Blaise’s Audience Member Do’s & Don’ts

Dont: Heckle or try to be part of the show.
“People just want to be part of it and don’t realize they’re derailing the set.”

Do: Laugh when it’s funny—don’t hold back

For Blaise Kautzman, comedy isn’t just an outlet or a hobby—it’s a central part of his life and has been for the past two and a half years. What began with a spontaneous decision to hit an open mic has quickly transformed into a passion for Blaise, who is now a regular face in Fargo’s burgeoning comedy scene. From performing in dive bars to running open mics, Blaise has been steadily growing his presence and perfecting his craft. His style? Observational, laid-back, and a touch of the absurd, finding humor in everything from daily interactions to the quirks of modern life.

“I’ve always just been a goofball, always looking for the next joke,” Blaise said, and added, “probably in situations where I shouldn’t be looking for that.”

Though Blaise didn’t jump into stand-up right away, the thought of doing comedy was always there in the back of his mind. Even though he said he didn’t have the guts to get on stage, he remembers wanting to join the open mics at the since-closed Pickled Parrot. That all changed in May of 2022 when Blaise finally decided to make the leap.

The First Open Mic

“I just told my friends that I’m not coming to play volleyball that night like I was supposed to, and went up and did the open mic for the first time.”

Like many first-time comedians, Blaise’s debut was filled with a whole lot of excitement touch of something new to him— nerves.

“I don’t ever get nervous for stuff—for anything. I was always playing sports and in state championships and stuff like that, and I still never really got nervous. But this was something that I actually was nervous about. I’ve done plays and things like that, but this was something that I wrote, it meant something to me where other stuff didn’t, this was super personal,”

Despite his nervousness, Blaise’s first set went relatively well. He remembers getting a lot of laughs, although he did go way over my time, which is a big open-mic no-no. He attributes some of the crowd’s excitement and reception of his set to the MC of the evening— Marquay.

“The energy’s up, but all the nerves went away after I got that first joke out, and then it was just kind of like a euphoria like you’re riding up here,” Blaise said with his hand above his head. “You just ride a high… and immediately, I fell in love with it. I thought, ‘This is what I want to do.’ Then, I was going there every week and figuring out where else I could do this… Since then, it’s been the number one priority.”

What's So Funny?

Blaise describes his comedy style as a blend of observational humor and storytelling. His philosophy is that he humor in everyday life. His notes are filled with little ideas or taglines or even just a absurd thought about something that he’s witnessed.

“I’m looking at the world in dumb ways. Observational and a lot of storytelling—just different situations I’ve been in, and finding the humor in everything are probably the two main things that my comedy is about,” he said. “I think I can find humor in most things. A lot of my stuff comes from just hanging out with my friends, BSing around, and catching something that we maybe wouldn’t have caught.”

While his jokes may rest on the factor of absurdity, he is not ignorant of the importance of authenticity.

“I think authenticity is a big vain comedy. You can tell if someone’s not authentic, they come off telling crazy stories that you’re, ‘that didn’t happen.’ So there’s a lot of grounding in the reality of things that happen to you, but having to embellish it a little bit for the bit, obviously, but I think there’s a good balance that you really need to find to be real and relatable.”

Upcoming Shows

Hub City Station Aberdenm SD – Nov 2
Dive Bar West Fargo – Nov 21
Elk’s Lodge Devil’s Lake, ND – Nov 22
Clinic Bar Lengby, MN – Nov 23
Buck’s Mill Brewing Detroit Lakes, MN – Dec13

The Long Game

Comedy has quickly become an all-consuming part of Blaise’s life. In addition to performing regularly, he now co-runs multiple open mics in Fargo and West Fargo, has started doing shows across the Midwest, as well as hosting a podcast and radio show. Blaise appreciates the community of local comedies, those whom he shares the stage with and has come to call friends, as well as the audiences every week. More than that, he is picking away at this skillset, not only to develop his role as a comedian but also as a business-lead entertainer.

Stream Blaise & Marquay’s podcast, I Woke Up For This!

Learn more about the podcast and the hosts on Instagram at @iwokeupforthispod

“I’ve actually really liked to learn the business side of scheduling shows or like talking to people. It’s a lot of networking, so finding other comics that want to do a show with me that’s really fun. Or actually calling the bars and venues, or having bars or venues contact you and work out the deal, learning the business side is just as fun as doing the actual show,” Blaise said.

Blaise is also passionate about growing the scene, particularly in smaller towns. He and the other comics travel around the Midwest and try their hands on a few small bars or venues like that, and it’s always a toss-up on the receiving—but but eager fresh comedians like Blaise, they’re excited to be out with a mic testing out material.

Blaise is incentivized by a challenge, and sometimes, the best motivation is failure.

“That’s the fun thing about stand up is just you learn every single week, because you’ll go on stage and say a joke that you think is super funny, then no one laughs. So then it’s a whole process of asking yourself, is that just not funny? Do only I think it’s funny? Or did I say that with just the completely wrong inflection or not portray it enough? It’s growing and working every week that draws me into it even more,” he said.

Though he’s still in the early stages of his comedy career, Blaise is in it for the long haul.

Q&A with Blaise

Q: Pre-show rituals?

A: I usually have one to two beers… I’m very extroverted, so if I sit around by myself too much, it’s not gonna be good for me.

Q: What isn’t funny?

A: I honestly think that you can find humor in everything. Sure, being outright mean isn’t funny. If you have bad intentions, is the only not funny thing… Everything in the world is ridiculous. It’s kind of insane that we’re here in the first place.

Q: What’s your last meal?

A: Any type of taco. I’d probably just have a wide variety of tacos. Tacos cover so many different areas. You can have the Midwestern white people tacos all the way over to some barbacoa tacos.

Follow Blaise’s comedy journey on Instagram and catch his next performance at The Cellar!

Instagram | @blaisekautzman