{"id":27272,"date":"2015-09-15T11:44:55","date_gmt":"2015-09-15T16:44:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=27272"},"modified":"2015-09-19T00:23:44","modified_gmt":"2015-09-19T05:23:44","slug":"oxford-expat-comedian-matt-owens-returns-thursday-night-to-proud-larrys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/oxford-expat-comedian-matt-owens-returns-thursday-night-to-proud-larrys\/","title":{"rendered":"Oxford Expat Comedian Matt Owens Returns Thursday Night to Proud Larry\u2019s"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes, if you want lightning to strike, you\u2019ve got to go to the middle of a thunderstorm.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"MattOwensPoliceCar\"<\/a>When comic Matt Owens<\/strong> left Mississippi for the entertainment thunderstorm of New Orleans a few years ago, it didn\u2019t take long for the city\u2019s activity to provide his career with a happenstance jolt of energy.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the filming of the upcoming Bryan Cranston<\/strong> movie Trumbo <\/em>in November, Owens found himself performing for Cranston, John Goodman<\/strong>, Stephen Root<\/strong>, and\u2014most importantly\u2014Louis CK<\/strong> during Comedy Beast<\/strong>, a regular Tuesday night show at The Howlin\u2019 Wolf<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the show, [Louis CK] grabbed me and told me he wanted me to open for him at the Joy Theatre in November,\u201d explains Owens. \u201cI think it gave me street cred.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Such is the nature of the entertainment business, in which overnight successes are usually years in the making. Owens says that his material didn\u2019t change, but that \u201cit was just having the acknowledgement of somebody who is arguably the best comedian out there, you know?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"MattOwensPoster\"<\/a>He\u2019s since been featured at Hell Yes Fest<\/strong>, as well as playing five nights in New York City back in February. Now, the Ole Miss Theatre<\/strong> alum\u2019s upstart comedy career brings him to Proud Larry\u2019s<\/strong> this Thursday night, as part of his Mississippi-wide \u201cCrooked Hump Tour.\u201d In addition to expanding his own audience, he also seems interested in paying his success forward and taking advantage of the unprecedented comedy buzz in the area.<\/span><\/p>\n

Owens hasn\u2019t left Mississippi altogether, after all; he crosses state lines at least once a month as curator and host of a comedy show at Government Street Grocery <\/strong>in Ocean Springs. It wasn\u2019t too long ago, however, that Owens had to leave Mississippi just to get a chance to practice his sets at open mics.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI drove to Memphis for four minutes, sometimes only three minutes [of stage time],\u201d he says. \u201cYou spend half a tank of gas [driving] eighty miles from Oxford to Memphis. You go up there and tell three minutes\u2019 worth of jokes. You can\u2019t really get a gauge of whether you\u2019re any good or not, and you don\u2019t walk away from that situation going, \u2018oh comedy is amazing!\u2019 You say, \u2018oh, what am I doing?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, Owens credits these early efforts as the experiences that honed him into the comedian he is today.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my favorite things about comedy is taking something that you know in your gut is a funny concept,\u201d he reflects, \u201c[b]ut how do you communicate that? Is it a change of phrase? Is it inflection? I think that\u2019s the exciting part\u2014sort of figuring out the puzzle of it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"MattJoyTheatre\"<\/a>Now Owens has headlined the Joy Theatre<\/strong> in his own right, which he described as \u201con a different level.\u201d But that doesn\u2019t stop him from playing smaller venues in smaller markets.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt used to be comedy clubs in bigger cities,\u201d he says. \u201cThat was the thing. And then, I think that sort of idea was smashed, and people started realizing that comedy didn\u2019t have to be in the comedy club. It didn\u2019t have to be in a traditional theater.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a perfect example of [someone] who really didn\u2019t have an opportunity, who lived in areas of the country where, back in the day, you had to go to New York or LA to be a comedian, and I think things have changed now\u2026 [I]t reminds me a lot of the comedy boom of the 80s, I think it\u2019s really hot right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The tour will also take him to the Blue Canoe<\/strong> in Tupelo and Hal & Mal\u2019s<\/strong> in Jackson. Joining Owens on the tour will be another upstart Mississippi comedian, Hattiesburg\u2019s Corbin McDavitt<\/strong>. Oxford local Connor King<\/strong> will open the Proud Larry\u2019s show.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"MattOwens4\"<\/a>Playing in these smaller towns may seem something of a step backwards after success in one of the south\u2019s biggest entertainment hubs, but Owens argues for the merits of smaller scenes, particularly college towns.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA perfect example is Lafayette, Louisiana,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt\u2019s a destination comedy spot, with some of the nation\u2019s best and biggest comedians. The reason why is because the audiences there love it. Lafayette has a huge university there, so the audience is educated, they\u2019re tech-savvy, they\u2019re interested in the arts, they\u2019re interested in all these kind of things. It\u2019s a lot like Oxford.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, he\u2019s quick to sing the praises of his former hometown, and relishes the homecoming opportunity: \u201cEverything\u2019s happening in Oxford. On the map, it looks like a small town in Mississippi, but if you\u2019ve been there, you know the people that are there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt it\u2019ll be really, really funny,\u201d he says. \u201cYou should catch us both while it\u2019s cheap!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The show kicks off at 8:30 pm on Thursday, September 17 at Proud Larry\u2019s.<\/strong>\u00a0 \"The<\/a><\/span>
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