Josh Sneed begs off a mid-morning interview, pleading for more shut-eye after returning home to Cincinnati after a week of gigs at Brad Garrett’s comedy club in Las Vegas.
“I had a really good week,” Sneed says, snagging the Vegas engagement after a few futile years. “It was a long road to get the shot.”
An accomplished performer with some nifty credits, including a Comedy Central special and a No. 2 ranking out of 100 comedians by a national poll of the TV network’s viewers, Sneed says, “After 20 years in the business, I’ve learned that politics and relationships are as important as having talent.”
Sneed ventures to Marin Saturday for a benefit for the nonprofit Wednesday’s Gift that includes Diane Amos, Jamie Lissow and host Michael Pritchard, of San Rafael.
Sneed is fully aware his weekend work benefits those less fortunate.
“There’s a much-needed perspective from other people’s stories,” he says. “It lets you know how good you have it. I grew up in a middle-income family. We never really wanted, but we weren’t rich, either. I had parents who both worked hard to provide for us.”
It was harder for Sneed’s mom than his dad to accept his initial venture into a stand-up comedy career. She worked for Proctor & Gamble as did Sneed’s grandmother and, eventually, Sneed. That’s when he decided he wanted to do stand-up.
“To leave Proctor & Gamble and go to another company would have been, ‘What are you thinking?’ To do stand-up, even more so,” Sneed says. “Not that my mom wasn’t supportive, but my dad … having been in the Navy where he did a lot of traveling … he understood the desire to get out there and do something else. I felt at 24 I was young enough to where if comedy didn’t pan out, I felt I could bounce back and go corporate.”
Sneed struggled the first year and a half, often sleeping in his car between gigs. “I didn’t want to drive home. It didn’t make sense,” he says. “I don’t know how many times I had mac and cheese, though I never struggled like other people struggled. I feel very blessed.”
Sneed has looked up to superstar stand-up Jim Gaffigan for inspiration.
“He’s a great example as someone who has embraced the family lifestyle,” says Sneed, who has an 8-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter with his wife. “He has the means through incredible hard work. He can tell the pilot what time he wants to leave and take off. I don’t have that kind of pull yet.”
At 42, Sneed is in his comfort zone.
“I’m not ever going to be the young up-and-coming comic that nobody’s discovered yet,” he says. “I’ve always been OK with that. If this is as good as it gets, I’m totally OK with that.”
Sneed zeroes in on subjects that resonate with people. Take a gander at any of his YouTubes, from “Being Fat Has Its Benefits” to “The Reason We All Love Taco Bell” to “Weird People at Garage Sales” and “When You Accidentally Eat Vegan.”
Sneed got a national exposure jolt when he finished second in a 2008 Comedy Central “Stand-Up Showdown.” Veteran star ventriloquist Jeff Dunham was No. 1.
“It was big for me in a lot of ways,” Sneed says. “My father passed away a few weeks prior and I was taking it really hard. Career-wise, it was a nice welcomed distraction. I was stunned by how many people supported me.”
Because Dunham was already an established star, placing second “felt like winning,” he says. “I was trying to get headline work in comedy clubs and he was selling out arenas. It opened a lot of doors.”
As well-received as Sneed’s been, he understands he’s not going to please all the people all the time. Or even some of the people at all.
“I’m a realist. I don’t think everybody is going to like my stuff. Some only like dirty comedy,” he says. “And vegans aren’t going to like what I say about vegans.
And when he’s done with his shows, he’ll get back to Cincinnati for more quality family time and focus on his T-shirt business.
“I’m OK with having a ‘normal’ life,” Sneed says. “I want to cut my own grass.”
Details: Wednesday’s Gift presents “Michael Pritchard & Friends: The Seventh Annual Comedy and Wellness” with Josh Sneed, Diane Amos and Jamie Lessow at 7 p.m. Saturday in Angelico Hall at Dominican University of California, 50 Acacia Ave., San Rafael. $30. For information, go to wednesdaysgift.org.
