Two years ago Ron Funches was hosting free comedy nights at the Coffee House Cafe and The Space, but now the Salem-based comedian has been flying around North America and Europe to perform at clubs and festivals with house-hold names. Earlier this month Funches’ career reached a new level when he was featured on Conan O’Brien. The comedian took time out of his schedule to answer a few questions about his past, present and future.
SW: What’s going on in the world of Funches?
RF: Very normal, currently. Hoping my Conan check gets here before my eviction notice does.
SW: What gigs do you have lined up, and where can Salem-area fans catch you next?
RF: Hopefully putting together a writing packet and writing new jokes to to replace the ones I burned. I’ll probably be at the Triangle and Silver Spur randomly.
SW: What are your plans for the next year?
RF: I hope to move to L.A. with a job and my family and work on being a better comedian and person.
SW: Where was your first gig and how did it go?
RF: My first open mic was at Harvey’s in Portland where I talked about my man-boobs for five minutes. It is horrible to look back at now, but at the time it was one of the best feelings of my life to have anyone laugh at something I wrote. My first real gig was in Longview, Washington at a bar called Kesslers. It was horrible.
SW: Where did you use to perform around Salem?
RF: I was proud to host a show at Coffee House Cafe for 2 years. It was a lot of fun and very helpful to my development as a comedian. I also ran a show at The Space that was awesome. Usually if I do a show at your establishment it shuts down shortly after. Hi Wasteland 
.
SW: What were your best and worst gigs so far?
RF: My favorite places to perform include Meltdown in L.A., all of Seattle, Helium and Tonic Lounge in Portland, and The Punchline in S.F. Even the worst gigs can be fun because I usually perform with my friends, but two shows that sting in my memory were Poker Petes in Kalama and The Vault somewhere in Washington. Those were horrible shows where I quickly left town.
SW: Have you ever been heckled? If so, who was the best heckler?
RF: I’ve been heckled several times. There are no “best” hecklers – it’s not a good thing. You are not helping by heckling. We hate you when you heckle and think about murdering you weeks later. Don’t do it.
SW: What things do you think helped launch your career?
RF: Probably this Conan O’Brien thing. Other than that, I just try to surround myself by people I like and respect. If I find myself in a circle of people I don’t enjoy, I work on removing myself from that situation.
SW: Do you still consider yourself Salem-based?
RF: Well I live in Salem as I am writing this, so yes. I don’t do shows here often and hope to move soon, but I did live here for over 10 years so it’ll always be a part of me.
SW: What tips do you have for aspiring comedians?
RF: Go to open mics, write about yourself, understand that it’s your whole life and if you have a family it will be their lives too.
SW: If you were the star of a sitcom, what would the premise be?
RF: This super cool and sweet guy who worked really hard to leave Salem and do what he wanted to do while still keeping his family happy. Plus a time-traveling Bootsy Collins is my butler.
