I felt ready to take on Denver's local hero and resident funny man, Josh Blue. Armed with a few curve balls and one-liners to throw his way, I was prepared to have some laughs.
What I wasn't prepared for, however, was to be in total awe of the guy. Not in a glazed, weepy-eyed, "inspirational" way, but more of a longing to kick back and share a six-pack with the man behind the punchline.
Growing Up and the Cerebral Palsy Diagnosis
The youngest of four, Josh Blue was born in Cameroon, West Africa, in 1978 and flew to New York two days after his birth. "I think that was the start of my travel bug," he admits.
"By the time they figured out that something was wrong with me, they knew nothing was wrong with me," he states, revealing the casual attitude of his parents about cerebral palsy diagnosis. "They knew that I was all there mentally, but that they'd have to make certain adjustments. It was never an issue. It was just natural."
Tortured like any younger brother by his sisters, Josh Blue was also welcomed into another unique family in his St. Paul, Minnesota neighborhood. "There was a Vietnamese family 12 doors down that basically treated me as if I was their weird white kid. I had 12 Vietnamese brothers and sisters. Every time I fell down, they'd come and pick me up." He developed his sense of humor as a child as a preemptive strike against the teasing he'd get from other kids. "I never thought it was bad, really, because I made it funny. If I make the joke first, then someone else tries, it just looks stupid."
Often the class clown, Blue used his considerable humor and positive attitude to gain acceptance from every discernible group he went to school with. "Disabled, able-bodied, animal, race, color- I don't care. If you're cool, I'll be cool with you."
Josh Blue: The College Student with a Disability
After finishing high school, Josh Blue was accepted into Evergreen State, a liberal arts college in Washington where students choose their own majors and work with professors one-on-one to develop relevant coursework. The experience sounds perfectly matched to Blue's laid-back personality, and one can easily picture him playing hacky sack on the green as a crowd of tie-dye wearing girls with toe rings cheers him on.
Blue chose stand-up comedy as a major and laughingly admits, "I basically rented Richard Pryor tapes and got high." But college was more than just comedy boot camp - it gave Josh the chance to really interact with people. "I learned more outside of class than in," he remembers, "College is all about learning how to relate to people in a real-world atmosphere. I managed to be friends with everyone on campus. Having a disability, you stand out more, and everyone at Evergreen was really unique, so it was never an issue."
Dating was another experience that made college singular for Josh Blue. "I'd had a girlfriend for a week and a half when I was in high school," he jokes. "It was much easier in college. In high school, you think, 'No-one's gonna date me because I have palsy,' but there's so much more to it than that. I was just a lovestruck teen trying to figure it out. I'm still trying to figure it out." How did he wind up winning the ladies of Evergreen over? "Beer," he jests. "Nah, I just laid on the 'Blue Magic.'"
The Josh “Blue Magic”
Enter Yuko Kubato. "It was love at first sight," Blue admits. The two met just before Blue's launch into primetime fame on NBC's Last Comic Standing in 2006. "When did Josh charm me?" Yuko asks playfully. "Never. He was just a funny guy, and it was easy to talk to him."
Kubato attended the University of Illinois, where (though she is able-bodied) she played wheelchair basketball and acted as assistant coach as an extracurricular activity. "I never really saw Josh as being disabled," she admits, "because my friends were much more disabled." In fact, upon meeting Josh, she confesses that she told her Japanese parents that he was white, not that he had cerebral palsy.
The pair recently became engaged and is expecting their first child mid-March. "He proposed when I brought him home to Japan last October," she tells me. "He demanded that we take a one-day trip by ourselves. He can be pretty romantic." Stroking her belly softly and linking fingers with her as they sit next to each other, it's apparent that Josh Blue is ready to be a doting father and husband.
"Is he ever not 'on'?" I asked. "Only when he sleeps," giggles Yuko. She's graceful, but decidedly silly as she becomes more comfortable. "I have PB," she says. "Pregnant brain. I can't remember anything. It's hilarious." It's easy to imagine her surrounded by children. "I want to have a big family," she clearly states. "At least 3 or 4 kids. Hopefully 5." Blue chuckles, "They'll be like puppies jumping all over me."
Yuko and Josh Blue are a tremendously likeable pair and seem to have attained the rhythm that couples together for much longer develop through time and experience. Even when she leans over to help him at the table while we eat, it's a quick, subtle move that reveals how much she cares.
His trademark "Blue Magic" reflects more than Blue’s humor or his way with women. It defines his entire being. His charisma could win over even the most cold-hearted, tight-lipped, P.C.-preaching schoolmistress. After a quick break ("I'm better now," he winks at me slyly), he's on all fours in front of the camera, growling playfully, "I'm a naughty tiger," and everyone in the studio chuckles along with him.
Josh Blue: Paralympian and Artist
Writing a wicked punchline is only one of Josh Blue's talents. He joined the Paralympic soccer team in 2000 as a striker. "I'm the goal scorer. In theory," he jokes. After going to the Paralympics in Greece in 2004, he found different attitudes about disability across the globe. "Europe is much more progressive than America," he says. "I think they got the point earlier. America is too PC- like, 'Don't stare at him, but donate to his charity.' It's bullshit. I might have cerebral palsy, but I'm not PC. I say what I want, when I want."
While his personality is certainly upbeat and extroverted, there is a more solemn side to Josh Blue that comes out in another form of expression: his artwork. After using oil pastels in college, he moved on to painting and sculpture. In vivid colors and bold strokes, his artwork tells a different story than his jokes. It's almost childlike, but very dark, often utilizing haunting shapes and bizarre faces. "Painting is like therapy for me," he says. "My motto is: I have to create something every day. Whether it's a painting or a sculpture or a photograph or a joke, I have to use every day to make something I can look back on."
Shifting the Disability Perception
Though his act may appear undoubtedly self-deprecating at first, Blue believes that his purpose is to shift perspectives as much as it is to make people laugh.
"I shared a doob with Sarah Silverman. She held it for me while I smoked and all I could say, 'Aw gee, Sarah. You're the best roach clip a guy could ask for.'" The two have significant similarities. They're both minorities in the comedy world and have a penchant for crossing the proverbial line. Not for mere shock value, but as a bold statement against the industry typecasting they fight. Sarah Silverman's deadpan delivery and filthy anecdotes are a stark contrast to her winsome Jewish girl-next-door looks. Josh Blue isn't just the crip with a comeback for everything, but can juggle a soccer ball and paint with skill while still humbling condescending able-bodied individuals. The two, like many legendary comics, seem to be unified in the fight against the stereotypes that precede them.
"Look at Richard Pryor. He talked about being black. Then Ellen (Degeneres) talked about being gay. They both brought their differences out into the open and made them more acceptable," he asserts. "What I'm doing with disability is the same thing. It's a grassroots way of getting it out there and making it mainstream and more comfortable."
"Everybody has a disability, whether you admit it or not. Sure, disability is a label, but it's one I don't give a shit about. Life is too short. Just go all-out and enjoy the fuck out of it." I'd love to attribute the smile plastered across my face to the altitude of the Mile High City, but Josh Blue’s energy is purely contagious.
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