Touring comedian to visit PC

By: Jessica Eshom Hampton

Posted: 2/17/10

By Jessica Eshom Hampton

After three years of doing small, sometimes unpaid shows at AA meetings, bars and nudist colonies, Geoff Keith finally got his big break. In 2006 he had the chance to work at the Sacramento Punchline Comedy Club where Pablo Francisco was also working. Pablo was impressed with Keith's show and took him on the road with him for the remainder of the year. Keith was able to entertain large crowds, meet other comedians and gain experience in the industry.

Don't be fooled though. Keith was funny from the beginning. The small crowds that did hear him were impressed. Keith recalls hearing one audience member say to another after a show, "remember that kids name." He had opportunities to change his shows up a bit to fit the format of the crowd depending on age group. Some crowds more elderly had adaptations towards starts and celebrity references of their era with whom they could relate to. Keith found the crowd thought this just as funny as the joke he was trying to originally tell.

"I got into it cause something inside me like to make strangers happy… I've had people who had a crappy week at work, they'll tell me how much they needed my show and how me making them laugh felt so great," said Keith. He was interested in basketball when he was younger but turned to comedy when his dreams of making it to the NBA didn't evolve.

Since his tour in 2006 Keith has had the opportunity to work with Ashton Kutcher and make appearances on television. He has appeared on Playboy TV's "Night Calls", Comedy Central's "Live at Gotham," CBS's "The Late Show with Craig Ferguson," ABC's "Comic's Unleashed with Byron Allen," HBO's "Down and Dirty with Jim Norton," BET's "One Mic Stand," E! Channel's "Chelsea Lately," and some others. In 2006 and 2007 he was asked to take part in some comedy festivals in Canada. He has branched out into acting, which has included the movies, "Coach Carter", "Even Money", and a pilot for MTV.

Keith, who is originally from Orange County, is what is called an autobiographical comedian. He uses funny stories from what happens in his life, sometimes exaggerating them, and when the crowd responds to them he adds more. His comedy acts have been posted all over websites online and can easily be found when his name is searched on Google. His routines cover material such as "his girlfriends first fart:", "living with a roommate who's a model", and "3 requirements to sleep with him". After his shows he talks with the crowd and has CD's available for purchase.

He has fans among the comic community as well. Johnny Loquasto, a fellow comedian says, "Even though he's younger than I am he's one of the guys I look up to…..one of my favorites."

Keith will be performing a live comedy show at Peninsula College on Thursday, February 18. This show is scheduled to take place in the pub and tickets are $10.00.