Big Bob Larson, Once Toughman, Plays for Laughs
Go ahead - laugh. He really wants you to.

by Bob Ashenmacher

Bob Larson was known for years in these parts as a teacher of kung fu, the Oriental discipline of self-defense.

In 1979, the 6-foot-4 Duluth native aroused some local celebrity as a competitor in the U.S. and Canada Toughman contest.

These days Larson, 33, is up in front of a crowd again - this time as a budding comedian in the Twin Cities.

He moved to the metro area last May. Currently he's laid off from his construction job, but catching on well in the Backstage room of the Carlton, a well-known nightclub and dinner theater.

It's not something he's been planning a long time.

"In the back of my mind I had ideas, but not really," he said this week during a Duluth visit. "I worked construction for an asphalt company in St. Paul and was writing comedy all the time. Finally I tried an open stage and I was surprised at how good it went."

"It's a little nerve-wracking before you get up there. But once you do, it's not too bad. I know the material's strong, so I can enjoy myself...People say 'You're so new at this!' But I've been makin' people laugh on the job for a long time."

Larson was in a few theatrical productions during his days at Central High School (class of '70), but lost interest while at UMD.

"The theater groups at each school had these cliques that were hard to get into," he said. "And if you didn't get to act you had to wait around a long time for the next play. The thing I like about open stage comedy is that you've got 10 minutes to do what you've got. You don't have to wait around for anybody."

His second-ever appearance on a stage was at the Carlton's open stage. He wend over well and eventually was hired to warm up for other comic acts.

His style is a conventional mix of observational humor and traditional gags. A recent routine roamed from William "The Refrigerator" Perry to a clever parody of the country standard "I've Been Everywhere" called "I Eat Everywhere," in which Larson recounts rapid-fire the names of 130 or so of the Twin Cities' restaurants.

He'll be a warmup act at the Carlton Backstage room March 13, 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22.