Peers, pals and family turn out for comedy memorial to a stand-up guy

By Jeff Daniel

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

03/07/2007

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Family and friends of late comedian Brett Clawson, applaud comedian Clayton Champagne’s act during a comedy benefit in Clawson’s honor. (Sarah Conard)

Only once did Fred and Janet Clawson see their son perform on stage. Not that they didn’t appreciate the late stand-up comic’s talent. It’s just that Brett Clawson seemed a bit off — a victim of nerves, perhaps — on that night when Mom and Dad took in his act.

“He tried to be nice about it,” Fred Clawson remembers with a laugh. “So I just said, ‘We’re not coming any more — make some tapes.'”

Last Friday night, Fred and Janet enjoyed one of those tapes. As did a large collection of Brett’s friends, family members and fellow comics who joined the Clawsons at Brewskeez, a Florissant bar and grill.

A month earlier, Brett had tragically left them. But here he was, once again leaving them laughing.

He wasn’t alone. A stable of comics also let loose in a no-holds-barred tribute to their kindred spirit. Organized by Clawson’s longtime friend Carrie Sansone, Friday’s event, which included raffles, auctions and a live band, brought together several hundred friends and relatives. It raised more than $7,000 to help with funeral expenses. But more than that, it may have served as a laugh-filled form of comic catharsis.

“Brett would have really liked this,” his father said. “It’s just the kind of thing he would have enjoyed.”

On Jan. 16, Brett Clawson was enjoying what his parents describe as a perfect day at their Hazelwood home. The next day, he’d turn 32, so the family celebrated early because Brett would have to work on the 17th. Later that night, his father says, Brett went to visit a couple of friends, then headed out to shoot some pool. At midnight, friends called to wish him a happy birthday — and reminded him to get home before he got himself into trouble.

According to Berkeley police, Clawson was pulled over for speeding about 3:30 a.m. near Interstates 170 and 270. Police say Clawson stopped his car, got out, then disappeared over an overpass guardrail. Clawson suffered critical injuries after dropping to the pavement. The officer reported the smell of alcohol.

“I still don’t really understand it,” Fred Clawson says. “He’d been stopped before but never ran. At the hospital, the police said it was grassy where Brett was pulled over, and he figured that Brett probably thought it was grassy on the other side.”

Brett Clawson never recovered. He died Jan. 31.

But he was far from forgotten. He’d made a name for himself as an original voice, his talents allowing him to just miss the cut as a finalist on TV’s “Last Comic Standing.” At the same time, his often raw and nothing-is-sacred style illustrated an ability to push the comedy envelope in bold directions.

Clawson was an observational comic with a true sense of life’s absurdities. Relationships. Education. Social conventions. Pretentiousness. Anything was ripe for the picking.

“I still remember the first set of his that I saw,” says Jeremy Essig, who along with Clawson and Andi Smith would occasionally perform together as the Disappointments. “It was an industry showcase, and everyone was a little timid and trying really hard to stay clean. And Brett was just Brett. He didn’t care about all that stuff.”

According to Smith, it was Clawson who initially taught her how to do comedy. The two became close friends and professional confidantes.

“We’d bounce ideas off each other,” she recalled. “We’d call each other on the phone and tell jokes, offer up opinions.”

After the accident, Clawson’s MySpace page became a gathering site for concerned and curious friends and peers. Sansone and Clawson’s family provided updates on his condition. Those who’d come into contact with Clawson in St. Louis or on the road sent in thoughts and prayers.

And, funny thing, the postings continued even after he died.

Comedian and friend Doug Stanhope let everyone know that he’d heard from Brett and that, in heaven, “Camel Lights are only $1.50 a pack.” The continuing responses helped convince Sansone that a tribute would be a good idea.

Earlier, Clawson had been honored at the Funny Bone comedy club, on the “Slip of the Disc” radio show on KDHX-FM (88.1), and through the message marquee at Vintage Vinyl.

At Friday’s event, Fred and Janet Clawson sat directly in front of the stage as local comics took turns entertaining and paying tribute. Rhett Clawson, Brett’s older brother, stood in the wings with a wide smile on his face. First up was Mike Howington, 21, who earlier had described Clawson as his mentor.

“He was the first comic that talked to me when I performed at the Funny Bone,” Howington said. “He took me under his wing a bit. Just a really nice guy.”

Howington did his five minutes, and emcee Andi Smith kept things moving along.

Brian Dowell then let everyone know that Clawson’s twisted spirit would be honored to its fullest. Half-crazed and wholly hilarious, Dowell set the tone of what was to follow by removing all restraints. Over the next hour, nothing was off limits for the performers — Johnny Kava-

naugh, Clayton Champagne, Essig, Gabe Kea, John Doelling, Dan O’Sullivan — not death, drugs or any sexual practice. Drinking and driving? Fair game.

Then came Brett Clawson’s taped bit, a well-honed act that riffed on, among other things, community college, the drudgeries of work and the inanities of fashion. His thoughts on men wearing low-rise jeans won’t quite fit into a family newspaper.

Those gathered around the large-screen TV laughed in unison. A few cried. Fred and Janet accepted hugs and words of encouragement from old friends and new acquaintances.

Nearby, some of Clawson’s friends manned a booth selling his CDs and commemorative T-shirts. The shirts feature a likeness of the comic and the words that made up his familiar catchphrase:

“Who’s with me?”

It was a question he often asked while on stage.

Last Friday night, the answer surely would have been: “Everyone.”

jdaniel@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8399

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Clawson loved being a comic.  He loved performing, traveling and especially the comraderie.  He was sick, twisted, truthful and wrong.  Clawson made me laugh.  Best I could tell, he wasn’t afraid of any topic, any audience, any reaction. He would even make fun of comedy, comics and jokes.  He made me want to try harder and be better.

Last year he started making songs. “Catch Phrase” is a His song “Catch Phrase” favorite among comics and “Community College” is just fuckin’ funny.

Check him out and if you have money, buy his shit.

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