
The Government Can
by Tim Hawkins
Want clean comedy with an edge? Tim Hawkins brings the funny.
Hawkins has been accused of being equally gifted and twisted. Whatever your
take, he has indeed become one of the most in-demand comics in the country. His
arsenal is unique: high energy stand-up, physical comedy, slick guitar skills, a
thousand faces and voices, improvisational chops. It all combines to create an
insane comedy experience. And yes, the guy can really sing. “People think I live
a rock-star life”, said Hawkins. “Believe me, Mick Jagger never gets lost in a
Hertz parking lot looking for his Ford Focus.”
Tim is a busy comic… and getting busier. He is already on track for 120 events
in 30 states in 2008 including churches, corporations, comedy clubs, and
colleges. A former All-American baseball player, he traded the sports stage for
the comedy stage and never looked back. The St. Louis native taught himself to
play guitar and tested the waters at area comedy clubs. But over the next 10
years, working to support his family was full-time. Comedy was only part-time.
By 2002, Hawkins was ready to launch his full-time career as a professional
comedian.
His art form was honed primarily in churches, with a brief 6-month stint
performing in prisons as part of Chuck Colson’s Prison Fellowship. Since his
shows ranged from little kids to youth groups to married adults, he had to
develop material that would hit a wide age range. “Survival mode, pure and
simple. I learned comedy in front of a lot of multi-generational audiences, so I
had to find material that would cater to all ages. It’s a thrill to provide a
family connection where they can share the experience… and then take a DVD home
for another family comedy night. But really, I think my fans are probably just
the same people who voted for Sanjaya.”
Tim’s “Full Range of Motion” concert DVD won the 2007 Crown Award for Best
Comedy and has aired as a prime time special on Sky Angel, the NRB Network, and
The Worship Network. And he recently visited the Funny Bone Comedy Club in
Columbus, Ohio, to film his 2nd TV special for the comedy series “Bananas”,
winner of a Regional Emmy.
Even though Hawkins recently headlined at the Tempe (AZ) Improv, he determined
early in his career that he did not want to focus on the comedy club circuit
alone. “People love stand-up, but many choose not to go to comedy clubs. So
we’ve gone underground, even counter-culture in a way. And it’s a blast.”
With 4 kids of his own and a wife who is winning her battle with breast cancer,
Hawkins gets new material daily from the perils of marriage and parenting. But
it must be difficult to work clean all the time, right? “Clean comedy is easy.
Funny comedy is hard.” So does Tim think he’s funny? “I'm not bragging, but one
time I told a joke in front of a dead bird, and it flew away. And you can Google
that.”