His name might not ring a bell, but his face is unforgettable.
That beakish nose, eyes that seem perpetually glazed, and facial muscles so pliable its contortions look effortless.
Comedian Jim Breuer ran the “Saturday Night Live” gauntlet from 1995 to 1998, gaining fame on the weekly live sketch comedy series for his “Goatboy” character and dead-on impersonations of Joe Pesci, Jack Nicholson and rock music icon AC/DC’s Brian Johnson.
Breuer, a native New Yorker, dabbled in movies for a while, most notably in the 1998 Dave Chappelle-starring “Half Baked.” Breuer swears that his face got him cast in the “stoner comedy” because, as Chappelle pointed out, “You always look stoned.” He also voiced Crow in the 2011 star-packed, Kevin James-led comedy “Zookeeper.”
At 58, the husband and father of three grown daughters has settled in Naples, Florida, and into hosting podcasts, YouTube series and the occasional standup shows around the country. His “Find the Comedy” tour hits Baton Rouge on Saturday for an 8 p.m. set at L’Auberge Casino & Hotel’s Event Center. Tickets start at $32.30 at ticketmaster.com.
Here, he talks about what the local audience can expect and what life is like now. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Will you be incorporating any Baton Rouge jokes into your show?
Yes, before the show, I usually hit a downtown area, and I walk around. I like hitting coffee shops, I like having lunch in town. I either listen to conversations or I just try to get the feel of the area. And that’s usually my opening couple minutes of trying to get the local feel before I launch into what I have loosely planned for the evening.
For people considering whether or not to bring children, what would be the show’s parental rating?
I never suggest small kids, and only because they can’t understand half the material. But I call it PG-13. And the only reason I say PG-13 is more the awareness. I don’t curse. I don’t swear. I’m not going to go into subjects that make you cringe. I haven’t been doing that for 15 years or so, maybe more. … So no worries for bringing younger people.
When did you realize that you were funny?
I was a kid, but also was raised in a funny family. Now, the more dysfunctional it is to me, usually the funnier it gets. So at a very young age, I knew I had the ability, I mean, it went all the way to grammar school is when it really started.
And your comedic style is observational?
Completely. I would say a clean Richard Pryor, if that makes sense. Because Richard Pryor would make, he would observe life and retell it. That’s all. I’m a storyteller. I live life and then I turn around and tell it. And whatever’s going on in life that everyone relates to.
Being in the cast of “Saturday Night Live,” others talk about how there’s just nothing as grinding as that, week to week. What did you take away from your time on “SNL?”
I know it sounds crazy, but what I took away from it mostly was I wanted to control my own destiny in my career and be at home more after that show, and set my own pace in life and in this business.
Do you still pursue film roles?
I never really got to do films I truly wanted to do, OK. I’m literally at the stage now where I started writing more. And honestly, I’m more into dramedy than anything I’ve ever done.
Back then, I was chasing harder to be in movies and be in the spotlight, where that’s the last of my desires these days. To me, I’m more about inspiring, inspiring healing, helping people through with laughter.
So you’re writing for film now?
I’ve written some. I’m writing one now, I don’t think I’d even be in it, to be honest with you. I think I’m too old to play the part.
It’s a lot that I put out a series called “Funny How God Works.” It’s on YouTube. Some of those are easily films or TV series and whatever, but that’s a lot of where my passion is, too. They’re very powerful stories, healing and stuff like that. And all true stories.
In your podcast, you tackle some pretty serious topics as opposed to, of course, what everybody knows about your comedy. Walk us through that.
Every Tuesday, I livestream on every single social media platform, 8:30 p.m. Eastern (7:30 p.m. Central), completely live.
When I first started it, I hit more what I call the noise, and to me, the noise is news and the politics in your face and all that. And then after a while, it’s extremely exhausting, and it never feels good. It’s all just energy to distract us from our everyday importance of talking to someone you love, helping someone, helping a neighbor.
At the end of the day, if I’m here to help you, I don’t care who you voted for. … I feel that is way more important in these times for us to get as united as quickly as possible and to turn off that noise and realize they’re all bad. All of them are bad. There is no left, right. There is no Republican, Democrat. There’s just people taking our money and controlling our lives.
Your facial expressions are just wonderful. Plus, with all the physicality of your show, are you pretty worn out after that?
Always worn out. I’m so tired after a show because I just put everything out there and, you know, twice it’s cost me some serious physical things, where I blew my calf out on stage. I pulled hamstrings out on stage, I pulled my back out, but I still, I sprained my ankle on stage. I just go all out. I can’t help it. Once I’m in it, I’m in it. I can’t stop. So if the cost is tearing a calf, pulling a muscle, so be it.
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