"My act is primarily based on the disgust of human behavior," says comedian Sebastian Maniscalco. "I saw that a lot while waiting tables. I worked at a big end hotel…in Beverly Hills and I would get a very snooty type of clientele. I never really brought that on stage, but I did have an angst (about) how people act especially when they're getting waited on." The Chicago-native actually didn’t attend his first open mic until arriving in Southern California.  

When discussing the greatest rock bands of all-time, The Beach Boys are often mistakenly dismissed as a mere vocal group. "There are some bands that have a lead singer and maybe some harmonies that are iffy," explains lead singer Mike Love. "The thing that distinguishes The Beach Boys from any other rock band is the sophisticated harmonies and arrangements." Indeed, early on people thought of them as a surf band, and a commercialized one at that. Love and friends perform Friday and Saturday at Grand Victoria Casino.  

"I started as professional heckler," says comedian Donnell Rawlings when asked about how he got into stand-up. "I was working at a grocery chain as a security guard." Co-workers invited him to go to a comedy club. "I started heckling the comedians on stage and I started becoming pretty popular as a heckler. The club owner didn't really appreciate it too much and he challenged me to go on stage, so I did. I lit it up, and haven't looked back since." Rawlings performs at Go Bananas Thursday-Sunday.  

"I almost think in jokes," says comedian Steve White. "Either that or it's the flip side and very spiritual and majestic. Sometimes it's both. I look up and see a beautiful dove and it craps on my forehead." After 24 years of doing stand-up, he explains, your mind starts to work a certain way. "I see the fat lady in the bikini bottom she shouldn't be wearing. It’s almost like the comedy gods are playing tricks on me." White performs Thursday-Sunday at Newport's Funny Bone on the Levee.  

"Some of the things I'm talking about on stage are uncomfortable for me to talk about," says comedian and Cincinnati native Geoff Tate, "but I do that because I think that's funny." You gotta give the people what they want, as The Kinks once sang. "I always try to do what I would want to see as an audience member," Tate says. "I want to know what drives the individual." He performs Thursday-Sunday at Go Bananas in Montgomery.  

On a car ride from Chicago to Wisconsin, Feldman began to lay what would become the ground work for his current program, Whad'Ya Know? “I made up something that I thought was rather preposterous: a weekly two-hour show, live audience, live band, taking phone calls and doing it as a quiz as a way to get people to call in without talking about major issues.” Known for his quick wit, Feldman says his broadcasting style was influenced by the Rock DJs of the 1960s as well as Groucho Marx.  

Michael Feldman first pitched 'Whad'Ya Know' to Wisconsin Public Radio in 1985, and the show went national the next year. It's now broadcast live on Saturday mornings from Madison, though some stations (like WVXU-FM) opt to run it at other times. Periodically the show hits the road, as it will this Saturday when Feldman and his crew do the program from the Aronoff Center downtown.  

Like a lot of comedians, Tulsa native Ike Witty fled L.A. loving comedy but tired of the Southern California grind. He moved back to Oklahoma, recharged, and is now heading back to Hollywood to pursue comedy writing. He'll also continue to perform stand-up in L.A, which will give him more opportunities to try out new bits and rework older ones. He performs at Go Bananas through Sunday.  

Though he moved away when he was nine, comedian Tom Segura always looks forward to coming back to Cincinnati. "I definitely want to have some chili while I’m there," he says, "and see some family.” Segura has just released his first album, called Thrilled. Whereas some comics start from scratch after a new release, Segura knows the crowd still wants to hear the familiar hits. "I’m working on a new hour,” he explains, “but I don’t want to give people an hour of 'hey, I’m working this stuff out.'"  

Comedian Auggie Smith has gotten a lot mellower in the past few years. "Yeah, unfortunately, and a lot less funny," he laughs. "I haven't turned the corner on that." Don't believe him. Smith is as fresh as today's headlines. Literally.