Miner Waits to Strike Gold : The Contest-Winning Comedian Says a Major Break Just Takes Time

Comedian Jerry Miner, who began his career while working as a doorman at the Laff Stop in Newport Beach in the mid-’80s, placed first last year in not one, but two, major Southern California comedy competitions--the San Diego Laff-Off and the Captain Morgan Laff-Off at the Irvine Improv.

So what impact did the two big wins have on his career?

“Absolutely nothing,” Miner said. “The one thing it did was it got me in front of the guy that books ‘The Tonight Show.’ He was one of the judges. So he knows who I am now.”

With a laugh, Miner added: “I’m happy I got the money (a total of $7,000). Everything else is just icing on the cake.”

Over the past two years, Miner’s wry observations and engaging, natural delivery have earned him headliner status in clubs around the country and numerous appearances on the cableArts & Entertainment network’s “An Evening at the Improv.”

He just returned from Las Vegas, where he appeared at the Improvisation at the Riviera Hotel and will check into the Brea Improv on Monday for a one-nighter. (He is also slated to do another one-nighter June 24 at the Irvine Improv).

Speaking by phone from his home in Santa Monica this week, Miner, 29, said he is happy with the progress of his career.

“Oh, yeah, absolutely,” he said, then laughed. “I could be a lot worse off.

“It’s easy to get depressed wishing you had a TV series or a movie deal, but it just takes time. They say the magical period is 10 years for getting some type of break--a special or a short-lived TV series. Whenever I get down, I figure: I don’t work for anybody. I don’t have a boss. I’ve got a real cool job.”

Miner, who is known for writing clever, insightful material, has written jokes for Jay Leno, Ritch Shydner and comedian-actor Kevin Pollak. Of Pollak’s last seven “Tonight Show” sets, “I’ve written probably 70% of his material,” said Miner, who is writing an HBO special for Pollak, which will be taped in August. “Of course, I’m writing myself in too, so I’ll be in it,” he said.

Although he’s placing a greater emphasis on writing--he’s also working on a novel and screenplay--Miner has no intention of abandoning stand-up.

“I’ve tried to have as many avenues open as possible,” he said. “This is my theory: If you’re just working on your act, it gets kind of stale. To me, writing all kinds of things has made joke writing a lot easier.”

He said he spends six to 10 hours a day at his computer terminal, including at least two hours a day writing for his act “because that’s always been the funnest part of it, creating it.

“And look where I am: I’m eating a bran muffin in my living room.”

Miner said his comedy is evolving from strictly observational humor to a more personal style.

“It’s definitely more about me and the way I’ve looked at things,” he said. “What I was doing before wasn’t really representing me. Rather than just purely laboratory observations, which seem to be the norm for a lot of people, I’m putting it into a ‘I did this’ type of format.

“If you think about it, the really good stand-ups--the ones that are really making it--all have some personal slant to it.”

Here’s Miner’s personal slant on the time he used to work in a grocery store: “I was the guy in charge of putting things back in their proper places. We’ve all done this: You get a grocery cart full of stuff. You’re in, like, the cereal section and then it hits you: ‘Hey, I don’t think I really want this . . . roast! ‘

“You stick it on a shelf, hide it behind the Frosted Flakes. I come along the next day. I’m putting stuff back and the Frosted Flakes are bleeding ! Look at that: Tony the Tiger is hemorrhaging!”

Miner is also fascinated by things we learn in school: “They always teach us stuff in school you don’t need to know. Roman numerals. Very impractical. No one’s ever come up to me and said, ‘Hey, pal, you got change for an X?’

Miner mimics checking his pockets and says, “Wait a minute. I had some M’s. . . .”

And did you ever notice how people change when they get older? Miner has.

“I’ve changed in a lot of ways,” he says. “One way I’ve changed is now when I go to bars I’m no longer the guy that girls ask to dance. I’m the ‘Will you watch our stuff?’ guy.”

* Jerry Miner performs at 8:30 p.m. Monday on a bill with Howard Leff at the Brea Improv, 945 E. Birch St. Tickets: $7. Information: (714) 529-7878.