FARMINGTON – Maine’s famous funny man said he has some serious respect for the members of America’s armed forces after traveling to the Middle East last week as part of a USO comedy tour.

As the frost-kissed leaves were turning color and snow began to coat mountain peaks in his home state, Bob Marley, a University of Maine at Farmington graduate in 1992, was sweating it out in the deserts of Kuwait and Iraq, where he performed six comedy shows for American troops there.

The full-time comic, who got his start tickling people’s funny bones as a junior at UMF, was named one of Variety’s Top 10 Comics to Watch and has appeared in several movies and on all the major late-night talk shows including “The Late Show with David Letterman” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

Marley took the 30-hour plane ride to the Middle East and toured from Sept. 29 through Oct. 7 with Ralphie May, the 550-pound wisecracker from the comedic reality show “Last Comic Standing” and Butch Bradley, who like Marley performs regularly at the Laugh Factory comedy club in Hollywood.

“It was a great experience,” Marley said from his cell phone as he zoomed through Portland. “It really meant a lot to do this for our troops.

“You’re always safe if you go pro-soldier and pro-America,” Marley said on how he selected his material.

Sometimes, he dropped jokes about the war and life in the military, he said. For example, he explained, he told the troops that MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat) put him in the latrines for five hours. “That really should stand for My Rear Exploded.”

He found most times though, the troops wanted to hear jokes about the people back home they missed so much. “They were definitely a captive audience,” Marley said, adding that at times while he was performing he heard the sound of mortar going off in the distance.

“This thing is definitely not over yet,” he said.

Saddam’s pool

One of the most unique venues Marley hammed it up at was on the porch of former Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein’s Baghdad palace, which was taken over by the Americans early in the war and, according to Marley, looks like a Vegas hotel.

He spent the night there, took time to write a “sorry I missed you” note to Saddam on the wall in black marker and even splashed around in Saddam’s swimming pool.

“It was surreal,” the regular lampooner explained.

Security was tight during the trip for the visiting comedians, who wore helmets and bulletproof vests when traveling off the bases in Iraq.

Marley said he isn’t in favor of war, but his perspective about the Iraqi situation changed during the trip. “I think war is never a good thing because there is never really an immediate winner. But, I fully support the president. When you go over there and see what Saddam lives like and what the people live like, you realize it had to be done,” he said, making referring to the gigantic gap between Iraq’s former government and the Iraqi people in relation to economics and quality of life.

“The troops are the guys I really feel for. I’ve always had respect for people in the military, but after seeing them over there, it’s much greater. They really are fighting for us and what’s right. I don’t know how they do it.”

Although he has been to about 40 of the 50 states, Canada and Europe and done countless benefit shows, his USO tour topped the list.

“This is probably the best thing I’ve ever done before, careerwise, and the most rewarding,” he said. “They really needed it. I’d do it again in a heartbeat if I was asked. Sign me up!”

Back to Maine

Marley will do a state tour, including shows at the El Dorado in South Paris from 6:30 to 9 p.m on Friday, Oct. 24, and at 8 p.m. Nov. 7 at the Waterville Opera House.

He said he got a lot of material while overseas and plans to incorporate it into his Maine tour.

He’ll also be flying each week to California, where he is under contract with ABC to write a sitcom about a guy from Maine, who will be played by Marley, who moves to California and is followed by his Mainer parents, who come to Los Angeles to help raise the children.

Marley on his success, “I am just happy to be in the game. I like to make people laugh”

sdepoy@sunjournal.com

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