St. Paul-born comedian: ‘If I didn’t have cerebral palsy, I would just be a goofy white guy’ – TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

Josh Blue has cerebral palsy, but when he does stand-up shows, he figures everyone in the room has a disability.

We all have our own things we fear or that hold us back from whatever is normal. It can be anything from cerebral palsy to spina bifida to being afraid of butterflies whatever your hang-up is, says Blue, a St. Paul native who won TVs Last Comic Standing in 2006 and returns to his hometown for a show Sunday. Really, the more normal you are, the more disabled or awkward I find you.

The Joke Joint Comedy Club gig is also a homecoming for the 1997 Como Park Senior High School graduate, who now lives in Denver. That means his kids he has a son, 9, and a daughter, 7 get to hang out with their grandma and grandpa (Jacqueline and Walter Blue), doing family things.

But it can get awkward when Blues show gets, well, blue.

If you drop too many f-bombs in front of your mom, its weird, yeah, but she gets used to it. I got over worrying about how theyll feel about it, says Blue, 38, who says friends in the audience can be a bigger issue. They definitely go out of their way to get my goat, but it doesnt often work.

Years of experience Blue has been doing stand-up since college have sharpened his ability to deal with the unexpected, even more so since Last Comic Standing boosted the comedians profile. Calling from London, where he performed and caught a Tom Petty show at a music festival, Blue says he averages about 250 shows a year.

Im still doing what I love: making people laugh. But (the TV show) definitely opened some doors for me, says Blue, adding that increased fame has made it easier to establish a rapport with audiences. Living with a disability, I have a little less explaining to do because people know what to expect.

Blues cerebral palsy affects his speech and his movement, which some could see as a challenge in a career that depends on clarity and timing. But Blue thinks there are ways cerebral palsy actually has helped him.

If I didnt have cerebral palsy, I would just be a goofy white guy, says Blue. I dont know that I would have needed to prove myself in that way. (Cerebral palsy) definitely gave me a little push. I havent really looked too much into the psychological side of it, but people say laughter is a great way to defuse a situation and I think thats true. When audiences are laughing, they learn something about me, even without knowing it.

Off-stage, Blue considers it an important part of his mission to advocate for people with disabilities, but cerebral palsy is not the focus of his stand-up set.

The show is pretty much anything goes. I dont ever write anything down, so its always a fresh look at my perspective. Im sure Ill talk about being in London, about coming back home, Blue says. Im expecting a bunch of high school, even elementary school, friends, so I might talk some trash about Minnesota.

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St. Paul-born comedian: 'If I didn't have cerebral palsy, I would just be a goofy white guy' - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press