Don't let Russ Nagel's drawl fool you.
The Louisiana born-and-bred comedian insists that unlike some of his stand-up contemporaries who also sport Southern twangs, his material is short on "Blue Collar" humor.
"The only thing in my act that's Southern is my accent. I don't talk about fishing or beating our wives or anything like that," says Nagel, who headlines through Sunday at Comedy Zone at the Plaza.
Nevertheless the longtime road comic, who moved to Las Vegas more than two years ago from his native Shreveport, La., says he is continually confronted during gigs throughout the country by a reference to his "buddy," Larry The Cable Guy, co-star of the "Blue Collar Comedy Tour."
"His tag line is 'Git-R-Done,' and he's very popular right now -- he's off the charts," Nagel, speaking at his southwest valley home, explained of the comedian. "Whether I do a punch line or if I'm doing a good job (onstage), somebody in the audience inevitably is gonna yell out, 'Git-R-Done!' "
In a twist of irony, Nagel actually worked as a cable guy, er, "service technician," prior to 1989, when he began pursuing his comedy career in earnest. "I was the cable guy long before Larry The Cable Guy even thought about being the cable guy."
His interest in comedy was piqued in the mid-'80s, after visiting a club in Shreveport with some friends. "We went in and laughed really hard and I started going every week."
In 1987, after a year spent watching other comics perform, he worked up the nerve and entered a local talent show. "I did about 10 minutes (of material), which I had no business doing 10 minutes, but I came in second."
Before long, Nagel landed a job emceeing at the local comedy club, where he worked for 18 months before taking to the road full time for gigs. Along the way, he was bestowed a nickname, "The Machine Gun of Comedy," by a club owner who was impressed by Nagel's "rapid-fire-style comedy."
"My thing is a premise, a setup and a punch line," he says of his act, explaining, "I usually try to average a laugh about every eight seconds ... People, to me, have paid to laugh and I try to make them laugh."
To achieve this, "I just talk about being married, and my kids and anything that happens in everyday life." His material also includes stories ripped from newspaper pages. "I try to find humor in a lot of the articles that I read." Among them: A story about a Florida youngster who threatened his mother with a knife after receiving "the wrong toy in his Happy Meal."
"I go, 'See, that's what's wrong with our world is people are afraid of their kids these days. I don't know how you guys were raised; I'm from south Louisiana. If I was 9 -- hell, if I was 29 -- and pulled a knife on my mom, not only would I be in my room waiting on my dad to get home, I'm pretty sure I'd be standing up because I'd have a blade broke off in the crack of my (rear end).' "
Nagel, 45, explains that his mother "was tough, and my mom's favorite saying was, 'Oh, get up, you're not hurt' " -- words he lobs at audiences whenever one of his biting punch lines appears to strike a nerve: " 'Oh, get up, you're not hurt. It's a comedy club, not a reality club.' "
"I've done that for 15 years now. People have heard that; parents have said it to their kids," he explains of the "universal" appeal of the phrase, which he had trademarked and used to title his 2-year-old comedy CD. It also adorns the T-shirts, hats and other merchandise he sells following performances. "Something, hopefully, that people will remember Russ Nagel by."
Better that than his voice. "When I first hit the road," he recalls, "I was always worried if my act would work in New York or L.A. or in Florida or in the Midwest because I was Southern, because I did have an accent."
For a time, "I actually did my best not to sound Southern because people have the concept that we're stupid ... Then, after a while, I went, 'I'm just gonna be myself and do my job and do my jokes.' "
On the road up to 42 weeks each year, Nagel says he's grown "tired of the traveling" and would prefer to perform comedy closer to home more often. "If I could get an opening spot or a guaranteed spot at a club here in Las Vegas every week, I would love to do that."
What you won't catch him doing, however, is chasing a career in Hollywood as several other Southern-bred comedians have done.
"I don't consider myself one of these guys that are ... trying to get movie stardom and TV shows -- the Larry The Cable Guy-type, or Rodney Carrington," Nagel insists. "I never got into (comedy) because of the fame; I got into it just for the fortune. I'm still waiting on that."
Out for laughs
Our sincerest apologies to Rob Sherwood, whose first name we flubbed in the April 15 column. Laugh Lines regrets the error and any confusion it may have caused.
Hearing-impaired comedian Kathy Buckley takes the stage at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Henderson Pavilion, 200 S. Green Valley Parkway. Tickets are $3 to $12; call 267-4849.
An item posted on Shecky Magazine's Web site (www.sheckymagazine.com) details an article from the Washington Times about a star-studded event scheduled to take place as part of HBO's recently announced The Comedy Festival, slated for Nov. 17 through Nov. 20 at venues within Caesars Palace and the Flamingo. Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Will Ferrell, Cameron Diaz, Ben Stiller and Ray Romano reportedly will headline "Earth To America," set to be taped Nov. 17 at Caesars Palace. It is being described as "an evening of comedy, music and message to raise awareness of issues concerning the environment."
A few programming notes: Mitch Fatel, profiled here last December, will guest tonight on "Last Call with Carson Daly" (1:30 a.m., Channel 3). Frequent Strip headliner and "Blue Collar" cohort Bill Engvall appears Tuesday on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (11:35 p.m., Channel 3). "The Ron White Show," starring the fellow "Blue Collar-er" and taped in March at Stardust, is set to debut at 8:30 p.m. Thursday on WB (Channel 21; cable channel 12).
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