THUNDER BAY -- Kevin Nealon says comedians who give up stand-up were probably never in love with the craft in the first place.
He’s not planning on giving it up anytime soon.
Nealon, the former Saturday Night Live Weekend Update anchor, possibly best known for playing Franz – of Hans and Franz fame – or Mr. Subliminal, is set to jump on stage Thursday night at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium along with fellow SNL alumnus and renowned golf tweeter Norm Macdonald.
“It’s getting less and less where I go on the road,” said Nealon, who does most of his stand-up in and around his adopted home town of Los Angeles, while being driving around Thunder Bay, the first stop on the comedians’ brief tour.
“But I rarely stopped doing it … For me it’s something I have a passion for.”
It would have been easy for the 62-year-old Nealon to walk away.
The St. Louis-born actor joined SNL in 1986 and spent nine seasons in the cast.
It was just a stepping stone that led him to the silver screen, where he joined forces with another Saturday Night Live legend, Adam Sandler, starring in several Happy Madisen-produced films, including The Wedding Singer, Little Nicky, Eight Crazy Nights and Anger Management.
Nealon also had a starring role in the hit Showtime series Weeds, in which he played Doug Wilson, an accountant and city councilman in the fictional California town of Agrestic .
Weeds concluded its eight-year run four years ago, but Nealon has kept busy.
“I just shot a pilot for NBC,” he said. “I co-starred in it with Elizabeth Perkins, who was also in Weeds.”
The as-yet-untitled royal family comedy, in which Nealon plays the hapless father King Adrian (according to deadline.com) features executive producer Amy Poehler, yet another former SNL cast member. He’s also working on a movie, The Pleaser, a self-penned screenplay about the awkward situation he and his wife were put in through his people-pleasing ways.
Joining forces with Macdonald on a comedy was a pretty easy decision to make, he said, adding the Saturday Night Live roots run deep.
“We decided to pair up because it’s kind of an SNL theme, the type of thing that people know us for,” Nealon said.
Anything’s fair game during the show – though both comedians will perform separately.
“The topics are very wide ranging,” he said, promising the name Donald Trump will most definitely come up during the show. “Most of the material we’re working on right now.”
Tickets for tonight's show are on sale at the Auditorium box office. Showtime is 8 p.m.
