Just try to get a straight answer out of Mike Pace. I dare you. The self-described 400-year-old comedian has been in the business for 22 years and has held the stage with the likes of Seinfeld producer Larry David on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm among other notable comedians and accomplished folks.

Pace admits to being influenced by the great comedic legends – the late Johnny Carson, the Three Stooges, Mark’s Brothers – but his real training ground was likely the Catholic school system that nurtured his smart-ass personality from as far back as he can remember.

“Catholic school was oppressive and hypocritical,” Pace dryly recalls. “Although it did help my improvisational skills; you learn to lie on your feet real quick.”

That said, Pace claims his act is nearly 100 percent true – real-live stories drawn from experiences with family, friends and life’s highly identifiable cookie-cutter characters whose antics strike the funny bone in all of us.

“I’m sure I’ll tell a few Tahoe jokes,” Pace says of his upcoming Tuesday night performance at the Crystal Bay Club, “but no one crowd is that unique anymore. Everyone watches the same things on TV, everyone listens to the same stuff, everyone laughs at the same things.”

Think of it as appealing to the universal quality of human nature.

Pace keeps his crowds in stitches with animated impersonations and a sharp wit; after all he wouldn’t even be in comedy if it wasn’t for the fact that he had “no other skills except being a smart ass.”

And it’s probable he’ll stay in comedy forever, despite the “planes, trains and automobiles” that can make the business a drag. In addition to his Tuesday show in Tahoe, come November he’ll be taking to the friendly skies to lighten the spirits of troops in Iraq for one whole week, where it’s likely he’ll express what he loves most about being an American and a comedian - “the freedom to say whatever I want and the ability to tell people the government is full of s***.”

Want to check out the whole interview? Read below, the uncut version.

tahoe.com: So Mike how long have you been doing this comedy thing?
Mike: 22 years.

tahoe.com: What got you into it?
Mike: I have no other skills except being a smart ass.

tahoe.com: How do you think you’ll ever get out of it?
Mike: I’ll never completely get out of it.

tahoe.com: What’s the hardest thing about the line of work?
Mike: Traveling. You’re finding it out right now, rude people planes, trains and automobiles.

tahoe.com: How do you handle hecklers on stage?
Mike: I keep talking til they bury themselves. They’re generally not smart people.

tahoe.com: Have you ever been embarrassed onstage?
Mike: No.

tahoe.com: Highlight on stage you’ve already had?
Mike: Shows when people come up afterward and say thank me for the show and say how much they really needed to laugh.

tahoe.com: To your knowledge, has anyone peed their pants at one of your shows?
Mike: Not that I’m aware of, but I’ve played to some older crowds, so it’s possible.

tahoe.com: How you will you tailor your performance to the Tahoe crowd?
Mike: Oh, I’ll probably tell a few Tahoe jokes, but no place is that unique anymore. Everyone listens to the same stuff, watches the same stuff on TV, laughs at the same things.

tahoe.com: When did you first know you wanted to be a comic?
Mike: When I was a kid. I liked to watch Johnny Carson, and the Stooges and the Mark’s Brothers. I guess I really like the dead people. I don’t really watch comedy anymore; I want to come at it from my own unique voice. I read more now.

tahoe.com: What would you say is your biggest accomplishment?
Mike: I did Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO with Larry David, the Seinfeld producer. It was all improvisational and it was fun. And that I’ve managed to stay out of jail and the psychiatric ward.

tahoe.com: How much of your performance is scripted versus improvisational?
Mike: 60/40. Sixty percent scripted and 40 percent improvisational.

tahoe.com: What’s your inspiration for new material?
Mike: My family mostly; the news is just too depressing.

tahoe.com: How would you describe your comedic style?
Mike: Animated and I do a lot of character impressions and stories – from my kids, my wife, the stoner dude, the gay guy, the red neck…

tahoe.com: What are you looking forward most about performing at Lake Tahoe?
Mike: Being at Lake Tahoe.

tahoe.com: Things you’re most looking forward to in the coming months?
Mike: I’m going to Iraq to entertain the troops in November. I’ll be staying only one week. I’d like to stay longer, because it’s such a long way to travel. But that’s the way it is.

tahoe.com: How old are you?
Mike: 400 years old.

tahoe.com: Isn’t the United States even less than 300 years old?
Mike: That’s what makes the U.S. so immature.

tahoe.com: What do you like most about being an American?
Mike: Being able to tell people that the government is full of shit.

tahoe.com: What do you like most about being a comic?
Mike: Freedom – I can say whatever I want.


Catch Mike along with host Sean Kent and feature Rob Sherwood Tuesday, Aug. 19 in the Crystal Bay Club's Crown Room at North Lake Tahoe. The show starts at 8 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 on the day of the show. Purchase online at www.crystalbaycasino.com.