INDY'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTING ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

Jumping the comedy curb

Fueled with an acoustic guitar and an affinity for all things KISS, Mikey Mason of Red Key, Ind., a veteran of Ball State University’s Absolunacy and a self-proclaimed metal-head, has balanced musical comedy with a life of mentoring young people.
During his stint with Absolunacy in the mid ’90s, Mason experienced his first bouts of improvisational comedy. Co-writing songs like “Welcome to McDonald’s” (after Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle”) and “The Burrito Banditos,” he awoke to the limelight.

“Absolunacy also introduced me to my wife, Jody, who has a huge influence on my comedy,” he says. “She lives with my sense of humor every day, which can get old, so if I can make her laugh, then I know I’m definitely onto something.”
From age 15 on, Mason has played guitar and found influence from “pretty much any [band] with long hair.”

In 2005, Mason released the album Past Tense, featuring fan favorite “The Cartoon Medley.” “I do all the Muppet Babies’ voices at the end,” he says. “With the right audience, the medley takes you back to a time when all you cared about was what cereal to eat and whether or not you could jump the curb on your bike.”

Nowadays he’s touring national comedy hot spots. Mason can also be heard regularly on the Good Beer Show podcast (GoodBeerShow.com) and read as a regular blogger on Comics2Film.com.

In addition to songwriting, Mason performs stand-up comedy, sings (wicked) karaoke, reads comics and plays with his children. He also spent years teaching English at Ivy Tech Community College and mentoring at-risk youth as a former shift supervisor at the Youth Opportunity Center in Muncie. Though currently taking a break from both positions, the care he’s been known to provide young folks still runs in his blood, as he teaches kids to lead “positive, productive lives and relationships.” But that positive outlook on life also shines in his comedic work and music; it has even rubbed off on his oldest son.

“We’ve written and performed some songs together about stuffed animals and comic books,” Mason says. “We recorded three of these original songs [‘Devil Kitty,’ ‘Hulk Smash’ and ‘Skull Face’],” as well as the child’s rendition of “Rock and Roll All Nite” by KISS. “He’s a much bigger KISS fan than I am now.”

With Past Tense under his belt, Mason is pursuing his dream of starring on the The Bob & Tom Show. “If I keep this up, it’s just a matter of time,” he says. “Patience and persistence are the keys to anything.”