TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — It’s a homecoming for comedian Craig Gass, who’s back in town to tell stories of his life growing up in the Old Pueblo.
Gass will film a comedy special at Unscrewed Theater March 8 and 9, with shows at 7pm and 9pm.
The comic is best known for his impressions of celebrities such as Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Tracy Morgan and many more. This is a skill he learned out of necessity.
Gass grew up with parents and a sister who were all deaf. As a result, he had to figure out his own way to learn how to talk.
“Growing up in a deaf family, I couldn’t learn how to talk from my family,” says Gass. “I learned how to talk by watching TV and copying all the voices I heard on TV.”
This led to Gass to become a master impersonator, starting with his family and friends and eventually landing him on The Howard Stern show, where he sat alongside Howard, delivering absurd lines in the guise of different celebrities.
One of his impressions of Gene Simmons ended up leading to a confrontation with the KISS army commander. However, Gass says that Simmons ended up respecting him for his skill.
He says that every celebrity he’s impersonated has reached out to meet with him. In one example, a dinner with Christopher Walken ends with the famously idiosyncratic actor telling him, “Okay, I get it. You’re talented,” before returning to his dinner without another word.
Gass attended Amphi high school before setting off for a career in comedy. Along with Howard Stern, Gass also appeared in shows such as the King of Queens and Sex and the City, along with doing voices for Family Guy and American Dad.
But his education in comedy began in that Amphi classroom. Gass says that he was a terror to his teachers but loved making his classmates laugh.
“I loved going to school! I lived for the seven minutes between classes,” he says. “I just wasn’t good at actual class. I couldn’t pay attention to save my life.”
Now Gass is bringing his impressions to Unscrewed Theater this weekend to film a new special featuring stories of his time in Tucson.
“I’m a guy who grew up here and Tucson is a big part of me,” Gass says. “It’s a big part of who I am and what I’m filming here this weekend is what it was like to grow up here.”
The special features stories of Gass’ unique experiences from those days, from partying in the desert to annoying his teachers. He says that when he wrote the material, there was no doubt as to where he would film it.
“It’s about the people I knew in Tucson, so I had to film it here,” he says.
Craig Gass will be playing four shows on Friday and Saturday at Unscrewed Theatre at 7 and 9pm for both nights. After filming the special, Gass says he’ll shop it around to find the best audience. Tickets can be found at getgass.com.
