These days, it might seem like Gallup has more to laugh about than ever, and that’s because it does.

Just take Isiah Yazzie, for example. He’s tall, slim and full of political humor. The Navajo-born Yazzie was part of a quartet that performed April 9 at the Gallup Downtown Conference Center. Also on stage with Yazzie were

“I’d say that most of my stuff has its basis in politics,” Yazzie, 22, said. “Everything I do is based on something from a real life experience.”

Yazzie, who graduated from Gallup’s Rehoboth Christian School in 2012, went off to college at Trinity Christian College in Chicago to pursue a degree in communications, but later left to enroll at an improvisational comedy school called “The Second City in Chicago. He and Chinle, Ariz., comedian Ernie Tsosie recently formed Rez City Improv which uses audience participation to drive stage performances.

“He’s a great kid,” Tsosie said. Tsosie has performed with 49 Laughs and has starred in a lot of Native American-themed films like “More Than Frybread” and “Turquoise Rose.”

“I think in time you’ll see him grow and just get better and better. He’s funny and that the key thing in doing comedy.”

Yazzie notes a typical spoof that he does on stage is a monologue called, “Kids Say the Darnest Things.” He explained that the character doing the monologue is a young Native American who is tired of being oppressed in modern day society.

“This young Native is living in two worlds,” Yazzie explained. “He’s living in the Native American world and the world of the White man and this causes him to seek deeper meaning behind everything.”

Yazzie said he likes most of the poplar comedians, saying he doesn’t really model his performances after just one. He said he writes all of his material and gets it from going to school board, city council and county meetings.

By Bernie Dotson

Sun Correspondent