COURTESY OF ELISSA JOSEPHSOHN Gary Gulman did open-mic shows for years before his big break on "Last Comic Standing."

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Minutiae man

Anyone remember the TV show "Last Comic Standing?" If you think back, maybe you'll recall a tall -- REALLY tall -- curly haired finalist from the show's second season. He was the handsome guy who looked like he could have been in a modeling competition, and got hell for it by a few nervous finalists when they grew desperate in the 11th hour? No??

Catch a laugh Gary Gulman with opening comic Jamie Lissow Where: Pikake Room, Blaisdell Center When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday Tickets: $25 in advance, $30 the day of the shows Call: 591-2211 or (877) 750-4400 or go online to www.ticketmaster.com

"That's OK," said Gary Gulman politely. "Not many of you did watch it."

Pause. "I also like to fill uncomfortable silences with talking."

The 6-foot 6-inch deadpan comedian ended up in third place in the telecast competition. If your memory is excellent, you might even remember Gulman from his guest appearances on late-night talk shows prior to "Last Comic Standing."

But if you don't, please be kind and do not give him a hard time.

"I hate to be humiliated in front of people," said Gulman. "I think it goes back to growing up."

Comfortable tossing off well-prepared observations on life, the Massachusetts-born comedian describes himself as a bit of a "goofball," dating all the way back to his childhood in Peabody, Mass., a small town 16 miles north of Boston.

Gulman was the kid who would spend his Saturday nights watching "Saturday Night Live" and repeat skits on Monday mornings for his school friends. He and his two older brothers enjoyed a comfortable, casual family environment, in which humor along the lines of Mel Brooks, Red Buttons and Gilda Radner earned approval from his parents.

"Humor and laughter was always considered very valuable in my home," said the comedian who now calls Los Angeles home. "I always had an interest in comedy. A lot of the validation and attention came from being funny. I always had an ear out for the funny."

Gulman is a former accountant who chose comedy as his second career. But his previous job, as well as his love life and other personal experiences, does provide fodder for his stand-up routine. But what exactly is a self-professed introvert doing getting up on stage on a weekly basis and possibly embarrassing himself for a living?

"It might seem kind of crazy, but it's where I feel most comfortable. (On stage) I'm an exaggerated version of myself. I'm at my most comfortable and confident. ... I'm pretty self-conscious. ... Sometimes I feel like the actual personality doesn't always match up. ... People are expecting a jock. I like to read and write. I like to go to shows, both to perform and observe. But like a lot of comedians, I don't like to be in the middle of a huge group of people. There's a bit of a divide between the comedian and the audience."

GULMAN'S comedic style is conversational, more Paul Reiser than say, Lewis Black. Gulman plays the straight man, bewildered by the events that happen to him with or without his help. Case in point, his freshman year at Boston College.

"Despite the fact that I was introverted, I played football," he said. "I went to school on a football scholarship. You want to be seen as this cooler, sexier person in college. ... I wanted people to know I was playing football, so I wore the football shorts outside of practice in front of groups of people. I was wearing them one day, and this older player pulled down my shorts in front of a group of people. 'Welcome to college.'

"Occasionally, I enjoy the comical challenge, but really I'm too much of a coward. I deal more with the minutiae. Some comics do it -- the truths, the social challenges, and there's a need for it. But about half (of my routine) is biographical, the other half, while told from the perspective of an adult, are things that only a child would care about, a child with a better vocabulary."

Gulman's public profile might have grown from appearing on "Last Comic Standing," but he was in the business long before he appeared on the summertime show, doing the late-night show rounds.

"I felt like I was only on that show for a couple of minutes, but there's a big difference between prime time and 11:30 p.m. That exposure was the equivalent of a two-hour HBO show."

The former accountant had been doing open-mic shows for years before getting his big break on "Last Comic Standing." He even sold a few project ideas to networks, including the autobiographical story Fox bought about a guy in his late 20s living at home with his mother. The project started a string of events, including the first of two appearances at the Montreal Comedy Festival.

The sold project also earned him the money to relocate to L.A. Gulman can even tell you the exact date he left his mother's home and settled in California for good -- Jan. 6, 2000.

While the project deals started out promisingly, unfortunately none of the pilots have been picked up as of yet, including a 2004 project for NBC, the home of "Last Comic Standing."

"That's OK," he said. "I'm not over the hill yet. But I don't want to give my age. I'm vain."