Brian Regan returns for the New York Comedy Festival
By Ed Condran
Special to amNewYork
• Brian Regan is at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall on Sunday, 8pm, $32-$64.50.
• For a full schedule of the New York Comedy Festival, running through Sunday, log on to www.nycomedyfestival.com.
Clever, clean and unpredictable sums up Brian Regan’s comedy. The veteran observational comic, who has been on the circuit since 1980, will perform Sunday at the Lincoln Center as part of the New York Comedy Festival.
The former Heidelberg College football player recently took some time while lounging around his Las Vegas home to chat about his return to New York City.
Continued after the jump.
There’s no job less humorous than accounting. How did you nearly become a number cruncher?
My father was an accountant and that’s what I thought I was going to do. I figured out in college that I wasn’t cut out to be an accountant. When I studied it, I quickly fell behind. Once you fall behind in accounting, you’re in trouble.
How did you land in comedy?
My college football coach noticed how funny I was and suggested that I give theater a shot. The key was a speech class I had. I remember going in there with a five-minute speech and I cracked up the teacher and the class. I realized I loved making people laugh and I was successful at it, so I decided to give comedy a try. All these years later I’m still at it.
What’s your greatest professional thrill?
Doing “The Tonight Show.” What was great was that I got to do it while Johnny Carson was still behind the desk. I was on in 1991 and there were rumors that he was going to step down. I still remember going out there to perform. I remember within two minutes my mouth was bone dry. I remember thinking that I needed a drink badly while I was doing my material. It was so hard getting through it. But I did it and looking back it was incredible. It was a comic’s dream to do “The Tonight Show” back then.
When will there be a Brian Regan sitcom?
That’s always been a headscratcher for me. You would think it would be a natural, but it’s not so. When it comes to networks and me, I think they’re like, “Brian who?” It doesn’t matter since I found my niche. If a television show were to happen for me, great. But if not, I’m doing fine as a stand-up.
How does it feel to return to perform at Lincoln Center?
It’s an honor to go back there. It’s a cool feeling to play the Lincoln Center. I think back to when I played Bob’s Fish House and now I’m at the Lincoln Center. How can I not be thrilled with that?
