Louie Anderson looks to bring laughs to St. Charles this month

Comedian Louie Anderson will bring his act and a side project to St. Charles next weekend with the help of Zanies Comedy Club.

Anderson, who until just recently was the house comedian at Excalibur hotel and casino in Las Vegas, also will be doing a “Stand-Up Boot Camp” while in town with fellow comedian Kyle Cease.

Anderson spoke with this writer earlier this week from his home in Las Vegas on how to coach comedians, his new gig at Palace Station Hotel & Casino and what it's like to perform nightly in the city of sin.

What do you enjoy about performing every night for crowds in Las Vegas?

You know what's so great about it is I get people from ... Arkansas, Chicago. Just the other night, there were people from the Netherlands; there were people from Canada and from Minnesota. And those are just the people I talk to. It's amazing to me that Vegas brings everyone together, including the performer. I'm a Midwesterner at heart, so I'm always happier when Midwesterners show up for the show. They're a little smarter audience, I think.

I grew up in St. Paul, Minn., and the audiences kind of trained me. They demanded good material, and I noticed that in Chicago, too.

What do you remember about growing up in Minnesota and how does this upbringing factor into your comedic style?

It's frigidly cold, extremely warm-hearted people with a stubborn determination to outlast the cold weather every year. I mean these people are so serious about their walks in the winter, they chip the ice away from the edge [of the sidewalk]. It's the only place in the country I've noticed where sidewalks are as clean in the winter as they are in the summer. I think what it factors in is that we're people who when we do something, we do it right.

Tell me about "Larger Than Life." What are you trying to get across in your stand-up shows when you hit the road?

I'm selling pure love, you know. The love of family and the love of food and the love of not working out. All of us have to go through that maze at the airport. It's the great equalizer. I've seen them frisk ladies in their 90s. The great equalizer is we all go through life and we're all trying to get to the front of the line, and what really makes me laugh is that waiting in line is a great opportunity now to check your Facebook. It used to be that there was never anything to do when you're in line, and now you can communicate with the whole world.

What kind of comedy do you find to be most hilarious?

I watch the comics now and they're fantastic and I'm always amazed at how much is still available that feels fresh and new. ... There's nothing like a Richard Pryor special or Bill Cosby special or seeing Roseanne's first special. I mean humor is universal, that's the great thing about it.

Do you think comedy is moving into the mainstream and becoming more popular, or is it just that it's more accessible in today's world?

I think comedy is becoming one of the main channels. I think YouTube and Funny Or Die and HBO and all those and Comedy Central – I think all those places told us that comedy is just not on Thursday nights on NBC anymore. Comedy is everywhere and I think that there is going to be more and more.

The thing is, the world is getting bigger and more complex, and comedy simplifies it. Comedy is the constant equalizer; like no matter how big someone's britches get, you can take them down a couple sizes.

Tell me about "Stand-Up Boot Camp."

I joined Kyle Cease; he asked me to speak at one and then we became partners on it. It was such a fun thing to teach first of all, because I haven't done a lot of that type of stuff up until then. I just think that it's something that really feels great to be able to show people to look this way at something.

Can you really teach someone to be funny?

You know, that's the thing; I'm really not teaching people to be funny. People think they're funny already. What we try to do is help steer them in the right direction.

What do participants go through?

The first thing is comedy material. Have you written an act? The second thing is do you know how to perform your jokes? Do you have stage fright? Do you have a good stage presence? What is your view? What are you trying to say to an audience? Are you just trying to make jokes? What is your purpose behind comedy? Everyone who's successful has a point of view, something to say. We talk extensively about what people are doing everyday to help them get where they want. What we're trying to do is get you to look at things differently.

If you go

WHAT: Louie Anderson's "Larger Than Life" and "Stand-Up Boot Camp

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. July 10

WHERE: Pheasant Run Resort ballroom, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles

COST: $30

INFORMATION: www.stcharles.zanies.com, www.standupbootcamp.com