Bob Zany has been a cigar smoking and whiskey swilling joke slinger for forty years. First popping up in the world of entertainment as a contestant on “The Gong Show” in 1975. The suit and the shtick came early in his career, a vintage style of writing that harkened back to the days of Don Rickles, Redd Foxx, and Rodney Dangerfield. Self-deprecating one-liners and insult jokes fly froth from his mouth like flame from a dragon’s tongue.
His career is a long road that has meandered into many facets of entertainment, leaving zany with versatile and eccentric list of accomplishments. Besides appearing on television on “The Gong Show” he has also appeared on “To Tell the Truth” in 1990; and small roles on “The Drew Carey Show” and “Roseanne.” Both comedians Zany spent his early days on the road, playing crap clubs and open-mic shows to try and pay the bills.
He has since gone on to appear on Showtime, as one of the featured performers on Billy Gardell’s showcase “Road Dogs” alongside Ben Creed, Ken Rogerson, and the late-great Tim Wilson. He was also the subject of filmmaker, Jay Kanzler’s documentary “Close But No Cigar” which featured many of Zany’s famous friends such as: Kathleen Madigan, Judd Apatow, and Todd Glass. He has also been the host of a weekly feature on “The Bob & Tom Show” called “The Zany Report.”
Zany has also been seen on film in movies like “Joe Dirt” with David Spade and Steven Soderbergh’s “The Informant” co-starring with Matt Damon. Most recently he was seen in the independent film “23 Minutes to Sunrise” (which can be found on Netflix).
Bob Zany will be performing this weekend April 23rd–25th at Laughing Derby. The show times vary with early and late shows, and tickets range from $12-$15.
