Comedy spotlight: Wild Bill Bauer

Wild

By Mike Hughes | Lansing State Journal

Published April 20, 2006

• Who: Wild Bill Bauer, with Craig Allen and Steve Lind opening.

• Where: Connxtions Comedy Club, 2900 N. East St.

• When: 8 p.m. today; 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

• Tickets: Call 482-1468. Tonight is $8 ($3 with college ID); Friday and Saturday are $12.

• More comedy: Patton Oswalt brings his "The Comedians of Comedy" tour to the Temple Club at 8 p.m. Monday; $15. See Local Music Beat, Page 17.

All about Bill

There really are times when Wild Bill Bauer isn't wild at all.

Bauer is known for his wilder mode, including his famous bit about a Russian roulette championship. People seem to know it by heart, he said. "Sometimes, I'll hear them cue the lines."

Still, he has his non-edgy moments, when he's:

• A dinner speaker. Then he even drops the "Wild" from his name. "I can work inoffensively for 30-35 minutes," he said.

• Back in Minneapolis, with the religious wing of his family.

There are seven Bauer kids, with a spectrum of professions. That includes a priest, a nun, a teacher and an engineer.

It also includes two lawyers, Bauer said. "Otherwise, I'd be the black sheep of the family."

These days, he sticks to the Midwest, but he used to drive around the country. It was in Alabama that he heard about teens holding a Russian roulette tournament - "probably the stupidest idea I ever heard."

A few minutes later, he had thought of a bit about his uncle, the Russian roulette champ.

He debuted it on radio's "Bob and Tom Show" in Indianapolis. As the show spread nationally - including 6-10 a.m. weekdays on WJXQ (106.1-FM) - it kept bringing Bauer back and replaying his bit.

"I can't buy that kind of exposure," Bauer said. "Whenever I'm in a 'Bob and Tom' town, people know me."

Bauer has found himself working in such spots as Oakes, N.D., or Detroit Lakes, Minn.

"At first, I'll wonder how they ever heard of me," he said. "Then I'll find a 'Bob and Tom' station nearby."