At comedian Craig Gass's Rialto Theatre show last February, two interpreters for the deaf stood on the side of the stage signing every curse word and dirty joke he spewed out for his mostly hearing audience.
"To watch these interpreters act out all these filthy things and these really expressive sexual things I was talking about, I thought, 'We have to film this,' " the Tucson native said.
So almost exactly a year later, he's coming back, camera crew in tow, to film his first-ever DVD. It will be a mix of his classic impersonations — he does a dead-on Christopher Walken and can make you believe you're having a conversation with everyone from Al Pacino to KISS frontman Gene Simmons — and some very Tucson-centric material.
"It's something of a love letter to my friends and my formative years," he explained in a phone interview from his part-time home in Los Angeles last week. He lives half the year in L.A. and the other half in New York.
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"I had some really unique experiences growing up in Tucson that you can't experience anywhere," the 39-year-old, who attended Amphitheater High School, explained, like cruising Speedway, desert parties and getting off school for the rodeo.
But the fun part for him will be watching the interpreters, two friends of his older deaf sister, squirm when he lets loose with a stream of cringe-worthy, sexually explicit jokes.
"By law, she has to sign everything I say," he explained. "It was amazing; it was glorious."
"It was embarrassing for them, but for the crowd in some ways it was very educational. You can learn all these awful sex phrases and how to sign them all out."
Gass brought on the interpreters at last February's show so that his sister and deaf mother could understand what he was saying. Neither had seen him do his show live in his 16-year comedy career, which he launched at an open-mic night at Laffs in 1993.
About that Laff's appearance: He bombed.
Badly.
In fact, humiliating would be a fair assessment; the comedians who followed him mocked him. Rather than retreat, Gass set out to get even and became the comedian who hates comedians. The schtick worked. In addition to a busy touring schedule, Gass has appeared on a number of TV shows, including "King of Queens," "Las Vegas," "Sex and the City" and "Family Guy." He also was a guest on the Comedy Central roast of Simmons.
"I never expected it to last," Gass said of his comedy career. "I'm kind of surprised when I look back at those times because it has really evolved into something else. I just wanted to get revenge."
If you go
• What: Craig Gass in concert, featuring Jason Stewart and Cortney Cronin.
• When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
• Where: Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St..
• Tickets: $21 in advance, $23 day of show through www.rialtotheatre.com or 740-1000.
