Hawkins personalizes jokes for Funny Bone

Stand-up comedian Robert Hawkins is not afraid to laugh at himself.

“It’s always a good time to talk about me,” he said. “It’s all about me – I’m an American.”

This weekend, he will make his Funny Bone Bloomington Comedy Club debut with shows at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday as well as 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Jamison Raymond will do a guest spot, and Dave Waite will be the feature performer. Tickets are $12 general admission Thursday  and Friday or $6 Thursday with a student ID, and  $14 Saturday.

Hawkins said he tries to imitate Bill Cosby. While he does have jokes about marriage, President Barack Obama and other common topics, the comic said he tries to personalize them to his unique experiences and opinions.

“I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and I’ve discovered the best thing for me to talk about is things that really happened and my viewpoints on things,” Hawkins said.

One of those subjects is crime prevention, such as how there’s a registry for sex offenders, but not violent offenders.

“This person will touch my privates. This person will cut them off and put them in a blender. I need to know where both those people live,” he said.

For a sample of his work, Hawkins said anyone can download his CD for free on his Web site, www.roberthawkins.biz.

The feature performer for the week will be Dave Waite, and Funny Bone regular Jamison Raymond will perform a guest spot.

Waite said he gets a lot of his material from his experiences in everyday life.

“It’s mostly just, you know, the world through my eyes,” he said.

Waite said to expect jokes about “working in an office and the mundane existence that is.”

“A lot of people get excited about ‘jeans day,’” he said. “I don’t really think there’s a difference between jeans and khakis when I hate my job.”

This weekend will also mark the end of IU alumnus Brian M. Frange’s regular appearances as Friday and Saturday night emcee, as he will be returning to his hometown of New York City afterward, owner Jared Thompson said.

Frange, who graduated in 2008, was a founding member of the Awkward Silence Comedy troupe during his time as a student and served as host for the 2008 IU College Comedy Festival. Frange has also had guest and feature spots at the club and competed in this summer’s First Annual Bloomington Comedy Festival.