Tim Babb

By Tony Sauro
Record Staff Writer
November 13, 2008 6:00 AM

Times - and his comedic timing - certainly have changed for Tim Babb.

When he first tried to make a crowd laugh as a teenager, he got booed and had fruit thrown at him. Not too amusing.

Now, he's doing his stand-up routine in front of approving - and fruit-free - sell-out audiences at The Matinee in Stockton. He sold out his first show there in October 2007 and two more in May.

"The first time was at Lincoln High School," said Babb, a 31-year-old Stockton native who performs two shows Saturday at the Matinee.

"I got booed and an apple kind of whizzed past me. It was too quick for me to get a taste of it."

Undaunted, he didn't develop a distaste for potential public embarrassment.

As a junior, Babb, a 1995 Lincoln graduate, attempted to organize an outdoor talent show at school. No one signed up. So, he tried to do it all himself.

"I was famous - well, not really famous - for doing a Michael Jackson impersonation," Babb said during a telephone conversation from Culver City in Southern California, where he's now pursuing a full-time comedy career.

"I tried a couple of improv games. I tried to tell some jokes I saw Billy Crystal do on 'Comic Relief.' I don't think I did a full hour. I just think it felt like it.

"Then I took a break. I sort of shuffled away. I didn't have the perspective back then."

It took him awhile to gain it.

After studying advertising at California State University, San Jose, he became a glorified gofer and "part-time air personality" at KEZR (MIX 105-FM), a San Jose radio station.

He developed some "Weird" Al Yankovic-style song parodies that listeners liked.

Then he and a fellow employee, Sandy Stec, began trying to generate laughs during open-mic nights at Palo Alto's Rose and Crown English Club in 2002.

"Oh, it was mostly bitter stuff about my ex-girlfriend (Dynelle)," Babb said. "But since I got back together with her and married her, I don't do those jokes anymore."

He does a lot of other stuff that's "pretty lite PG," fitting the atmosphere promoter Greg Bahr, a fellow Lincoln High grad, tries to maintain during his year-old, twice-monthly Laugh Track Live series.

"Now, it's either stuff from everyday life I enjoy or find funny," said Babb, who'll be joined Saturday by Sacramento's P.H.A.T Joe and the Bay Area's Sammy Obeid. "There's nerdish humor about 'Star Trek' and comic books. There's a lot of stuff about Disneyland. I'm a huge Disneyland fan."

He's not exactly sure why there are so many people in Stockton who are so willing to laugh at him. While the Matinee's capacity is only 80 or 85, selling it out five times is serious business.

"It makes me definitely feel great," said Babb, who also does shows in Sacramento, Davis and Santa Cruz this week before coming home. "I really have no idea why that is. I don't even have a theory. There's been a segment of people I know, but tons I've never met or heard of.

"Maybe it's just people going, 'Who's this guy from Stockton? He's funny. Let me go check this guy out.' "

Babb rarely uses Stockton as a punch line, but the Los Angeles area often is a convenient target.

"I have to call attention to how drastically different it is here," Babb said of Southern California. "I love Stockton. I once did a mean-spirited Stockton joke that just didn't come off. So I stopped doing it. I can make fun of my brother (though he's an only child), but I don't want to hear you laughing at that.

"In L.A., the sort of way I look at stuff is because I'm from Stockton. I'm not from here. Stuff going on around here I take no blame for. I just comment on it. I go back to Stockton and tell people what I found. I'm just a reporter with punch lines."

Things get a lot more intense - even X-rated - during his Internet podcast.

"It's a bit of a departure from my stage act," Babb said. "It's just stream-of-consciousness between me and two old roommates. The three of us sit around and play off each other for an hour a week. People seem to like it, but it's definitely not safe for children."

Or for "the most supportive mother ever," Stockton resident Christine Babb. "I just call her mom."

Babb's raunchy repartee on TANcast has been nominated for a podcastawards.com award, he's performed at Pasadena's famed Ice House and opened shows for Yankovic, Carlos Mencia and Sinbad and has appeared briefly on NBC-TV's "Last Comic Standing."

He has bigger goals in mind.

"It's a grass-is-always-greener sort of thing," Babb said. "I'm always hoping to reach the next rung. You just need to be in front of the right person at the right time. I'd like to be the wacky neighbor on a TV sitcom and, in the off-season, go on tour doing stand-up." Without the Gallagher-style fruits and vegetable bits, however. - The Record Newspaper

Los Angeles based comedian Tim Babb is not your typical funny man, he is a bona fide smart comedian. Born and raised in Northern California, Babb began his comedy venture in high school, but admittedly “bombed” and even had fruit thrown at him while on stage. A self-proclaimed “nerd”, Babb’s routine includes cracks about his interracial nationality, his marriage to a white school teacher, and he even takes a poignant look at his own “geek-dom” with jokes about his love of everything Star Trek and Disneyland. Dissed Weekly (Erin Haight) sat down with Tim recently and it’s a good thing that I had a change of clothes because yes, he is the “pee your pants” kind of funny.

DW: Can you describe yourself without adjectives?

I am a stand up comedian living in Los Angeles. I am a man obsessed with Disney and Star Trek. I am unsure if any of the words I’ve used so far are adjectives. I am a human being. I am the walrus goo goo ga cho!

DW: Other than perhaps world domination, what are your plans for 2009?

My plans for 2009 are to get on as many stages as possible and make people laugh. Ideally I would like to do that on television as well. I’d also like to move out of my termite infested apartment. Not that I have anything against termites, per se…they just don’t make the best room mates. (Plus they have yet to chip in for rent)

DW: What are your thoughts on the latest recession victims, the big automakers?

It makes me sad to hear about some of the latest victims of the recession like the big 3 automakers. They’re in trouble. It all started when the gas prices shot up. I remember GM said they were going to stop making the Hummer because no one was buying them anymore. I know a lot of environmentalists were happy but I was a little crestfallen. If there are no more Hummers, how are the rest of us going to identify a douche bag? If the entire parking lot is filled with Priuses, how can you tell who’s an overly self important jerk and who’s just overly self important? Then there’s Mervyn’s. Mervyn’s charged me twice for the same items and then lost my payment check and then tried to charge me late fees. That company sucks and I’m glad to see them go! It’s a shame the whole economy is going down with them, but that’s a small price to pay to stick it to the man!

DW: So what nationality are you anyways?

I’m half Black and half Italian…or “Blatalian.” The best man at my wedding was also half Black. He was half Black and half Polish…or “fat.” (He is also not too happy when I tell people that.) It was cool when he was my room mate because together we were one whole Black guy…and also one whole White guy. So we’d take turns oppressing each other. Some times I’d make HIM sit in the back of the bus; sometimes he wouldn’t let ME use his drinking fountain… But every Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we both took a half day off!

DW: What led you to become a comedian?

As a kid, I used to listen to a lot of Bill Cosby, Steve Martin, and Robin Williams tapes. (for those reading this in there 20’s, tapes were what we listened to before CD’s….for those reading this under 18, CD’s are what we used to listen to before mp3’s…sweet bastard I feel old). As I grew up I just identified with comedians. I like how they can comment on the world around them with no real rules. Take George Carlin, he would talk about serious inequalities in the government and society one minute and then breakfast cereal the next. No topic is off limits! You can say what ever you want…as long as it’s funny. I think that’s what pulled me in…and what keeps me in the world of comedy.

DW: Do you consider yourself “smart”?

No I don’t really consider myself “smart.” I’m not well read. I do “know” a fair amount of things, but most of my knowledge comes from political comedians like Jon Stewart or from episodes of Star Trek. So I guess you could say I’m “smart by accident.”

DW: Are you married? Tell us a little bit about her…

I’m married to a school teacher, which is awesome! A comedian and a school teacher have gotten together to make the lowest combined salary in the history of America. Well,
until they allow a homeless guy to marry his imaginary friend…

DW: You also have a “hilariously raunchy” podcast called TAN cast, what is that all about?
TAN cast is a weird abbreviation for “Tim, Andy, & Noah do a podcast.” It’s my two old room mates and I talking about life and insulting each other. We used to all live together in what we called the “TAN-House,” but now I live in L.A, Noah lives in San Francisco, and Andy lives in Atlanta. So this was a way for us to hang out again (at least virtually) and we let other people listen in and laugh. Topics range from personal stories to movie and television reviews to social and political commentary to whatever else breezes into our sick minds. It’s certainly not “work safe.” We all have potty mouths when we get together. But it is a lot of fun to listen to 3 guys who cr - DissedWeekly.com