HOW TO GO
What: Dave Coulier
When: Jan. 16-18. 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., Friday, 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., Saturday, and 7:30 p.m., Sunday
Where: Funny Bone Comedy Club, 1 Levee Way, Newport, Kentucky
Cost: $20
More Info: (859) 957-2000 or www.funnybonecentral.com.
Davie Coulier is best known for playing Joey Gladstone, the maturity-challenged comedian who lodged with the Tanners on the popular 1980s/90s sitcom, “Full House.” Although Coulier was a stand-up comedian before the show, and he’ll be performing in the Cincinnati area this weekend, Coulier nearly quit doing stand-up comedy for good after “Full House” was canceled in 1995.
“I was burned out,” he said. “I was co-headlining a show with Dennis Miller, and about 15 minutes into my set, I started having this internal dialogue that went, ‘You are on autopilot. You are not engaging them.’ It may have lasted only for a few seconds, but it really shook me up, scared the heck out of me. People afterward said I was hysterical, and I didn’t want to reveal to them, ‘if you only knew…”
In 1995, Coulier had a much fuller plate than most people probably realized. In addition to “Full House,” he was hosting “America’s Funniest People” and doing voice-over work for two animated series, “Muppet Babies” and “The Real Ghostbusters.” All four shows were canceled within a few months of each other. That experience followed by this epiphany onstage led him to decide to quit the business and concentrate on raising his son, who was only a few years old at the time.
“I was offered the chance to do other things,” he said. “I was offered a morning TV program in New York. I could’ve played one of Drew Carey’s friends on his show. I just saw an opportunity to spend time with my son, so I played a lot of catch in the backyard and played a lot of floor hockey. I never had a nanny or any of that Hollywood stuff you hear. I’m sure I hurt my career, and angered a lot of agents and managers who wanted me to go on to the next thing, but I got to bond with my kid in a way that a lot of parents don’t get to do. Eventually, I caught the comedy bug again, and now I’m having more fun than I ever did, and I have no idea why that is.”
Coulier’s stand-up persona isn’t terribly different from that of his “Full House” character. Audiences can expect a clean show, unlike his former co-star, Bob Saget, who is a very different funnyman away from the “Full House” set.
“I always say Bob is my filthy Jewish sister,” Coulier said. “There is no F bomb aftertaste in my shows. Anyone can come. Why clean comedy? You’ve been watching it on Letterman for years, and now you also have guys like Brian Regan and Jim Gaffigan. I’ll be doing voices, playing my harmonica, and, of course, talking about my ‘Full House’ experience. That’s always the 900-pound gorilla in the room.”
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