FUNNY FARM Zany to let his audience decide what will be funny

The humorist has found a home in radio.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Goats and puppets are what comedian Bob Zany said people should expect when he comes to town for three shows Friday and Saturday at The Funny Farm.
While in reality farm animals and dummies won't be on stage when this comedy veteran and longtime contributor of "The Zany Report" on the "Bob & amp; Tom Show," heard locally weekday mornings on WNCD.FM 93.3, comes through the area, the topic of conversation between the Los Angeles resident and his audience is anyone's guess.
"I let the audience pick," said Zany, calling from California. "I like talking with the crowd and challenging myself to come up with a joke off the top of my head."
The weekly "Zany Report" keeps Zany on his joke-writing toes. He's constantly scouring the newspapers and supermarket tabloids for anything topical that strikes his funny bone.
"I'm doing brand-new material every week, and I usually try these out on stage during the week," Zany said. "I'll get a response from the crowd, and the response from Bob and Tom could be different. There's no reading it."
Throughout his eight years on the "Bob & amp; Tom Show," there have been many clunkers that to this day confound Zany. The comedian recalled one joke that still makes him laugh.
"There was a guy who was accused of swallowing a bunch of diamonds," Zany said, "and the police said he was innocent until pooping guilty."
Funny from the start
Growing up outside of Los Angeles, Zany knew from an early age he wanted to be a standup comedian. While he had never performed for an audience, he did practice routines in front of the mirror. Eventually at the age of 15, he persuaded his father to drive him to an audition for the legendary "The Gong Show." While he wasn't gonged per se, he did receive special treatment.
"I was pulled off stage by a man dressed up as a nun with a big net," Zany said. "I think that humbles you."
Emboldened by the experience, Zany pursued comedy while in college, eventually landing a radio gig in Los Angeles, as well as honing his live show. Soon this led to working the comedy circuit and hundreds of television appearances, including guest roles on "Roseanne" and "The Drew Carey Show."
"I've been very fortunate," Zany said. "I've done everything in this business, and I've stayed under the radar, which really isn't the goal, but I have all of these things going on. I co-host the Jerry Lewis National Telethon every year and have done so for the last five years. I have a career that not many people see -- I'm not the guy they're going to snap the photo at on the red carpet -- but I keep busy."
He added, "Fame is fleeting, I know that for sure. But with the radio, people know my name. So, that's interesting. Morning radio now is more important than any TV show on the air. I think an appearance on the 'Bob & amp; Tom Show' has more affect than an appearance on 'The Tonight Show.'"