Kirkwood's King of Comedy: Greg Warren's standup career takes him all over the USA, but St. Louis remains his home

Comments (0) By Julie Seabaugh Wednesday, Mar 11 2009

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Though his career continues to gain momentum, Warren prefers to gain inspiration from the familiar, having moved back to St. Louis in 2006 after logging five years in LA. A tireless road comic, he considers the home of Phyllis Diller, Cedric the Entertainer, Dick Gregory, Redd Foxx and Kathleen Madigan — not to mention two brothers and his parents (his mother is a former book reviewer for the Post-Dispatch and current Webster-Kirkwood Times columnist, his father, a retired wrestling coach who occasionally aids with computer consulting), all of whom live within a ten-mile radius — an ideal base from which to travel a minimum of 40 weeks a year. For him, a central location, relatively easy airport commutes, abundant stage time, the welcoming nature of the Funny Bone and support of an extended circle of friends in the comedy community are vital amenities.

Warren recently recruited those friends to join him and peers flown in from New York and LA to film a series of sketches to air on the Web, and possibly other outlets. "The two years before I left LA, I don't think I was on TV once," he recalls. Since his return, Warren has appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson twice, a Bob & Tom special, CMT, Last Comic Standing, Comics Unleashed and now Friday's Comedy Central Presents.

Lance Tilford

Says St. Louis Funny Bone manager Matt Behrens of Warren (above): "He works constantly. I don't think a bit is ever finished with him."

Details

Greg Warren
Through March 15 at the Funny Bone, 614 West Port Plaza.
Tickets are $10 to $20. Call 314-469-6692 or visit myspace.com/funnybonestl.

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"I really do believe that outside of New York or LA, it really is one of the top ten places to start stand-up," Warren says of his hometown. "If you're only going to be home two days a week, you want to have a life there. I have a home in St. Louis and I do things and know people who aren't all comedy related, so it enriches what you can write about. St. Louis might not be my last stop, but at this point in my career, it's perfect." 