Combining crazy sound effects with wicked guitar skills and a cowboy’s sense of humor, Attaway’s shows are part concert, part stand-up routine.

Tahoe comdey lovers will have a chance to see Attaway’s show on Tuesday, June 12 as Healthy Alternatives presents another night of laughs at Tahoe Comedy North inside the Crystal Bay Club’s Crown Room at 8 p.m.

Tahoe World web editor Paul Raymore spoke with Attaway by phone last week to get a sense of what to expect from his Tahoe show.

Tahoe World: Have you played the Tahoe area in the past?

Kip Attaway: For several years I did the FNAWS [Foundation for North American Wild Sheep] convention at the Hilton in Reno. And I’ve played Catch A Rising Star once, because the folks at the Silver Legacy had seen me once and recommended me for that venue. And I play down in the Bay Area occasionally. But I really haven’t played around Tahoe much at all.

TW: I noticed on your Web site that you live in Jackson, Wyo. What drew you to the mountains?

KA: I’ve been living in Jackson for 28 years, and I went there originally to perform with a band at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. And I played there for nine years doing a single comedy show, then I moved to The Rancher and worked for another seven years. So I went there originally to work, but then I just fell in love with the town — It’s a great little mountain town. Of course it’s sort of overgrown now.

TW: In your own words, how would you describe a Kip Attaway show?

KA: Oh gosh… Pandemonium. It’s pretty wild and reckless and politically incorrect. But it’s fun, and everybody seems to have a good time.

TW: How did you develop your unique mix of music and comedy?

KA: Well, I was on the road forever with a band, and when the band broke up and I started doing a single at the bar in Jackson, I noticed that when I would do goofy, stupid songs the crowd would get wilder, and then when I would do nice songs there was very little response.

I still write and record nice songs too, they just don’t sell.

I was doing a show with Jerry Jeff Walker one night in Jackson Hole and he said, “How are your records selling?” And I said, “Well, my good ones are selling crappy, and my crappy ones are selling good.” And Jerry Jeff said, “You know, bad taste is timeless.” So I went on from there to record about 10 more comedy albums.

And I still write and record nice songs, they just don’t sell. I enjoy writing and recording them, but the comedy stuff is definitely more the market for me.

TW: Do you consider yourself more of a comedian or more of a musician, or have you become a little bit of each?

KA: Oh, I don’t know, I’m just a train wreck. I don’t consider myself a very good musician. But then again I hang around with and record with very good musicians, so comparatively speaking I don’t consider myself a good musician. I’m more of a writer...

TW: I don’t know if you would see this, but after watching some clips on YouTube I got the impression that some of your act is pretty similar to traditional cowboy poetry.

KA: Oh yeah. And I do lots of parodies too. Friends and I will sit down and rip a song apart and make a parody out of it … ruin it basically. I did some Willie Nelson parodies that he got a pretty big kick out of. His road manager Poodie has a bar in Austin, and Poodie had me come play at his bar, it’s called the Hilltop; and I got to hang out with Willie at a fundraiser we did for the Children’s Hospital, which was pretty incredible.

TW: Are there certain songs or musicians that are easier to turn in to parodies?

KA: Well, obviously your vocal range and your guitar playing ability would determine what you can do live. When I record in the studio, I can get a ferocious rock guitar player to do a Led Zeppelin lick or something. But for live, it’s limited to what I am able to play. But there’s nothing sacred. I’ll pick on anybody, including myself.

The details:
Healthy Alternatives presents
Kip Attaway
Tuesday, June 12 at 8 p.m.
(doors at 7 p.m.)
Inside the Crown Room at
the Crystal Bay Casino, Crystal Bay, Nev.
Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door.
Call 775-833-6333 for tickets.