Spotted Bear at Level 2 Comedy Club

Culture | December 28th, 2015

By John Showalter

I’m thinking that perhaps I should elaborate on the title of the article. Don’t worry -- there hasn’t been a bear spotted at Level 2 Comedy Club, so by all means you should go on the evening of Jan. 2. That was just my ham-fisted attempt at a joke. But I’m not the professional stand-up comedian, William Spotted Bear is, and that night he will be having a comeback show you don’t want to miss.

Readers will recall our coverage of Adam Quesnell’s going-away show at the grand opening of the Level 2 Comedy Club at the Hotel Radisson. For those who aren’t already aware, William Spotted Bear is another of the integral figures in the Fargo stand-up comedy scene. Without people like him the F-M area might not even have a comedy scene. After moving to greener pastures in Minneapolis last year, William will be coming back to his old stomping grounds in Fargo in order to do a one-night-only show.

During my interview with him, William Spotted Bear had a very “who, me?” attitude when I asked about his being a major player in starting Fargo comedy. When I mentioned that I had already heard his name bandied about as being important to its start, he said, “Of course they said that,” putting in a good word for Adam Quesnell as well as the late Nick Wieme.

William got his start in stand-up like several others at the Tuesday open mic at Red Raven back in 2009. Before that, he was born in Seattle and even lived for a time in Pittsburgh, worked at American Crystal Sugar, and served six years in the military.

Stand-up comedy? “Everyone said I should do it,” he said.

When the Fargo comedy scene got started, Spotted Bear said, “We had to make comedy a commodity.” Even the management of self-admitted dive bars weren’t completely on board with the idea, at least at first. “They said that no one wanted to come see comedy around here.” One of those clubs is only three blocks away from the Radisson.

However, through a lot of hard work, self-marketing and a mixture of both great shows and utter bombs, eventually William and friends proved them wrong. His first show was awesome but his second was an utter flop. He says that he refused to end things with a failure -- otherwise, that was the way he would be remembered.

From those humble beginnings, his comedy career has expanded. He has visited 30 states and three Canadian provinces. He has taken part in comedy competitions in Seattle and at Laugh Factory, the nationwide comedy club chain. Among his influences he lists Christopher Titus, George Carlin and Denis Leary.

His stand-up comedy is a combination of observational humor and personal experience, as well as observations on race that can be provocative as well as hilarious. One subject that he broaches in his comedy is his identity as a Native American.

For a good portion of his life he was raised and lived in a typical “American” fashion, and it wasn’t until moving to this part of the country that he really started to get in touch with his heritage as a Sheyenne River Sioux. This has been a goldmine of personal experience and comedic inspiration regarding the touchy subject of ethnicity and racial identity in the U.S.

On the night of Jan. 2, consider Spotted Bear’s stand-up special at Level 2, where he will prove equally adept at making you laugh and lowering your guard concerning touchy subjects.

IF YOU GO:

William Spotted Bear with Joe Christianson

Sat, Jan. 2; Shows at 7 and 9:30

Level 2 Comedy Club, 201 5th St. N, Fargo

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