Comic Bruce Bruce finds the funny in everyday life

Like a good amusement park, comedian Bruce Bruce says he can offer audiences a whole lot of fun – but maybe more along the lines of an accelerated lift than a twisty-turny thrill ride.

“They can expect not a roller coaster ride,” said Bruce, who performs Friday at Century II. “You know how some comedians are up and down, up and down, up and down? … I take you up, I take you up, I take you up, and I leave you right there.”

Bruce is best known as the host of two seasons of “Comic View” on BET, but he has made a living in comedy for more than a quarter century.

That experience, he said, helps him read a crowd within about 30 seconds and decide where to take his act.

“It’s almost a vibe,” Bruce said. “I don’t have to say anything – I just feel it.”

He compared his methods to how rappers freestyle: Bruce has some riffs planned, but he also likes to improvise a bit.

As he prepares for his Wichita performance, the comedian is doing a little research.

“I’m going to find out where the hood is at; I’m going to find out where the suburb is at,” he said last week from Atlanta. “I’m going to find out where’s the hood mall; I’m going to find out the nice mall.”

While his comedy is decidedly adult – “I’m gonna get a little edgy” – it’s not vulgar. “When I do clean comedy, I get a better response or exact response as I do blue comedy,” he said.

For his Wichita show – on the heels of stops in Houston and Tulsa – audiences can expect just three or four minutes of current events. Bruce prefers to focus on the hilarity of the quotidian.

“I talk about everyday life – your grandmother getting drunk at the family reunion, your uncle getting drunk at the family reunion,” he said. “People can relate to that. Everyone can relate to that.”

Bruce, who hails from Atlanta, said he has always been funny and was the clown in just about every setting – neighborhood, church and school.

“I had a teacher say, ‘Son, you gonna be a fool your whole entire life?’ And I said, yes, ma’am, because this was me, and it worked for me, and I was comfortable and it worked – now I’m making a living doing it.”

Bruce names two uncles as his inspiration: his Uncle Paul and “Uncle Miltie.”

“Milton Berle was the man,” Bruce said. “He was quick; he was witty; he was fast; he was good at one-liners.”

Bruce said his skin is pretty thick, a must to survive in the comedy business, and notes that for an audience of 2,000 people, he can have 1,999 love him but still hear vocal dissent from that one person.

In addition to work in standup, Bruce has several film credits (“Idlewild,” “Think Like a Man”), has published a humor book (“Baby James Brown”) and has served as spokesman for Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits.

When he’s not performing or working on his act, Bruce likes to go to car shows – but with older guys, not younger ones. He likes talking with them about the cars they used to have, and it doesn’t hurt when their wives send them off with cookies and brownies.

And Bruce is usually just looking for a good time: “If I’m not having fun, I’m going to be just miserable.”

This story was originally published June 17, 2015 at 7:49 PM with the headline "Comic Bruce Bruce finds the funny in everyday life."