Marc Price is right about his audience. Come on down.
"Everyone always asks me, 'We know you're Skippy from 'Family Ties,' but what could you possibly have to say in a live forum?'"
Of course we know you, Skippy. That's right. Skippy - from the best of Hollywood's nerd children of the '80s, the dorky best friend of Alex P. Keaton, the annoying next-door neighbor, the kid who never could stop stalking Mallory.
Sure (shrug), we know him; we watch the reruns, you know, while we're sitting on the couch doing our homework and all. So what? What is this Skippy fellow doing now anyway?
Maybe the better question might be: What ISN'T he doing?
Meet Marc Price, and find out in two seconds flat that he's a bundle of energy and enthusiasm. Unbeknownst to many former "Family Ties" junkies, Price, now 26, has always had the perfect place to focus it - in his stand-up comedy act.
Marc Price ... come on down ... you're the next comedian coming to Mainstreet Comedy Showcase this weekend.
At the beginning of this week, Price focused his energy into a telephone interview with The Michigan Daily. He told us about himself and his latest act. So what's his show all about anyway?
"I want the ultimate Barnum-like way to describe it. I think it would be KILLER (here comes that energy again) if I could come up with a way," he said. "(He's deep in thought for a moment) ... something with the word 'naked' in it, where people are just like 'I'VE GOTTA SEE THAT SHOW!'"
Sorry, no nudity, kiddies. "I used to focus on Skippy a lot," he continued. "I would just come back to it sort of for comedic effect. I started to move into a former sit-com kid type area.
"Lately, I've been moving away from that and really sort of looking at myself as a 26-year-old in 1996 - a part of Generation X."
Price prides himself on being able to "look at both sides of an issue and ... remain confused. I like to look at both sides and have fun with it ... and leave people with possibility and a feeling of comedic hope," Price finished proudly.
He erupted into laughter at his last two words.
"Was that Barnum enough?" he asked.
When asked whether people who come to see the show still think of him as Skippy, Price does not hesitate to give a good-natured "yes." But "that's okay," he continued. "It was a nickname. But nobody's ever left there thinking of me as the character from the TV show. Ever.
"And so I've always looked at it as: Hey - if that's a way to get people into the theater, so be it. Milk it. Moo. (Insert strange mooing noise here.) Milk that Skippy."
Now, there's an attitude.
No doubt about it, Marc Price comes by his talent naturally. His father, Borscht Belt comedian Al Bernie, was certainly an inspiration from the time Marc was a young child. Price credits his father with noticing changes in comedy over the years and with exposing him to comedians of old, such as Jackie Mason, and of new, such as Jim Carrey. Price remembers his entrance into the comedy scene of the '80s vividly. "It was very different from my dad's world of comedy," he recalled.
So, yes. These were the pre-Skippy years for Price. He did stand-up, appeared on "The Merv Griffin Show" at the age of 13 and later was on other television shows, such as "One Day at a Time" and "Archie Bunker's Place." Price has also done his share of movies, including "Killer Tomatoes Eat France," part IV of the Tomatoes Trilogy.
When asked about his "bad film festival" and other past accomplishments, Price pleaded (in his best Skippy voice): "But you don't have to mention THOSE things. Talk more about my new stuff."
Currently, Price just sold a show - one in which he is the writer, producer and on-air talent - to Dick Clark Productions. He has also been in development companies on television shows. Even now, Price continues to shuffle his time between his comedy and his production company in L.A.
Marc Price is right again. He certainly does have his share of new stuff.
"Now I look to people who are heroes of mine, like Michael McKean, who I recently worked with on a play," he said. (McKean moved from playing Lenny on "Laverne & Shirley" to becoming involved in "Saturday Night Live," "Spinal Tap" and "Dream On.")
Price has no hesitations about relating this example to his experience. "Skippy all the time," he continued. "And what am I going to do about that? I'm gonna invite them to my show. And try, with my Hollywood projects, try to keep moving forward in such a way where I can, like Michael McKean, sort of grow out of it."
Marc Price is, in fact, coming into his own. And it is quite apparent that "Family Ties" is a distant, but good memory for him.
Was his crush on Mallory (Justine Bateman) also an off-screen thing? Price responded with a heavy voice: "Oh God. I was absolutely in lust ... I mean, in love with the very young and beautiful Mallory, and I was younger and nerdy and there was no chance for me."
Still, with so many new projects, Price seems ready to move on. After all, he does have his act, which he describes as always evolving. "It's a breathing, living monster. It has a life unto itself."
Marc Price, known for his role as Skippy on "Family Ties," comes to Mainstreet Comedy Showcase this weekend.