Comedian Nick Swardson will be “having fun and trying new stuff” when he performs at the Chumash Casino on February 15, one of a few warm-up dates preceding a full-fledged tour later this year that will be taped for his sixth comedy special. While he kept the new special’s title under wraps, Mr. Swardson told the News-Press that its concept will be announced this spring. He added that it will be somewhat different than his previous five specials.
“It doesn’t involve diarrhea or drinking… so spoiler alert,” he said.
Whether or not his comedic bits include these topics, Mr. Swardson comes up with his stand-up material from both personal experiences and observations he makes. While the latter can possibly overlap with those of other comedians, the comic said the former is a good way to ensure he comes up with original jokes. It’s also a good way to ensure his original jokes stay his own and don’t get stolen. As he explained, it’s hard for someone to steal a personal anecdote about someone he’s personally close with like his mother.
“There’s no way that people can steal material that’s personal stories,” Mr. Swardson stated.
Last year, Mr. Swardson starred in movies like “The Buddy Games” directed by and starring Josh Duhamel, and “The Wrong Missy,” a comedy starring David Spade and produced by Adam Sandler’s company Happy Madison Productions. Mr. Swardson has a long history with Happy Madison, starring in movies such as “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan,” “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,” and “The Benchwarmers,” which he also co-wrote. His first collaboration with the company was in 2006 after Mr. Sandler saw one of Mr. Swardson’s stand-up performances on Comedy Central. Mr. Sandler then got in touch with Mr. Swardson’s agent and sent the new Happy Madison recruit a script for the movie “Grandma’s Boy,” which Mr. Swardson starred in and rewrote. As he recalled, he was instructed to rewrite the movie from PG-13 to a “crazy, hard R” comedy.
For Mr. Swardson, working as a comedian came about when he performed at an open mic for the first time, after which he was “hooked” and decided to commit one hundred perfent of his life to being a stand-up comic. Performing stand-up took the place of a post-high school education, because there was no way he was going to attend an institution of higher learning. He stated his reason for wanting to become a stand-up comedian: “I realized my grades were awful and that I couldn’t get into college.”
When asked about if he ever worries about his jokes offending politically correct sensitivities that some people hold, or whether those sensitivities get in the way of good comedy, the comedian said it’s not something that he ever thinks about. He just gets onstage and does whatever he thinks is funny. His act has no political leanings whatsoever, but Mr. Swardson said that could change under very, very specific circumstances.
“If they make farting illegal then I’d probably have a problem with that,” he said. Tickets for Nick Swardson’s February 15 performance cost between $39 and $59 and can be purchased online at www.chumashcasino.com. The performance will begin at 8 p.m. at the Chumash Casino.
