Tom Arnold remembers his father as a serious man who rarely laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only time we ever heard him laugh \u2014 I mean, like, belly laugh \u2014 was when there was a Bob Hope special on,\u201d Arnold said. \u201cI thought, \u2018Whatever that Bob Hope guy does, that\u2019s what I\u2019m gonna do.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
So in 1989, when he appeared on a Bob Hope special, it was a full-circle moment for him, especially because his father was alive to see it.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe got to see his son standing next to Bob Hope on TV. That\u2019s about as magical as it gets,\u201d Arnold said. \u201cI figured that was the peak of my career. That\u2019s not how it worked out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even after a career that has spanned more than four decades and included dozens of movie and television appearances, Arnold still has a few things to say. The comedian brings his singular brand of humor to Loonees Comedy Corner as his \u201cMy Crazy X-Wife\u201d tour swings through Colorado Springs for two shows on Thursday and Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cColorado has always been, to me, a mecca of comedy,\u201d Arnold told The Gazette. \u201cThe people here get my sense of humor. Also, two of my ex-wives are from Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n
No topic is off-limits in Arnold\u2019s stand-up shows, including his tumultuous love life.<\/p>\n
He has been married and divorced four times, most famously to comedian Roseanne Barr, whom he met while doing stand-up in Minneapolis. The pair married in 1990, and their partnership helped launch Arnold\u2019s Hollywood career. They divorced in 1994.<\/p>\n
In that same year, Arnold appeared as the sidekick to Arnold Schwarzenegger in the blockbuster action-comedy \u201cTrue Lies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since then, he has appeared in more than 75 movies, including \u201cNine Months,\u201d \u201cMcHale\u2019s Navy,\u201d \u201cSoul Plane\u201d and \u201cAirplane 2025.\u201d He appears in Schwarzenegger\u2019s Netflix series, \u201cFUBAR.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he has always returned to stand-up comedy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s where I got my start, and I love doing it,\u201d Arnold said. \u201cIt takes a different kind of person to do stand-up. You have to be a little crazy, you have to be willing to work for nothing, to live on the road, to sleep on people\u2019s couches. But I\u2019ve always thought it was great fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arnold\u2019s \u201cMy Crazy X-Wife\u201d tour will hit 40 cities with more than 80 shows in 2025. The show, he cautions, will feature \u201cstrong language, crazy stories and bad marriages.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout half of (my show) is about being a single, older dad with two young kids,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other half will be about my crazy and interesting Hollywood stories, and my unusual situations \u2014 crazy things that were in the news at the time. As long as it\u2019s funny, you can talk about anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Life on the road doesn\u2019t get easier as he gets older, said Arnold, 66. But he doesn\u2019t plan to retire from the stand-up game anytime soon.<\/p>\n
\u201cStand-up comedians, whether they die at 30, or live to be 100, they never stop working,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love doing this, so I\u2019ll keep doing it as long as people will pay to see me. Also, I\u2019ve got four ex-wives and two small kids, so I need the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you go<\/p>\n
What: Tom Arnold, \u201cMy Crazy X-Wife\u201d tour<\/p>\n
When: 7 p.m., Fri.- Sat.<\/p>\n
Where: Loonees Comedy Corner, 1305 N. Academy Boulevard<\/p>\n
Price: $26.97-$43.74; 719-591-0707, looneescc.com<\/a><\/p>\n