Stand
Up

Comedian Bruce Gold wants his
audiences up close and personal
and unoffended.

S

SUZANNE CHESSLER
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

tand-up comedian Bruce
Gold wants his audiences to
know they can sit up front
without any reservations —
psychological reservations,
that is.
"A lot of people don't want
to sit in the front rows at
comedy clubs because they
don't want to be picked on,"
said Mr. Gold, who is
appearing Aug. 10-14 at the
Comedy Castle in Royal
Oak.
"There are so many
comics who victimize the
audience, but I don't want
to take anything away from
people. I may ask questions,
and I may make a comment
if somebody says something.
Overall, I actually try to be
likable."
Mr. Gold, 33, who is
bringing his act to Michigan
for the first time, also stays
away from political humor.
"I don't have a heavy mes-
sage," said the California
resident who grew up in
Florida. "My act is observa-
tional humor, light and fun.
"I try to acknowledge
where I am. If I'm in the
South, I talk a little about
the South. When I'm in
Michigan, I'll have a
few minutes about Michigan
and my presence here and
perhaps how it may be dif-
ferent from where I live.
"It's escapist entertain-
ment. It's not going to
change the world, but, hope-
fully, for 45 minutes, it will
make people feel a little bit
better about being there."
Mr. Gold does all the
writing for his routine,
working from an outline and
improvising as he sees fit.
He looks to his past for

Bruce Gold:
Not the same
jokester off
stage as on.

ideas.
"That's the one thing that
I have that nobody else
has," he explained. "I try to
find the individual experi-
ences that share a common
thread with other people's
lives."
Mr. Gold builds on the
experiences of others as

host of a TV game/interview
show on the Playboy chan-
nel — "Playboy's Love Test."
It teams males against
females with questions
about the opposite sex.
"I taped 26 half-hour
shows," said the humorist.
He was traveling the come-
dy club circuit when his

agent called him back to
California to audition for
another show, which has
since left the air.
While on the West Coast,
he learned about the
Playboy program and tried
out for that as well, almost
winning the job on the spot.
Each segment introduces
three men and three women
who are asked questions
about romance and sexuali-
ty. In addition to answering
on a general basis, they dis-
cuss their personal experi-
ences.
Guests estimate percent-
ages of people who do some-
thing that is described,
make decisions about what
is fact and what is fantasy
and reveal what they might
do in certain situations.
"It definitely falls into the
category of light entertain-
ment," he said.
Mr. Gold's other televi-
sion work has included
guest appearances on
"Evening at the Improv,"
Comic Strip Live," "Comedy
on the Road" and "America's
Funniest People." He also
has done a pilot for a Disney
television game show.
Mr. Gold entered show
business as a magician
whose act included comedy.
While attending Palm
Beach Community College,
he realized comedy had
more magic for him and
started to perform in local
clubs, soon seeking engage-
ments in other cities.
"I used to spend 40 weeks
a year on the road," said Mr.
Gold, who has pared that
down to 25. "I thought if I
was willing to get in my car
and drive around the coun-
try, I actually could make a
living at this.
"My success locally, along
with the boom in comedy,
encouraged me, and I
bought a new car. Over the
next four years, comedy
paid it off."
As he travels, he meets
people who expect him to be
the same jokester offstage
as he is onstage.
"On the road a lot of
times, people relate to me
on that one level, and they
don't want to relate to me
with a lot of emotional
depth," he said. "That's why
I have to keep touching base
— by phone or letter — with
people who reaffirm who I
am," including friends and
family.
Mr. Gold compares come-
dians to doctors, maintain-
ing they share a social expe-

STAND UP page 88