Mid-County Journal
January 20, 1993
By Steve Richardson, Staff Writer
Comedian Kathleen Madigan thinks she'll wind up going to hell. In fact, she's counting on it. Why? "Because I'll finally get to meet Madonna," she says, as the sold-out crowd at the Westport Funny Bone roars. "I do hope she goes to Heaven, though. I'm counting on her to set the curve."
Madigan was working extra hard during a recent stint at the Funny Bone -- not only because she was battling a cold, but because she had family and friends in the audience.
"You don't want to screw up in front of people you know," she jokes.
Born and raised right here in St. Louis -- Florissant, to be exact -- Madigan is one of the fastest-rising comediennes on the comedy circuit. But like most comedians, Madigan started modestly.
"I watched open-mike night one night and thought, 'I can do that,'" Madigan said. After about a year of doing open-mike nights at local clubs, a fellow comedian got her a gig opening at the South County Funny Bone in 1989. She made $50 for 10 minutes of work. "I remember thinking what easy money it was," she says.
Not long after that, Madigan left her full-time job as an editor of the Missouri Athletic Club's publication, "Cherry Diamond," and began doing stand-up for a living. She quickly became one of the most in-demand "middles" -- the industry term for the second comedian in a three-performer night of comedy.
Now, at the age of 27, Madigan is the headline act everywhere she goes. Madigan has delivered her jokes in comedy clubs across the country. She has been on such television shows as Bob Hope's "Ladies of Laughter," "Comic Strip Live," "Evening at the Improv" and "Women Of The Night III."
Madigan recently learned she was nominated for the Best Female Club Comic award at the American Comedy Awards which airs in March. She also received a nomination last year -- when she was "middling" most of the year -- but lost to Cathy Ladman.
"I don't have anything planned to say if I win because I don't think I'll win it," Madigan says. "I didn't have anything planned last year, either."
But the modest Madigan may be surprised when the envelope is opened this year. Her shows sell out regularly across the country, proving that she is one of the most popular acts around.
A byproduct of her popularity is that she is on the road a lot -- 45 weeks in 1992. But you won't hear her complaining.
"I get bored if I'm in one place too long," Madigan says. "I mean, you gotta love the job. The hours are great. I work about one hour a day, and I get to play golf all day long."
But, she said, it's always fun to come back to her home, which is now in Des Peres.
"I like being back here and seeing everybody, but I really do like traveling and visiting all the cities," she said.
Some other bits from Madigan's repertoire:
-- "The last bus I rode there were 65 people on it, and I was the last one on. As I looked around I thought, I should call 'Unsolved Mysteries' and tell them, 'Hey, I found everybody.'"
-- "Yeah, I get those maternal feelings sometimes, like when I'm laying on the couch and can't reach the remote control. I think, 'Yeah, a kid would be real nice right now.'"
-- "Don't read "Cosmopolitan" for the advice. They told me that if I want to meet a man, I should go to the Laundromat. Yeah, like I wanna be 50 and dating a guy who can't afford a dryer."
To book Kathleen Madigan for your event, contact: Richard De La Font Agency, Inc.
Professional booking inquiries only. Thank you.
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