Augie T.

Photo courtesy Augie T.

Augie T. was once the new comedian on the block, taking advice from professionals and going through humor pains like many young comedians. Now a veteran funnyman, Augie T. who got his start performing at open-mic nights at the Honolulu Comedy Club is taking the leadership role, organizing a much-anticipated comedy tour that features many comedians who were role models he admired and was influenced by.

On March 31 at Blaisdell Concert Hall, he will continue to emcee, host and participate in the Na Ali’i Kings of Comedy tour featuring Frank De Lima, Andy Bumatai, Mel Cabang and Ed Kaahea.

“This experience is kind of surreal because these guys are all professionals who I admire and they all helped me to develop and become a fixture in the Hawaii comedy scene. But I am the promoter of the tour, the person signing their checks. I want to make sure they are treated with respect. I owe a lot to these guys, and am thinking all the time how we can keep each other working for the next couple years,” says Augie T., who was featured on MidWeek‘s cover Aug. 23, 2000.

With the mixture of comedic talent the tour boasts, audiences will get their fair share of jokes, skits, comedic music and tribute.

“Uncle Mel is the wisecracking, raw, heavy-looking guy who is very animated. He told me from my start to always just be myself. Andy, I grew up as a kid admiring. He is the one who can really set up and tell a joke. Frank is Frank he taught me to be outrageous. When you think of Ed, you think of Booga Booga (Hawaii comic trio) who made that explosion of comedy in Hawaii happen,” he adds. “I said from the very beginning there shouldn’t be any egos, because we all control the show. There is no headliner, no opening act. We just want to go out there and do a great show that people can walk away saying, ‘Bam, now that was a badass show!'”

Augie T., who is vice president of Hawaii Alarm, will take clips and scenes from the show and incorporate them into Augie T.’s Garage, which is going into its fourth season on OC16 this year.

He also is planning on a solo tour starting this fall and, in true Augie T. form, would like to title it the I Think I Am Slow tour. “After I bought into Hawaii Alarm and now as vice president, that company takes a lot of my time. Doing the TV and touring stuff is just fun, gets me out of my element,” says Augie T. Working as an advocate for equality, he also has a cartoon skit for the NOH8 campaign, which works for marriage rights and gender and human equality. Also, as a mentor for youths, Augie T. has begun a statewide anti-bullying campaign, titled “No Bully Me with Augie T.”