Rob Little Calls Milwaukee his ‘Second Home’

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Photo: Rob Little - Facebook

Rob Little

Rob Little

At best, the work comedians do before they can make showbiz their full-time occupation may provide them with some jokes. For Rob Little, his old job made him a technological trendsetter. 

“I had a cool computer teacher in high school, and he made it fun. So, I thought, ‘What the heck. Let’s give that a try,’” recalls native Michigander. “When I was in college, websites were just becoming a thing. I loved designing them and the basic HTML code was something I could understand. After college I worked for General Motors in Detroit and happened to move right next to the biggest comedy club in Michigan, Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle. When I found that, I basically lived there every night.”

Little recounts that computer programming helped kickstart his career in comedy. “I had the best and only website of all the comedians in Detroit in 1998. I remember the headliners in Detroit used to joke that they were opening for my website. Knowing how to do that created all kinds of opportunities for me. I did several comedians’ and comedy clubs’ websites. That opened so many doors comedically for me, which helped me grow and get better and better in comedy.”

Affable Humor

Little brings his affable brand of brand of humor to The Improv (20110 Lower Union St., Brookfield) for a six-show stint from Thursday June 30 to Sunday July 3. His effervescent personality and training in extemporaneity make a night witnessing his schtick like a visit to his own home. 

“I first started out in improv comedy,” he recalls. “I was in Second City Detroit, so I use that skill to play with the audience and make each show unique. It’s almost like the audience is hanging out with me at my house, and I’m just doing a private show from my pergola while everyone is sitting around having a beer and laughing their butts off,” Little offers in way of constructing a scenario for catching his act. Since his act is based on a goofy sort of cheerfulness that lands punchlines with sometimes deceptively self-deprecating ease—and makes for great crowd work, too—a chip in that upbeat veneer can make Little unexpectedly vulnerable. 

Even while recounting a recent occasion for recounting great grief, however, he can flip that into mirth. “My mom just passed away just a couple weeks ago. I was devastated, to say the least and am still having such a hard time with it. I have even broken down on stage a couple times,” Little confesses before speaking further of his and his mother's shared aspiration for him. 

 “My mom loved so much that I did stand-up. It made her a bit of a celebrity in my hometown because everyone knows everyone, and I was something everyone wanted to talk about. It has been my dream since I was five years old to do stand-up, and I think it might have been my mom’s dream for me, too. So, as hard as it is to get up and be funny right now, I just know my mom is looking down and bragging to everyone in heaven and making them watch me whether they want to or not!” 

Parental Influence 

“It was late. and my parents thought we were asleep,” Little recollects of a Mackinac Island family vacation that found him and his sister sleeping on a motel floor near their folks’ bed. “They were watching HBO, and George Carlin was doing one of his specials. I don’t remember anything about George’s special, but I can remember clear as day my parents laughing harder than I had ever seen. And right then, I knew I was going to be a comedian.” He availed himself of ample opportunities to hone his fledgling artistry at home, too. “I would try to do impressions, imitate my parents, and just say goofy things that they would nonstop laugh about,” he reminisces of his part in social gatherings his parents hosted in his youth. 

As Little prepares to make The Improv’s stage his hearth for hilarity, though, he is generous with fond memories of Milwaukee and gratitude for returning to the area. 

“I just want to thank The Improv so much for bringing me back to Milwaukee. Milwaukee was like my second home for so many years. I used to work all three clubs that were in Milwaukee: JD’s Comedy Cafe, Giggles and Jokers, and it was a dream to come back to Milwaukee every time. The people are the best. They love comedy and are so supportive. I can’t wait to see old friends and make lots of new ones at The Improv. I know there are lots of things going on in Milwaukee this time of year, but I hope you all find time to make at least one show while I’m in town.And I will do my best to bring the funny!"

Though he may not eat as much at one as he once did, since he's working on lowering his weight, Little is still game to attend any kind of party. Even as he goes on about below, those that might not necessarily be celebratory...