{"id":165515,"date":"2026-09-02T21:17:50","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T02:17:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=165515"},"modified":"2026-09-02T21:19:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T02:19:19","slug":"comedy-in-oxford-is-alive-and-kicking-roast-of-lane-kiffin-at-the-lyric-sept-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/comedy-in-oxford-is-alive-and-kicking-roast-of-lane-kiffin-at-the-lyric-sept-16\/","title":{"rendered":"Comedy in Oxford Is Alive and Kicking: Roast of Lane Kiffin at The Lyric Sept. 16"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kiffin roast pokes fun and raises funds for former Ole Miss player<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

by Allison Estes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Walt Karr<\/strong> has a serious side quest: comedy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom an early age, I\u2019ve always liked to laugh and I\u2019ve always liked to make people laugh,\u201d Karr said. \u201cFrom the first time I tried it, I was hooked. I knew that was something I wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When he\u2019s not busy with his day job, Karr performs stand-up and produces comedy events. His next project is \u201cThe Roast of Lane Kiffin\u201d<\/a><\/strong> Wednesday, September 16<\/strong> at The Lyric Oxford<\/strong>. Doors open at 6:30 pm for the 7 pm show. Admission is $25, or $40 for the balcony. The lineup includes Memphis comedians Colton Ales<\/strong>, Ryan Bush<\/strong>, and Hayden McOlgan<\/strong>, along with Oxford\u2019s own Ayric Bradley<\/strong> and Chris Green<\/strong>, with Karr hosting.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Walt Karr. Submitted photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCassius Ware gave everything he had when he wore the uniform and he\u2019s always been a champion for the university football program and the community of Oxford,\u201d Karr said. \u201cNow he\u2019s going through something much bigger than football, and we wanted to use the attention surrounding the roast to do some good and show support for Cassius and his family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the end of the day football is what brings us a lot of us together, but taking care of people in our community is more important than a football game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karr has been interested in comedy since before he could drive. But as a kid growing up in Batesville, his exposure to stand-up was limited to what was available on cassette tapes, DVDs and TV. For Karr, that amounted to comedian Jerry Clower, \u201cthe Mouth of Mississippi,\u201d Rudy Ray Moore\u2019s \u201cDolemite,\u201d and Larry the Cable Guy and the Blue Collar Comedy Tour with Bill Engvall, Ron White, and Jeff Foxworthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt used to be 30 years ago in comedy, you had to have an album,\u201d Karr said. \u201cJerry Clower at one time, and may still be, was the highest selling artist of any genre, including music, on his record label.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karr never outgrew that fascination with comedy. As an adult, he still had a hankering to try doing stand-up himself, and started looking for opportunities. Eventually he found one in Oxford: An Instagram search led him to an open mic night at Moe\u2019s Penny Bar<\/strong> on Wednesday nights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did about 60 seconds worth of really bad jokes,\u201d Karr said. \u201cAnd I got maybe one laugh. But that one laugh \u2014 I said, \u2018Ah, I like this!\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That first gig might not have gone as well as expected, but it connected him with others in the Oxford comedy scene and he continued to develop his stand-up skills at Moe\u2019s and wherever he could take the stage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe comedy scene in Oxford has been a really good place as far as opportunities, open mics, things like that,\u201d Karr said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does he get laughs now? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hope so,\u201d Karr said. \u201cI\u2019m really hard on myself, but yeah, I hope I’ve gotten a lot better. I definitely have more than 60 seconds worth of material!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karr has progressed from performing to producing shows in North Mississippi, Senatobia, and Batesville, including pop-up comedy shows. And when Moe\u2019s shelved the comedy night in favor of a music open mic night, Karr and four other local comedians got together and formed Oxford Comedy Collective<\/strong>, with the goal of expanding the comedy community in Oxford and North Mississippi. In April, they started doing shows and also offering free comedy workshops at The Powerhouse<\/strong> and the Lafayette County Arena<\/strong>. In August, the Collective had a show at Proud Larry\u2019s<\/strong>, with an open mic afterward. The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council<\/strong> has helped the Collective apply for grants, though they haven\u2019t yet received any. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s next for Karr and comedy in Oxford? Oxford Comedy Collective is producing monthly shows, and Karr said he plans to produce more shows locally \u2014 the Kiffin Roast is his latest independent production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re building a scene where we\u2019re watching it grow,\u201d Karr said. \u201cIt\u2019s already growing for us. There\u2019re new people coming to join the Collective. They\u2019re coming to hang out with us and learn more about it and take part. And that\u2019s really what we need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Collective\u2019s unofficial roster includes Jeff Adams<\/strong>, Lucian Blackbourn<\/strong>, Ayric Bradley, Chris Green, Keenen Darnell Kareem<\/strong>, Walt Karr, Connor King<\/strong>, Jake Purvis<\/strong>, Glisto Rice<\/strong>, and Shay Shuffield<\/strong>. Anyone 18 and older is welcome \u2014 to join or find out more about workshops and shows, follow Karr and Oxford Comedy Collective on Instagram at @WaltKarrComedy<\/a> and @LaughOxford<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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