The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Finding new ‘Footprints’
Stand-up’s road-testing of material for next special brings him to Hilarities
Hecklers are unfortunately just another day at the office for touring comedians.
However, veteran standup comic Chad Daniels said he experienced something different a couple of years ago at a Cleveland show.
“There was a woman in the front row commenting on everything I was saying,” said Daniels, 42, calling from Fergus Falls, Minnesota. “She was putting her two cents in. It was like I’d say something and she’d go, ‘I don’t know about that.’ I’d say something else and she’d say, ‘Not here in Cleveland. That’s not how it works.’
“So I took the reins and kept saying what I thought she would say. I was having a blast. That kind of stuff is really fun for me because it really shakes it up. It keeps things loose, and it keeps your brain moving instead of going through a scripted act.”
What Daniels described is similar to what Jim Gaffigan does on stage, when he tags a joke’s response in the voice of a finicky audience member.
“Yeah, I should have checked to see if it was Gaffigan,” laughed Daniels, who over the last 15 year flirted with mainstream attention. While he’s appeared on “The Late Late Show” with Craig Kilborn and Craig Ferguson, as well as being one of 13 comedians that appeared on “The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien,” the comic remains committed to the road.
That’s what brings him back to Northeast Ohio for shows Feb. 21 through 24 at Hilarities 4th Street Theatre. While he may not be a household name, Daniels said he’s definitely making career inroads. He points to Pandora’s impact on the comedy world as a reason.
“It’s been huge because people can stumble upon you,” Daniels said.
The comedian is roadtesting material for his next special. It will be a follow-up to last year’s “Footprints on the Moon,” which included a lot of material centered around his teenage kids.
These days he’s commenting more about the world in general, including what he calls the elephant in the room.
“The world is on edge, it seems,” Daniels said. “Sometimes I’ll talk about politics, but I even warm the audience. I say, ‘I’m not smart enough to be a political comedian. I stay uninformed so I can sleep.’
“So a lot of my opinions are based on what I hear, even if it’s talking to my daughter, who is 13, about all of the sexual harassment stuff that happened. You know, all of that fun stuff you have to do as a parent.”
Even though Daniels wants to get away from talking about his kids, he can’t help but return to being a parent. It makes you wonder what he’ll talk about when his kids move out of the house.
“I’ll probably just follow them around in my car,” Daniels said. “They’re my kids, so it’s not weird.”
When it was mentioned there’s a chance Daniels’ special heckler may return for one of his upcoming Cleveland gigs, the funnyman didn’t hesitate.
“Oh, man, I hope she’s there,” Daniels said. “It will be a fun little reunion. I’d bring her up for a hug.”