The Bert Show’s Jeff Dauler takes on stand-up comedy

The Q100 producer explains how Jeff Foxworthy inspired him to step out of the studio
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He’s been a resident wisecracker on Q100’s “The Bert Show” for 14 years, but recently Jeff Dauler has ventured out of the studio and onto the stage as a stand-up comic. In April, Dauler opened for Joel McHale as part of Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Festival in Nashville, and on June 12 he brings his budding shtick to Eddie’s Attic as part of a comedy showcase. We recently spoke with Dauler about his new track:

On how Jeff Foxworthy inspired him to try stand-up
Last fall, I was asked to induct Collective Soul’s Ed Roland into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Jeff Foxworthy was also being inducted for selling a gazillion comedy albums. We went backstage to say hi to him because my girlfriend is a fan, and [as we were leaving] he said, “I listen to the show. You’re funny.” The only thing I could think to shout after him was, “I think you’re funny, too!” Later we met for lunch, and he said, “You should do stand-up. I’ll help you.” It took a minute to process that. Finally my girlfriend said, “If Jeff Foxworthy tells you you’re funny and to get on stage and tell jokes, get on stage and tell jokes!”

On the biggest difference between stand-up and radio
[On stage], you immediately know if something is funny or not. When you’re working on-air, you have no way of knowing if the guy driving to work in Smyrna is laughing. This has been terrifying, but the trick is to have confidence in the material.

On coming up with new material
A lot of my jokes center on how I handle something new—the Fitbit, for example. When I was growing up, if someone looked fit, you asked, “How much can you bench press?” Now it’s “How many steps did you take [today]?” It’s a complete wussification of fitness. I’m also a little addicted to Instagram. Should we be happy or sad that Jesus didn’t have access to social media? I mean, how annoying would his selfies of walking on water be?

On the Calendar: On June 12, check out The Bert Show” producer’s fledgling stand-up act at this Eddie’s Attic comedy showcase.

This article originally appeared in our June 2015 issue under the headline “Hello, Dauler!”

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