Comedian Josh Blue knows that timing is everything. He moved to Denver just as it was exploding as a major stand-up scene. He won NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” in 2006 when the show was a reliable route to stardom, becoming one of the world’s most high-profile entertainers with cerebral palsy. And his tour stops this Saturday in his former hometown of St. Paul, the same week of his 46th birthday, making it easy for him to celebrate with family and friends who still live in the area.
Blue, who also will perform Friday at Diamond Jo Casino in Northwood, Iowa, near the Iowa-Minnesota border, spoke by phone last week from his Denver home.
Q: You moved to Denver right out of college. Did you ever consider making the Twin Cites your home base?
A: I came here on a whim. And I proved you can be successful without having to move to Los Angeles or New York. I obviously have a lot of friends and family in the Twin Cities, but the winters were so brutal. Maybe global warming has changed that. Maybe in 10 years, you’ll be able to buy beachfront property there. But it was important for me to get away from my family at a young age. I had to show the world and myself that, just because I’m disabled, didn’t mean I couldn’t go out on my own.
Q: Other than seeing family, what do you like to do when you’re back in Minnesota?
A: I’ve got a bunch of high school friends to see and people I worked with at a summer camp in Rush City. We usually go for Vietnamese food in the Midway area. I always try to go to Como Zoo and see Sparky the sea lion. The zoo is probably on its 35th Sparky.
Q: You’re doing more than 200 shows a year. Ever get sick of touring?
A: I am sick of the travel, but I still love performing and making people laugh. The great thing is that now I can pick and choose the shows. I can decide not to go to places that require layovers. And I’m not doing the terrible gigs.
