"Every joke has a victim," explains comedian Phil Palisoul. "It's called a punch line, after all. Someone's going to get it. Throughout my whole act, I victimize myself." Wallowing in feelings of inadequacy, he pokes fun at the fact that he's not more handsome, smarter or stronger than he is. "You need to be all those things just to keep pace," he says. "It's just not enough to be a regular guy." There is one advantage to being the underdog on stage, though. "I don't get heckled much, because nobody has anywhere to go. “ 'Hey, we agree!' " What he lacks in those aforementioned attributes, he makes up for in hilarity, and he never seems to run out of self-critical comedy gags. "Are you like me?" he asks his audiences. "Are you disappointed with the way I turned out?" There's no letdown after seeing him perform, as he knows a comedian has to bring his best every night. "The people tonight don't care if I was funny last night,” he says. “It's not enough that I hit a home run last night; I've got to hit a homerun tonight as well. I like that part of this business." Palisoul performs at The Funny Bone on the Levee Thursday-Sunday.