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 THE SUN COURIER

Thursday, May 22, 2025
Austin rides into town to lasso big laughs     Rodney Bengston
     Clint Eastwood rode through a series of spaghetti westerns with no name.  John Wesley Austin wants everyone to know his name.  

     The cowboy comic headlines through Saturday night at Hilarities in Cuyahoga Falls, OH.

     JWA says his comic leanings showed up pretty early.  When he was 7 years old, his parents went to Las Vegas & got him Johnny Carson's autograph.  He didn't know who the talk show host was at the time, & that spurred him on to watch "The Tonight Show" where he developed an appreciation for stand-up.

     He would then share his wealth of off color jokes on the school playground, which he says, "other kids 

      at the private Christian school didn't get to hear at home."

By age 13, John Wesley's classmates were encouraging him to write his own material.

     At age 16, he was doing open mic nights at a local comedy club.  "I wasn't old enough to drink, I had to ride my bike to the club, but I was allowed to perform."

     Warm & fuzzy isn't the way to describe his show.  "Leave the kids at home," he said.  "I don't hold back."

     Music hasn't always been in Austin's show, but it has become a key part of it now.  "At 28, I learned to play guitar. By 29, I put it in the show.  By 30 or 31, it became one of everyone's favorite parts," he said.

     He feels validated in the music realm because stars of syndicated radio like, Bob & Tom, and Dr. Demento have played his songs on their shows.  He's been getting a big response with one of his signature country ballads, the very  politically incorrect, "One Legged Country Girl."

     Besides the standard comedy clubs, JWA is hoping to perform at country bars in the future, too.  "Then my crowd would be right there," he said.

     Austin said, he's also writing for a new compact disc, & he's pushing to get his songs on the radio more.

     His web site, Www.JohnWesleyAustin.com offers more details on a guy who is interested in Nascar & Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

    

  John Wesley said the toughest challenge is when there is a small crowd at a club.  "You have to be careful not to be just going through the motions on stage, butwhen it's a packed house, it rocks!"

     Many comics want to land a TV gig, but that isn't the 1st priority for him.  "I want to be the guy that people want to come see when I come to town, because they know they'll laugh their ass off,"  he said.

"Anything else?" I asked.  "Yeah, I want a Harley!" he said.

     Rodney Bengston, an editor in Sun Newspapers' metro office covers Northeastern Ohio's comedy scene.  You can contact him at [email protected].