke the ice completely. I was definitely the class clown and I was one of the only disabled kids in my school. And what I learned is they don't send the disabled kid to detention, so I got away with a lot of stuff, Ryan. A lot of stuff.
Warner: Were you made fun of in school?
Blue: There was a little bit of that, but I also was friends with everybody, so I could go from lunch table to lunch table. If anybody ever did mess with me, I would just tell somebody. Then they would regulate that for me … and also, the right arm will do some damage if you get too close.
Warner: Disability, raising kids, divorce. You defuse a lot of life's heavier topics with humor. What in your life right now is comedy helping you cope with?
Blue: If you watch my first special ‘til now, you'll see the progression of my life. Everything in it is raw. My first special, I'm talking about being a dad for the first time, and now my kids are teenagers. So I'm into “how do I deal with these teens?” sort of thing. And again, humor is such an amazing cure-all. I'm able to laugh with my teens. Maybe we have some tough topics, but I'm able to deal with it at home with humor, but then also take snippets and cater it to the greater audience that also is suffering with teenagers.
Warner: In a way, you're testing material with your kids, or at least it's sort of incubating there.
Blue: Yeah. And I feel like maybe if they watch all my specials, they'll probably need some psychiatric help.
Warner: During this special, when you tell a joke, maybe one that's a little off-color, and especially when you get a big laugh, you get a subtle grin on your face. It makes me think, “Josh Blue is a big kid who delights in getting away with stuff he probably couldn't as much when he was little.” Do you think that's true?
Blue: I love doing it, man. When I get the crowd to laugh at something that maybe is out of their comfort zone, it makes me giggle. It makes me laugh. And I'm like, "I got them. I got them." And it is contagious. It really is. When you see me perform in a special, it's fun. But until you see me live, I don't think people know how fun the energy is in the room because I'm playing off of what's happening in the moment. And that's where you can really feel my true joy and energy of being in the moment.
Warner: Are there sacrifices for a comedian who lives in Colorado – versus the stand-up hot spots of New York, Chicago, LA?
Blue: For me, winning Last Comic Standing in '06, I was living here and it just skyrocketed me onto the national scene, so I never had to go to LA or New York to get discovered. And then, I just became a touring comic. And I've been doing 200 shows a year since then. I don't drive. So LA is not great for a non-driver. What I did miss was getting to rub elbows with a bunch of other headlining comics. I miss out on going to the Comedy Store on a Monday when all the comics come back from tour– just this comic jamboree of who's who. So I missed out on maybe getting on people's podcasts just because they don't know me from the scene.
Warner: Is that something you have to fight against?
Blue: I would love to, but my kids are in school, so I don't really have that opportunity to go do that right now. Maybe later in my career, once they're off to college, I can go and do some more of that. But it's not like they don't know who I am. They just don't think of me right away. When a TV sitcom comes up and they're like, "Oh, we need a character." I'm just not on that radar.
Warner: Was this special a single taping or several nights edited together?
Blue: It was two shows, one night. That was part of the reason it took so long to edit this. The woman in the front row had a big pink bow on the first show. And then in the same seat, the second show was a 300-pound man in flannel. So it's very obvious if you look for that.
Warner: Before we go, have your timing and delivery changed since you've started?
Blue: I feel like I've always had impeccable timing. Even as a kid, I could just zip something in with the teacher and the whole class would laugh. I've always had that gift, but I feel like it has definitely evolved and I've gotten more comfortable in the silence. I'll let something ride longer, the laughter go, and then when I do hit them, it's even harder. What's beautiful about stand-up is I'll never figure it out completely. Every time I think I’ve got something pinned down, something new in the world happens or something in my brain puts a new connection together. There's no end to this.
Warner: Silence is scary. So you’ve had to get used to that.
Blue: I have a bit where somebody will get up to go to the bathroom and I'll be like, "Where are you going?" And they'll go, "To the bathroom." And I'll be like, "You want me to wait?" And then I will wait the entire time they're gone. And it gets a laugh without me saying anything. And I mean, minutes go by without me saying something– just a facial expression or body movement, I can get it. And when they come back, it's like a standing ovation. These people are so happy this person came back from the bathroom. It's really fun.
Josh Blue performs December 19-21 at Comedy Works Downtown.
