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Nationally known comic is an Average Joe
Published 12:31pm Monday, July 23, 2012Nationally recognized comedian Chad Daniels has performed on the Late Late show with Craig Ferguson, the Masters Show in Montreal and two Conan O’Brien shows, but more Fergus Falls residents have probably seen him around town with his wife and kids.
Daniels grew up in Fergus Falls and graduated from FFHS in 1993. He attended the Fergus Falls Community College, where he said he got really good at ping pong but not much else.
After bouncing through a few jobs, Daniels did his first open mic at Acme Comedy Company in Minneapolis.
“I was pretty hooked after that,” he said.
Daniels still remembers one of the first times he was exposed to stand-up comedy. One night when he was about 12-years-old, his parents were up late watching Eddie Murphy’s stand-up comedy special, “Delirious.”
“I snuck out of my room to watch it, and I was like, ‘That’s exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life,’” he said.
Now 37-years-old, Daniels does 12 shows a month throughout the school year but cuts that number in half during the summer so he can spend more time with his kids, Olivia, 8, and Isaac, 13, and wife Jessica.
“They say behind every man is a better woman, and that has never been truer than my situation,” he said. “She has always had faith in me, and she thinks I’m funny, which is very helpful.”
Daniels has gotten a lot of comedy material from his experiences with his children, he said.
“When I mention my kids, I talk more about my parenting than them,” he said. “It’s not their actions, it’s my reactions that are always the butt of the jokes.”
Daniels doesn’t allow his kids to watch his live performances but does let them watch his late night acts on TV because the material is required to go through standards and practices before it is broadcast.
The family decided to move back to Fergus Falls in 2006 because Daniels and his wife both had roots in the area.
“What I like about Fergus Falls is that a lot of people have no idea what I do for a living, and the people who do, don’t really care,” he said. “It’s perfect.”
Daniels has no plans to leave Fergus or quit comedy any time soon, he said.
“It’s what I’m best at,” he said. “If I stop doing comedy, I would have to settle for something that I’m not as good at. I will quit when I stop having fun or if I see something happening with my kids that I need to be home for.”
Daniels’ favorite part of performing comedy is the interaction between him and the audience, he said.
“I think it’s interesting that a person can put words together in a certain order, and another person can hear it and spaz out in laughter,” he said. “I’ve seen people rocking back and forth and kicking their feet on the ground because of words.”
On June 19, Daniels released his third CD titled, “You’re the Best.” The name came from a story he tells about his rash response to a man who pointed out that Daniels could have easily ordered his burger without pickles rather than pick them off.
The CD is available on iTunes or on Daniels’ website at www.chaddaniels.com.
