Comedian Greg Warren grew up in St. Louis where his father was a high school wrestling coach and his mother made him play clarinet in the band. He has captivated audiences with anecdotes about the conflict inherent in meshing the two disparate high school identities of varsity wrestler and band geek. Greg’s “Flute Man” bit is a perfect encapsulation of the insecurities of high school and the ongoing quest to be cool, and is one of the most requested bits in the history of the Bob & Tom Show.

During college, Greg won a comedy contest and was invited to perform at Déjà Vu, a local club in Columbia, MO. After college Greg’s job at Procter & Gamble, brought him to Cincinnati where managed the Pringles potato chip line while often driving up to Jokers in Dayton to host shows before he made the decision to become a full-time comedian. Full disclosure- I owned Jokers and Greg became a regular at Jokers and a good friend, as well. Like so many or our regulars, we heard their acts over and over and could repeat most of their act word for word. Our entire staff would mimic along when he got to his “I moved today” bit. He had another bit where he talked about going to the record store and when he was making a purchase they were asking him for info, and when they asked his street name, he replied G-Rock Greggy Greg. And to this day, that’s still how he’s listed in my phone.

G Rock and I celebrating at a wedding.

Somewhere along the line Greg went from being just another “local” comic to becoming a professional who got really funny. He was invited to attend Montreal’s prestigious Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in 2002 as one of the featured New Faces of Comedy. I felt like a proud “comedy mom” when I stood in back watching his set that night and what was the beginning of many big breaks for Greg. He toured with The Bob & Tom All Stars Comedy Tour and appeared on BET’s Coming to the Stage and on Country Music Television. Greg has continued to play clubs, appear on tv shows like Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Late Show and NBC’s Last Comic Standing.

I was also in the audience when he taped Comedy Central’s Premium Blend back in 2009:

Greg will be appearing at the Dayton Funny Bone this coming Friday through Sunday and we got to talking about it and here’s what he said:

You’ve been playing Dayton for years- what do you look forward to about this market?

Well Dayton is kind of a special place for me. I don’t think I would have become a comic without Dayton. Years ago I was living in Cincy, working in sales for Procter and Gamble. I would drive up to Miamisburg all the time to Jokers Comedy Club by the Dayton Mall to work on my act. Some of the sets were good. Some were painful. I would listen the cassette tapes on the drive back to Cincy. I gotta admit, during more than one of those drives I seriously contemplated giving it up. Somehow the sets started going smoother and the rides home were less painful.

There is something different about the Dayton crowds. Part of it is diversity. Part of it is a “blue-collar, just want to have fun, don’t take ourselves to serious” attitude. I’m a slightly different comic when I’m there. I’m not a big crowd work guy but somehow I always wind up talking to people in the crowd from the stage. They force me out of my comfort zone and I get slightly irritated and wind up having more fun than I’ve had in months.

There are always a few old people in the crowd in Dayton. I get a big kick out of them. I used to always have fun arguing with this feisty elderly lady at Jokers. It seems like there is always one of her in the crowd.

What bit of yours is most requested by crowds?

Flute Man. Hands down.

The Bob & Tom show has been good to you over the years- what’s it really like when you’re there?

I love those guys. They have been extremely good to me. I will visit them on my way to Dayton. These days when I go in, it’s a lot like hanging out with really funny friends because I am actually hanging out with really funny friends. I really try to enjoy all of them when I go in the room. I know I need to be funny but when I focus on enjoying them, the show goes better.

Besides working in the comedy clubs- what else are you working on ?

Well, I just shot a comedy special in July. We are putting the finishing touches on the editing and hopefully it will come out early next year. It’s about farming and how little I know about it.

What question do you get asked over and over again?

Who told you it was a good idea to wear that shirt?

What do you look forward to doing the most when you get back home after a road gig?

It’s pretty unexciting but sit on my couch and sleep in my bed. I like seeing my dog too. He’s technically my Dad’s dog but he goes nuts when I show up. I know everybody says their dog goes nuts when they see them but Red is on a different level with me.

Anything else you’d like to talk about:

I just got done reading a biography on The Wright Brothers. It was such a great book. I feel even closer to Dayton. I’m gonna go try and find some of the stuff from the book. By the way, you guys didn’t support ‘em at first! You called ‘em fools. The Dayton Daily News refused to write about them. The first real article was from some guy who wrote a newsletter on beekeeping!!! I forgive you for that Dayton. You called me a fool too at first. You also continue to call me a fool.

Greg Warren’s shows at the Dayton Funny Bone: