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Funny Man to filibuster at Rooster T. Feathers By William Jeske Will Durst is a no-nonsense kinda guy. He answers calls to his cell phone or to his San Francisco office with a simple "Durst." This comedian has little time for pleasantries, as he is constantly traveling from comedy venue to comedy venue while trying to read up to five newspapers a day and going online so he can monitor our elected officials. And then make fun of them. Now Durst is bringing his pointedly political act to Sunnyvale, where he will showcase his sharp wit at the Rooster T. Feather's comedy club from July 25 to 27. Durst's career in political fun-poking began in his hometown of Milwaukee. In 1980 he moved to the much more politically iconoclastic Bay Area. "Comedy is illegal in Milwaukee," Durst says in a matter-of-fact tone. "The city considered comedy clubs similar to strip clubs." But he's still a cheesehead at heart. His website says that one of his hobbies is "the never-ending search for the perfect cheeseburger." He now operates out of San Francisco, where, as he says, "people are much more open to questioning the status quo." With more than 20 years of experience immersing himself in politics in general and American government in particular, you'd think he'd be the perfect candidate for office, or at least a consultant or spin doctor. But Durst insists his calling is to the comedy stage. "I'm a comedian, first and foremost," Durst says. "But politics has always interested me. My dad used to read five or six newspapers a day, and that's something I picked up from him." Durst's career has taken him from performing on the comedy stage to writing for the op-ed pages of the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle and onto television as commentator for CNN and host for PBS' "Livelyhood," which profiled working-class Americans. It ran for three seasons but is on hiatus for a fourth, "because Enron and WorldCom were the corporate sponsors." Skewering American politics has taken him to international venues, but with varying results. "It's easier to be a political comedian in America because people come to expect it," Durst says. "But you can get heckled a lot in Britain. It's part of their culture. Even in Parliament you've got hecklers." Performing in Brazil, Mexico and locations in Europe, Durst's humor still transcended language. "Comedy is about idiom and shortcuts, and no matter what country you're in, people can still pick up on the comedy. I remember being in France a few years ago and the audiences were starved for English-spoken humor." Durst has won several awards and nominations, his favorite being the seven consecutive nominations for the now-defunct American Comedy Award for stand-up of the year. He gleefully tells the story of winning the 1989 San Francisco Entertainer of the Year Award, which he says was such an upset to the cabaret company that sponsored the competition that all of the nominating polices and procedures were overhauled. If ever Durst needed proof that his calling was in political humor and not popular culture it was when Rudy Reber, a contestant on ABC's Who Wants to be a Millionaire used Durst as a "lifeline." Contestants stumped for an answer to a multiple-choice question may call a friend for help. Reber called up Durst to ask who directed Michael Jackson's "Bad" video. Durst suggested John Landis, but the correct answer was Martin Scorcese. Will Durst performs July 25–27 at Rooster T. Feathers, 187 W. El Camino Real. For more information, call 408.736.0921 or visit www.roostertfeathers.com. The venue does not serve cheeseburgers (sorry, Will). |
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