Colorado comedian Sam Tallent is returning to Steamboat to perform stand-up at 8 p.m., Friday, July 29, and Saturday, July 30, at Schmiggity’s as part of the Steamboat Comedy Summer Stand-Up Series.

The self-proclaimed “doofus” has done comedy and improv since he was 18, and likes to keep his audience laughing without making them think too hard.

His comedy is irreverent, “very silly, non-political,” Tallent said. “I don’t really care if people think I’m smart when I’m on stage. I just hope that they’re laughing as much as possible.”

---

---

Tallent said his humor should make people be “removed from any thought and made into animals.”

The comic said he is looking forward to coming back to Steamboat for a show since the pandemic. He regularly performed on New Year’s at the Chief Theater and other gigs in town until COVID put gatherings on hold.

---

---

“I am excited that I’m coming up and finally performing that again,” he said.

Tallent added that he was eager for recommendations for covert, free hot springs he could hop into during his time in Steamboat.

Along with his stand-up act, Tallent has a podcast, “Chubby Behemoth,” where he and Nathan Lund crack jokes and swap stories.

Tallent’s first novel, “Running the Light,” was published in early 2020. The book details the life of washed-up comic Billy Ray Schafer and his struggles with substance abuse and a spiraling career.

“It’s about an on-the-road comedian who has kind of been eaten alive by his vices, and it’s a very bleak story,” he said. “There’s moments of levity because he’s a comedian, but don’t go into it thinking it’s a Chelsea Handler.”

Tallent explained that he is working on another novel, and potentially adapting “Running the Light” into a movie.

---

Get a weekly rundown of upcoming concerts, events and fun activities happening in Routt County sent to your inbox. Sign up here: steamboatpilot.com/newsletter

---

“I’m working on my second novel,” he said. “That’s daunting. It’s really hard to remember how I wrote a novel in the first place.”

Tallent added that this year overall, he has felt lucky career-wise.

“I’ve been able to do stand-up in every English-speaking country in the world,” he said, from Melbourne, Australia, to Dublin, Ireland.

Tallent said he was excited to bring his act back to Steamboat.

“The show’s very much not sold out,” he said. “It’d be lovely if people showed up.”

Tickets for Tallent’s show start at $20 more information is available at SteamboatComedy.com/Events.

To reach Katy Pickens, call 970-871-4208 or email her at kpickens@SteamboatPilot.com