Palascak packs a laugh

The group of women surrounding comedian Michael Palascak after his performance on Friday proves that girls still love a guy who can make them laugh.

For Palascak, his performance in Marty’s was just one stop among many. The comedian tours across the country, even though he still lives with his parents in Chicago.

“I travel a lot,” said Palascak. “There’s no stopping me. Luther today, Letterman tomorrow.”

Comedy comes naturally for Palascak, and his performances are mainly improvisational.

“I wanted to do standup, so I started,” he said. “My family moved to Chicago, and I didn’t know anyone. So I started doing open mics when I came home from college.”

Palascak’s laid-back college attitude is one reason why SAC Spotlight co-chairs Jolene Mockler (‘08) and Josh Pettersen (‘08) decided to bring him to Luther.

“I liked that he does a lot of college humor,” said Mockler. “He’s younger and can relate to students.”

Mockler and Pettersen chose him after viewing video clips of some of his acts.

“We have a few booking agencies that we go to,” said Pettersen. “We hadn’t done a comedian yet this year, and when we watched his video clips that his agency sent us, we really liked him.”

His clips were not the only reason Palascak was hired.

“We do a lot of musical performances at Luther and it’s always a great change to have a comedian,” said Pettersen. “They are always fun and do well.”

Palascak provided a warm respite from the frigid month of February.

“It is especially nice to have a comedian in the winter,” said Mockler. “It cheers people up, and you can just walk across campus and have a good time.”

Palascak had the right combination of jokes to fit a college audience.

“College students are all over the board in the humor that they like,” said Pettersen. “We are moving a little more away from crude humor and appreciate more mature comedy, but we’re still young at heart.”

Students who attended the performance showed appreciation for Palascak’s humor.

“I really liked the farmer jokes because we’re from Iowa,” said Emily Allen (‘09). “It was fabulous and I laughed at everything.”

Overall, Palascak’s demeanor also intrigued students.

“I liked that he was awkward, and it made it funnier,” said Emily Wrobel (‘09). “Everything was very relevant because he’s not too long out of college.”

Students who enjoyed the performance expressed their interest in more entertainment of his kind.

“A couple more comedians a year would be nice,” said Natasha Madhoo (‘08). “Some haven’t been as good [as Palascak], but he was really funny.”

The next SAC Spotlight event is at 8 p.m. March 7. A musical group called Ha Ha Tonka will be performing in Marty’s, and their sound is a mix of genres, with a unique indie/rock/country sound.