Kentucky native to perform during Comedy Caravan

Will Hardesty became a stand-up comedian because it was the only thing he felt he could do.

“Honestly, I’m not sure if it’s something I ever decided on,” Hardesty said. “I kind of discovered I was fairly good at (stand-up) and I liked it. I have no other skills, so that helps.”

But in the beginning, stand-up comedy didn’t come easy for Hardesty, who will be performing Wednesday night in the Cat’s Den.

In his first performance 12 years ago, Hardesty practiced until he had his routine down to three minutes of tight material. When it came to his actual debut, the routine only took one minute and 46 seconds.

“I was so nervous, I just rushed the whole thing,” he said. “I went, ‘I’m done,’ and just walked off stage. I said, ‘This is going to be more work than I thought it was going to be.’ ”

Since his first performance, Hardesty has worked to become a better comedian, even placing second in a San Francisco comedy competition, which he said was his most memorable performance.

“That was the first big thing that happened to me. It was extraordinarily exciting,” he said.

Hardesty, a Kentucky native, has also had some bad performances, including one where his material was not welcome in a conservative town in West Virginia.

“They were not digging me,” he said. “It was the only time I thought it was going to get violent. I just walked off stage and went home.”

Hardesty said he tries to use his stand-up to make a comment about the human condition, and he likes discussing the topics you’re not supposed to talk about.

“I will be talking (at UK) about all the big stuff, like religion and politics. I also mostly talk about me, about how I feel about things. I try not to talk about things I don’t know, so I end up mostly talking about myself,” he said.

Like most comedians, what Hardesty wants to accomplish with his stand-up is to entertain his audience.

“I would like for them to worship me as a god, but that has never happened, so I’m not expecting it,” he said. “But if people have fun, then I did the right thing.”

Hardesty will perform his stand-up comedy at 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Cat’s Den as part of the weekly Comedy Caravan series. The event is free and open to the public.