John Heffron

Like most comedians, John Heffron mines his personal life for his punchlines. "I pretty much talk about what's going on in my life - whatever stage of life I'm in," says Heffron, who appears 9 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino as part of the Trump Comedy Series.
For the former "Last Comic Standing" winner, who's been married for four years, that means plenty of talk about the mysteries of his relationship with his spouse.

But Heffron's not of the "Take my wife, please," school of laughs.

"A lot of comics who talk about men and women stuff, you can tell they have deep, deep issues with women, and that it comes from a mean place," he says. "I don't have that. When people leave my act, it's like, 'Oh my God, you're exactly like my husband,' or 'You have to meet my wife.'"

If Heffron's personal life has become more established, the same could be said for his career, which has been bubbling along nicely since he won the second season of NBC's "Last Comic Standing" reality competition in 2004.


"People still talk about it as if were the new season," he says. "Being on TV doesn't suck."
Although Heffron already was a veteran of the comedy club circuit, the exposure from the show - and his win - opened up bigger and better opportunities.

Since his win, the former radio sidekick to Danny Bonaduce has played the lead role in the 2005 VH1 sitcom, "Smash," released his second and third recordings ("Good Kid, Bad Adult," "The Better Half,"), and headlined the Real Men of Comedy tour with Charlie Murphy and Joe Rogan.

"It puts you in the pool of comics that people have heard of," he says. "There are a bazillion road comics out there that are probably really funny. But if you haven't been on TV, you're not going to fill a room. If you're not going to fill a room, rooms aren't going to work you."

Besides being on the road all but four weeks a year, Heffron makes sure he's well represented in cyberspace, too. He has his own Web site, a page on MySpace and clips on NowLive.com.

"It seems like you have to have a presence on MySpace," Heffron says. "I like it because it lets people know where you're coming and gives you clips."

At the same time, the virtual world is no substitute for the real one for Heffron.

"You think you have accomplished something in life (online), but okaying friends on Facebook doesn't count as being a positive influence on society, "he says.

The Detroit native comes to Atlantic City as he tries to select the final cut of material for a forthcoming DVD, which will be shot in Los Angeles. He's glad to have the chance to work the material before what he expects will be a typically good-humored East Coast audience.

"Me being a Detroit guy, I'm more comfortable around the east side of the world," he says. "There is a different sense of humor (in Los Angeles) when you don't have to deal with five months of winter. They tend to have a bit more humor on the East Coast."

Nashville-based Henry Cho, who shares the bill with Heffron, is known for his "clean" comedy style. His special, "What's That Clickin' Noise," is currently airing on Comedy Central.
- Press of Atlantic City - Spring 2008

A whole week after John Heffron won the coveted Last Comic Standing title, success still hasn't spoiled the manic funnyman. But make no mistake — he's ready for a diva trip! As his tongue-in-cheek interview with TV Guide Online suggests, he could get mighty comfortable sitting in the lap of luxury — provided that a certain competitor isn't around to, ahem, bug him.

TV Guide Online: You're a bundle of energy on stage. Can that possibly be good for the health of someone as laid-back as you are?
John Heffron: Well, I don't have a lot of time to run or do the Stairmaster, so this is my way of getting my heart rate up for 20 minutes a day.

TVGO: Speaking of things that are good for your heart... Tammy Pescatelli called you "a walking Everybody Loves Raymond." Guess she's guaranteed to be the first LCS alum on your sitcom.
Heffron: [Laughs] Yeah. Sometimes I get compared [to Ray Romano], but in a bad way. But you know what? I'll take whatever he's making. That's not a bad thing.

TVGO: Not bad at all. What kind of show would you like to do?
Heffron: I used to have ideas, but by the time I was thinking them, I'd wind up seeing someone else doing it on television. I really don't know right now. I'm more concentrated on making sure my live performances go well. I've got people to figure out what kind of show I should do. Hopefully, something that doesn't suck.

TVGO: You have "people"? How nice for you. And you're also a newlywed, yes?
Heffron: Yeah, I got married a couple weeks ago.

TVGO: Congratulations... or condolences. Aren't you going to miss doing the single-guy routines?
Heffron: I haven't really had time to go through my act [to consider what may have to be cut]. I think you just have to change some wording and put it in a different perspective.

TVGO: Is your wife ready for her life to become fodder for your act?
Heffron: She's okay with that. She knows that's what makes it possible for us to eat.

TVGO: Which of your LCS housemates was the toughest to live with?
Heffron: I'd say Ant. He really put a lot of pressure on to figure out who you're voting for.

TVGO: So he lied to me! There was no mastermind in the house!
Heffron: Oh no, [there was]! That was definitely Ant. The guy is a self-promoter. He is our decade's Rip Taylor.

TVGO: If you had to keep living with one housemate, who would you pick?
Heffron: Kathleen Madigan or Todd Glass.

TVGO: Todd Glass?! His notice-me shtick seems like it would get old fast.
Heffron: Yeah, but to me, it doesn't. It's like, some people liked Dude, Where's My Car?; others didn't.

TVGO: Sane people, mostly.
Heffron: I could usually laugh at Todd. Then again, it was between talking to him or talking to Ant, so maybe it was just the company I kept at the time.

TVGO: Ouch. What's next on your agenda?
Heffron: Tonight I have to clean the apartment because I haven't done it in four months. Maybe do a little laundry, too. That's how I party.

TVGO: C'mon. I know that just means you'll be watching the maid scrub the floors!
Heffron: [Laughs] Yeah, you got me. It's me and Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore having dinner by the poolhouse. - TV Guide - Fall 2004

Comedian John Heffron, season two winner of Last Comic Standing, isn't resting on his laurels. He's navigating the waters of Internet comedy, psychoanalyzing hecklers, and whether he likes it or not, cranking out new material as quick as his active mind will allow.

By Noah Gardenswartz

Stand-up comedian John Heffron's career is at a crossroads. Four years removed from winning NBC's Last Comic Standing and after the release of his third comedy album, The Better Half, Heffron has to balance keeping his old fans satisfied and appeal to an entirely new demographic.

The Detroit native initially made his name in comedy by appealing to college crowds, but with every appearance on Comedy Central, his target audience ages. Over the years, a more mature Heffron, "now a husband and father" has altered his material from covering topics like college drinking and Pop Rocks, to talking about weekly trips to Home Depot or the doctor's office.

"I always talk about what's going on in my life at the time, so that's why I'm doing a lot more marriage and family material now," Heffron says. "I wouldn't say I've abandoned my other material, but I'm just too old to just be loud and hop around on stage screaming stuff like, "where are my pot smokers, and who in here likes Shakira?"

And just as his ideal audience has changed, so too has the medium through which comedy is experienced. Heffron has needed to adjust. Long gone are the days when stand-up comedy could only be seen and heard by going to a club; Heffron, like all of today's other working comics, now operate in a world very conducive to viral comedy.

With the uncontrollable popularity of sites like YouTube and MySpace, comedy is never more than a click of the mouse away, which Heffron feels has both helped and hindered his progress as a comedian.

"I think it's great that comedians have so many new ways to gain exposure, and the Internet has certainly helped with that,"? he says. "But because of things like YouTube, I'm constantly having to retire good material just because it becomes old so fast, and after a certain level of success all of your material has to be new material."

He reveals that his management has pressured him about creating a bigger web presence but at the end of the day, his job is to write truly hilarious material, which in turn, should direct plenty of traffic to his official site.

After 18 years in the entertainment business, Heffron obviously expected that the industry's operating procedures would change. But the one constant in his career has been his genuine love for the art form.

From growing up memorizing Eddie Murphy's records, to performing at his first open-mic in the summer of 1989, Heffron has always had a passion for humor.

While he admits that it gets both tough and boring, mentally, Heffron has never taken a significant break from the stage since he started. However, since starting a family he's taken on a lot more corporate gigs since the pay is better and the time and travel less demanding.

But make no mistake: Heffron is a tough, tested road comic. He still appreciates getting out and playing to cities all over, big and small.

"I love being in big cities like New York or Chicago, but Boise, Idaho is just as cool to me," he says. "I like to observe and learn from everywhere I go, so it doesn't really make a difference to me."

No doubt Heffron's college years helps fuel his passion for observation. "Being a psychology major has helped kind of propel me to keep going and find out why people do what they do," Heffron says. "I like to get inside people's heads and figure them out. If I'm getting heckled I don't want to shut some guy up with a hack line that's been used against hecklers a dozen times."

"I'll stop and talk to the guy and try to figure out what's going on to make him heckle," he continues. "Is it because I'm getting a few looks from his girl and he's insecure, or maybe he always wanted to be a comic but never made it? That's the kind of stuff I like to figure out on stage."

AN INDIFFERENT OVERACHIEVER

Lately, Heffron's been walking the line somewhere between complacency and over-achievement; he's not exactly resting on his laurels, nor is he quite striving for the pinnacle of comedic success, whatever that may be.

"I've lapped myself and accomplished all the goals I set for myself," he admits. "I've done everything that any starting comic would want. But as I've reached success, I've realized it's harder and harder at every level, like a video game."

When asked if the next level is a sitcom or a movie role, Heffron replies, "Sure, it'd be nice to have a sitcom. I always think, When I was on the road, I should've been in LA more [looking for a tv deal] but when you're getting good money, it's hard to pass up to go sit on some executive's leather couch with a water bottle and talk about how I feel and what I think.?"

Heffron's biggest strength "indifference" is also his we - Punchline Magazine

When comedian John Heffron auditioned for the NBC-TV reality show "Last Comic Standing," he didn't plan on winning. He would have been happy to merely make it to the finals so he could appear on television.

"I can think of nine times when I could have been knocked out," he said in a recent telephone interview. "I thought it was a feat in itself to make it to the final 10. Thousands and thousands of comics auditioned for it."

But the 34-year-old South Lyon native prevailed over nine other comedians to capture the coveted crown of comedy this summer. He literally was "the last comic standing."

The boyish-looking, nonchalant Heffron performs in two sold-out shows tonight at the Royal Oak Music Theater. A third show Sunday is also sold out, but tickets are available for a 9:30 p.m. Sunday show.

His winning strategy was to focus on his act and not on his competitors' performances. That, he said, came relatively easy because the show isn't conducive to the back-biting and dirty pool found in some other reality shows. On top of that, many of the comedians already knew each other.

"You compete against yourself, not the other people," he said. "Comedy is not about pitting people against other people. You have to end up working with the people on the show. The comedy world is pretty small."

The show's third season pits the cast of the first season against the cast of the second season, and again eliminates contestants individually. So far, he's still in.

"My dynasty will come to an end some time," he said, tongue in cheek. "It's a lot easier this time around. This is kind of an extra bonus. There's no pressure on me. I can just go out and perform."

Although he's been a regular on the stand-up circuit for several years, Heffron has soared to new heights since his win. He said he is "booked solid" for the next year and is performing at higher-capacity, theater-style venues compared to his old standard, comedy clubs.

To capitalize on his newfound fame, Heffron will record the Royal Oak performances on DVD and CD. He said he wanted to record the live shows near his hometown and where he established his career at the Comedy Castle in Royal Oak.

"We kind of came up with the idea at the last minute, so we're scrambling to get it together," he said. "It's the trend in comedy now. Everyone asks me at show, 'Do you have a DVD?' So I have to have one."

Heffron, who served as one of Danny Bonaduce's sidekicks for the WDRQ-FM (93.1) morning radio show in the 1990s, had gained local notoriety. But his recent fame is national.

"I get recognized walking around almost every place I go," he said. "It's pretty cool. It's funny to see the reactions. The funny ones are when someone stares at me for a while but they can't figure out how they know me. I don't say anything to them."

Heffron first took the stage at an Ann Arbor club when he was a student at Eastern Michigan University. He steadily advanced through the club circuit and has appeared on "Late Night With David Letterman" on CBS and performed in his own half-hour cable TV special show on "Comedy Central Presents." He has recorded two CDs.

With a laid-back attitude but energetic delivery, Heffron draws his humor from his own experiences.

"I talk about what era I'm going through in life at the time," he said, as well as past phases.

He discusses dating experiences as well as his relationship with his wife, whom he said has no problem with the exposure so far in their less-than 2-year bond.

"She's a big fan. It puts food on the table," he said with a laugh.

In a recent hilarious routine on "Last Comic," he talked about the silliness of adults males being obsessed with videogames that are also hobbies of 10-year-olds.

Heffron also developed a card game, "That Guy," which puts girls on a scavenger hunt for guys. He is working on a TV show based on the game.

- The Macomb Daily

Not many produce more than a few albums over the entire course of a comedy career. Check out his offerings at iTunes or Amazon, however, and you’ll note that John Heffron, still in his 30s, already has a whopping three releases to his name. What’s more, each is high-energy, instantly relatable and endearingly befuddled, and contains zero filler. There’s a reason he won the second season of Last Comic Standing and that Comedy Central and Leno have come a-calling; one having far less to do with simply being youthful and driven (he was a seasoned pro straight out of college) and more to do with his evolution into something resembling an amateur relationship psychologist. Even if he doesn’t have all the answers, it’s just as entertaining watching him make the journey.

- Las Vegas Weekly- By Julie Seabaugh (Summer 2008)

Comedian John Heffron’s fate was sealed when he was 11 years old and his mother bought him George Carlin’s “A Place for My Stuff.”

“I would listen to that thing and kind of memorize it,” Heffron said during a recent interview. “I didn’t understand some of the words — like what a shmuck was — and I would ask my mom.”

Heffron remembers listening again and again to the cassette tape. “That kind of dates me,” the 37-year-old entertainer says from his home in Los Angeles. It really would have dated Heffron if he had listened to Carlin on an eight-track tape or even a Stone Age vinyl LP.

The 1981 recording launched Heffron’s comedy career. The winner of “Last Comic Standing” performs at South Point this weekend. While he’s in town he’ll be shooting an hourlong special for Comedy Central, although his engagement at South Point won’t be part of the taping.

Heffron remembered meeting Carlin, who died last month a week after performing his final shows at the Orleans.

“It was in Hermosa Beach (Calif.) and he was getting ready for one of his specials,” Heffron said. “He was in the green room and he was going over his act. He did the entire act in the green room to himself. I’ve never seen a comic ever do that. It was pretty impressive. You see a lot of comics talking to themselves, working out a new bit. But I’ve never seen anybody do an entire act.

“The work ethic of Carlin was incredible. After he passed I went online to download ‘A Place for My Stuff.’ I hadn’t heard it in years. I didn’t realize how many albums that guy had. It’s pretty inspiring.”

Heffron’s work ethic has been impressive as well.

The Detroit native was a teenager when he became a professional comedian, paid for what he had been doing for free for years.

“I was 18,” he said. “It was at a bowling alley. They paid me 25 bucks, so I’m counting that.”

Heffron wasn’t inspired only by Carlin. He had cassettes by Bill Cosby, Eddie Murphy and others. Those cassettes sort of shaped his style. He doesn’t do one-liners. He talks about his life, tells stories. Looks for the humor in situations.

He did stand-up comedy through college and has been on the comedy circuit ever since.

“In the ’80s it was kind of like the heyday of stand-up comedy,” Heffron said. “I came in right at the end of that.”

He says he wasn’t really affected when the comic bubble burst at the end of the ’80s.

“I was still working on my craft while I was in college,” he says. “By the time I got out of college, I was performing at colleges around the country. When the comedy boom hit again, when improv started popping up all over the place, I had the legs and the conditioning for it.”

In 2004, he was the winner of the second season of “Last Comic Standing.”

“That was a tremendous boost,” Heffron said. “People still recognize me from that.”

He’s done a lot of TV, including “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno and Comedy Central.

He’s no stranger to Vegas.

“Way back in the day I was a regular at Harrah’s Improv. “I was there every couple of months.” And he sometimes worked at the Monte Carlo.

Heffron’s previous Vegas gig was a few months back when he performed at a convention, a private event held in a room that could seat 5,000 people.

“It was a huge room,” he said. “The convention was for guys who make trailer hitch balls — you know, the ball that you attach the trailer hitches to. Only like 30 guys showed up in this huge concert hall. That was the last time I was in Vegas.

“But it was a great show, though.”
- Las Vegas Sun - Summer 2008

We talk to Last Comic Standing champ John Heffron about prison posses, the college circuit and fighting Danny Bonaduce.


When we caught up with John Heffron, he’d just finished a game of Super Mario Bros. on original Nintendo. The laid-back 36-year-old is a lot like the guys you know- expect he won the first season of Last Comic Standing, just signed a sitcom development deal with ABC and was about to depart on this fall’s 18-city “Real Men of Comedy” tour with Charlie Murphy and Joe Rogan. Okay, maybe he’s not exactly like the guys you know.

Q: You’re doing the “Real Men of Comedy” tour with Charlie Murphy and Joe Rogan. How can you be sure that they’re definitely “Real Men”?

I don’t know Charlie Murphy at all. I’ve e-mailed Joe Rogan through MySpace a couple of times, and it’s funny because I’ve learned they both travel with posses, so it’s going to be kind of like jail. I better make a posse so I don’t get killed…. I’ll have to learn how to make a shank from a toothbrush in case something goes wrong in the greenroom.

Q: Assuming you survive the greenroom, what about the tour are you looking forward to?

You couldn’t pick three [more] different acts- all super funny, but Rogan’s act is completely different than mine, and mine’s completely different from Charlie Murphy’s, so it’ll be a nice potpourri. I don’t think real men have potpourri.

Q: Before Last Comic Standing you were Danny Bonaduce’s radio sidekick for six years. Is he really bat-s#!t insane or is that just a persona?

No, that’s 100 percent Danny. I had the greatest time doing radio with him… He’d pick fights on air and tell people to come down to the studio. Me and Danny used to go at it all the time… He hit me so hard once that I got a concussion, but I didn’t know I had a concussion until I went to Best Buy and bought a VCR. I brought it home, and my girlfriend at the time asked me why I bought a VCR, and I’m like, “I didn’t buy a VCR.” On the table, there was the VCR in a bag with the credit card receipt, and she’s like, “You don’t remember buying that?” and I’m like, “No.” So she took me to the hospital.

Q: You started out on the college circuit. Were some schools more fun than others?

It’s weird- the more strict or religious the school, the more those students party like crazy. When you’d walk into one of those schools, there’s be fences with barbed wire to make sure nobody got out. Then after the show, those are the people that would come up and go, “We’re going to this secret party,” and you’d go out and have one of the craziest nights of your life. Then you’d go to a big 10 university and it couldn’t be more lame.

Q: You’ve also invented a card game called the “That Guy Game.” How do you play?

It’s a game we created for bachelorette parties and divorce parties. Each card is a different kind of guy you’d find at a bar, like “Sweaty Dancer Guy,” “No Shirt and Vest Guy,” “Too Old to be There Guy.” The girls pass out the cards and try to find the real-life guy.

Q: Which guy would you be?

I’d probably be the “too old to be there guy.” If I walk into a bar and see the word “Abercrombie” twice, I know I’ve made a bad decision.
- Cracked Magazine

John Heffron is a real man.

At least he’s pretty sure he is. Why else would he be a special guest for the Real Men of Comedy Tour with Joe Rogan and Charlie Murphy set for a stop at 8pm, Oct. 13 at the Palace Theatre in Cleveland?

“You have three totally different acts.” Heffron says. Heffron gained fame as a winner on “Last Comic Standing” while Rogan hosted “Fear Factor.” Charlie Murphy, the older brother of Eddie Murphy, is well known for “Chappelle’s Show.”

“Joe is edgier, I talk about growing up and relationships, and Charlie has a lot of stories.”

Heffron is basking in his special guest status. “I’ve got the cush spot in the show. I come out, do my time, and then I can relax.”

He’s been touring a lot since “Last Comic Standing” and Heffron is happy that he’s made the leap to playing theatres. “By the end of this tour, we could play maybe in front of 30,000. So maybe at the end of it, I could have 10,000 new fans.” He also has a development deal at ABC and is pushing his new CD “The Better Half.”

The new CD explores what it is like to be newly married. “These are the kind of things that all guys need to know.”

Although he spends a decent amount of time in Los Angeles, Heffron likes getting back to his Midwest roots in Michigan. “I’m going out today and shooting some shotguns with my brother. And I’ve tipped over a few cows in my day.”

It’s easy for Heffron to figure out his long-term goal. “I never want to do manual labor.”

- North Summit Sun

What age did you start to want to be a Comedian and why?

I was into comics (well not into them that way) and I used to listen to a lot of stand up tapes back in the day: Eddie Murphy, George Carlin etc. I didn’t really know I wanted to be a comic until I went to a local comedy club and saw a HOT ASS waitress working there so I went back over and over just to see her. Then one night, I decided to get up on stage for open mic night. Never got the waitress. By the way her name was Lucy Liu (yes, the actress from Charlie’s Angles).


What is your favorite Comedy Club to perform at?

Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle in my home state of Michigan.


How was it growing up in Michigan?

I loved growing up in Michigan.


What was your worst job before you made it BIG in Comedy?

I’ve been doing comedy since I was 18. I worked at a grocery store for 5 years in high school. It was awesome- we steal shit loads of wine coolers every Friday night.


How was it to beat other great comedians and win the second season of “Last Comic Standing”?

Hey, it’s always good when you win. I don’t care what it is. I didn’t rub it in or anything. It’s not like I got one of those big ass foam “Number-one” hands and ran around at comedy clubs yelling “I’m Number One. Screw you all!”


Were you nervous when you went on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno?

No, I wasn’t nervous at all doing it. I was more nervous watching it on Tivo later that night.


Is it true you have a new CD out?

Yes… and I’m told it ROCKS. I hate everything I do but I actually really, really like this one. Now I need a few hundred thousand people to buy it. By the way it’s called “The Better Half.” Let the buying begin!


Who is your all time favorite comedian?

A guy not a lot of people know, his name is Leo Defor. I don’t even know if he does comedy anymore but when I was starting out he would make me almost piss myself.


Tell us your most memorable moment with someone in the crowd?

I’ve seen a lot on stage. Quite a few fights but the most memorable was when I saw some chick whacking a guy off under a table.


Should our KNOCKOUT models be scared to sit in the front row of your show?

NO, NO, NO. Please let them. I need something to do while I’m on stage. Although I probably wouldn’t even remember my act, I don’t think I’ve ever been on stage with a chub but hey there’s a first for everything.

- Knockout Magazine

John Heffron is a self-proclaimed martial arts nut job. He signed up for wing chun fu at age 11, which is around the same time he started wrestling. After relocating from Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Los Angeles, he sank his teeth into reality fighting and kickboxing.

Heffron’s job as a stand-up comic keeps him on the road a lot, but he’s figured out how to use that to his advantage: He visits every mixed-martial arts gym and Krav Maga studio he can find in the cities where he performs. “I travel with shinguards, a mouthpiece and my MMA gloves,” he says.

“Almost every place has a cool training camp. The only problem is that people want to spar with you and kill you. They don’t know you, so they don’t care. You have to remind them: ‘I can’t have my jaw broken. I have to talk later on.’ One time, I made the mistake of telling the guy, ‘Don’t hit me in the face.’ I swear that’s all he was trying to do. That made me start training like crazy.”

Part of Heffron’s addiction to the martial arts is buying every fighting and self-defense DVD he can get his hands on. He devours them more quickly than a teenager reads comic books. Most recently, he fell victim to the kettlebell craze and has been unable to get his mind off Fighting in the Water, a DVD about the combat training of Russian spec-ops units. “I was looking at it on my computer,” he says, “and my wife walks by and just goes, ‘No.’ I was telling everyone I’m going to start all these dojo where you walk in and you’re waist-deep in water. It’s a whole new craze.

Another purchase Heffron had to explain to his wife was his “$1,000 Tony Blauer tactical suit,” he says. “I had just told her, ‘We’re in a bit of a money crunch, so let’s not waste money.’ Then all of a sudden this big box comes in the mail, and she says, ‘What is this?’”

The storm quickly blew over, and now she likes to slip away, don the gear and strut into the living room when Heffron is watching TV. “Then we start sparring,” he says. “She’s a huge MMA fan. She knows enough of the moves, so she actually likes sparring.”

On September 28, 2006, Heffron will hit the road with Ultimate Fighting Championship color commentator Joe Rogan and comedian Charlie Murphy for the 20-city Bud Light/Maxim Real Men of Comedy Tour. After that, he’ll be knee-deep in the January 2007 TV season. Watch for him on ABC.
- Black Belt Magazine