Local Comic Wes Thompson Opening for Tom Arnold
Kathy Clayton
The Ashland Beacon
A fun evening is in store for everyone when local comic Wes Thompson opens the show for LA-based comedian and actor Tom Arnold at the Paramount Arts Center on September 8.
“I did stand up the first time at 17 years old, at the Comedy Zone, a comedy club, in Charlotte,” Thompson recalled. “I met someone who hosted open mic night there, and he said I was funny. I had to audition and had to lie about my age – it was a bar and you had to be 18. I thought it was pretty good then, but looking back I was pretty bad.”
Wes noted that most comedy routines come from life experiences, “so it took getting older to get better at it.” He honed his skills during six years in Los Angeles. “I went up for open mic almost every night, and I was part of a sketch comedy troupe.”
Thompson was born here in Ashland. Then, his family moved to Rock Hill, North Carolina for a time before landing back in Kentucky where he attended Ashland Community College and then the University of Kentucky. After his stint in LA, he returned to Ashland in 2008.
“In 2017, I was wanting to get back into it,” he continued. “Mark Satter, my buddy and creative partner, and I wanted to write an hour-long show. We produced it ourselves and made it a charity event. We rented a small space in downtown Ashland and sold out with a show that was about an hour and 20 minutes.”
That first show turned into an annual event with shows in 2018 and 2019. The Covid pandemic put a halt to live entertainment in 2020 and 2021, but he came back with a show in 2022 at the PAC, “the biggest one yet,” he noted, raising $17,000 for the PAC.
Thompson emphasized that all proceeds from his shows go to local non-profit organizations. “Outside of that (the PAC shows), people started asking me to do comedy for charity – Hope’s Place, CASA, the Developmental Therapy Center in Huntington.” He’s also raised money for The Neighborhood, Ashland in Motion, and Build Ashland.
“My comedy style includes pop culture stuff and embarrassing stuff about me – I’m a nervous person, and I use that. For this show, I have a local audience, so I will be making fun of local stuff like the best Giovanni’s and Camden Park,” he said. “I started using Camden Park years ago because it is so unique to this area – it’s like a permanent county fair.”
Thompson said he has a good relationship with the Paramount Arts Center and “when they announced the Tom Arnold show and it didn’t have an opening act, they asked me.” He will donate his proceeds back to the PAC.
“I look forward to seeing everybody. Come out, have some laughs and enjoy an evening of good comedy.”
“I can’t take off and do shows. I’m not a road comic; I have a family,” he explained. “Here, I get to do my comedy and help local non-profits. It’s a win-win from my perspective.”
He estimates that since he started doing comedy here, he has helped local organizations raise over $50,000 over the past five years.