Culture & Entertainment Notebook: Charlie Foster makes people laugh on stage, on air and in the car lot

On-air talent, comedian and car salesman Charlie Foster may be more of a local celebrity than what his humility lets on.

Foster's love for sales spans 25 years -- much longer than his newly discovered talents in radio and comedy.

But all of the St. Louis native's responsibilities trail back to one obvious characteristic: his personality.

"Whenever I greet somebody," he said behind his desk in a button-up shirt and tie, "I give them my card and say, 'I'm going to be your salesman today, but I also do stand-up comedy. I make people laugh.'"

Foster said, "If I can get people to laugh, it takes some of the pressure off."

Charlie Foster performs stand-up comedy Wednesday, May 8, 2019, at Ebb & Flow in Cape Girardeau.TYLER GRAEF

His mornings start around 5 a.m. sharing the airwaves with 100.7 FM KGMO's Steve Thomas during the Morning Drive. By 9 a.m., he's at John Sinclair Nissan interacting, laughing and selling vehicles.

Wednesday nights, depending on the schedule, Foster can also be seen in downtown Cape Girardeau doing stand-up comedy in front of a wall of mirrors and a standing-room-only crowd at Ebb and Flow Fermentations.

He's also rapped in marketing videos for John Sinclair Nissan.

Foster's first onstage appearance was during River City Players Community Theatre's production of "It's a Wonderful Life" in November. That's where he met fellow comedian Joy Brooker, originally from Los Angeles.

Brooker saw something in Foster he didn't see in himself.

"You think you're funny," Foster said. "I love making people laugh, and I love entertaining people and I kind of like being the center of attention most of the time. I can't help it."

His first performance was at On Cue Performing Arts Studio in downtown Cape Girardeau, because Brooker wanted him to get comfortable holding a mic, he said. He also has performed at Shakers Bar in Cape Girardeau.

Several performances and jokes later, Foster's straight-faced, self-deprecating comedic style had taken him out of his comfort zone.

"The one thing I do focus on though, is to work as clean as possible," he said. "I don't do a lot of blue comedy. I don't use the F-word ... I'm not saying not to do that, but that's just what I prefer."

Doing something he has never done before is what Foster said inspired him to begin pursuing stand-up comedy "150%."

"My dad always told me, 'If you're going to do something, do it over the top,'" Foster said.

And with that mindset, last November he auditioned for "America's Got Talent" in Tennessee. He didn't advance through the competition, but it was a memorable experience, he said.

Foster still is trying to master the craft of comedy, eagerly trying to get enough material together for a 15-minute show or longer, he said. And Foster uses one lackluster stand-up performance as motivation.

"[Brooker] gave me some advice. She said, 'Even if you're bombing, don't make it look like you're bombing. Just keep going. You've got to work through it.' And that's what I try and do," he said.

That motivation is what landed him the morning radio gig at KGMO.

One day on Foster's day off, he bought a dozen doughnuts and delivered them to KGMO with a card that read: "Steve, call me!"

"I'm on the radio! I love it! I'm having so much fun with it," he said, "and people are even starting to recognize me now."

Foster added, "I'm 52 years old. To me, it's never too late to try something new. And that's the way I feel about it right now."

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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... And many more!

Melissa Gilbert as Laura Ingalls with her dog, Jack.Wikipedia

Melissa Gilbert -- best known for her role as Laura Ingalls-Wilder on the classic "Little House on the Prairie" -- turned 55 years old this week. Happy birthday, Half-Pint!

Shows to binge watch with mom

• "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" | Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu
• "The Golden Girls" | Hulu
• "I Love Lucy" | Prime Video, Hulu
• "7th Heaven" | Hulu, Prime Video
• "Little House on the Prairie" | Prime Video
• "Reba" | Hulu
• "Roseanne" | Prime Video
• "Full House" | Prime Video, Hulu

-- Compiled by Joshua Hartwig