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| Diamond Shines On -- 'Saved by the Bell' star brings comedic act tailored to 20-somethings Kansas State Collegian Mattew Webber March 31, 2003 Have you ever seen the "Saved by the Bell" episode in which Samuel "Screech" Powers tells jokes in Manhattan? Had you entered Aggie Station at 7 or 10 Sunday night, you might have thought you were watching it. Dustin Diamond, the actor who played Screech for almost a decade, performed two sets of stand-up comedy to capacity crowds. "Dustin's so identified with the 20-something age market," Phillips said. "They grew up with Dustin. He's a great fit for a college town." Diamond seemed to understand that college students still identify him as his "Saved by the Bell" character. He opened his monologue by asking how many people came to his show to have a few drinks and laugh at his jokes. Then he asked how many people "came out to get [really] drunk and make fun of Screech?" Diamond made fun of Screech and "Saved by the Bell" throughout the show. He wondered if people expected him to wear "multi-colored pants up to my nipples" and a "pubic forest fro." He compared himself to Urkel, another television icon. He said he performs stand-up because he really needs the money. He described his comedy as "observational" and told jokes about Iraq, drugs and feces. "We can all relate to it," he said about his potty humor. Dave Temple, senior in public relations, said he attended the show because he had heard Diamond would be dirty. "I like dirty jokes," Temple said. "I'm a dirty guy. It's fun to see a guy who used to be a nice kid become dirty." Other reasons for attending the show varied. Some people wanted to see a comedy show, whereas others wanted to see Screech. Manhattan residents Eric and Roni Deeds said they attended because they wanted to laugh. "We're just here to see a good comedy show," Roni Deeds said, although she said she had seen "Saved by the Bell" before. "I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it," she said. "But my younger brother and sister used to watch it. I haven't seen him in any other movies or TV shows. Other cast members have gone on to do bigger and better things. Maybe he likes the live performance and getting instant feedback." Some people attended the show because they had grown up watching "Saved by the Bell" and wanted to see a cast member. "I'm excited to see him," said Tracy Lackner, sophomore in apparel marketing. "I think he'll be funny. It's kind of neat that he's getting the college crowd. People can see a celebrity they usually don't get to see." Diamond's raunchy humor surprised many in the audience. "I figured it would be funny," Andy Pavkov, sophomore in finance, said. "But it was a lot funnier than I thought. I figured a lot of it would be based on 'Saved by the Bell.' It was hilarious." Justin Tomlinson, freshman in economics, said the show was different from what he expected and that it was funny. Although Diamond plays in the band Salty the Pocketknife and is appearing in the upcoming David Spade movie "Dickie Roberts," he will probably always be known as the nerdy "Saved by the Bell" character. Tomlinson said Diamond will be a successful comedian because of how famous he is. "I think his fame will carry him through stand-up," he said. "But if he was unknown, he's mediocre, at best. I think he makes more money signing autographs than doing stand-up." Diamond sold photos and autographs after the show. The event's emcee, Manhattan resident Austin Morgan, said Diamond was much better than he expected him to be. However, when Morgan introduced Diamond to the audience, he was careful not to make any "Saved by the Bell" references. "Other comics who have worked with him have said it's a pretty sensitive area," he said. "It's something you don't want to do." |
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