Mike Adams: old pro, fresh mix

January 15, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

On the surface, “Every day above ground is a good day” sounds like some new-age mantra spoken by a ponytailed dude trying to sell you his new self-help book.

However, fans of comedic musician Mike “Mad Dog” Adams can attest the only thing this funnyman is trying to sell you on is life. You can find out for yourself when the Put-in-Bay regular returns to the Mahoning Valley for Friday and Saturday shows at the Funny Farm comedy club’s room at Crest Lanes in Warren.

As far as what Adams, who describes himself as a singer-songwriter, comedian, barroom philosopher, musician, promoter and agent, will be doing on stage, that’s anyone’s guess.

“It’s always difficult to decide what kind of a show to do,” said Adams, who owns homes in both East Harbor and Cleveland. “Youngstown has always been really good for me. That whole East Liverpool and Sharon area, I’ve been playing there for years and always had good crowds.

“Some of them like the Put-in-Bay shtick I do, and some like the stand-up comedy. I’ll definitely do some of the standard routines I’m known for, like ‘Every Day Above Ground’ and ‘The Ziggy Zaggy.’ I’ll always have a couple of songs that I change up. And I’ll always have some new stuff or whatever’s in the news.”

Discussing comedy with the veteran Adams is like talking to an old bluesman who invariably has a story for every topic. Like, for instance, the time he landed in Eagle River, Alaska, playing an establishment that was equal parts comedy club, Chinese restaurant and bowling alley.

“It has to be the only one in America, but I played it three times,” Adams said, laughing.

Then there’s his aforementioned routine “The Ziggy Zaggy,” which he stumbled upon one night in 1989 at a gig in Victoria, British Columbia.

“We had a big crowd there, and this drunk guy comes up saying he wants to do a toast,” Adams said. “It’s always that one guy who wants to [screw] things up. He said people will love it and kind of bartered his way on stage and up to the microphone.

“He then yells out this social thing, and the whole crowd stops what they were doing and goes nuts. I’m like, ‘Oh I’m doing this. I’m taking this.’ It turned out to be an old soccer chant.”

Therein lies the appeal of Adams, who upon first glance looks like a shot-and-a-beer kind of guy (not that he isn’t) but presents a live show that’s as equally diverse as it is funny.

“Essentially, the show is about having fun,” Adams said. “My art is entertaining. I do a little bit of everything. I don’t do any one thing great, but I do it all pretty good. There’s a lot more to make it look like a simple silly little act. It takes a lot of work.

“The real essential part of what I’m doing is ‘Every Day Above Ground Is a Good Day.’ I’ve been doing that since the early ’80s. I really want people to come in there and go, ‘Yeah, he’s right. This [expletive] is right. Any day above ground is a good day. I’m going to have a good time and enjoy myself. And for a few hours everything is OK.”