Theo Von remembers a lot about growing up in Covington, Louisiana. Though the comedian has come a long way from his hometown, he still loves to talk about his childhood and prides himself on making audiences laugh with tales and “Southern lore.”
“You can find just as much joy and humor in almost anyone in Louisiana,” Von says. “We have a very colorful history and way of looking at humanity. And I think we cope with a lot of everyday life with laughter in Louisiana. People love to laugh there, and people love to sit around and joke around together. And that was where I’m from, so I just never stopped wanting that.”
Since rising to fame, Von has made quite the name for himself. He has his own Netflix comedy specials and his own podcast called This Past Weekend with Theo Von, which has featured guests like Neil deGrasse Tyson, David Spade, Tony Hawk and more. He is currently telling his life stories to massive crowds on his Return of the Rat tour, and this weekend, he’ll be making a stop here in Baton Rouge for four shows at the Raising Cane’s River Center.
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Today, Von lives between Los Angeles and Nashville. But he says being from Louisiana has helped him connect with the most ideal audiences in his career.
“I think it helps me with regular people,” he says. “I think with Hollywood it didn’t help. I think they don’t really seem to embrace a lot of people that are from my community, I feel like. Once I decided that I didn’t really need that and all I needed was myself and people to listen to me, I really was able to create a fan base. If you want to call it a fan base. A lot of it is friends, really.”
His stand up performances are like an extended storytelling session, where he recalls all the hilarious moments about being from Louisiana. Von says he has a great memory from his childhood days and loves making people laugh with his reminiscent anecdotes.
“I think Louisiana is a great place for storytelling,” he says. “A lot of people like to just sit around and tell stories, laugh at each other and laugh with each other. I always found one of the biggest exports or values of Louisiana are the people and the stories.”
Von attended LSU for some time where he wrote for The Reveille and cheered on the Tigers. When he performs in Baton Rouge, he says fans can expect to hear some exclusive material about being a college student.
He says he’s excited to recall tales about his time at LSU, but he’s also eager to bring some laughs to a town that he says has “struggled to keep a comedy club.”
“A lot of people in Louisiana haven’t seen a lot of stand-up comedy, because there’s not a lot of it that comes there,” Von says. “There’s not a regular club, so people aren’t used to going to it. So, I’m excited. I’m also curious to see what the experience is going to be like. I actually started performing in Baton Rouge at a place called The Funny Bone there, and I haven’t performed (in Baton Rouge) since then.”
While he stays in Baton Rouge for the weekend, Von says you may spot him running the LSU Lakes, getting a coffee at French Truck, visiting with his friend Todd Graves or chowing down at The Chimes East while he has some downtime between shows. He says he may even try to see the LSU Tigers play Alabama while he’s in town because LSU Basketball is his “favorite sport.”
“I’ll probably show the people that are on my tour around the area a little bit,” he says. “I’ll get some good food and take it easy. Louisiana is good at taking it easy. They’re good at taking it hard and they’re good at taking it easy, so I’ll probably do a little bit of both.”
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While he’s embarking on a packed tour, Von is thinking ahead at his next career moves. So far, he’s written a movie script with David Spade that they’re thinking about getting made. Von says he also wants to write his own book, make an animated show and tour in Australia and Europe.
“I’m just putting some of those things out in the world and seeing what God hears and what he wants to help me do,” he says.
Von will be playing shows at the Raising Cane’s River Center on Friday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.; and Sunday Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. Check online for ticket availability.