Four years ago, comedian Brian Regan took to the John R. Emens Auditorium stage to give the Muncie and Ball State communities a few laughs. Tonight, he’s back for another show with the same goal.
Regan said that tonight’s show will be different from his last, that this time he’s several years older.
“I always switch my material up,” he said. “Hopefully people that are there and saw the last show see some stuff that’s different from the previous time.”
While comedians such as Dane Cook and Lisa Lampanelli entertain audiences with dirty humor, Regan takes the opposite approach. He said performing clean comedy is not for career reasons but because it is the type of comedy he is interested in.
“To me, clean is a medium not an end result,” he said. “Clean is how I do my comedy not the thing itself.”
Don Kronberg, president of NiteLite Promotions, said the Muncie and Ball State communities have been great supporters throughout the years of the live talent the company has brought to Emens.
“Brian Regan had a successful show [at Ball State] during Homecoming Weekend a few years back, so we felt the time was right to bring Brian back again,” he said. “People will come to see Brian because he remains [to be] one of the funniest comedians in the world.”
Regan said sometimes, he’s stuck in a certain mode where he may not be clicking with his comedy. Other times, he feels particularly funny. Regan said that he “does what he does anywhere,” and doesn’t cater his show to a particular audience.
“I might adjust a bit or two [from show to show],” he said. “I have stuff about high cholesterol and signing mortgage documents. I might avoid those bits because I know college students don’t sign mortgage documents and have high cholesterol.”
Regan said his inspiration for material comes from everyday life. He said running errands and watching media provides him with ideas. He jots them down, tests them on stage and just sees what happens.
“For me, it’s not so much the quality of a joke but whatever’s most recent [what’s the latest in my material],” he said. “You don’t know where the laughs are, and you don’t know if there are going to be any laughs. It’s fun to do relatively new stuff on stage.”
Regan said he has been performing for more than 30 years. He said he started after he graduated from Heidelberg University in Ohio.
“When I was at college, that was when I first started thinking that maybe I could be a comedian,” he said. “I started emceeing college activities. I would get on the mic at basketball gym and introduce the basketball players and the cheerleaders. I also hosted a roommate game in my dorm. It was kind of a fun experience to realize you could make people laugh.”
Regan said while he has accomplished a lot, he is most proud of taking the initial step and becoming a comedian. He said that is was a frightening, yet thrilling step.
“It’s scary to have the audacity to think I’m going to go to a comedy club and do an open mic night and see if I can’t be a comedian,” he said. “Even though I’ve done things since like ‘[The Late Show with David] Letterman’ and made specials and things like that, those are all fun too, but it’s the first step that is the scariest and that’s the one I’m most proud of.”
According to an event press release, Regan has performed on “The Late Show with David Letterman” 25 times. He said visiting Letterman’s alma matter is a cool experience.
“I know [Dave] is from this area, and I am always honored to do his show,” Regan said. “I’m glad that he and his staff like me enough to have me on regularly and to be able to perform where he’s from is really cool. I am looking forward to it.”
Regan will take the stage at 8 p.m. in Emens. Reserved seating costs $37.50 for the main floor and $32.50 for the balcony.
WHAT: Brian Regan
WHEN: 8 p.m.
WHERE: Emens Auditorium
TICKETS: Reserved seating, $37.50 for main floor, $32.50 for balcony
