Comedian Jim Breuer is All Grown Up; Performs in Heights This Weekend

Breuer, who is perhaps best known for characters like Goat Boy during his four year run on "Saturday Night Live," or his role in the stoner cult classic "Half Baked," has been adopting a more family friendly stand-up comedy act in recent years. Now married with three daughters and residing in Chester Township, he’s taking his act to Hasbrouck Heights this weekend when he performs at

“I’ve played at Banana’s probably 20 times throughout my career and always make it a stop when I’m touring,” said Breuer. “It’s the kind of crowd where the show is really an event for them and they’re hopped up, which I thrive off.”

Breuer first became nationally recognized as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, which he was on from 1995-1998. In addition to Goat Boy, his “Goth Talk” skits with Chris Kattan were among the most popular recurring bits on the show.

After SNL, he embarked on a successful stand-up comedy career that included Comedy Central specials and several national tours. However, he said that he began to feel type casted and started to change his material in 2008.

“I wouldn’t say the stuff I talked about on stage was juvenile, but there was more of a boys club feel to it,” said Breuer. “I decided that I wanted to go back to stuff that I think is  funny, which is my family or the people I knew growing up in Valley Stream. I don’t curse or talk about sex when I go on stage, and it's the best feeling when you can crush without being offensive.”

Breuer said the most pleasant response with the change in material was that the fans he gained over the years stuck with him.

“The fans that I had came along with me and I gained a lot of new ones as well,” said Breuer. “The fans who were my age all have kids now as well, so the change is something they can relate to. There’s a nice mix of people ranging from teenagers to the burnouts to the grandparents.”

Breuer has even been branching out into other areas, launching a podcast on his web site (http://www.jimbreuer.com) with fellow comedian Pete Correale called The Podcast Masters, which has more than 100,000 subscribers.

He also released a book last October entitled, "I’m Not High (But I’ve Got a Lot of Crazy Stories About Life as a Goat Boy, a Dad, and a Spiritual Warrior". The book covers several topics that Breuer has never publicly discussed before, including caring for his ailing father and touring the country with his family in tow.

“I’m just ready for people to see different layers of me now,” said Breuer. “With the book, I was looking to tell stories that were both inspiring and relatable. If I can inspire people, there’s no dollar amount that can replace that.”

Performances:
Friday, March 11 at 8 and 10:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 12 at 7:30 and 10:30 p.m.
Banana's Comedy Club, 283 Route 17 South, Hasbrouck Heights
Tickets cost $40