“Those audiences seem to like punchlines, as opposed to clubs, where you can get a little more conceptual with stuff,” he added. “For the clubs, I’ve worked up a show that goes for the jokes. People seem to like it, and that’s the main thing.”
Although he touches on adults themes, whether at land or sea, Storts’ act remains clean.
“If you’re doing dirty jokes, after about 10 minutes that’s it, you’d better stay there,” he said. “You can’t go back to whimsical or anything like that. You can’t do the blue material first. That’s just the way it is, so as I’ve gotten older I’ve stopped doing any dirty jokes.”
Storts performs at Wiley’s Comedy Niteclub through Saturday, Dec. 5. He enjoys cruise-ship work for its obvious perks — sun, fun and travel — but admits there’s nothing like the unpredictability of working in front of drinking crowds in comedy clubs.
“There’s the whole volatile thing about being in a club,” Storts said. “When guys would start talking about ‘my art’ and getting into that aspect of it, T.P. Mulrooney, a comic I know, would say, ‘Let’s never forget that you’re telling jokes to drunks in bars.’ There is that aspect to it, too.
“Let’s don’t get too high and mighty here,” he continued. “There was a point were I’d tell people on an airplane that I was a liquor salesman because that’s how it was.”
Contact contributing arts and music writer Don Thrasher at donaldthrasher8@aol.com.
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