Taking a look at those zany Regan boys

Ask David Letterman who his favorite comedian is and chances are good he will settle on one Brian Regan, who in 2015 made his 28th and final appearance on the “David Letterman Show.”

Regan has gained plenty of notoriety as one of the nation’s top clean comedians, a decision he said he made early on because he never felt swearing for the sake of swearing was funny.

Regan has been a mainstay in the comedy world for many years, his unique blend of clean humor, physical comedy, self-deprecation and silly but smart comedy tickling the funny bones of plenty of fans.

I first witnessed Regan along with my friend David Trachsel in a small comedy show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where our front-row seats gave us a wonderful view of the man I have now seen live in concert five times and watched on YouTube far too many times to count.

That I was afforded a couple of minutes to interview him and his brother Dennis — also a tremendous comedian in his own right — in person following their stand-up performance at Kent State Tuscarawas not long ago was a dream come true.

Oddly, for as zany and boisterous as he is onstage, Brian Regan came across as very grateful and almost quiet as we spoke.

But the reason I really wanted to chat with him was to delve into his role as Mugsy on the Netflix show “Lowdermilk.”

His role in that show is vastly different than he is in his stand-up shows. Mugsy, while quite comic at times, often has moments of poignant seriousness, quick painful outbursts, and his grand finale moment near the series’ end is the stuff of legends and showcases acting chops that are 180 degrees from his stand-up chatter.

“It’s almost like there’s two different worlds,” Regan said. “I’ve got this following from my stand-up comedy, and when co-creator Peter Farrelly was kind enough to give me a role in ‘Lowdermilk,’ it created this whole new world.”

Regan said he has fans of both his comedy and “Lowdermilk” who are unaware of his role in the other universe.

With Regan the comedian and Mugsy being such polar opposites, with which one does Regan most readily identify?

“The stand-up version of myself is probably what is more real, but you have to tap into parts of yourself for any acting role,” Regan said. “I was honored that Peter gave me the opportunity. The role on ‘Lowdermilk’ is very dark and earthy with some rough subject matter, but I wouldn’t have ever been in it if it wasn’t also a lot of love and goodness in it. If it was just edgy and dirty for the sake of being that, I wouldn’t be interested. But I loved the totality of the show and the message it portrays in that a lot of people out there are struggling and they still have love in their hearts despite what they are going through.”

On his final big scene where he comes totally unhinged, this breaking the hearts of anyone who has ever watched the show, he said it wasn’t easy.

“When I first read the script, I remember thinking how gripping it was,” Regan said. “I really had to psych myself up for that moment to do the scene, but I felt really good having the opportunity to push myself like that.”

For those of you who haven’t seen “Lowdermilk,” check it out because it is a realistic look at people trying to deal with alcohol addiction that is at once devastatingly powerful in its brutal honesty yet beautifully encompassed in its passion and love between its characters who deeply care about one another as they strive to gain a grip on life.

And there is comedian Brian Regan, firmly entrenched among those great actors like he belongs.

Over the years Brian and Dennis have toured together and as individuals. Dennis brings a much more subdued conversationalist, a guy who pokes fun at himself and others with deft comedic timing, taking everyday observations and turning them into punchlines.

Dennis said while they don’t collaborate a ton with one another, they do add some insight into routines they believe might add some punchy zest to a joke or story.

“We kind of let each other know that we could add a word or phrase here or there that might make a joke funnier or clearer,” Dennis said. “All comedians could use something like that but aren’t blessed to have it so available to them.”

While the daily routine of traveling the states can become a monotonous drag, as life on the road tends to wear people down, that they are currently traveling together makes it a little more doable and a little more interesting, according to Dennis.

“I’m kind of winding down my career, so I like to travel a little bit less as I move along,” Dennis said.

Dennis is the third of eight Regan siblings, a series that went four boys, two girls and then finally two boys. Brian followed in the pecking order immediately after Dennis.

“But I’m the smart one,” Dennis said with a sly grin.

Brian said the Regan family shared many laughs growing up, with some of their childhood activities serving as fodder for his many routines.

“Everyone in my family is funny,” Brian said. “My mom and dad, who are no longer with us, were very funny. My dad had a terrific sense of humor. He was very dry; he liked irony. My mom was a very smart woman who loved silliness. I think both Dennis and I got a lot of our sense of humor from both of them.”

As they continue touring, I can only say to them, “take luck.”