June 26, 2025

What Touring America Taught a Southern Comic About Reading a Crowd

32 minutes

Kentucky native and comedian Katherine Blanford takes us on a hilarious journey across America, sharing how different regions react to humor and why the Pacific Northwest has become her performing paradise. From childhood road trips to Cracker Barrel to navigating regional comedy crowds, Katherine reveals the art of connecting with audiences nationwide—plus her brutally honest airport confessions.

From Cracker Barrel to Comedy Clubs

In this episode, you'll discover:

How a Kentucky kid who thought Calgary was "international travel" became a touring comedian

Why the Pacific Northwest produces Katherine's favorite audiences (hint: they're cold, drunk, and unpretentious)

The secret to reading crowds from the arm-crossing Midwest to the hootin'-and-hollererin' South

What makes small towns like Great Falls, Montana, comedy gold

Comedy Across America

[06:15] Growing up in Louisville with dreams of horses and trips to Churchill Downs
[15:30] The cultural shift from 31 years in the Southeast to touring nationwide
[22:45] Decoding regional audience reactions—from Midwest nodders to Southern hollerers
[28:20] Why Pacific Northwest crowds are a comedian's dream
[35:10] The legendary Arizona crowd work story and learning to read local "creatures"

A Comedian's Guide to Regional Humor

Katherine Blanford's sharp Southern wit has earned her spots at comedy clubs nationwide, with her latest special "Catholic Cowgirl" showcasing her unique perspective on growing up in Kentucky horse country. Her approach to comedy goes beyond just getting laughs—she studies each town like an anthropologist, understanding what makes different communities tick.

In this episode, you'll hear how Katherine transforms her childhood obsession with horses (she couldn't have one, so she became one) into crowd work gold, and why she had to retire her famous "neigh-off" challenge after Chicago audiences got too competitive.

Resources

Read the transcript of the episode

Catch Katherine live at upcoming shows in Sunnyvale, California, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa

See her at Red Rocks this October with Bert Kreischer

About Travel Tales by Afar

Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, ⁠⁠⁠Unpacked⁠⁠⁠, which unpacks a tricky topic in travel each week, and our industry-focused podcast, View From Afar.

Travel Tales by Afar is part of Airwave Media's podcast network. Please contact ⁠[email protected]⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

...more