Cedar Rapid comic marks 30 years as a stand-up at the Olympic

A number of comics from large families gravitated to stand-up comedy in order to stand out.

Tim Sullivan was one of those kids. The Cedar Rapids native and resident is the middle child of three brothers and eight sisters.

Sullivan, 49, grew up during the '80s and was drawn to comedians and characters of that era. The Jefferson High School alum would dress up as Mr. Furley, the quirky landlord portrayed by iconic actor Don Knotts on the sitcom "Three's Company" to crack friends up.

"I used to watch that show and the comics I saw on ‘The Tonight Show,’" Sullivan said from his Cedar Rapids home.

That love of comedy prompted Sullivan to try stand-up at the late, lamented Cedar Rapid's venue The Hollywood's Comedy Club.

"I was 19 years old and it was amateur night," Sullivan recalled. "I couldn't wait to get up there. I tried to perform there when I was 13 years old, but I was told to get out of there but I came back, and that was the start of it all."

Jeff Johnson presented shows at Hollywood's and then Penguins. Now, Johnson promotes shows at the Olympic South Side Theater,, which is where Sullivan will mark his 30th anniversary as a stand-up comedian Saturday, Jan. 31.

Sullivan will deliver new and classic material in addition to rendering anecdotes from his lengthy career. One of Sullivan's most amusing stories centers around a legendary comedic fundraiser that was held in 1997 for the University of Iowa athletic department at Hancher Auditorium. The event featured Saturday Night Live alums Norm MacDonald, Darrell Hammond and Jim Breuer.

"My buddy hosted the show and brought in Darrell Hammond to do Bill Clinton," Sullivan recalled. “Jim Breur did drug jokes. I remember being backstage with Norm McDonald and he said, 'They're going to hate me,' just before he went on.”

That was no exaggeration. The late Macdonald not only bombed but nearly emptied a capacity crowd, which was primarily filled with families. The uncompromising humorist rendered off-color material that alienated the audience. Even though Macdonald took the temperature of the room, he delivered a barrage of profanity-laden jokes.

"The place was packed when Norm started, and by the time it ended there were 87 people there," Sullivan said.

Sullivan talked comedy with Macdonald after the show and focused on the former "Weekend Update" anchor's old material.

"Norm didn't remember those jokes he once told and said, 'What are some of my jokes?' I told him and he started writing them down. That was wild. Norm Macdonald couldn't remember his own jokes."

Sullivan left Cedar Rapids in 1997 to focus on stand-up.

"I just wanted to get as far away from Iowa as possible," Sullivan said.

Los Angeles, New York City and Seattle were some of the cities where Sullivan resided. Sullivan might have never returned home if it weren't for a corporate gig in Cedar Rapids in 2007.

"I was performing at a Christmas party, and I noticed this woman in the audience," Sullivan said. "You have to be clean at these kind of jobs. I snuck in one risque joke to see how she would react. She laughed. I thought that was a good sign. We communicated via comedy. We didn't meet at the event, but I asked a guy after I performed what the girl's name was."

A few weeks later, Sullivan received a text.

"’Hi, this is your undercover angel,' is what she texted me," Sullivan said. "I guess the guy stopped by her cubicle and told her that I was checking her out."

Sullivan married the woman he initially connected with through comedy and moved back to Cedar Rapids.

"I love living here," Sullivan said. "This is the hometown show. It's going to be fun. There will be nothing offensive in this show. I'm looking forward to celebrating some of my past. I'll talk about things related to when I was younger. I'll talk about my family and how technology has changed and being in Los Angeles. Cedar Rapids is nothing like LA, and I like that."