The Marshall Independent - November 3, 2005

Blue-collar Comedy All His Own
In comedian Bob Larson's act, everything is fair game

by Carl Nelson

Marshall - Hecklers beware, Bob is coming to town. Bob Larson that is - a comic from Coon Rapids.

If comedy is your thing and you need a dose of humor about single life, married life and children, then Larson's act might make for a night of laughs.

But once he gets going, most any topic is fair game - from rap music to psychics, even deer hunting.

On Saturday, Larson will perform his stand-up comedy at the Marshall Legion Post 113.

Larson draws his comic material from a diverse blue-collar background as an auto mechanic, lumberjack and exterminator.

On the coal docks of Duluth, he once took the opportunity to play Peter Pan by hooking himself up on a crane and being hoisted in the air.

Trouble is, his boss didn't find the incident quite as funny as his co-workers. The shenanigan cost Larson three days pay.

Stepping on stage one night in the Twin Cities, Larson found he had an instant audience with the material he'd written for the occasion.

It's been 21 years that he's been playing a traveling jester, and Larson has shared the stage with notables like Louie Anderson, Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr.

Although he's seen a good share of the U.S., Larson said he likes the lights and action of Las Vegas, but good audiences abound elsewhere, too.
"I always enjoy the Vegas crowds and the one-nighters like in Marshall, because people look forward to going out and having a good time," Larson said.

"No matter how large or small the crowd is, I'm there to have a good time - I enjoy every crowd," he added.

Part of his act is sizing up an audience before-hand. Larson learns what works from the experiences of the others.

"What I do is watch the comic ahead of me and see what material works and what doesn't work, and if he's bad, I nail him for the first 10 minutes before I even get started," Larson said.

"I don't let anyone rest," Larson added.

Take a joke about his father for example.

"My father was 76-years-old when he called his first psychic - what's a psychic going to tell a 76 year-old," he said.

"Marble or granite."

And for those who are into the spirits, Larson also has a commentary.

"Alcoholism didn't run in our family, it stumbled," he said.

Larson said one-liners are often his favorites, and though he pushes the envelope a bit, he likes to keep his jokes clean. Since he married and now has a family later in life, they're also a part of his comic inspiration.

"I got married late in life and people ask me if married life has changed me," Larson said.

"Yeah, I'm a better liar and I have more hiding places," he added.

And he brings some insights to the crowd about his personal relationships, too.

"If you ask my wife why she married me, she'll say I'm good in bed - I stay on my side and I don't snore," said Larson.

Although Larson maintains a structured act, he's always changing it with new material when a clever notion comes his way.

As for hecklers in his audiences, Larson welcomes their input, but at the same time disarms them, he said. Given the gift of humor, Larson said he enjoys the opportunities it affords, while at the same time raises the spirits in the audience as well as his own.

"I'm just a regular guy...I go up there and have fun - I think the audience understands that," said Larson.