Good comedians know that before they can present themselves as a gift to the audience, they have to acknowledge their secret, or sometimes it's the elephant sitting in the room. For many it's their race, their height, their weight or their sexual orientation.
For Bobby Henline, it's his burn injuries.
"I know some people aren't sure if they should laugh at me or they're not sure what's wrong with me, so I make sure I address that in the beginning of my act by telling them I'm a burn survivor and I've been extinguished for years," Henline said.
That joke is followed up with Henline telling the audience he probably looks familiar. That's when he tells his zombie jokes and one-handed jokes, all of which seem to break the ice.
The Iraq War veteran doesn't remember the day his vehicle was hit by an IED. On April 7, 2007, he was one of five soldiers in a humvee that was hit from underneath by a roadside bomb. Henline was the only survivor.
"My head was burned to the skull; my left eyelid and ears were gone. My left arm was so badly burned, I never regained function of my hand, so I had it amputated," Henline said. "My legs were burned everywhere except the front of my thighs."
The 38-year-old spent six months in the hospital. Today, you can find Henline every Tuesday night at 8 p.m. at the new Laughing Out Loud Comedy Club near 410 and Blanco Rd. It's an open mic where about 20 aspiring comedians try out new material.
Lately, Henline has been the one attracting the crowd and often stealing the show.
"I would like the audience to see that no matter what happens in life, you're still you and life goes on," Henline said. "I love making people laugh, and most of all, I want to get the awareness of burn survivors out there," Henline said. "With today's medicine and technology, more and more people are surviving severe burn injuries. Although I'm glad more are surviving, we need the awareness to prevent the burns in the first place."
Henline first got the idea to hit the stage when he kept making the nurses and staff at Brooke Army Medical Center laugh. Many of them told him he should be a comedian.
"I've always been the crazy guy who would do anything for a laugh, shock value or just to gross somebody out," he said. "I was always amazed by comedians, but never thought I could do it. It seemed too hard to make up jokes and write them for an audience."
Fellow comedians respect Henline for jumping into a business that is far from easy. Comedian Danny Ingle has great appreciatioin for anyone who has the courage to try standup comedy.
"It takes a lot for someone to get on stage and try to make people laugh," Ingle said. "Bobby is going through all the challenges new comedians go through. This just proves there are no limits to what you can do if you set your mind to it."
Henline's mind is set. He says the hardest part is worrying about getting sidetracked on stage and forgetting his material. A little nervousness is always good, but after the first laugh, Henline relaxes and is able to give himself as a gift to the audience.
For more information about the LOL Comedy Club, go to www.lolsanantonio.com
