Caution: We can't control what comedian Joe Zimmerman says.
If you go to his Omaha Funny Bone Comedy Club show this Thursday, you were warned.
Zimmerman's your typical-East-Coast-guy who sports a beard and a blue-collar work ethic. He grew up in West Virginia, lived in North Carolina and recently moved to New York.
He's a part of the "Beards of Comedy" troupe — four comics who don hairy chin-straps and create YouTube video sketches. "Help" and "Breakfast Banditos" were rib-ticklers. (View them on omaha.com)
Zimmerman jabs at the audiences with cynical humor and quick dialogue. You either like his jokes or you don't.
A sampling:
"Who do you think will win a fight — Jesus or Chuck Norris? . . . That was a trick (question) because Chuck Norris is Jesus."
The joke goes on.
"I was actually walking on the beach with Chuck Norris during a tough period in my life. I turned and there was only one set of footprints. And I was like 'Chuck, where'd you go?' That's when I received a flying double-kick to the face."
We caught up with Zimmerman as he drove to Detroit for his next gig. Here's what he had to say:
Q. Dude, I thought all big-time comedians had tour buses.
A. (He laughs.) I'm driving my car that has 260,000 miles on it.
Q. How'd you get your start in comedy?
A. I didn't want a day job. After I graduated college (Davidson College in Charlotte, N.C.), I figured I'd just go into comedy, like that's a career you can just step into. I went to open-mike nights, then started booking gigs and doing well in Charlotte. So I started going on the road. It's been a few years now. Each year, I'm a little more successful.
Q. What's a bit of advice someone gave you about comedy?
A. You've got to make your own way. Find your own path. If you follow along the conventional wisdom of how to do comedy, you're doing what everyone else is doing. And that's the exact opposite of how to break into it.
Q. Describe your comedy.
A. I'm not really edgy or super-clean. I've been described as a silly goober.
Q. What?
A. I'm kind of silly and have fun on stage. I play around a lot. I definitely do well with college-age crowds.
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