Can Nashville name a Stand-Up Comedian Laureate? Because I have a beloved and unproblematic nomination, and I think he’d be hard to beat. Before he was Saturday Night Live’s go-to Trump impersonator — and impressionist-at-large, frequently scooping up more airtime than just about anyone aside from the week’s host — hometown funnyman James Austin Johnson was fine-tuning his material at a spot called Spanky’s near the Nashville Zoo. The Glengarry Elementary, Meigs Magnet, Davidson Academy and Trevecca Nazarene University alum has only gotten sharper and funnier in the four years since he first joined SNL’s cast, with his arsenal including characters who feel familiar to anyone raised in Middle Tennessee. (Also, Johnson’s Bob Dylan impression comes from a place of deep understanding and love, as evidenced by his tender recent cover of “The Man in Me.”) As has become recent tradition, before the next season of Lorne Michaels’ long-running NBC variety show returns in September, Johnson is making a three-night hometown appearance at Zanies. Visit nashville.zanies.com for showtimes and tickets.
Aug. 27-29 at Zanies
2019 Eighth Ave. S.
