By
Michael Grossberg
Enlarge Image
ART SILK
Josh Blue: “I can say things that other people might not be able to get away with because of having a disability.”
Comic Josh Blue no longer jokes as much about his cerebral palsy.
He doesn’t have to.
Blue, 35, has broadened his range of observational humor after building his reputation as a contestant on NBC’s Last Comic Standing and as the first comic to perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Blue recently talked about his life and career in advance of his weekend appearances at the Funny Bone Comedy Club.
Q: What sparks your humor today?
A: My two kids, my wife and other people. Having kids is an endless amount of material. I have a Japanese wife, and there’s endless material there, too.
Q: You’ve been a Funny Bone regular for about six years. How did that happen?
A: Columbus is one of my biggest markets. I find the audiences are smart. They get the jokes, they follow along, and they laugh. I love Columbus, and I have good friends there.
Q: What role did your sense of humor play as you grew up?
A: It’s a gift that’s always been within me. I’ve always been able to fire back very rapidly. People ask if it’s a defense mechanism. You can call it that, but it’s a way to get people to see I’m something different and not just judge me because of the way I walk.
Q: How has your disability affected your act?
A: I throw myself under the bus for your amusement. My style is very observational and self-deprecating, and I’m not afraid to say horrible things about myself to show people that you can’t take yourself seriously. I often say, “When God takes something away, he’s probably going to take something else. . . . And, when one door closes, it locks behind you.”
Q: One of your classic jokes — used to good effect to win NBC’s Last Comic Standing in 2006 — is about a “palsy punch.” What’s that?
A: People with cerebral palsy are very spastic and jumpy. When I fought with an older brother, I just turned the startle reflex into a full-body punch that’s pretty undefendable. What I’m saying is, if you scare me, I’ll knock your teeth out.
Q: How has your act evolved?
A: I think I’ve matured a lot. Now I realize that I can talk about anything. But every story comes from the perspective (of having cerebral palsy). It’s like a get-out-of-jail-free card: I can say what I want and smile. I can say things that other people might not be able to get away with because of having a disability.
Q: What’s coming up next?
A: I’m working on TV shows, another hour special. Not sure who it’s for. The last one, Sticky Change, was on Showtime.
I have a movie coming out in March. The 108 Stitches is a college-baseball movie, and I’m the pitcher of the team, so obviously it’s a comedy.
I’ve done other small parts in movies and plays, but this is my biggest role by far.
Q: You were born in Cameroon in western Africa and later spent some years in Africa. How did that shape your life?
A: I left Cameroon very early but went back to Senegal when I was 15. I believe that was the most influential time of my life.
Being physically disabled in a country where other people are hungry and have much bigger problems made me realize that I have nothing to complain about. I learned that early.
mgrossberg@dispatch.com