Comic Casey McLain has a thing about Spokane's beloved red wagon

Ed Condran, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
·3 min read

Jun. 30—Casey McLain has noticed how dramatically Spokane has changed over recent years. The veteran comic, who was born and grew up on the other side of the state, has visited Spokane more times than he can count.

"I've been to Spokane ever since I was little," McLain said while calling from his Tacoma home. "I've been to Spokane so often, particularly during the summer since I have family there.

"Spokane wasn't so cool until recently. Now Spokane is becoming this hip tech city with gay bars. It's made amazing progress, but with all of that, the biggest attraction is still that big red wagon. That tells me that Spokane is a Midwest town that's trying to be a West Coast city."

Expect much of McLain's material to be Spokane-centric when the veteran stand-up comic returns to the Spokane Comedy Club.

"That's easy for me since I'm so familiar with Spokane," McLain said. "I have so many memories there. I would love Spokane if the summers weren't so hot and the winters weren't so cold. My body is used to life out here. I turn on my air conditioner when it's 65 degrees."

McLain, 36, will wax about family members who reside in the Inland Northwest.

"I have a cousin who moved to Deer Park, but it was too much hustle and bustle for him so he moved to Elk, which feels like the middle of nowhere," he said.

When McLain isn't talking about Spokane, he'll focus on his family, particularly his 2-year-old daughter.

"There is so much going on with my daughter that I have to talk about it," McLain said. "I talk about changing her diaper and that reminds me of what Louis C.K. would say when he would talk about his daughters when they were little. I know it's controversial to say, but I love Louis C.K.'s material about his family.

"It's hard to talk about changing a diaper now since Louis squeezed everything out of that, if you will. Louis took the Instagram sheen off of parenting. I talk about how much work it is and how exhausting it is to have a baby, and people can relate. It's cathartic talking about it, and I think it's the same for parents hearing about all of this."

McLain's latest bit is about his daughter's obsession with Old Glory.

"My daughter is just crazy about the American flag for whatever reason," McLain said, chuckling. "She just loves it. She gets so excited when she sees it. People are like, 'So, you're a Republican.' And I'm like, 'No, my daughter just likes the flag.' I have other stuff about my daughter, my marriage and the world that I'll be talking about as well."

And McLain will riff about Spokane's beloved wagon.

"If the people in Spokane get how I feel and burn that wagon to the ground, then I guess they read this article," McLain said. "I can't be the only one that thinks this way."