I’ve interviewed comedian Jim Breuer several times on my radio program and prior to Saturday night’s show at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, NY, I should have known exactly how he was going to handle the tragic news of his friend Tracy Morgan.

Morgan was critically injured in a six-vehicle crash on Friday night on the Jersey Turnpike and prior to the show, he was still listed in critical condition.

It was the first words out of his mouth and it was classic Jim Breuer.

Tracy Morgan (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Spike TV)
Tracy Morgan (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Spike TV)
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“Let’s all pray for my good friend Tracy Morgan,” he said as he was walking on stage and then he broke into his classic impression of his fellow Saturday Night Live cast member.  “Somebody’s gettin’ pregnant,” he said in that Tracy Morgan delivery and from that point the tension in the room was gone.

He told a few stories about the former 30 Rock star while going in and out of the impression; but, he did it in an artful way that allowed the audience to laugh all while wishing the best for Morgan.

His response shouldn’t have come as any surprise to the audience, as that’s exactly Breuer’s unique brand of comedy.

Jim Breuer (Photo by Alison Keeler / WIBX)
Jim Breuer signing autographs at Turning Stone following show in Verona, June 7, 2014. (Photo by Alison Keeler / WIBX)
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It’s no different than his routine about his aging father who has fallen ill over the years and lives with him and his family.  Just as it dawns on the audience that they’re in the midst of a huge gut wrenching laugh about his father’s fecal incontinence; just at the point that they’re thinking, “Should I be laughing at this?” - he let’s you off the hook by reminding you that this is the man he looks up to as his hero.  You then quickly realize, these amazingly funny stories are coming from a good place and this is simply the way Jim Breuer deals with what’s going on in his life.  It’s a kind of therapy and it’s that way for the audience as well, because we can all identify with what he’s saying.

I can’t tell you how many times my laughs grew even bigger because as I was listening to the stories, watching the facial expressions and feeling the impact of his vocal sound effects. I had applied his moment to one of my own.  Clearly, as I looked around the room and watched people doing the same thing, it was easy to see that this guy is a great comedian and an even greater story teller.

That brings me to the diversity of the audience. Jim Breuer has the unique ability to appeal to young and old, mature and immature, men and women; those who normally prefer blue comedy at one end of the spectrum all the way to the other end, of a person that never

Please pray for my good friend Tracy Morgan.

misses a Sunday morning church service or a Saturday night mass. He does it all by talking about things we would never think about talking about; yet, it’s things we deal with every single day.  To top it all off, he does all of this without ever uttering the ‘F’ word.  That’s pretty uncommon in comedy. During this show, I think the only official curse was the word ‘ass’ when he was quoting the lead singer of Heavy Metal band, AC/DC’s Brian Johnson.

I might be going too far for some but I really believe this guy is speaking for my generation and maybe a few others as well.  He makes it cool to do the honorable things in life; yet, gives us permission to not only laugh about them, but to blatantly poke fun at it all.  He makes light of the fact that it’s okay to love Heavy Metal music all while balancing the challenge of being a husband and a father who is trying to steer everything in the right direction.  Jim Breuer takes ‘being human’ to a whole new level.

Like when he spoke about a time during his days on SNL when he was shocked that actor/director Tom Hanks actually knew his name and told him he was a big fan.  What he fails to remember (although I’m sure he full well knows) is the fact that Tom Hanks was once a ‘Bosom Buddy’ and nobody ever thought he would ever make it past that short-lived prime time ridiculous comedy.  Therefore, why is it such a stretch that the guy who once was Goat Boy on SNL is now considered one of the great comedians of our time.

Do yourself a favor.  The next time Jim Breuer comes to your area, do whatever it takes to get tickets and see the show,  I guarantee you, years from now, you’ll be able tell your own story of the fact that you saw one of ‘the greats of comedy’ when he came to your hometown.

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