Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Skirting the issues is not an option for Omaha

There's nothing funny about racism, bigotry or sexism -- unless, of course, you're sitting in the audience at one of Larry Omaha's shows.

The comedian has made it his business to "show the ridiculousness of stereotypes" while still finding the humor in them during his stand-up act, which he performs through Sunday at The Improv at Harrah's.

"I try to do it in a way that's not heavy," Omaha, whose heritage is a blend of Zapotec-Mexican and Yaqui Indian, explained during a recent call from Sacramento, where he resides when not at his home in Los Angeles.

"Right up front" he tackles the issue of his own "multicultural look," because "I know (audiences) are thinking about it."

During shows, Omaha breaks down his lineage -- he claims his great-great-grandfather was the son of a Mexican revolutionary, and his great-great-grandmother the daughter of an Indian chief -- and explains: "Because of that amalgamation of cultures, I stand here tonight looking like Don Ho" (or, depending on audience demographics, actor Jackie Chan).

"Everywhere I go, everybody tries to claim me," he contends. "When I was in Tokyo, they were talking to me in Japanese. I go, 'I'm not Japanese' ... The only thing I understood in Japanese was they were trying to convince me their country was becoming Americanized. I said, 'What are you talking about? Nobody here speaks Spanish.' "

The zingers just keep coming: "People ask me, 'Larry, how come Mexicans always travel in gangs? ... See, look at that, a car full of them.' I go, 'Hey, when white folks do it, you call it carpooling. When Indians do it, they're on the warpath.' "

"Then there's the person who thinks you can learn all about a culture by watching one movie: 'Oh, I understand black people because I just saw "Amistad." I understand Mexicans, I saw "La Bamba." I understand Indians, I saw "Dances With Wolves." ' I say, 'Yeah, I understand white folks, I just saw "The Jeffrey Dahmer Story." ' "

Omaha -- who formerly worked digging ditches, shining shoes and selling cars -- decided to become a comedian in the 1980s while attending law school. "I kept falling asleep (in class) and I realized I didn't want to be a lawyer. I did find myself writing jokes while I was sitting in class, so I said, 'OK, I've gotta get out of here.' "

Even during his days shining shoes, "I was kind of a jokester," he says. "Sometimes I would shine one shoe and not the other just to see if (customers) noticed."

While peddling Hondas and Nissans, "I sold more cars than anybody else" at the dealership, he claims, "because I had a sense of humor. I would tell people, 'Hit that fender. Do you know what gauge steel that is?' They'd say, 'No.' I'd say, 'Neither do I, but it feels strong, doesn't it?' "

After dropping out of law school, Omaha took a job as a civil-rights investigator for his home state of Nebraska, a position he says he enjoyed "because there were a lot of interesting cases."

"I had a guy once, he said he was evicted from his apartment because (he was) speaking Spanish. I talked to him and found out that the real reason he got evicted was because his parrot spoke Spanish real loud every night and kept the neighbors up. I would get ridiculous cases like that."

Other cases, however, proved much more serious: "I had a guy walk into my office once and he was talking about how he was angry at the world ... He stood up and said, 'I don't know if you can help me, but this can help me,' and he pulled out a big knife. I just tried to stay cool. Fortunately, I talked him into putting it back into his belt and escorted him downstairs, where I introduced him to security."

Omaha worked as an investigator for three years before his boss, recognizing his talent for making others laugh, urged the aspiring comic to quit his day job. "She told me, 'Larry, you're too funny to be here. Go on, go after your dream.' "

He soon began performing during open-mike nights at comedy clubs. By the mid-'80s, paid gigs "started coming really steady and I realized I could make a living at this."

Though he has for years performed throughout the country (he spends up to three weeks each month on the road), Omaha contends, "A lot of people are just discovering me ... I'm not somebody who blows my own horn, so it's always kind of kept me under the radar."

That, and the fact that he is one of a handful of professional American Indian stand-up comedians.

"I do a joke about it: I go, 'You know, Hollywood executives, they don't put Indians into sitcoms because they don't think we have a sense of humor. And that's ridiculous, because every night the Indian leadership leaves the (tribal) casinos and laughs all the way to the bank.' "

Omaha has previously appeared on VH1's "Standup Spotlight"; A&E's "An Evening at The Improv"; Showtime's "Latino Laugh Festival"; and BET's "Comic View," among others. Most recently, he taped an appearance on "Loco Comedy Jam," an English-speaking special set to air on Spanish-language Telemundo network.

Despite poking fun at serious issues, 55-year-old Omaha insists audience reaction to his material is "always positive, because I've learned how to present topics -- ethnic topics, racial topics -- without offending. I don't want to cross the line and take a chance. A lot of comics, they'll get angry and offensive because they don't care, but I do care. I want my audience to leave in a good mood."

It's one of the reasons he opts to keep his act free of obscenities. "I find it much more satisfying to get a laugh using my brain, than just a sharp tongue," he contends. "So many comics rely on cursing to get a laugh, and it's because they're too lazy to write a good joke."

There's no chance you'll catch Omaha slacking. "I worked hard my whole life and that's why I love and appreciate being a comedian, because it's the greatest job in the world."

Out for laughs

Laugh Lines friend Carole Montgomery presents her one-woman show, "Confessions of a PT&A Mom," at 8 p.m. tonight and 2 p.m. Sunday at Seat, a theater inside The Arts Factory, 103 E. Charleston Blvd. The show will also be staged May 6 and May 7. Call 736-4313 for ticket info.

Computing guru/comedian Andrew Solmssen, profiled here last June, plays Riviera Comedy Club from Monday through May 8.

Comedy returns in May to Rampart Casino, with several shows and performers scheduled throughout the month at Addison's Lounge. Ken Block and Joanie Grassey take the stage at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. For tickets, call 507-5900.

"Last Comic Standing" alums Rich Vos and Bonnie McFarlane headline the "Hollywood Comedy Tour" at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. May 7 at the Palms. Tickets are $25.

"A Mother's Day Comedy Show," featuring Aiai Delas and Troy M., is slated for 5 p.m. May 8 at Cox Pavilion. Tickets are $36 and $58. For tickets, call 739-3267.

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