Small crowd warms up to Funny Bone comedian

On a weekend when most would opt to stay at home and avoid near-blizzard conditions, comedian Warren B. Hall stood before an intimate and unusually involved audience at the Funny Bone Bloomington Comedy Club to humor a frost-bitten crowd.
While his jokes covered a wide variety of topics, Hall also hit on the classics during the night.

“I love pot smokers,” Hall said, “because usually, they always seem to tell on themselves. If you think you know somebody who smokes pot, but you’re not positive, ask them this question: ‘Do you smoke?’ And if they answer: ‘Cigarettes?’ you know they’re getting into stuff they aren’t supposed to.”

Despite performing on what was expected to be a low-selling week because of a largely absent student population, Hall said he enjoyed the crowds.

However, he said he was unable to perform a lot of his own material.

“If I’m not doing what I want to, then that’s the way to fix it,” he said following the 10:30 p.m. show Friday. “If I feel like the jokes aren’t sticking, then I’ll go into the audience.”

The weekend show also gave Hall an opportunity most entertainers may not get to enjoy often: performing with his best friend, fellow comedian and featured comic Mike Malone.

Hall said that performing with Malone had its benefits, but also several complications.

“Performing with Mike, we’re both kind of silly and weird, so when we follow each other, sometimes it’s too much of the same thing,” Hall said. “Working with my best friend, I love it. But I don’t want to have to work super hard, and when he’s out there (using the same material), it’s hard. But I love it.”

Hall and Malone, along with host Ben Moore and fellow comedian DJ Dangler, all have roots in Indiana.

Hall, a former Bloomington resident, now lives in Greenwood with Malone. Moore hails from Terre Haute and Dangler from Indianapolis.
The connection to Hoosier culture, Hall said, makes the experience at the Funny Bone more enjoyable.

“I love this club,” Hall said. “I love the owners and the people.”

Bianca Rannsferd, an attendee on Friday, said she had seen both Hall and Malone, as well as host Ben Moore, previously, but because each comedian had to deal with a particularly chatty crowd, their sets were much more creative and genuine.

“Sometimes when people yell out in the crowd, it can be annoying,” Rannsferd said. “But I think all the comedians worked very well with that, and they reacted in a way that made it very enjoyable for everyone.”

Freshman Casey Klippel, a frequent Funny Bone patron, said he enjoyed all of the weekend’s performers.

Unlike most of the comedians he’s seen at the venue, Klippel said the largely improvisational sets were a refreshing change.

“It seems like most of the time, when I go to the Funny Bone, all I get is the standard grade-A canned jokes,” Klippel said. “But with Hall and Malone, it seems like they truly have a sense of humor, and they showed that with all the on-the-spot comedy through their crowd interaction and general wit when interacting with people. I wish more comedians would show how naturally funny they are, instead of how well they can prepare.”