On Tues. Jan. 29, Dan Cummins, Comedy Central comedian, preformed on the stage at Dana Auditorium. He kept the audience entertained with his keen sense of timing and improvisation.It’s a chilly Tuesday night, Jan. 29, the type of night students usually spend inside doing homework. However, Dan Cummins, a comedian featured on Comedy Central with his infamous “cockadoodle” routine, offered a study break in Dana Auditorium.
Cummins’ first performance on stage came by accident when his wife took him to an open-mic night at a comedy club in his hometown of Riggins, Idaho, and made him try it out. He ended up being a hit and pursued it further. He is best known for his performances on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and in Comedy Central Laugh Riots. Cummins is now secure in his career, traveling around the country to colleges and clubs as well as opening for comedian Ron White at various clubs.
Much like a teenage boy, Cummins loves video games. His favorite is Street Fighter II, and he once got lectured by his wife when she caught him butt-naked playing Tides of War for nine hours. But he’s scared of playing World of Warcraft because his friend divorced his wife when she got too addicted to the game and stopped watching the kids.
“Thanks for coming and hearing jokes from someone you’ve never heard of,” Cummins said as an introduction to his act.
During his performance, Cummins had the audience cracking up with his animated improvisation and keen sense of timing. He told jokes about different majors such as forensic biology, saying, “They should screen those classes for serial killers.” He joked that art majors would work at McDonalds after college and that they should just attach art schools to drive-thru’s.
He also talked directly to one audience member, senior art major Sam Sklover, saying that in ten years he’d be “the coolest homeless person ever”.
Cummins targeted the audience’s age by telling jokes about recent events. He made fun of “Lord of the Rings” fans, Starbucks, internet stalkers, and restaurant slogans.
He said that he wants to open a restaurant called “Dirty Dan’s” and serve meat balls and tea so he can have the slogan, “If you don’t like the taste of our balls at least you’ll get a tea bag.”
“He has this great timing that you do not see in comedians nowadays,” said first-year Natalie Streiter.
First-year Louisa Casanave thought that Cummins is a rare kind of comedian. “Dane Cook has a frat boy humor while Dan Cummins is the complete opposite,” Casanave said. “He has a really specific kind of humor.”
Cummins also had some simple advice on becoming a working comedian. “Stay motivated and patient,” he said. “Even really popular comedians like Dane Cook took years to get where they are.”
After the show, the comedian talked to the audience and sold “Squirrelador: Half Squirrel, Half Labrador” shirts advertising his website.
“If you haven’t had a good time, that’s alright,” Cummins said. “Blame yourself.