Page 24 | August 25, 2011
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Three Qs
Bob DeMaris Twin Cities comedian Bob DeMaris is always thinking up crazy stuff for his act. DeMaris, who lives in Victoria with his wife and two children, will be headlining at the Bayview Event Center in Excelsior, at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28, as part of Scott Hansen’s Beach Blanket Comedy series. The cost is $10 dollars per person, which includes a free drink, and laughs with great comedians lakeside. Last week, we caught up with DeMaris, who currently seems to be channeling a Michael Moore documentary producer look lately. We talked about his latest comedy bit, what makes him laugh and where in the world did he get his funny bone? Here’s the lowdown. DeMaris grew up in Babbitt, on “Da Range.” He and his wife, Cathie, have two children, Ben, 22, who attends Concordia-Wisconsin, and Emma, 15, who attends Chanhassen High School. DeMaris’ day job has transformed over the years, from a Fortune 100 company to his own grocery store in Lester Prairie, where he upgraded the deli department to include catering. “Growing up in a family with a combined total of 58 aunts and uncles with 147 first cousins — cooking for crowds was a talent I had developed over the years,” DeMaris explained. “After the grocery store closed, people would not let me stop cooking. People called for catering and I was volunteering for Loaves and Fishes, at St John’s, in Chaska.” Catering turned into a full-time job as executive chef at Dahlgreen Golf Course, until recently. And of course, there is the comedy. “I just jumped into comedy after I ran into Louie Anderson in a hotel lobby in Bloomington,” DeMaris said. “He [Louis] invited me to a contest he was holding where the winner would open for him New Year’s Eve. I was terrible. I didn’t even come close to winning. “But I did get to know a comic that was trying to get a comedy room going and so I got to work on my act, for about 30 weeks in a row, at (the now defunct) Elite Pizza, in front of crowds ranging from 3 to 63. “Then I got to host a show for Scott Hansen, at Dahlgreen Golf Course. We have been working together, in some fashion, ever since. In the past four years I have done well over 150 shows with, and for, Scott. It has been an unbelievable education. “My comedy comes from the stories that I heard growing up in a family of great story tellers ... I “was” a fat kid but I did not suffer because I always was a successful athlete. I loved to hang out with my dad and his friends and listen to them sling BS.
PHOTOS BY KARLA WENNERSTROM
The Barn is an Eden Prairie Heritage Site.
Udderly eye-catching Re-introducing cows to the prairie BY KARLA WENNERSTROM editor@edenprairienews.com
S
everal cow statues were lined up in the lower level of the GoodrichRamus Barn in Eden Prairie last week. The bevy of bovine beauties was awaiting placement in the barnyard along Pioneer Trail. They were temporarily placed next to classic cars, jukeboxes and bronze art featuring James Dean and an eagle riding a motorcycle. And upstairs? Forty crystal chandeliers now hang from the ceiling. Steve Schussler explains. “I love the dichotomy between the old and the new,” he said. “I’m making it luxurious.” He said he’s already had couples ask if they could hold their wedding at the site. Although that’s not in the plans for the near future, Schussler said there is a possibility of nonprofit groups using it for fundraisers.
INSPIRATION
He said he even drives over from St. Louis Park in the mornings to water the plants. “I fell through the floor last week,” he said of the upstairs of the barn.
PRESERVATION He loves the historical aspect of the barn, saying that many of his restaurant concepts involve historical themes. When the door in the upper level of the barn opens and you have a view of F lying Cloud Airport, Schussler says he’s speechless. “Sometimes there’s not words for it,” he said. He said he’s hoping to preserve the historical integrity of the barn. He envisions a historic corridor along Pioneer Trail with the nearby Cummins-Phipps-Grill House, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The site has a lot of history in Eden Prairie, as it was home to the Goodrich Hotel and near the Goodrich Store, points out City Council Member Ron Case. Schussler said it’s fun to have residents like Ron and Kathie Case who are as excited about history as he is. S c hu s s le r, o r i g i n a l ly f r o m Queens, has chosen one cow with Yogi Berra’s number in a Yankees jersey, in addition to one with the New York skyline and taxi theme. Another is wearing a tuxedo. The cows came from a manufacturer in the Philippines, he said. Schussler said he was going for class and whimsicality – but also to give people a laugh. “You want to make people laugh
Schussler, originally from Queens, picked some cows with New York themes.
Historic place Steve Schussler saved the Goodrich-Ramus barn from possibly being dismantled, bidding on the barn when Hennepin County put it up for sale. The site was to be cleared for a stormwater pond in 2007 as Pioneer Trail construction started. However MnDOT and the State Historic Preservation Office found that the barn, which was built in 1942, could qualify for the National Register of Historic Places. Owners of the property included Floyd Sjostrand, and the Goodrich and Ramus families.
Q: Does your family think you’re funny? Or annoying? A: I crack myself up ... my son thinks I am funny ... and my daughter “is” funny ... she thinks I am competition. My wife is relieved that I am finally telling somebody, besides her, the same stories over and over again ... same stories + different audience every night = comedy career. My friends sometimes say that they know how my act goes ... I tell them that never stopped anyone from seeing “Hamlet.”
He is using the Goodrich-Ramus Barn as a creative laboratory. The creator of the Rainforest Café, T-Rex and Galaxy Drive In restaurants, Schussler said he has several methods for sparking his creativity. “The idea is to be inspired,” he said. He drives a different car every day and is invigorated by spending time at the Eden Prairie barn site.
Q: Who would you name to your Hall of Fame of Comedians?? A: It would start with Jackie Gleason and Red Skelton ... I watched their TV shows and always loved the irony of Ralph’s latest scheme and/ or the silliness of Red Skelton’s cast of characters ... modern day would be Richard Prior ... for honesty, self deprecation and story telling ... and Rodney Dangerfield ... because he deserves the respect. Locally, Scott Hansen, and the cast of characters he worked from in the early ‘80s until today ... but mostly Scott for being funny and “professional” ... but first and always, funny.
Real-world answers come from hypothetical questions
Q: What if Bravo offered you your own reality comedy TV series? What would it be about? A: It would be about a 13-26 week tour of all the little clubs and events a comic does, along with the back stage “glamour” (or lack thereof) that comes with travel, hotels, setting up, problems, tearing down, traveling, hotels, that would lead up to a big week of shows in Vegas, or Atlantic City, and a set on national late night TV (that would lead to a Big Cable Channel Special!) —Unsie Zuege
What would you do Contest. I came up if—? with what I thought I love questions that was a brilliant rest a r t out t h at way. sponse, but – unfor“What would you do if tunately – not until you knew you couldn’t several days after the fail?” “What would you contest. Still, once I do if you won the lottery determined the globand never had to worry al issue I would reabout money again? ” solve, I found myself “What would you do if ment a l ly worki ng you found out you had through the steps, only one year to live?” and blasting through I suspect that most the obstacles, with FIND YOUR BURIED TREASURE people, when coming the kind of resolve, across such questions, confidence, and dewould give them just a ter mi nation t hat momentary thought, if any, before come when we know beyond a doubt moving on to more pressing pur- that we’ll succeed as long as we keep suits in the real world. But if you trying. actually had to spend some time on The lottery and one-year-to-live them and write out your answers – questions can reveal what our values as you might in a class or a seminar and priorities in life are. But even – you could learn a great deal about more revealing is the fact that these yourself. More important, you could values and priorities may be very use the answers in a powerful and different in theory than they are in productive way. reality. What we say is important I had to answer the “If you knew to us is not always evident in the you couldn’t fail” question once way we live our day-to-day lives. If in a Toastmasters District Speech someone were to point that out to
Betty
LIEDTKE
It was built using laminated arch trusses built by Rilco (Rock Island Lumber Co., a subsidiary of Weyerhaeuser) in Albert Lea, Minn. Schussler said it’s the first barn in the United State to use the laminated trusses. Source: Eden Prairie News archives
and smile from the road as well as from the entrance,” he said, as he directed the cows into place. He hasn’t named the cows yet, but
us, our automatic response might be that we have to earn a living. Our jobs consume so much of our time and energy that we’re not able to put our attention and efforts into what’s really important to us. Not now, anyway, but someday— That’s why it can be so enlightening to examine what we would do if we had all the money we needed, or if we had only a year to live. Money would no longer be an issue, and “someday” would no longer be an option. So what would you do? If you’re going to consider these questions at all, I recommend devoting a bit of uninterrupted time and attention to them, and I suggest writing down your thoughts and responses. Quick, off-the-cuff answers aren’t really helpful, because this is more of an exploration and discovery process than a pop quiz. And you may be very surprised at what you discover – about yourself and about what really matters to you. The great news is that no matter what your responses are, or what they reveal to you, you can use this information to make changes in your
said he would be open to conducting a contest with local schoolchildren to come up with the best names.
life right now. Or you can see it as an acknowledgment that you’re already living in accordance with your values and priorities. There’s a lot to be said for the power, peace, and confidence that comes with realizing that about yourself. And no matter what your responses are, they can help you live a more fulfi lling and satisfying life, even without winning a lottery or having a limited amount of time to accomplish your goals. After all, when we’re examining our preferences and priorities, time and money usually aren’t the real issues. Or, at least, they’re not the limitations we think they are. By the way, the questions I brought up are just a few that you can use to discover things about yourself you may not already realize. What would you do if you had to write your own “What would you do if—” question? And how would you answer it? I’d love to know! Chanhassen resident Betty Liedtke is a writer, professional speaker, and Certified Dream Coach®. Visit her website at www.findyourburiedtreasure.com.