PHOTO PROVIDED Stand-up comedian Brian Regan will perform at 7:30pm on Sunday at the Community Arts Center.

When he was an aspiring comedian, Brian Regan used to carry a pen and paper everywhere he went, making sure to write down any funny observations or situations that might make for good material in his stand-up routine. Decades later, not too much has changed. Sure, Regan’s notepad is now on his phone, but he’s still always looking for the next bit of inspiration to jump out at him.

“I go around life with a red wagon that I pull behind me” Regan said playfully. “If I see something funny, I put it in the cart.”

Regan’s unique point of view, gift for self-deprecation and goofy demeanor have made him a master of his craft for the past 40 years. Beloved by fans and fellow comedians alike, Regan’s career has seen him perform to packed audiences in some of the world’s most famous venues and release eight comedy specials. His last two attempts – “Nunchucks and Flamethrowers” (2017) and “On the Rocks” (2021) — can both be streamed on Netflix, along with the TV series “Loudermilk,” which he participates in.

Stand-up fans in the area will get a chance to experience Regan’s legendary act firsthand this weekend, when he performs at 7:30pm on Sunday at the Community Arts Center, 220 West Fourth Street.

In a recent Q&A, Regan spoke with the Sun-Gazette about his long career, when he was labeled a “clean” comedians, performing for tough audiences and much more.

SG: When did you first realize you were good at making people laugh?

Regan: I used to love making my dad laugh. My dad had a wonderful sense of humor and if you made him laugh, he would laugh in a way that was like – I had never seen anyone who would laugh like my dad. He would literally do physical swings and stuff. It was a very, very pleasing experience to make my dad laugh, so those are probably my earliest memories of making someone laugh.

SG: When did you first do comedy and how did it go?

Regan: There are a number of firsts, if you will. It’s a little hard to say. I used to MC college activities. Like, one time they asked me to host a game show, and I was the MC for a game show. I was funny, but I didn’t do stand-up per se. The first time I remember saying, “Hey, I’m going to do stand-up comedy,” it didn’t go well. It was in college and I did it at the college bar, and a bunch of friends and teachers and stuff came out. It’s a different animal. When you say you’re going to be funny, it’s different than just being on a mic and happening to be funny. I remember learning the difference that night.

SG: Were you immediately comfortable on stage or is it something that took time?

Regan: It took me a while to get comfortable on stage. The comedy club where I started was in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and I remember being very nervous and scared the first time I went up. Then I was nervous every time I went on stage for a long time. I remember being nine months into it and standing next to the stage as I was being introduced and thinking to myself, “This feeling is petrifying me. Why am I doing this? I don’t have to do this. All I have to do is walk out of this place and get in a car and go home. But obviously there’s something in there which I am looking for.”

SG: When did you start thinking you could make a career out of comedy?

Regan: The club where I started, I worked there as a dishwasher and busboy when I was trying to get into comedy. They let me go on stage and do time. Little by little I became more comfortable. I probably had about a year of doing it almost every night when I started thinking, “Okay, maybe. Maybe this could be something I do for the rest of my life.”

SG: What do you think is the most rewarding aspect of doing stand-up for a living?

Regan: That’s fun. I am lucky to be able to do something that I find fun for a living. I feel like I have the ultimate scam going on, because now I enjoy doing it so much I’d pay to do it. Like, the show is over and I feel like I should sit down and give someone money; but they give me money. i’m like, “Someone is a bad negotiator because I would pay to do this and somehow they give me the check.”

SG: How does it feel to hear one of your jokes get a big pop from the audience?

Regan: The feeling is always strong. Thinking of something in your head and saying it in front of people and making them laugh means you are communicating and on the same wavelength. It’s an awesome experience. One thing I like about comedy is that people rarely fake a laugh. People will applaud when they don’t like things, but people won’t laugh when they don’t think it’s funny. So when you make someone laugh, you know you’re having an honest interaction.

SG: Do you think being labeled as one “clean” has the comedian opened you up to more opportunities that wouldn’t have been there otherwise, or given you more challenges?

Regan: It’s a double-edged sword. I don’t work the way I do to try to attract an audience; I do it because I enjoy it. I don’t like to promote the fact that I’m clean because I don’t want people to tell “Oh, I don’t want to go meet some super hot comedian.” If they came and saw me and didn’t even think about whether I was clean or not, maybe they would have fun and think I’m funny. But once you put that word in there, there’s a connotation associated with the word “clean.” That’s why I never use it on my campaign materials. In fact, I showed up at a comedy club once and they had my name on the marquee and it said “good, pure fun” during it, and I said, “You must remove it immediately.” They said, “Why?” I told them, “It probably turns away more people than you bring in.” It’s like just saying I’m funny. Don’t say I am “clean” funny.

I use this example sometimes: The Beatles are pure — all their music is pure. But if you were to just promote them as “pure music” then people would say “I don’t want to see this.” But if you went and saw them, you would say: “Wow, these guys are pretty darn good.”

SG: Do you remember the last time you bombed on stage?

Regan: It wasn’t that long ago. I was in a city – Pittsburgh, I think – and I did my show and it went really well, and we found out there was a bar that had an open mic night. So we go to this bar that has a microphone in the corner, and people were talking and drinking, and I wanted to do a set. So I went on stage and tried to relive what it’s like to perform for audiences that aren’t that great, and I absolutely bombed. It was actually a fun experience. It was like, “Wow, no one is amused by this.” It was only a few weeks ago.

SG: Can you get a feel for how good the crowd is going to be before you go on stage?

Regan: It’s usually just one other artist and then me, and the other artist is the one who introduces me. So I get to watch the audience laugh at the other comedian to get a feel for it. Sometimes it doesn’t quite translate and sometimes it does. Sometimes the crowd is good to the opener and they’re good to me too, and sometimes they don’t bite the opener so much. But I try not to get a negative feeling before I go on stage, because sometimes they turn.

SG: Do comedians enjoy the challenge of taking on a tough crowd?

Regan: I’m sure there are comedians who feel like, “I’m the guy who can turn this around.” But then there are also comedians who would rather go on stage to what seems like a pretty good crowd — I mean, that’s my preference.

That place I bombed, I remember thinking, “This is a challenge.” Because there were other comedians who had already been on stage who didn’t get anything. I thought, “I have some skills at this, let me see if I can turn this crowd.” I couldn’t.

SG: Once you get the inspiration for a joke, how do you go about writing it?

Regan: You get your first idea and then you put some scaffolding around it, and you come up with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Then you try it on stage, and when you’re on stage sometimes you hone it while you’re up there saying it, based on the reaction you get.

SG: Where in your set do you like to pin your latest material?

Regan: I try to stick it in the middle and book it. I usually try to come on stage with a joke that will get the audience going. Then, once I have them, I’ll try to throw in some new stuff. You try to book with something strong before it and something strong after it, and if it doesn’t work, that’s okay. Crowds will give you a foul ball; they are okay with foul balls. But if you meet too many of them, they start to lose interest.

SG: How is comedy different for up-and-coming comedians today compared to when you first started?

Regan: If I was young and tried to start right now, I don’t know if I could ever negotiate the way you have to do it today. When I started, comedy clubs were just starting to open around the country and most of them had open mic nights. So I knew how you would try to get into comedy when I started. Now it’s so different, and I don’t know if it’s harder or not. I wouldn’t want to start in today’s world.

SG: Besides being funny, what are some qualities that all the best comedians have in common?

Regan: We’re all incredibly handsome. Sometimes I forget how pretty I am, and I go to a mirror and go, “Oops, maybe that’s what the audience is into.”

One of the things we all have in common is the strong will within us to make this happen. Because there are many bad experiences along the way. You’re going to have a lot of bad shows when you start out. If you don’t have the stamina and fire within you to work through the tough nights, then you won’t make it. There’s a camaraderie between us because we all know that we have that willingness to go through the experiences you have to go through to get good at it.