They don’t call him the Rural Genius for nothing.

Behind his warm, boyish smile and polite Midwestern charm lies a comedic mastermind who is more than well-poised to redefine the concept of ‘southern-style’ comedy.

A nineteen-year veteran of the comedy world, James Johann began his career in 1991 performing stand-up in Kansas City.  His sometimes intimately-personal and usually self-deprecating brand of humor gave him a niche in an industry which, at the time, found itself struggling to capture audiences in a market flooded with what some considered to be mediocre comics.

“That’s my fault,” Johann jests.  “When I started, political comedians weren’t as rampant as they have become these days.  I think now with guys like Bill Mahr and Jon Stewart and others it’s more fashionable to put your political views out there.”

But political wasn’t always so fashionable, particularly in the early 1990’s.

“Everyone was doing Crocodile Hunter, talking about fast food and twisting up balloon poodles or whatever. So, I just kind of stayed away from it from the beginning.”

Sticking to the comedy basics was certainly a recipe for success for Johann, who eventually found himself a cozy little spot performing with Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy in their national blue-collar comedy tours.  In 2003, Johann was featured on the Paying for the New Trailer tour along with Foxworthy as well and went on to be a key part of The Slackers Tour, a national tour from one of the producers of The Blue Collar Comedy Tour, from 2005 to 2007.

I asked Johann if he finds himself pigeon-holed by his blue-collar brand of humor.

“That style of comedy is very polarized. You either really like that style or you really don’t. There’s not a lot of middle ground. The hard part is that people who don’t like ‘redneck’ or ‘southern’ style humor also tend to look down on it. Its comedy for the unwashed masses and anyone who deems themselves intellectually superior to it takes a very dim view of it. It almost induces a sickening feeling in certain comedians. And that’s fine. I’ve come to the conclusion that there is room for all of us, from the bright and shiny antics of Carrot-Top to the arcane references of Dennis Miller’s rants. I just think funny comes in many different packages. Someone may not be your cup of tea, and that’s fine.”

Johann’s success with the Blue Collar Comedy Tour eventually led to the incarnation of his “Rural Genius” persona, a concept which he’d long been formulating well before working the ‘redneck’ route.  Fortunately for Johann, he didn’t have to look far for inspiration.

“I always thought it would be funny to have some redneck know-it-all telling his point of view no matter how asinine it was. I have family like that and I think I’ve nailed the premise pretty well so far, but it’s still developing. I sent this idea with a list of other ideas that I thought made me stand out a little and that is the one the management latched on to. At first I was really uncomfortable with it because I didn’t know if it was supposed to be a “character” or what and I struggled with how to present it. But more and more, I’m seeing that it’s just – me. I’m a guy from a small Midwest town and I think I’m smarter than I am sometimes. So really it has the potential to be a stupid or as sophisticated as I want it to be and I like that flexibility. I can make a Descartes reference and do a fart joke in the same breath and its not really breaking any rules of the persona. Plus, it’s something that people do remember, which is really the whole point.”

Johann has always had a natural inclination towards comedy, as he recounts his earliest attempts to win over a crowd.

“In kindergarten I dressed as a clown for the talent show,” Johann recalls. “I pulled a red wagon full of props onto the stage. I took out a rubber duck and threw it at the crowd as I yelled ‘DUCK!’ So, I’m guessing the desire has been there since I was that young. Yes, I think I always wanted to be a comedian. They seemed like the best kind of people.”

James Johann prepares dinner for guests of the AstraZeneca Hope Lodge Center in Boston

And the best kind of people they often are.  In June 2009, James Johann, along with eight other nationally-known comedians, brought their humor and heart to Boston, MA for the first-ever Comics Against Cancer show, a comedy benefit to raise funds and awareness for the American Cancer Society’s signature event, Relay For Life.  Johann and his cohorts not only performed pro-bono for the Boston crowd, but also gathered at the AstraZeneca Hope Lodge Center in Boston to prepare and serve an Italian-style dinner for the Lodge’s guests, cancer patients who are currently undergoing treatment in the city along with their caregivers.  It was an event that was particularly close to Johann’s heart.

“My mother died of cancer in the early 90’s and even though I have done benefits for all kinds of things, the fight against cancer is a personal one for me. It’s a dreadful disease and anything I can do to help eradicate it is worth the time,” explains Johann.  “Being invited back to Boston, where I lived for 3 years, was a treat in itself. I love that city and the whole East Coast vibe. Even if they do drive like (M)assholes. I miss living there and I’d come back anytime.”

Johann’s focus is not always on the lighter side of life, however.  When he’s not eliciting mass amounts of belly-laughs from his audiences he can often be found doing the other thing he loves to do – writing.  Citing such influences as Cervantes, Salinger, Kerouac, Johann happily provides a glimpse into his literary side.

“I was recently delighted to hear one of my favorite modern writers, Christopher Hitchens, make a comment about my all time literal hero, Vladimir Nabokov. Hitchens was asked why he hadn’t done a work about Nabokov, as he too is a huge admirer and Hitchen’s replied that he “just wasn’t ready yet”. And this is coming from someone who is immensely talented himself and yet still admits that he is probably not up to the task of doing justice to a writer like Nabokov. Nabokov’s work is astoundingly beautiful and tricky. And there’s a gem in nearly every line. This is made doubly impressive by the fact that he’s not even writing in his native Russian tongue. I could go on and on about him.”

Johann's debut comedy CD

But where would he find the time to? Johann is not only currently hard at work putting the finishing touches on his new comedy album – one that will feature both standup as well another passion of James’ – music.

“I’m hoping to collaborate with a couple of people, including a fantastic singer/songwriter named Kristie Stremel (www.KristieStremel.com) who can hopefully add some really cool music to my goofy lyrics, which can’t help but be a good combination.”

Johann also has a book in the works, tentatively titled, “The Sweltering Misadventures of a Mediocre Liar”, which promises to show readers the not-so-rural side of Johann.

“Hopefully, the book will have very little to do with ‘Rural Genius’. That’s a shadow I’m still getting used to walking with. But ideally it will be something along the lines of Woody Allen’s ‘Without Feathers’ which is an incredibly funny book. I can only hope to come close to that. As far as when, I really couldn’t say. My muse is fickle.”

And just what advice would James Johann offer to aspiring comics hoping to follow in his footsteps?

“A couple lines from Bob Dylan may apply here: ‘If you don’t think there’s a price for this sweet Paradise, just remind me to show you the scars.’  ‘Sacrifice is the code of the road.’ But perhaps AC/DC put it best: ‘It’s a long way to the top if you wanna Rock N Roll.’

But I would give the same advice that I was given by Kansas City comic David Naster who signed my first-ever official autograph and who is a great comic in his own right. On a bar napkin he wrote the most sage advice you can get: Go be funny. Thanks David! And thank you Angela!!”

You can catch James Johann performing live at Crackers in Indianapolis from December 9–12, or at the Looney Bin in Little Rock, Arkansas from November 25-29.

James Johann on the Late Show with Craig Ferguson 1/25/08

Also check out http://www.cmt.com/videos/misc/314624/rural-genius-steroids.jhtml?id=1600624 for the latest Rural Genius clip!

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