Thursday, 22 July 2004

• Gary Owen was voted San Diego’s Funniest Black Comedian. Just one thing. He’s white.

  JC

  The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Owen is appearing at the Pittsburgh Improv for a four-day run. Not only has he wowed audiences in San Diego, but also at BET; and is now expanding to roles in films. He credits his multiracial home life as supplying him with good material.

   

  Gary Owen was voted San Diego's Funniest Black Comedian. He won a comedy showcase on BET's "Comic View" and hosted the show for the following year. Race relations are the crux of his comic material. The one twist -- Owen is a 28-year-old white man hailing from rural Oxford, Ohio.

   

  Owen's candid style and ingratiating manner made him a favorite at primarily black nightclubs. After performing at local clubs for a time, he signed up for the "Funniest Black Comedian in San Diego" contest. "I didn't tell them I was black," Owen says, "But I didn't tell them that I wasn't either. By the time I showed up to do the show, it was too late for them not to let me go on." Owen wooed the crowd and ended up winning the contest. From there, he expanded his venues to hole-in-the-wall bars and clubs all over Southern California. His repertoire includes many taboo racial observations and social commentaries.

   

  The young comedian went on to win BET's "Comic View" showcase. He hosted the show for the following year, dazzling audiences with his open and frank performances. "Once you have the audience on your side, they'll let you talk about whatever you want to," Owen says. He is the father of two-mixed race children, so, he says, "I'm really talking about my home life onstage."

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