Gareth Reynolds delivers a dollop of dunce to views of American history

Gareth Reynolds is a curious choice as co-host of “The Dollop,” an American history podcast.

The veteran comic-actor responds to stories read by co-host Dave Anthony.

“It’s funny I’m part of this podcast, since Dave has a passion for American history and I have a passion for avoiding American history,” Reynolds said while calling from Los Angeles. “Dave is the tutor and I’m the dunce as we speak about the misadventures of American history.”

Reynolds, 45, who is the son of British immigrants, doesn’t take umbrage with America’s take on the Revolutionary War. The quirky humorist has an issue with the consistently boring history classes he endured in high school.

“The history we learned about every year was just so dull,” he said. “I’m not sure why they didn’t teach us about the more interesting stuff. I think what we’ve talked about on our podcast is much more interesting than what I learned in school, like when we focus on some of the things Benedict Arnold and Alexander Hamilton did.

“There’s a lot of misrepresentation in history. There’s a lot of wild stuff in U.S. history, like how Teddy Roosevelt was shot in the stomach and still gave a 45-minute speech because he was such a bad***. We talk about things that are interesting.”

The same goes for Reynolds’ comedy, which he will deliver Jan. 12 at the Olympic South Side Theater in Cedar Rapids.

“I’ve been working on getting that hour of comedy out,” he said. “I have about two hours of material. I talk about the A.I. effect. I talk about driverless cars and robotic cops. How can you trust these things?”

Reynolds closes the show focusing on his passion for animals and how cellphones are ruining society. His comedy is full of wit and unpredictable turns.

So it’s no surprise that he wrote for the inventive and cerebral series “Arrested Development.” Reynolds has nothing but wonderful memories working with Jason Batemen, Jeffrey Tambor and Will Arnett.

“I worked with some of the greatest comedy minds in the business,” he said. “It was amazing working with people like Mitchel Hurwitz, who has worked in the industry for so long he worked on ‘The Golden Girls.’ ”

Like many of his peers, Reynolds goes back and forth between the stand-up stage and the television soundstage.

“I love creating,” he said. “I made a fake documentary about a guy coming back to stand-up for the first time in 10 years. It’s a different time in comedy, and I’m frustrated as a comic and as someone that consumes content. Right now is it about being a savvy online personality or is it about being a good comedian?”

For Reynolds, it’s about the latter, and he recently discussed it with his friend and fellow comic and podcaster Marc Maron.

“Marc doesn’t care that he’s not performing in arenas like some comics,” Reynolds said. “But the bottom line is that Marc has an audience and he can say whatever the bleep he wants and they’re there for him. He does it all in an organic manner. That’s what matters most.”

Reynolds enhances material courtesy of his ability to mimic and crack wise in a variety of accents, whether onstage or on “The Dollop.”

“I enjoy doing voices, especially during ‘The Dollop,’ when we go through ‘The Misadventures of American History.’ When I was a kid, I was around different accents,” he noted. “I was able to do the accents and imitate people. It helped when I started doing improv, since it’s a way to create characters. I enjoy working that in, whether it’s on a podcast or at a show.”

Reynolds is always working on material.

“There’s always something that is inspiring me,” he said. “I’m on my way to Valencia (California) to possibly buy a van that I’ll tour the country in. Everyday things happen and I write it down. Then I put out the stuff I write, and hopefully people will like it.”