ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Rex Havens has been entertaining audiences with his comedic stylings for the past three decades and next month, he will be bringing his show to Liberal as part of this year’s Chamber Bash festivities the evening of March 16.
As Havens tells it, comedy has been part of his life for a long time.
“I've been doing this for 30 years, and as a young person, I always had more comedy records than music records because I just loved whatever formula it was that made people laugh and make that wonderful sound. That wonderful, warm sound of a room full of laughter made me really, really happy, and it's kept me going,” Havens said. “I started going to open mic nights, I was in Chicago at that time, and you do that for the while just for the love of it, and eventually I met a bunch of people and made my way up the comedy ladder. I started in clubs, like many other comedians, and then after that, I started working for some agencies, and they started sending me out on gigs, and I also worked cruise ships for a number of years, and I would spend about 10 weeks a year doing those jobs. The cruise ships were really nice because I ultimately ended up visiting several places I might not otherwise have gone to, and there were even some times when my family got to come along.”
Before pursuing comedy, however, Havens said he had a more ‘normal’ existence.
“Like most comedians, before I officially got into comedy, I had an office job during the day, which for me wasn't that fulfilling or fun, whereas with comedy, you get to be around much more interesting people with crazier ideas you don't see in the button-down business world,” Havens said. “I ultimately ended up doing well enough in comedy that I could consider doing that full time, and my wife was wonderfully supportive – she said 'Let's make the break for a few years and see what happens,' and that was 30 years ago. Everyone has multiple funny thoughts every day, and they're fresher and newer than the thoughts you had the day before. Especially when you feel like you've had a particularly good one, you think 'I can't wait until the next time with an audience' to see how they end up reacting to it. If you're lucky, they laugh and if you're not, there might be something to tweak.”
Havens said he is very excited to come to the Southwest Kansas area and perform at this year’s Chamber Bash.
“I've loved every Kansas audience I've been in front of, the people have been so welcoming and wide open and have a warm sense of humor, so I always love performing there in Kansas,” Havens said. “Most of my material is about family life with marriage and children and all of that, and the crowds I enjoy the most have a mix of newlywed couples and couples who have been together for multiple decades, and it's great seeing how they react. I've done multiple shows in several parts of Kansas, and in the Southwest Kansas area, there was actually a show I did in Colby not too long ago, so I have been there before. And like I said before, everyone I've come across in Kansas is so warm and welcoming and have such a wonderful sense of humor, so I'm definitely excited to be back. When you hit on something that touches a lot of people, that's always the best – I can't tell you how many times I've seen couples nudge and razz each other after a certain joke or another, and it's so funny when that happens. And that's also wonderful because not only are they laughing at the joke, they're also laughing at each other and themselves.”
Havens added he hopes there will be a high community turnout for that evening.
“I saw a recent study that said the average adult only laughs 12 times a day, and I think we can improve on that for everyone at the show – we might even get in a whole week's worth. What I like to do is see if we can bring out that inner kid in everyone, because children laugh an average of 400 times a day compared to adults,” Havens said. “Somewhere in the adulting process, life takes away too much of the daily laughter we're born with, and I want to help people laugh more than they're used to. My show is family-friendly, and there's a lot of laughs to be had when it comes to love, marriage, children and family and all of that. One of my favorite jokes I tell is how my wife and I get along so well because we have the same goal – the most important thing to me is her happiness, and the most important thing to her is also her happiness, so it all works out.”
Overall, Havens said, it should be a very fun evening for everyone.
“Like for the past 30 years, I enjoy interacting with the audiences and traveling and being among the people, especially the middle part of the country. It's all about sharing a good time and sharing a good laugh,” Havens said. “It's going to be a very family-friendly show, and it'll be fun to be in the same room as all the different community leaders who make Liberal what it is. I love finding out about the experiences they bring to the table and hearing about the changes the town's gone through. Anyone wanting to find any other clips can find that on YouTube or on my Web site, rexhavens.com.”
