Jim Short opens Off the Hook gig

Posted: July 4, 2012

Jim Short performs this weekend at the Off the Hook Comedy Club. / marcoislandflorida

Written by Don Manley

MarcoIslandFlorida.com (SunTimes)

Stand-up comedian Jim Short finds Southwest Florida to be an interesting place.

“All the crazy road signs, all those panther crossings,” said Short, who plays the Off the Hook Comedy Club this week – his fourth stop here over the years.

“I don’t even know how to react to a panther crossing,” he said. “I don’t even know how to react to that. I’d never seen panther crossing signs.”

Short is a native Australian whose family moved to Dallas when he was 12.

After finishing college, a love of performing led him to began a stand-up career in 1988 in Texas.

In time, Short toured the U.S. and has been a guest on “Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.”

Short said he loves picking up on interesting things like panther crossing signs in his travels and brings that to the stage, along with “stories and adventures and telling tales to people.”

Having some local knowledge helps make the experience more unique and personal, Short said.

“I like the experience to be like I’m just talking to somebody one on one, like you just set down at the bar and this guy starts talking to you,” said Short. “It’s just a mix of stories, topical stuff and my own take on everything.”

http://www.marcoislandflorida.com/article/20120705/MARCOENTERTAINMENT/307050003/Jim-Short-opens-Off-Hook-gig-Thursday?odyssey=obinsite