Comedian Terry works for mimimum wage at Hopkins
Arkadelphia native and comedian Keith Terry wants the audience to pay just a minimum to see him perform—the minimum wage, that is.
Terry brings his show to Hopkins Icehouse next Thursday, sharing the laughs with a few other local comedians joining him. The show starts at 8:30 p.m. The admission fee? It’s $7.25, the minimum wage in Arkansas (actually the federal minimum wage, which is higher than Arkansas’ and takes precedence).
Terry, who’s been in comedy a dozen years, performed all over the country and even toured with Michael Buble, wants a way to get his name out and be affordable for fans. “I figured that instead of charging $10, $15, $20, I would charge minimum wage,” he said.
He recently returned to Arkansas after living in New York and Los Angeles. He’s performed at improvs in cities like Dallas, San Jose and Miami, plus places like Comedy Zone, Looney Bin, Comedy Store, Shreveport Funnybone and Bonkerz Comedy Club.
He’ll be on this tour all year and, he admits, hopes the minimum wage is raised. He hopes to perform in Seattle, where the minimum wage was hiked to $15 an hour. He wants to win fans across the country, then come back someday with the “I Just Got a Raise” comedy tour.
“I’m still, and have been since I started, one of the funniest people in the country,” said Terry, who never intended become a comedian.
“I never once in my life was
like, hey, I want to be a comedian,” he said. He got his start when he was finishing school. He and friends went to an open mic and wrote their names down. The friends bailed, but he left his name on and got on stage. What he said wasn’t funny, but he laughed. And then the audience laughed at him laughing at himself. He was hooked.
As he puts it, people sometimes in life find the work they’re called to do. “I got lucky that I found mine,” Terry said.
This self-described son of a preacher man doesn’t use much profanity in his routine, though he deals in adult subjects. He finds using profanity just isn’t necessary.
“For me, I’ve found that it’s more of a challenge not to use cuss words and convey my message to the audience,” Terry said.
He finds humor in everyday life and interpretations of what’s going on there. He also gears some jokes to wherever he’s performing.
“My humor is really worldly,” Terry said.
Here in Texarkana, expect the border city status and Texarkana’s growth to come up as funny topics. Texarkana’s the first stop on his Minimum Wage Comedy Tour.
“This is the first date, so I’m excited,” he said. He’ll head to Texas next, then work some dates in West Virginia, Virginia and Ohio. He’s setting it up regionally and believes doing this legwork and making fans will make him a more “chiseled artist.”
“My artist abs are tight, man,” he joked.
(Hopkins Icehouse is located at 3rd and Wood streets. More info: 870-774-3333. For more info on Terry, check out KeithDTerry.com.)