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    Comedy: SNL Alum Brooks Wheelan at Woodlands Tavern

    On his recently released comedy album, This is Cool, Right?, Brooks Wheelan showcases a brand of humor that is candid, relatable, and at times, endearingly erratic. Even the cover art, a photo of Wheelan waving sheepishly against a postcard-perfect morning woods scene that would have been equally appropriate for a Simon & Garfunkel compilation, is astutely droll. So much of his appeal is in his accessibility — and I very much mean that as a compliment — and he delivers his riffs in his dude-next-door timbre with just the right balance of dexterity and congeniality.

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    Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wheelan first ventured into stand-up when he was a student at the University of Iowa, graduating in 2009 with a degree in biomedical engineering. He would ultimately move to Los Angeles and continue to develop his comedy chops while still working in his field of study, splitting his time between a laboratory at CalTech by day and the stage at local comedy clubs at night. Wheelan’s reputation blossomed quickly and it would soon earn him the distinction of being chosen as one of Comedy Central‘s “10 Comics to Watch in 2012”. In 2013, he received an invitation to perform at Montréal’s infamous Just For Laughs comedy festival, appearing in front of the watchful eyes of talent scouts from Saturday Night Live. First asked to join the SNL dynasty as a writer, Wheelan was subsequently added to the cast as a featured player just prior to the start of the thirty-ninth season. His run on the series would be short-lived, and he was released from the show in July 2014.

    The good news is that Wheelan has spent little time fretting over his ouster, pouring his fate into stand-up material that would secure him his first half-hour special on Comedy Central, guest spots on Conan and Late Night With Seth Meyers, and an appearance on HBO’s hit series Girls.

    On October 13, Wheelan began his Central American Tour in Pontiac, Michigan, which has eventually brought him to Woodlands Tavern on November 3. He graciously agreed to talk with me on the phone a few weeks ago while driving to Joshua Tree National Park for a friend’s wedding, chatting about his upcoming show and responding to my (admittedly nervous) arsenal of questions with the same bonhomie of his on-stage persona.

    I’ve listened to your album multiple times, and it’s incredibly funny stuff. Tell me about the material you’re going to be performing in this round of shows. Are you going to be trying anything new as you go along?

    “Oh, yeah — so, I threw all of (the previous material) away, and I’m working on the next album. I’m trying to record an hour special after the tour, so it will be all new — and hopefully funny!”

    Your show in Columbus in stop number eleven of this twenty-two city tour. How do you manage being on the road for such long stretches of time — what keeps you energized?

    “Well, this tour’s broken up into a front half and a back half — and in the middle, there’s a show in Hawaii. So, that’s pretty great. But, the tour’s great because I’m not sitting at any one place; I’m just constantly seeing new cities and doing one show and then getting out of there, you know? That’s how I like to do comedy the best. It’s one show that matters, rather than five where you could be like ‘aah, we’ll get ’em next time.'”

    You’ve traveled a lot domestically and internationally performing stand-up over the years. Do you find that audiences react differently to your material based on where they’re located geographically? Has anything surprised you?

    “Yeah, I don’t know. I’m not great in Europe. Because I talk about growing up — you know — I have very American stories, I guess. They don’t know what possums are. But, everywhere has a group of people who really like comedy, and I think the internet has made it where there are always pockets of people who really like great stand-up.”

    I’m sure a lot of people ask you about who influenced you to get into the industry, but I’m curious about which of your peers in comedy currently influence or impact you the most?

    “Oh, well this guy Hampton Yount; he and I recorded our half-hour specials (for Comedy Central) at the same time — he’s so funny. And you know, I really like guys like Eric André who has a really cool television show (The Eric André Show) right now. Hannibal Buress is one of the coolest dudes, and seeing his shows just makes you want to become better.”

    Is there anyone in particular with whom you’d like to collaborate in the future if you had the opportunity?

    “I mean, any musician. At Saturday Night Live, I was always writing sketches that included the bands. So, I don’t know — if I could work with Pearl Jam, that would be pretty cool.”

    I think that would be a dream for just about anyone in our age group.

    “Yup!”

    I’ve read a few of your recent interviews and you’d mentioned you’ve been focusing on writing when you’re not performing. What does your creative process look like? Is there anything you’re working on right now that’s exciting to you?

    “I’m trying to create my own television show; that whole process is that you come up with an idea — and you go and try to put down on paper where the series will go, what the first season looks like, who each character is. Then you pitch that around L.A. I just had one I pitched out that IFC had me go write. So, I wrote a new show and now I’ve turned it in. Hopefully, we’ll get to shoot a pilot, but it’s still really early in the process so it might not all happen. But a fifth of the process is just waiting and hoping someone will say ‘yeah, we’ll do it'”.

    You’ve talked some about moving back to Los Angeles after living in New York. What is living there like for you and what do you enjoy most about it?

    “I don’t know; I love camping and nature, and I’ve got my fiancée out there. We just live in Silver Lake and have, like, a garden — and grow tomatoes that neither of us eat. It’s just very laid back.

    Things that are probably a little harder to do living in New York, right?

    “Yeah, instead of having a garden, we had a back alley that rats lived in.”

    Stand-up comedians can probably cross lines with audiences in ways that other types of performers can’t. So are there subject areas in which you think comedians like you could push the envelope a little further?

    “As long as you have a good point of view, and you look at whatever subject from all sides I think you can talk about anything. As long as you’re intelligent about it. But, if you’re just saying stuff to piss people off — that’s lame.”

    Is there any material you’d personally consider off-limits? Are there places you won’t go to as a comedian?

    “Oh, no way man! It’s just whatever I think would be funny — I do. A lot of times, that does not work.”

    The local comedy scene in Columbus is growing and gaining traction, and I’ve been seeing a lot of funny people with great material here. Based on your experience, what advice would you give to a comedian who’s still building their craft?

    “I mean, I don’t know — I’m still growing mine, you know? I’m not great at advice because I don’t know what I’m doing myself.”

    It looks like you’ll have a little bit of time to spend in our general vicinity while you’re in between shows. What are you hoping to explore while you’re in Columbus?

    “I had a really good sandwich the last time, so I’ll probably go back there.”

    Is there anything else you want someone reading this interview to know?

    “This is really just a different stand-up tour, and I’m really excited to do it, you know? Instead of doing comedy clubs, I’m driving city-to-city almost like a band would do. I couldn’t be more excited — this is how I’ve always wanted to do comedy.”

    Brooks Wheelan’s “Central America Tour” stops in Columbus at Woodlands Tavern, 1200 West 3rd Avenue in Grandview Heights, on Tuesday, November 3 at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $10.00 plus applicable service fees. You can follow Brooks on Twitter @brookswheelan, and visit his blog: brookswheelan.tumblr.comHis comedy album, “This Is Cool, Right?” is available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon.com.

    Photo Credit: Robyn Von Swank.

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    Grant Walters
    Grant Waltershttps://columbusunderground.com
    Grant is a freelance writer for Columbus Underground who primarily focuses on music and comedy. He's a Canadian transplant, born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and schooled in Vancouver, British Columbia. Grant is also the co-author of two internationally acclaimed books: "Decades: The Bee Gees in the 1960s" and "Decades: The Bee Gees in the 1970s." He has also penned numerous articles and artist interviews for the nationally recognized site, Albumism.
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