Comedian Jarrod Harris performs this weekend in the Tri-State

By P.F. Wilson for CityBeat

In the back of his mind, Jarrod Harris always knew he’d be a stand-up comic. “I was never a big comedy fan growing up,” he says, “but I remember in middle school seeing two comics and liking them a lot. One was Janeane Garofalo and the other was Sinbad. I know they’re polar opposites, but I really liked them.” Before pursuing comedy, Harris was involved in the world of BMX racing, then started a pressure washing business and nearly got married.

But he was burned out. “I decided I wanted to do something I thought was cool,” he explains. It was around that time that a friend put him in touch with Stephen Colbert, who mentored him. “He’d call and ask if I’d gotten myself on stage. At some point I felt guilty and said to myself, ‘Man, I’ve got to get on stage, because if he calls back, I don’t want to tell him I haven’t.’ ” Harris now has several TV appearances under his belt, and is a national headliner, joking mostly about himself. “You have to talk about what you know, and I know me and my stories best. It’s kind of dark, but it’s also a little silly.”

Go Bananas Comedy Club, Montgomery. Through Sunday, June 17. Showtime is 8 p.m. with additional 10:30 p.m. showings Friday and Saturday. $8-$12. 513-984-9288, gobananascomedy.com .