DEL MAR – In the secular world, the topics of sex and politics are rich sources of humor, but a Christian comic has to come up with a set that can be said in church.
Bill Smiley, one of seven comedians at this weekend's Spirit West Coast Christian music festival, said the effort has made him a better entertainer.
“I've done clubs and, to me, tellin' jokes to people who have been drinking is like shootin' fish in a barrel,” said Smiley from his home in Texas. “When they are a sober church crowd, it makes it tougher. Everyone has their own idea of what's funny and what's Christian. I just get up there with all these stories I want to talk about.”
A fast talker with a Southern drawl, Smiley exudes the energy of a revival meeting and talks with a good ol' boy accent. Most of his material is inspired by real-life experiences.
He said one of his funniest routines is relating the time he rode in a crowded elevator with a gift he was about to deliver to new parents – a Talking Elmo doll packed tightly in his backpack. One of the people in the elevator reeked with an offensive odor, making the already claustrophobic ride more uncomfortable.
DATEBOOK
Spirit West Coast '06
1 p.m. tomorrow, 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday; Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar;
$32 to $52, free for ages 5 and under; (831) 443-5399 or spiritwestcoast.org
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When Smiley pressed into the back wall of the elevator, the Talking Elmo doll's voice mechanism went off, repeatedly saying “I love you.” The startled sardine-packed folks turned to Smiley, who broke the tension by mouthing the doll's expression of endearment.
Then, there was the time he performed a show in Las Vegas. He and his wife checked into a hotel and one of them grabbed for the mint on the pillow. The mint turned out to be a cockroach and Smiley made the experience part of the act.
“True story, it was the biggest cockroach I had ever seen. On stage, I say I threw my shoe at it and he put it on.”
The first time Smiley did stand-up was at a comedy competition in college. He had every intention of becoming a teacher. His father was a superintendent, his mother a retired school principal, and Smiley had earned a degree in elementary education.
“I did the competition for money, I never wanted to be a comic,” he said. “I was going to start teaching, that was my plan.”
The plan went out the window when the tour manager for Christian recording artist Clay Crosse called. He had attended the same college as Smiley and saw him perform. Crosse wanted an MC to tour with him and entertain between shows.
More offers followed, such as an opportunity to join the 1996 “Take Me to Your Leader” tour, the No. 1 Christian music tour that year.
“It was with newsboys and Third Day. All of a sudden, I was standing in front of 5,000 people a night telling jokes. Youth leaders were coming up to me after the show and saying, 'You were really funny, can you do an hour show for us?' It was far from what I thought my life would be, but it turned into a career.”
Smiley has performed at every Spirit festival, a Christian-themed music extravaganza that returns to the Del Mar Fairgrounds tomorrow through Sunday. The event includes a lineup of comedians, children's activities and more than two-dozen recording acts.
Marcia Manna covers North County arts and entertainment for the Union-Tribune.
