Photo via Marz Timms
Not all comedians let people know it’s as much fun making people laugh as it is to be made to laugh. That’s but one way in which Chicago funnyman Marz Timms differs from many of his comic peers.
“Some people have resting bitch-face. I have resting smile-face,” Timms declares. He doesn’t spill specifics when he adds, “I get a lot of compliments on my smile, but it also gets me into trouble in serious situations.” But on stage, his beaming face expresses confidence that he can entertain an audience. Plus, “I feel that if the crowd sees me having fun. that will put them at ease.”
Mimms brings his grin and schtick to Milwaukee 8 p.m. Friday, January 8, headlining Milwaukee Comedy’s latest Dandy Comedy Show at Dandy-Midventurous Modern (5020 W. Vliet St.; 982-5020). He will not only bring his cheerful mug and the humor emanating from it to Dandy’s stage, but a sense of sartorial sense that speaks to the respect he has for himself and those coming to see him.
“I think you should dress like you’re worth the audience’s money,” Timms proclaims. “They worked hard and are spending money to see you perform. Most people dress up when they’re going out for dinner, drinks and entertainment. Then I look like I just rolled out of bed? I don’t think that’s fair. I’m a hip-hop kid, so I kinda mix that style with formal."
Mimms’ welcoming visage and flair for fashion wouldn’t mean as much if he didn’t elicit laughter, and he has that covered, too. As with so many in his line of work, the seeds that blossomed into stand-up success took root in childhood. He recalls of younger days in the Windy City, “I was a mischievous quiet kid. I’d sit back and watch people and make jokes in my head. My family lived in a house on the corner, and we could see everything happening in the intersection from our kitchen window. We would just sit and make fun of everyone walking down the street. It’s one of my fondest memories as a kid.”
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It took some motivation from outside his own drive to push Mimms into all the way show biz. “Like a lot of people, I had friends that would tell me I’m funny. It wasn’t until I was on stage for a few years that I considered doing it full time,” Mimms reveals. His “it,” however, isn’t only comedy. “I call myself an entertainer,” he clarifies, “because of the diversity of the things I do. You have to have a few different revenue streams in this business.” Among those other streams are the side gig of so many comedians, acting, but also commercial voiceover work and video game voicing.
One of Mimms’ most entertaining supplements to his comedy career is one that may not pay him anything other than what he earns from the monetization of his YouTube page. His Learnin' Stuff videos find him receiving firsthand education in such varied activities as dairy farming and curling (the sport, not the hair styling) as he participates in them with people already involved in them professionally. For Mimms, the experiences chronicled in these clips serve as more breaks from the comedic norm.
“A lot of times on the road, comics will stay in their room and watch TV, work on jokes,” he explains. As for Mimms, however, “I always try to get to the town I’m performing in early to drive around and get a perspective of the community and people. Then I would talk about it in my show. It personalizes the experience for the people in attendance and gives me more memories that just being on stage.” As to how he approaches those who would teach him, it couldn't be simpler: “I just walk up and ask them about it, ask if they mind if I record it, and let them know about me. A lot of times, I let them know where I’m performing, and offer them tickets to the show.”
As for those who will see Mimms at Dandy, Mimms offers, with the space’s COVID-19 precautions in mind, “Come out for some laughs, drinks, and let’s enjoy each other's presence from a distance of six feet.”
Here Timms cracks up patrons of a burlesque house in his hometown, spoofing on his dad for not going to see any of his son’s shows not at venues where scantily-clad women aren’t also on the bill—and cutting up about what people of various nationalities have in their basements...
