Published Thursday, November 28, 2002
A California stand-up comedian and Sharon native will join two local comics Saturday evening for a night of jokes and jesting.
Headlining the show is Bob Golub, a 1975 graduate of Sharon High School, along with Aaron Scardina, emcee Kevin Whelan and guest Tom Wilson.
As the third of eight children -- five boys and three girls -- 48-year-old Golub was always known in school as the "funny guy."
"When you grow up in a family of 10 you laugh a lot because it's either you laugh or cry," he said.
Growing up poor left Golub with few choices. After wrestling with college, he found himself in trouble with the law and earned himself some jail time. But he doesn't consider prison a low point in his life. He sees it more as a turning point.
In a span of 10 years, he said, he went from the Big House to the White House and got to meet former President Ronald Reagan.
"I should be the poster boy for rehabilitation and I wouldn't do anything differently," he said.
Golub has done stand-up for 22 years, working with everyone from Jerry Seinfeld to former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani. He's also appeared in Martin Scorcese's 1990 film "Goodfellas" and HBO's "Sopranos." He's known and loved throughout the Shenango Valley and has a fan base with Hollywood celebs like George Clooney.
He's released a compact disc titled "What You Looking At?" and is writing a book titled "Everyone's Full of Sh*t." The book is based on common knowledge that doesn't make sense, such as pedestrians having have the right of way, he said.
"The older I get, the more I realize that everyone is full of it."
Through comedy, Golub has helped raise more than $1 million for the deaf and hard of hearing. He lives in West Hollywood and has two "beautiful" children, 5-year-old Peyton and 1-year-old Parker. He said his children help keep him grounded and content, although he believes in "no holds barred" comedy when he's on stage.
"I tell the truth on stage. It took me to not give a [expletive] and to say honestly that life is too short, especially after Sept. 11. I perform today as if I have two days to live. Whenever you see me perform, you'll get the truth."
Golub may be most famous for his emotional one-man show about "Dodo," the nickname of his father who died on Labor Day in 1997.
"It will make you laugh and cry," he said.
Golub grew up on the West Hill and has sisters and brothers who still live in the Shenango Valley. He said he loves this area and wants to see it do good. "I love my roots here," he said.
What upsets him most about the valley is the lack of the arts for children. Local business people should work harder to bring more of the arts to the valley, he said, citing a 1985 statistic from Rand McNally's Places Rated Almanac ranking Sharon the lowest city for arts in the country.
"Sports is one thing, but there's something about the arts that will also stick with you. It enriches the mind," he said. "There should be a professional theater here.
"A small town can make a difference to a lot of lives. A lot of people have come out of here, Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails), the Lettermen. How powerful would that be to be known for creativity."
Many single parents are also raising children who need an escape, he said.
"I would love to set something up here. It's a shame the rich people in this town don't go in their pockets and try to help empower people. How much money do you need? You can only go to France, Europe or the Bahamas so many times. Empower the people within."
Teachers also make good stand-up comics because they have the toughest audiences, he said. Scardina and Wilson would know. They both teach high school in Mercer County.
Scardina, 24, of Sharpsville is a substitute teacher for grades 7 to 12. He's been doing stand-up for about four years and will perform his first show for the valley this weekend.
"Substitute teaching helps add to my neurotic condition and fuels my comedic drive. And the countless hours I spent in detention made me get into it," he joked.
He said his style is not for the easily offended and describes himself as the dirty version of Stephen Wright, who combines deadpan statements about his life with strange one-liners.
Scardina has performed in six different states at nearly 50 locations and has worked with numerous national acts, including ""Saturday Night Live's" Dean Edwards and the rock band Biohazard. In 2000, he was the winner of the Funnybone's Comedy Relief III contest, which earned him the title of "Funniest Person in Pittsburgh."
Wilson, 30, of Farrell, also has a title to claim. In 1998 he won the Funniest Man Competition in Youngstown's Funny Farm Comedy Club. He also performed in July at the Riviera in Las Vegas and has been featured in many East Coast venues.
As an English teacher in West Middlesex Area School District, Wilson gets to practice before the harshest of audiences -- seniors.
"They need to pass my class to graduate," he joked. "I'm an entertaining guy no matter what I'm doing and (my students) are tremendous kids. I love them," he added.
Wilson has done stand-up for about eight years and refers to himself as a "smart alec." He says listening to his father, a Presbyterian minister, speak every Sunday helped him in comedy.
"My father is a great storyteller, I think that's where it comes from. I think my parents are funny people, too," he said.
The show starts at 10 p.m. Saturday at The Corinthian Banquet and Event Center, 47 Vine Ave., downtown Sharon.
Golub is accepting other ideas for his book at
bobgolub@pacbell.net
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Larissa Theodore at ltheodore@sharonherald.com