FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH bassist and longtime Las Vegas resident Chris Kael made his stand-up comedy debut on July 21 as part of “Punchlines & Backlines” at the world-famous Count’s Vamp’d, which is owned by History channel’s “Counting Cars” host Danny Count Koker and his wife Korie Koker.
“Punchlines & Backlines”, which is the creation of comedian and writer Courtney Cronin-Dold (Corey Taylor and Dee Snider roasts, “Wayne Brady Show”, MTV) and is co-produced by Izzy Presley (Metal Edge magazine’s “Another FN Podcast” / Monsters Of Rock Cruise),is a unique show which not only features seasoned stand-up comedians but also introduces a musician doing stand-up for the very first time.
Asked in a new interview with the “Everblack” podcast how his first stand-up comedy gig went, Kael said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “It was fun, man — it was a lot of fun. Given the opportunity to try new things… I’ve got a good friend in Craig Gass, who is on ‘The Howard Stern Show’; he does a lot of impressions and whatnot. He’s a comedian; he does professional tours all the time. And every time we’re hanging out, he’s always, like, ‘Man, you’re so funny. You should give it a shot.’ And I’m, like, ‘Ahhh. Cool. Whatever.’ But then I saw Dave Chappelle at the MGM Grand [in Las Vegas] and watched him, one person in the middle of a stage, working the entire crowd with everybody hanging on that one person’s word, and I was, like, ‘My God. That is powerful.’ I was, like, ‘I don’t know if I have that in me. Because I’m good at what I do, but I’m onstage with four of my brothers, four of my friends that can help me out if I’m having a bad day or whatever, or I’m helping them out. And we’ve got pyro, we’ve got lights, lasers, explosions, volume. Yeah, you can captivate a crowd with that. But to try the challenge of one man with one mic in the middle of a room… It was a rock club too, so it was not even a comedy room, which probably worked better for me, honestly. A rock crowd will be, like, ‘Yeah, we don’t care what you say. Let’s go.’ But I had some good feedback. Some people recited some of the jokes that I told onstage after I got offstage… I had a lot of people that told me, ‘This is your first time?’ And I’m, like, ‘Yeah, I just jumped in and did it.’ [Laughs]”
Kael went on to lament the lack of video footage of his comedy debut, saying: “I had it all set up where somebody was supposed to record the set, and some drama happened early on in the show. That person was talking to somebody else about whatever happened. So I went out on stage. And it worked — it was fun — but I guess there’s worse things than not having footage of your very first comedy show out there online.”
Asked if stand-up comedy is something that he is planning on doing again in the future, Kael said: “For sure. I’m really excited about it. I’ve got so many stories from being in this band and living this lifestyle, I’m kind of opening the door— just like I do on Instagram or whatnot. I’m this dude that lucked into this incredibly high-profile bass-playing gig in an incredibly successful hard rock/metal band. And I still feel like I’m the same dude, so I like kind of opening that door and letting people in and seeing how it is for literally getting plucked from obscurity behind a bar in Las Vegas to telling all the stories that I get to tell now from being in this band and touring around the world.”
Some other notable players who have taken the “Punchlines & Backlines” stage are Kip Winger (WINGER),Chad Stewart (FASTER PUSSYCAT),Todd Kerns (SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS) and Jason Christopher (PRONG, MINISTRY).
In the past, the show has featured headliners Craig Gass and Don Jamieson (“That Metal Show”).