Will Durst

Will Durst’s identity crisis is not helped by the media. The L.A. Times calls him “a modern day Will Rogers.” The San Francisco Examiner argues he’s “the heir apparent to Mort Sahl and Dick Gregory.” The Chicago Tribune hails Durst as a “hysterical hybrid of Hunter Thompson and Charles Osgood,” but all agree he is America’s premier political comic. A man, who in 1998, scored a political hat trick by opening for Vice President Gore and performing at both the Governors Conference in Milwaukee and the Mayors Convention in Reno. The dark prince of doubt Will Durst reads between the lines and is convinced if you’re not confused, you’re not paying attention. He claims not to have to write material. It gets delivered to him at 8 am every morning with the six daily newspapers he reads. William Tell Bruce John Henry Durst Jr. grew up in the 60′s in Milwaukee. He then moved to San Francisco. This edgy but grounded blue-collar comic held over 100 jobs before finally earning his living making people laugh out loud on purpose against their will. He once ran for Mayor of San Francisco, came in 4th out of 11, spent $1,200 and got 2% of the vote: so on a dollar per vote basis, he IS mayor of San Francisco. The only comic invited to perform at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government,   Will Durst, a modern Renaissance man, also writes a daily Internet column, is a frequent contributor to George magazine, and various op ed pages such as the New York Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle. His bi-weekly commentaries can be heard on public radio’s “Marketplace” and he is a five-time Emmy nominee and host/co producer of the award winning ongoing PBS series “Livelihood.” His work in comedy clubs across the country has been recognized with appearances on every show including Letterman, HBO and Showtime, also garnering 7 nominations for the American Comedy Awards Stand Up of the Year. Internationally,Will Durst was the first American nominated for the prestigious Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Theater Festival for his one man show, “You Can’t Make Stuff Up Like This.” Hobbies include the never-ending search for the perfect cheeseburger, and his heroes are the same as when he was 12: Thomas Jefferson and Bugs Bunny. His performances are made possible by the First Amendment.