By Daniel Hartill,Staff Writer
Bob Marley is touring dozens of Maine high schools to raise money for Project Graduation.

Bob Marley might call it his “Right Out Straight” tour.

The Maine comedian – whose routine has long included tall tales of backwoods keg parties and Old Port carousing – has become Maine’s chief fundraiser for alcohol-free graduation parties.

This month and next, he’ll perform benefits at 28 high schools around the state, sometimes cramming in two a night before hopping on a plane for scheduled gigs in New York, Chicago and China.

Why does he keep playing Maine’s high school gyms when he can perform in big-city comedy clubs or casinos?

“I don’t like saying no to them,” Marley said of the fundraisers, which can give a big boost to Project Graduation accounts in a single show. “It’s better than 1,000 bottle drives or 100 bake sales.

“For them, it’s easy,” Marley said. “It’s one night, in and out.”

For him, it’s a little more income – he makes a profit though “not a killing” on the shows – and it’s a chance to perform for young audiences.

Essentially, the shows are just fun.

“It’s all good to me,” he said. “I don’t preach to them.” In fact, he pokes a little fun at the idea of partying with soft drinks.

“It’s like, Yeah! Ice cream sundaes!'”

The teens all know the serious reasons for Project Graduation, he said. All he needs to do is make them laugh.

“I just want to make people laugh. That’s it,” Marley said. “I think that’s what I was built to do.”

The 38-year-old comic moved back home to Maine six months ago from Los Angeles, where he’d lived the past several years.

“I love L-A,” he said. “It totally made my career.”

In southern California, he auditioned for movies, garnering roles in “The Boondock Saints” and “Liar’s Club,” among others. He also worked with CBS on creating a TV show out of his comedy, something that might still develop.

Meanwhile, he has recorded several CDs and a pair of concert DVDs.

“I’ve realized that the stand-up is part of who I am,” said Marley. “I’m looking for jokes all the time. I just notice things. Well, I want to tell somebody.”

For instance, driving last month along Route 1, he glimpsed a sign selling bread pudding with “Fresh Maine Blueberries.”

“I’m thinking, It’s February! How fresh are these blueberries?’ And what is it about adding the word fresh’ that makes them more appealing?”

Such observations seem to translate around the country.

Last weekend, he did shows for schools in Poland and Buckfield before hopping on a plane for New York City, where he played one of the city’s biggest comedy clubs, “The Laugh Factory.”

He plans to travel only 15 weeks this year. Only two years ago, he was on the road for 38 weeks. He hopes to spend more time at home with his family in Falmouth.

“I’m just a guy from Maine,” said Marley, who travels with an entourage of one. “You ought to see us in the airport, wearing jeans and T-shirts and work boots.”

That’s glamah.

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