Wiener hits a higher note leaving music for comedy

Aug. 10, 2000

Some comedians have their acts down to an exact science, but Charlie Wiener is not one of them.

Wiener is never sure of what he is going to do until he sees the crowd.

"I work with the audience," says Wiener, who will open for Bobby Collins Aug. 18 at the Great Lakes Comedy Festival in Sandusky. "It depends on the age of the crowd. I'll do more relationship stuff with a younger crowd."

The Brunswick resident, who describes himself as "not a political commentator, but a social commentator," got involved in stand-up more than 15 years ago. He had been active on the music scene, singing funny little ditties, but decided a change was in order when he started to see a shift in the business. He's been strictly a stand-up guy since 1987.

"More clubs were going to DJs," he says. "It was a fight trying to play anymore, an uphill battle. With comedy, I figured . . . if I just get rid of the songs . . . "

Wiener says he sees a few differences in audiences when he tours the country. "In the South it's a slower pace, but you still do most of the same stuff. The South — it's where the men are macho and the women are defensive."

He's also seen audiences change over time: "At colleges, they used to want thought-provoking humor. Now they want genital humor. It's just a different challenge."

Wiener lists other road comics such as Richard Jeni, Kathleen Madigan and Pam Stone of "Coach" fame as his influences. "I worked with her (Stone) recently. She's very funny," he says.

Though he's headlining now, it's easy for Wiener to pinpoint his worst time on stage.

"I was opening for The Tubes in Youngstown," he remembers. "The audience hated me, and they were throwing things at me. But I was pig-headed and did my full 30 minutes. Then, when I was done, I realized I had to walk through that crowd to get paid."

Comedy may be how Wiener makes his living, but he's also set to come out with his first compact disc of serious music, something he has wanted to do for a long time. The timeline for the CD's release, however, is not cast in stone.

"It was supposed to be done last March," he says. "Alex Bevan is producing it. We're hoping to finish it up in August and have it out in September. It's just hard with our schedules."

Wiener is promising a high-energy show in Sandusky. "Just show up and have a good time," he says. He isn't too worried about becoming famous.

"Drew (Carey) can be famous. I'll just keep working."

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ON STAGE: Mike Veneman headlines with Todd McCune as the feature act through Saturday at Hilarities in Cuyahoga Falls.

Dan O'Sullivan and Steve Burr are set at the Cleveland Improv through Sunday.

Bobby Collins and Victoria Jackson are among comics performing at the Great Lakes Comedy Festival Aug. 18-19. Collins will headline Aug. 18; Jackson headlines Aug. 19 with Cleveland comic Pat Sullivan opening.

Comedy workshops also are scheduled.

For ticket information, call (419) 626-2994.

Rodney Bengston, an editor in Sun Newspapers' Metro office, covers Northeast Ohio's comedy scene.