Comic James Gregory makes all generations laugh

Published 12:21 am Thursday, October 21, 2010

For more than 20 years, comedian James Gregory has been making people laugh, and he isn’t slowing down.

He’s on the road about three days a week, 46 weeks a year.

“I’ve got bills to pay. I’ve got to keep moving,” he said in a telephone interview from his home in Woodstock, Ga.

Gregory, who has been called the funniest man in America, brings his act to Dalton’s Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center Friday.

“It has been several years. But I have played Dalton before. I hope this works out well. I’d like to do it once a year,” he said.

Unlike many comedians, who begin performing in their teens or early twenties, Gregory didn’t get started in standup until he was in his 30s. Before that, he spent 10 years working as a salesman.

“Sales taught me that anytime someone is giving you part of their hard-earned money, you’ve got to deliver,” he said. “Most comedians refer to people who come to their shows as fans. I was fortunate enough to learn, because of my career in sales, that what they really are are customers. Like in any other business, they want to get their money’s worth. And like in any other business, if you give them that, you’ll have a repeat customers.”

That’s true even during tough economic times, or maybe especially during tough times.

“In rough times, people need to laugh, they need entertainment even more,” he said. “I know that when I’m having a rough time it helps me just to find a funny show on TV.”

Gregory says he bases his humor on “everyday life.”

“Like how people in this part of the country react to every tragedy by bringing a covered dish and how at a funeral we always end up gossiping about the food and who brought what than talking about the person who died,” he said.

Gregory also prides himself making people laugh without using vulgar language.

“I never have been an X-rated comedian. Earlier in my career I was a little looser with my language. I never used the big words. The big f word or the big G-D word. I would never do that. But I would throw in a damn or a hell. I don’t do that anymore,” he said. “Many nights I do shows where there are three generations. If you come to the show and bring an 8-year-old or a 14-year-old or bring your grandmother, you can all enjoy it together.”

BREAKOUT BOX: Comedian James Gregory will appear at 7:30 p.m. at the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center in Dalton. Doors open at 7 p.m. Reserved seats are $31 with general admission tickets at $27. For tickets, call the box office at (706) 272-7676 or visit from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Center is located on Dug Gap Battle Road.