Bodden was appearing at the Best of the Fest Show at the Comedy Works on Bishop Street. The larger than capacity crowd, stuffed into what is normally a fairly imtimate theater, made for an oppressively hot environment, so we moved to the fire escape in search of some breathable air. Alonzo Bodden had the same idea. Bodden, who is represented by William Morris, found himself temporarily separated from his management in the choas. Since we were already dressed in our "take us seriously" business suits, we volunteered to be Bodden's "people." For a better part of an hour, we were Alonzo Bodden's "people" and we couldn't have been prouder of our pretend client.

The Just for Laughs Festival has been good to Alonzo Bodden, when 2 years ago he appeared on the New Faces Show and got "the deal." He credits this particular show as being his greatest comedy experience to date. A sitcom based on his standup routine is currently in development.

Bodden is no stranger to television and has appeared on Late Night With Conan O'Brien, Make Me Laugh, Tommy Davidson's Showtime Special and the Keenan Ivory Wayans Show. His acting credits include such varied shows as Thirty-Something and the Power Rangers.

But, as with most comics, Bodden loves live performance and says that "nothing, absolutely nothing" would ever make him give up comedy. "That's the drug," he says, "when they laugh it's like I'm a jazz musician and they hear it, and they get it. It's the power to take the crowd wherever I want them to go. I love it when they laugh, especially when they relate through laughter. Its a beautiful thing. It also means I'm going to get paid, which is nice."

Bodden didn't always make his living as a standup comic. A graduate of Aviation High School, for 9 years he earned a paycheck as a jet mechanic for Lockheed and then McDonnell Douglas. While comics around the country were making audiences laugh at airline jokes, Bodden was working on the Top Secret Stealth Bomber. It was during a stint as a trainer that Bodden discovered his ablilty to entertain a group of people. "I was teaching airplane mechanics when I realized it was more fun to make them laugh," Bodden explains, "I was laid off one more time and I never looked back. Although it was nice to have a steady paycheck and benefits." He enrolled in a comedy class and the rest, as we are never tired of saying, is comedy history.

Bodden has always appreciated the benefits of doing standup comedy, one of which is having fun onstage. He recalls one of his favorite experiences, "I was working at the Brea Improv and in the middle of my set, a guy had a seizure. After he was carted off by the paramedics, I went up there, did ten killer minutes on seizures and then got back to my set and the show kept rolling. It was great."

Realizing his good fortune, Bodden found it necessary to do something positive with his newfound talent and began doing USO tours. He has performed for our fighting men and women in Kuwait, Spain, Panama, Honduras, Cuba, Egypt, Israel, Turkey and Guam, just to name a few. Bodden claims to be "the only man on earth who helped build the Stealth Fighter and entertained it's pilots."

Bodden says his act is more "broad appeal" then "Def-Jam." It is material which he describes as "cynically good natured." While he strongly believes that all young comics should study Bill Cosby, he freely admits that his mom is the funniest person he knows. When his family and friends attend his shows he says, "I love and appreciate it."

One of the great things about Bodden's career is that he can make you laugh and fix your Learjet. He says, "Let's see Seinfeld yank a seagull outta your Pratt and Whitney."