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If you've been around GOLO for a while, chances are you've come across our resident funnyman, Yacs. I had the opportunity to chat with Yacs last week and  I must say we had a really good time. So sit back and learn a little bit more about our friend Yacs.

Angela: You’re a long-time GOLO member. What keeps you coming back?

Yacs: I enjoy some of the discourse and when  I started, like a lot of the long time members, it was just the capacity to leave comments which I do from time to time but it’s interesting to see how I’ve moved from that to just blogs. The reason I got involved is because I thought it was neat to share opinions on news stories. It took me about a month to sign up. Once I did I enjoyed it. I’ve left in the short-term a couple times when I had things going on….

Angela: Like what? What pulled you away?

Yacs: When I got a new job and I knew there was no way I could take part during the day and it’s tough at night with a couple of young kinds and a wife.

Angela: Tell me about your kids. Do you see yourself in them?

Yacs: Oh quite a bit. I have seven and three-year-old boys. The 7-year-old has a bizarre sense of humor. He enjoys laughing and having fun as well as some intellectual study.

Angela: Oh he’s just a well rounded fellow.

Yacs: Yes he is. I see a young me in him based on what I did at his age. The three year old is a miscreant and troublemaker. I wouldn’t change it, though. He’s a constant challenge. It’s a great age but a challenging age.

Angela: Do you have any regrets in life?

Yacs: No. I really don’t. I’ve posted very rarely on this philosophy but I believe it’s wrong to look back with regret. If a person says I want to change one thing, they’ll change everything because anything they change will change everything else that happened after that point. If you could change that one thing, you’re saying you’d like to change exactly what you have today.

Angela:  Wow you’re pretty deep.

Yacs: Yeah that might be a surprise to a lot of people because I come off as kind of a clown.

Angela: Were you the class clown?

Yacs: I think there were several of us in my class and we sort of ran together. I’ve always been kind of a showman. There’s almost a pathological need for me to entertain people. It’s sad, really. It rules me. People who believe in the zodiac say it’s because I’m a Leo.

Angela: Hey I’m a Leo. When is your birthday?

Yacs: The 16th.

Angela: Mine is the 11th.

Yacs: How about that?

Angela: Well it can't be because of your zodiac sign because I’m nothing like that

(We both laugh)

Yacs: Maybe you take good care of your hair. That’s lion thing too.

Angela: Good point. I am all about my hair. Now, tell me about some of your early shenanigans?

Yacs: Nothing bad really. I’ve never been a fan of practical jokes and that surprises people. I’ve never enjoyed them. It’s not that I was doing mean things to teachers. I never had a problem interrupting a conversation in the classroom to lighten the mood a little bit and I still do it today. When I’m employed and in a meeting I do it. I do it around the house and on GOLO. I see an opportunity and I go for it. It goes back to that pathological need. I think that it’s important to make people laugh. Laughter is a good healthy thing and things in the world today are pretty bad. The world needs to laugh.

 If I can give somebody a laugh I’ll make myself look ridiculous. There’s a serous need for more laughter in the world.  

Angela: Well you can certainly get a dose on GOLO.

Yacs: Look how popular Will Rogers was back in his heyday. People needed him during the Depression. Not comparing myself to him…

Angela: You made reference a few minutes ago that indicates you may not have a job at the moment. Have you been affected by the downturn in the economy?

Yacs: I was working as a Marketing Communications Specialist last fall and my company was acquired. Cuts were mad due to duplicate positions. The company was successful though, it was just the duplicate positions. It’s kind of like being in the middle of a flu pandemic staying healthy but being run over by a bus.

(W both laugh)

Angela: I bet your sense of humor serves you well.

Yacs: At times it does. At other times I think it gets on peoples nerves.

Angela: Do you care?

Yacs: I do. I don’t want to get on my wife’s nerves and I try to be sensitive. There has to be an off-switch.

Angela: Tell me about the best day of your life:

Yacs: (Pauses…) Hmmm…that’s tough.

Angela: How about the worst day?

Yacs: Wow these superlatives can be tough. I believe there are no absolutes. A person may have several great days and several horrible days. I think it’s impossible to isolate one as the best or the worst.

There are the common answers like when I was performing and writing with the improv troupe.

Angela: Wait you do improv? Where can we see you?

Yacs: Right now not anywhere but I’m taking a hiatus. I’m hoping to drag myself back out. Up until last August I’d been performing at Comedy Works in Raleigh for the last ten years,

Angela: Wow.

Yacs: It’s a lot of fun. It served me in more serious matters as well. It taught me how to think on my feet, and it helped me in past job searches and during interviews situations to come up with an answer.

Angela: Do you miss it?

Yacs: I do.

Angela: Can it pay the bills?

Yacs: No. That was the big problem. I saw it as promotional opportunities because I’m also trying to make it as a humor writer so being in the public eye would eventually be helpful. It’s strictly amateur. No one gets paid but the owner of the club.

Angela: I see how that could raise issues in a marriage.

Yacs: Yes, exactly. It didn’t raise issues for me. She would never ask me not to do it but it’s obvious when resentment is there.

Angela: Well you were able to do it for 10 year. That’s good run.

Yacs: A couple of GOLO’ers came to see me in the early GOLO days. 

Angela: I think I remember that. Talk to me about your dream job

Yacs: My dream job is to be a humor writer and syndicated columnist. .

Angela: What are you doing to reach that goal?

Yacs: For a year I had a short term contract with the N&O. Now I’m writing for Midtown Magazine. Neither will get me syndicated but it helps. And I’ve got my own online presence. People can subscribe to get columns from me.

They (the columns) end up being a draft of something that will eventually be published elsewhere.

Here's the URL to Yacs' Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/bainwaves

Angela: I know you don’t deal in absolutes but where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Yacs: Still happily married with children who are maturing into good productive members of society and somehow keeping myself in the public eye.

Angela: How about 20? Shoot for the stars.  

Yacs: Who knows? Maybe I’ll hit that syndicated goal, maybe a radio show. I’m working on a book now that’s gong to be published one way or another because I can always self-publish and in 20 years I will have hoped to have written at least 10 more.

Angela: Those are great goals. Now before we go what would you like people to know about you that they may not already know?

Yacs: I’m not wearing any pants.

Angela: Al---righty then!

(We laugh profusely; actually I think I was doing all the laughing)

Yacs: Really though, some people might not know that I don’t belong to one party or another. I’ve been called a liberal and a conservative, but I’m neither.

Angela: On that note Yacs, it’s been fun. Now please put some pants on!

Yacs: I’ve been looking forward to this for a while. It’s nice to be the interviewee for once. And great to be the center of attention, as always.