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“McDonald's doesn't call Burger King and say, ‘Knock it off.’”
Thus goes Oconomowoc funny man Chuck Hajinian's justification for his genial throwback comedy. “Myron Cohen, Rodney Dangerfield, Henny Youngman, Milton Berle—all the Jewish comics were my inspiration." he reveals. "I use their jokes in homage to them."
Hajinian will be using his Borscht Belt homage humor to aid a serious cause at “A Lake Country Celebration,” a fundraiser for the Society for Armenian Orphaned Relief (SOAR) at the Commodore in Hartland from 4-7 p.m. Sunday September 21.
“This fundraiser is to cover the cost of about 150 special needs orphans who are attending a Special Olympics at the Olympic center in Armenia for three days in May of 2026,” Hajinian explains. “For some of these kids, it is their only time traveling outside of their institution. I came up with the idea in 2018, to raise awareness and the status of Armenian Orphans in Armenian Society. The SOAR people took the idea and made it a reality.”
Poking Fun
In case his last name wasn't enough of a clue, Hajinian is Armenian, too. In repurposing bits from his funny Jewish forebears, to which he adds roughly 10% of self-written material, his act revisits the proud American tradition of poking fun at one's own people for the benefit of others outside one's own identity.
“I think people like to learn about the quirky habits of ethnic people. About 20% of my humor is Armenian; the rest could fit into most cultures, Jewish, Italian, German.” But long before he took to stages to benefit orphans, h used his shtick to ease the people he saw in his full-time work
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“In my dental practice, I would tell jokes to relax the patients. I had the joke of the day that would relax the patients,” Hajinian recalls. “I would give them the shot and they would cry, then I would tell them a joke and they would laugh.”
As might be expected of a man who attests to God telling him to aid orphans after the harrowing experience of visiting an orphanage in the Armenia capital of Yerevan, Hajinian has a theology of humor.
Laughter is a High Calling
“God wants joy in our hearts. I believe good laughter is God's echo in our souls. To me it is a high calling to make people laugh and take away their seriousness,” he proclaims.
“We only have so much time on this Earth. So what if your family, the president, your spouse aren't living up to your expectations?”
This Sunday's SOAR benefit is only one of two times in 2025 he will be plying his gift of humor for the pubic. If you catch him on the links, “I also tell jokes on the golf course, anywhere I can get people cornered.”
And for however old school his act may be, his comedic philosophy is one from which any stand-u could probably learn.
“Great comedy comes from a background of having nothing to lose. What do I have to lose if the audience does not like me or a joke bombs?”
As for SOAR? “Every dollar we raise, goes directly to some project or need of any Armenian orphan. The Armenian government wants to know how the funds are spent. SOAR has to report that information. The US government also requires tax returns. SOAR is a registered 501c3 organization and is quite transparent; on their website, they list what came in and how it was spent. When mattresses are needed, SOAR will negotiate an at or below cost price. Making sure donation dollars are stretched. Then they go back and make sure the mattresses are still there 30 days later."
This 11-minute clip from a 2019 SOAR benefit in Boston offer both an ample portion of Hajinian's act and the gravity of the purpose it serves.
