THINGS YOU DON'T SAY TO YOUR WIFE

TIM HAWKINS TAKE A BOW
From timhawkins.net

Want clean comedy with an edge? Tim Hawkins brings the funny.

Hawkins has been accused of being equally gifted and twisted. Whatever your take, he has indeed become one of the most in-demand comics in the country. His arsenal is unique: high energy stand-up, physical comedy, slick guitar skills, a thousand faces and voices, improvisational chops. It all combines to create an insane comedy experience. And yes, the guy can really sing. “People think I live a rock-star life”, said Hawkins. “Believe me, Mick Jagger never gets lost in a Hertz parking lot looking for his Ford Focus.”

Tim is a busy comic… and getting busier. He is already on track for 120 events in 30 states in 2008 including churches, corporations, comedy clubs, and colleges. A former All-American baseball player, he traded the sports stage for the comedy stage and never looked back. The St. Louis native taught himself to play guitar and tested the waters at area comedy clubs. But over the next 10 years, working to support his family was full-time. Comedy was only part-time. By 2002, Hawkins was ready to launch his full-time career as a professional comedian.

His art form was honed primarily in churches, with a brief 6-month stint performing in prisons as part of Chuck Colson’s Prison Fellowship. Since his shows ranged from little kids to youth groups to married adults, he had to develop material that would hit a wide age range. “Survival mode, pure and simple. I learned comedy in front of a lot of multi-generational audiences, so I had to find material that would cater to all ages. It’s a thrill to provide a family connection where they can share the experience… and then take a DVD home for another family comedy night. But really, I think my fans are probably just the same people who voted for Sanjaya.”

Tim’s “Full Range of Motion” concert DVD won the 2007 Crown Award for Best Comedy and has aired as a prime time special on Sky Angel, the NRB Network, and The Worship Network. And he recently visited the Funny Bone Comedy Club in Columbus, Ohio, to film his 2nd TV special for the comedy series “Bananas”, winner of a Regional Emmy.

Even though Hawkins recently headlined at the Tempe (AZ) Improv, he determined early in his career that he did not want to focus on the comedy club circuit alone. “People love stand-up, but many choose not to go to comedy clubs. So we’ve gone underground, even counter-culture in a way. And it’s a blast.”

With 4 kids of his own and a wife who is winning her battle with breast cancer, Hawkins gets new material daily from the perils of marriage and parenting. But it must be difficult to work clean all the time, right? “Clean comedy is easy. Funny comedy is hard.” So does Tim think he’s funny? “I'm not bragging, but one time I told a joke in front of a dead bird, and it flew away. And you can Google that.”