Brian Regan on fatherhood, college football, empty stages and private jet captains

The Deseret News recently spoke via telephone with comedian Brian Regan, who will perform the first of 10 shows at Salt Lake City's Abravanel Hall on Jan. 18. Regan talked about everything from fatherhood to his college football career to why jokes about limousines and private jet captains aren't funny. He also explains why he tries to be more than just a "clean" comic. After all, an empty stage is clean, he says. Read the story here.

The following is a transcript of the majority of the phone interview:

Deseret News: Are you thinking of buying a house out here in Salt Lake? You're going to be here long enough.

Brian Regan: A lot of friends of mine who are from Florida, and that's where I grew up, are looking at my web page and saying, "What the heck is going on there in Salt Lake City, Brian?" It might not be a bad idea. I haven't looked into buying a home there yet, but I'm certainly flattered to be able to spend some time there.

How unusual is it to be doing 10 shows in one stop?

Oh, it's very unusual. I could lie and try to suggest that this happens everywhere. "Oh, it's always 10, 15 shows that I'm adding. It doesn't matter where I go, whether it's Des Moines, Iowa, or …"

No, it's definitely something that's unusual, but I'm quite honored to be able to have enough of a following there to be able to warrant it. But … listen, in addition to counting the shows I'm counting the goose bumps I have as a result of it.

Do you consider yourself to have a significant following here compared with elsewhere?

Oh, yeah. I don't want to sell myself short. I'm fortunate to have a following throughout the country. It might not be quite as avid as in the Salt Lake City and surrounding areas. But I do OK in a number of places around the country. Salt Lake City and all of Utah, obviously it's a tad stronger. So it's interesting to me. I love doing stand-up and I love when anybody else seems to take a liking to what I do. But, clearly, 10 shows is unusual.

You've spent some time here and you've seen the reaction from some audiences; why do you think your comedy resonates so much?