A Quickie with JOHN HEFFRON

Winner of NBC’s hit reality series “Last Comic Standing,” comedian John Heffron has become the comic to watch and love. The Detroit funnyman, who Phyllis Diller referred to as “the cute one,” has won a talent contract with NBC as well as other great opportunities. When asked about his experience on the show, John said “It’s a lot like high school… there are good and bad memories, in the end, I think I will only remember the good ones.” The newly married 33-year-old comic is already seeing the payoffs. He is about to start traveling and touring for more than 7 months straight, performing in comedy clubs, colleges and theatres across the country.

John started his comedy career as a student at Eastern Michigan University, skipping night classes to perform stand-up comedy. He got his first gig as an emcee at the Main Street Comedy Showcase, located on the University of Michigan Campus. After making his way to graduation, he immediately began working in the field of his choice. He started touring the college circuit, performing at over 80 colleges a year. By that time he was already a seasoned comic with over four years of experience. The college audience related to his type of humor, which talked about his days in college, the retro music that he and his classmates listened to, and the pop rocks that he played with as a kid. This material made him a hit on college campuses where he recorded his first comedy CD, “Kid With A Cape.”

By the age of 25, John was a successful headlining comedian who decided to also put his degrees in communications and psychology to work by taking a job as radio sidekick to Danny Bonaduce on the highly rated Detroit morning show. He worked for 5 years before making his way back to Los Angeles. Since arriving in LA and making his home in Hollywood, he has made numerous television appearances including NBC’s “The Tonight Show w/ Jay Leno,” “The Late Late Show w/ Craig Kilborn,” his own half-hour “Comedy Central Presents” special, and many others. Last year he landed the lead role in the VH-1 sitcom “Smash.” The show was created by one of John’s biggest music idols, Gene Simmons from Kiss. In addition, he has also performed at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal as well as the HBO Comedy Festival in Aspen.

Also the entrepreneur, John (along with partner Joel Zimmer), created a card game called the “That Guy!,” game which put girls on a scavenger hunt for guys (www.thatguygame.com). According to InStyle, Entertainment Weekly, and Glamour magazines, it became an immediate hit when celebrities Julia Roberts, Drew Barrymore and SNL’s Rachel Dratch were spotted buying the game. Entrepreneur magazine even featured them in their Hot 100 issue in 2001. John took the idea a step further by developing a pilot based on the concept, which received a lot of industry attention. “The idea took nearly three years to come to fruition,” says John. “It was while we were both recovering from breakups that we decided to really focus in on it.”

Recently, John released his second comedy CD, “Good Kid, Bad Adult,” which is available on his website www.johnheffron.com. He is planning to record a third in the near future. With his recent television success, John is well on his way to being that guy who has his own show.

Dave Arena caught up with John for a quick phone interview.

DA: Hello.
JH: Is Dave there?

DA: This is.
JH: Hey, it's John Heffron.

DA: Hey, John. How are you doing?
JH: Good.

DA: I wanted to just get a few minutes of your time today for our online magazine, it is mostly for local comics here in Cleveland, so this interview will be from a comic's point of view.
JH: Ok, good.

DA: When did you know you wanted to be a comedian?
JH: 11 or 12 years old, around 1985.

DA: Who were your influences?
JH: Eddie Murphy, I listened to George Carlin and some Bob Newhart from my Mom.

DA: What was the progression of your career, from open mikes to headliner?
JH: I started doing open mikes at 19, then I started hosting in college for 4 or 5 years. I moved to Chicago and met Larry Miller. He told me to move to California. He said it will never be the right time financially or your act will never be good enough in your mind, but you need to just do it. I did LA for a couple years, then I moved back to Detroit when I got a radio job. I did the radio for a couple years and moved back to LA three years ago.

DA: Did you continue doing standup while on the radio?
JH: Yes, I never stopped.

DA: So, how long have you been doing stand up?
JH: Since 89, about 12 or 13 years.

DA: What were some of your career highlights before LCS?
JH: I did all the shows like the Tonight Show, I already had a half hour comedy central special.

DA: Touring Clubs?
JH: Yeah.

DA: How has Last Comic Standing helped or hurt your career?
JH: Well, it hasn't hurt. I think the biggest thing is the recognition, like kids saying remember that comic John Heffron when we were growing up?

DA: Like we did with Eddie Murphy and comics like that?
JH: Exactly.

DA: Do you have any advice for amateur comics?
JH: The best advice I can give is to breath before you start.

DA: So, take your time and focus before you start your set?
JH: Exactly.

DA: In closing, what's next for John Heffron?
JH: I'm not sure right now, I have a lot going on with Last Comic Standing season three and I'm in talks with NBC to do a show.

DA: So, you have to see where the dust settles and what comes out of it?
JH: Yeah.

DA: Well, I appreciate your time and good luck in the future.
JH: Thanks. I apologize for not being able to hook up last week when we were supposed to do this.

DA: No problem at all, I appreciate your time.
JH: Thanks.