Kathleen Madigan on luck, telling jokes and a stop in Macon

Comedian Kathleen Madigan said she credits her good fortune to randomly walking into a bar one day.

“I worked at a bar and went to the bar next door to drink. It happened to be a comedy club, and me and another bartender did open-mic nite for fun. I just kept doing it. It was literally an accident,” she said.

Now, 28 years later, after thousands of nights on tour, scores of appearances on late-night television shows and five comedy specials, Madigan is enjoying her success and contemplating having her tombstone read, “I was lucky to walk into a bar.”

“I just want to tell jokes,” Madigan said. “I didn’t start doing open mic to become an actor on a sitcom or in a TV commercial. Those things never ever crossed my mind. For a few of us working, telling jokes was our main goal. I don’t have any more goals. Can’t you ever have a goal, reach it and enjoy it? Our society is being driven by type-A lunatics who say you have to set more goals. Well maybe they, do but we all don’t. Have a seat, grab a drink and enjoy the fact you made it to the goal. Maybe that’s the Irish in me talking though.”

Madigan will be making a stop at the Grand Opera House on Friday, where she’ll continue to fulfill her goal of telling jokes.

Madigan’s list of accomplishments suggest that while she may not be aiming for new goals, she is constantly striving to be the best at her craft. Madigan has won the American Comedy Award and the Phyllis Diller award for Best Female Comedian. She has written and produced for Lewis Black’s “Root of All Evil” on Comedy Central and done multiple USO tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The USO shows are the best,” Madigan said. “Trust me, no crowd is as appreciative and fired up to see any entertainer. I’m glad I have the chance because God knows I don’t want to have to do their job!”

Her most recent hour-long standup special, “Bothering Jesus,” is available on Netflix.

“I do a special about once every two or three years. I’m really happy it’s on Netflix. It’s like a library that is always open. This is a quick snap-shot of what I’ve been doing,” she said.

Madigan said performing live is a big part of her job, and she likes doing it.

“It’s the only way to do standup and I like people. I like the freedom and traveling. I like seeing stuff and I get excited about different parts of the country for different reasons. It’s unpredictable, it’s risky in a fun way,” she said. “I hope everybody comes out. Let’s start 2017 with some laughs.”

This story was originally published January 4, 2017 at 11:07 AM with the headline "Kathleen Madigan on luck, telling jokes and a stop in Macon."