One-time Marine sniper now churns out one-liners
Bryson Banks went from hard-core Marine to joyful comedian.
“I paid some prices for my non-conformity,” says the former sniper, who shares his military experience, journey into comedy and more as this week’s special guest on The American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast.
After joining the Marines at 18, Banks received a bachelor’s degree from UCLA and a master’s degree from Pepperdine University.
“We get paid to go to college, so it would be a shame to let that go to waste,” he says. “I thought I wanted to act so I moved to L.A. and did some acting on the side. I went from infantry in the Marines, where it was all dudes, to well this is interesting with a lot of women here, which is what I needed in my life.”
Once he tried stand-up comedy seven years ago, he found his niche and “stopped doing everything else.”
In addition to touring as a stand-up, Bryson can be seen regularly performing in Los Angeles and in clubs across the country, including The Comedy Store, Laugh Factory and Hollywood Improv. He also produces Semper Funny, a monthly, star-studded show at the Improv.
“We like to say that pain plus time equals comedy,” he says of veterans. “There’s a lot of pain in that so there is a lot of humor in there.”
On his Instagram page, Banks refers to himself as a “humble stud.” He backed up the humble part of that on the podcast when asked about lifetime goals.
“To be one of the greatest comedians that ever lived,” he says. “… and chilling on my yacht on my days off.”
Also, co-hosts Stacy Pearsall and Joe Worley discuss:
• A comedian who you might be surprised to learn served in the Air Force during the 1950s.
• An American Legion post mixes coffee and comradeship to Be the One.
• A new tribute to be unveiled next month as part of the World War I memorial in D.C.
Check out this week’s episode, which is among more than 260 Tango Alpha Lima podcasts available in both audio and video formats here. You can also download episodes on Apple Podcasts, Google Play or other major podcast-hosting sites. The video version is available at the Legion’s YouTube channel.