By Austin Kaus
Lots of people think they could be stand-up comedians, but very few actually go for it. “Dirty” Dan Bublitz is one of those few. A couple of failed relationships and one big move later, the Huron native is now part of a group of comedians and podcasters called the Distinguished Scoundrels. He and the rest of the crew are returning to Bublitz’s old stomping grounds in South Dakota in early August to perform the comedy of the heartbroken and the wild.
Tell me about the Distinguished Scoundrels. What makes you scoundrels? What makes you distinguished?
DB: The Distinguished Scoundrels are a comedy troupe and the hosts of the Distinguished Scoundrels podcast. We’re three standup comedians based in San Diego: me, Brian Riley, and Colin Dodge. Our rock-star-like attitude and our lack of censorship is what makes us scoundrels. We’re distinguished by our three different comedy styles and the fancy Driver’s Caps that we wear.
Tell me more about this “rock-star-like” attitude.
DB: We do what we want. We like to drink, chase women, and have a good time. We’re a constant party and like to make sure our fans have a good time.
What inspired the tour?
DB: The tour was really just an excuse to take a vacation and come home. A couple of the stops we’re making are places my tour-mate lived as well. In total, we are doing 8 cities, We are kicking off in San Diego, CA and then going to San Antonio, TX, Galveston, TX, Kansas City, KS, Sioux Falls, Watertown, Huron and Flagstaff, AZ. I’m looking forward to being out of the city for a while and getting to see my friends and family in South Dakota.
Were you born and raised in Huron?
DB: I was born in Watertown. We lived there and in Milbank for several years. We moved to Huron when I was eight-years-old. I grew up in Huron and graduated from Huron High School in 1996.
What do you miss about Huron?
DB: I miss my family and my friends the most.
Do the words “Coney Island Café” mean anything to you?
DB: Yes, one of the best cafés in Huron.
That doesn’t narrow it down much.
DB: Coney Island Café is one of the best spots in Huron to eat! It was right next to Hurst’s Corner and it was super tiny so it was very intimate and personal. It had a fifties-diner-like vibe. My favorite thing was just a cheeseburger and fries!
What’s the first thing you plan to do when you get to South Dakota?
DB: Eat at HuHot Mongolian Grill!
How does one go from graduating Huron High School to being a comedian in San Diego?
DB: Well, I didn’t go directly from Huron to San Diego. I got married when I was 19 and lived in the Huron area for a few more years. We then moved to the Watertown area and I lived in that area for about 10 years. After my divorce, I started dating another woman and she was originally from San Diego and wanted to move home. I had already been doing standup locally and was planning on moving to Los Angeles. Since I was dating this woman and San Diego was close to L.A. I chose to move with her.
That’s a fair amount of heartbreak. How did that affect your comedic journey?
DB: It made it real. When I’m on stage talking about those things, they’re not just jokes, but my experiences. Audiences can relate to the realism and my honesty. I’m not just putting on a show. I’m baring my soul.
How did you get into comedy?
DB: After my divorce, writing became a good outlet to cope and stand-up was something that I always wanted to try. I didn’t want to be looking in the mirror when I was an old man thinking about the “what ifs” so I made the decision to start doing the things I wanted to do. So, I found an open mic in Sioux Falls and gave it a shot. As soon as I told my first joke and it got a laugh, I knew comedy is what I needed to be doing.
What’s your life as a comedian like now?
DB: It’s very busy. I don’t just perform. I also produce a lot of shows and I’m the co-director of the San Diego Comedy Festival.
Being a comedian can be a lonely life. What do you do to survive?
DB: I distract myself by performing and writing as much as I can.
What’s the best joke you’ve ever heard?
DB: I’ve heard so many…I’m a huge comedy nerd too, so this is hard, but one of my more recent favorite jokes is actually a bit by Jim Jefferies called ‘Gun Control.’
What’s the best joke you’ve written?
DB: All my jokes are the best. (laughs) My favorite is a bit called ‘Pots & Pans’ and it’s about spending $3000 on a set of pots and pans.
How does one spend $3,000 on pots and pans?
DB: Being fat and wanting to keep a woman happy! They were actually only $2400, but most jokes are an exaggeration of a truth.
What’s the worst joke you’ve written?
DB: I don’t write terrible jokes! Kidding aside, I think my worst joke was a joke about how I was watching the Dukes of Hazzard too much and it was affecting my dating life because I would use a terrible pickup line – I don’t remember the exact line – but it made a lot of innuendo references to the show. It was pretty dumb.
Can that joke be updated now that the show is back in the news?
DB: I don’t think it could be updated. It was just a dumb perverted joke I wrote when I started comedy when I was an immature comedian.
What’s the first joke you remember hearing?
DB: I can’t remember a specific one, but blonde jokes are the first jokes I remember.
What’s the worst joke you ever heard?
DB: I go to a lot of shows and open mics. I’ve heard so many terrible jokes that I’ve had to push them out of my head.
Catch “Dirty” Dan Bublitz and the rest of the Distinguished Scoundrels in Sioux Falls on August 3, Watertown on August 5 and Huron on August 6. You can also play kickball with them in Watertown on August 4.
