Bill Crawford
When: 9 p.m. May 31;
8 p.m. June 1
Admission: $15
(18 and over only)
Where: Latitude 40, Robinson
Details: 412-693-5555 or latitude40pitt.com/tickets
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Don’t be surprised if Bill Crawford is the next big thing to come out of Pittsburgh.
Crawford first appeared on the national radar when he was selected to appear at the prestigious Chicago Just For Laughs festival. These days, he co-hosts the WDVE-FM (102.5) morning show with Randy Baumann. But Crawford’s just getting started.
The comedian, 33, still lives for the applause and instant gratification of stand-up. He frequently jets out on weekends to comedy clubs to open for big-league headliners such as Jim Breuer and Bert Kreischer and even headlines many shows himself. This weekend, he’ll do two shows at Latitude 40 in Robinson.
Despite his insane pace, he still finds time to dote over his two daughters, Kennedy, 5, and Emerson, 2, and make plans to marry the love of his life and mother of those two girls, Serena.
Question: You always seemed to have a plan for your life. What are long-term goals for Bill Crawford?
Answer: 1. Write and star in “Step Up 4: Take It Back to The Streets 2.” 2. Become a world-renowned subway busker. 3. Rollerblade down Mt. Everest.
The plan never really consisted of long-term goals. I’ve always just focused on the small things I could control and never worried about the big stuff. I work on writing material, getting on stage as much as possible and building solid relationships. Work hard, hold on and enjoy the mystery. Stand-up has been a pretty wild ride so far. I almost let go a few times and certainly didn’t imagine myself getting the opportunity of a lifetime that I did with ‘DVE.
Q: What is the biggest sacrifice you have to make to chase your dreams?
A: Family time. I have two kids and a fiance. Creating a career doing stand-up and a radio show takes an incredible amount of preparation. I spend a lot of time writing, performing and worrying. Is it considered a sacrifice if I opt out of a trip to the park with my kids because I’m busy worrying if people like me?
Q: What can we expect of your “Guyfall” DVD?
A: In my head, I always wanted my life to be like a Bond film, but in reality it’s been more like a Ben Stiller movie. “Guyfall” is my first DVD, and it’s a collection of my favorite stand-up jokes and stories that I’ve spent the past few years creating and performing across the country.
Q: Tell me about your creative process? How do create so much material?
A: I got comfortable with failing. Writing is not fun the majority of the time, and the majority of what I write is not funny. As soon as I accepted that about the process and myself, I could just lose the ego and keep writing, and I usually stumble onto something worth sharing with people.
Q: You’ve had to overcome a lot to keep doing comedy. Is your family still supportive?
A: My family’s support is the only reason I am where I am. Without them, there is no way I would have kept going. Making a living as a comedian is a real shot in the dark. You need a strong support system. Luckily for me, I’ve had that. I owe them a lot — figuratively and literally.
Q: Do you have any comedy role models?
A: Guys like Billy Gardell, Steve Byrne, Bryan Callen and Jim Breuer. All absolutely hilarious, hard-working comics who have families. They’ve laid out a template for how to be humbled by success and approach people with respect and maintain a blue-collar work ethic.
Q: Where did you grow up and how much material do you mine from that?
A: I grew up in Regent Square, but I hung out all over in Greenfield, Forest Hills, Bloomfield, Swissvale, Point Breeze and Squirrel Hill with really funny people. The sense of humor I developed was inspired by those neighborhoods, so I guess all my material reflects those areas and people.
Q: What is something about you that people would be surprised to know?
A: I have the ugliest feet you’ve ever seen. My toes look like an arthritic orangutan hand.
Q: What’s the biggest lesson you learned from working in radio? How is it different from stand-up?
A: Learning how to prepare for a four-hour show, five days a week was big. You have to be informed on a wide variety of topics and have a comedic angle almost instantly. You have to read and write every day. Stand-up, you just talk about what you want to talk about. You have total control over the content, and you can spend weeks and months shaping a concept. Both are pretty amazing though. I’m doing what I always wanted to do: making a living making people laugh. Now I just have to work on rollerblading at high altitudes.
Comedian Matt Wohlfarth is a contributing writer for Trib Total Media.
Bill Crawford
When: 9 p.m. May 31;
8 p.m. June 1
Admission: $15
(18 and over only)
Where: Latitude 40, Robinson
Details: 412-693-5555 or latitude40pitt.com/tickets
TribLIVE’s Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.
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