For comedian and commentator Chris Bliss, life has been a
study in contrasts. The youngest son of a Washington D.C. attorney, he majored
in comparative literature at Northwestern University and the University of
Oregon before dropping out at the end of his junior year. The reason? To pursue
a career in juggling. And what did his argumentative father think about the
choice? "He told me I was ruining my life, which I can understand in retrospect.
Your son comes home after his third year of college - where he's on the dean's
list - and says he's running off to join the circus . . . what would you say?"
But it wasn't the circus that Chris had his eye on. His act
was pure rock 'n roll. Using music ranging from the Beatles to Peter Gabrial,
and augmented with custom lighting and special effects, he transformed juggling
into aerial choreography. Chris quickly became in demand as the perfect concert
opening act, eventually sharing the bill with superstars as diverse as Eric
Clapton, Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson (who called him "the best damn juggler
I ever saw"), and culminating with being chosen as the sole opening act for
Michael Jackson's Victory Tour in 1984 ("during his beige period", Chris
explains). Did he ever meet the Gloved One? "Just once. One of his band members
introduced us, and Michael said the oddest thing: '"It must take a lot of rhythm
to do what you do." So I said: "You, too, Michael."
The Jackson credit brought him offers to be the featured
specialty act in big production shows in Las Vegas, Paris, and even one from
Japan. But all had the same Catch-22. "Imagine", Chris recounts, "finally
getting over the rainbow, and the pot of gold is there. And all you have to do
to get it is perform the same 12-15 minutes a night. forever. That was it for
me."
Taking the advice of many friends, he decided to try his hand
at stand-up comedy: "The hardest part was going from something where I was one
of the best to something where, basically, I wasn't even at the bottom of the
list. Hell, I wasn't even on the list." Putting all his energy toward learning
his new craft, Chris honed his comedy skills with relentless road work ("40-45
weeks a year").
It paid off. Rediscovering long-lost writing skills, Chris's
comedy took on the same innovative edge his variety act was known for. Soon he
was headlining top clubs around the country, and appearing on a slew of cable
comedy shows. Then came an offer to write for the short-lived "Jackie Thomas
Show" on ABC.
Finally his big break came: The "Tonight Show" called - they
wanted to take a look at Chris. After his third audition, the spot was approved.
Following an auspicious debut, he soon became a "Tonight Show" regular,
receiving the ultimate accolade from Jay Leno, who called Chris "one of the
brightest comedians around" , adding "I really enjoy this man's work".
In the last few years, his talents as a comedian have
received the same international recognition he first achieved as a variety
artist. In addition to performing in concert in Singapore and across Canada,
Chris was chosen to appear at the prestigious Kilkenny Festival in Ireland, and
was honored by his selection to perform at the 20th anniversary of the Just For
Laughs Festival in Montreal, the largest and most prominent international comedy
festival in the world.
Capping it all off, Bliss recently re-introduced juggling to
close his stand-up performances. "It's like icing on the cake", he explains. "I
start by telling them I once toured with Michael Jackson - and they're just not
buying it. They're waiting for the punch line. And then - wham!" Bliss laughs.
"I love how totally shocked they are that I'm actually good at it. It's the same
thing I love about comedy - that joy of the unexpected."
