Juston McKinney New England’s own, recently released his Comedy Central Special ” A Middle Class Hole” on DVD.  Juston has been doing his stand up routines across New England and has even taken his act to Hollywood to appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2002 and 2004.  In 2010 he appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.  Once a police officer in rural Maine, he moved to New York City and played in various comedy clubs over a decade ago. After receiving development deals from both Warner Brothers and CBS Productions, he is now a stand-up fixture on COMEDY CENTRAL, having starred in a half dozen shows, including his own half-hour comedy special. McKinney has made numerous late night stops on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and his TV and movie credits include “The King of Queens,” the Sidney Lumet drama “100 Centre Street” and “The Zoo Keeper,” a new Kevin James movie set to open this fall.

We recently had a chance to talk with Juston about his start in comedy and his new CD “A Middle Class Hole”.

Countryfannetwork – Your Bio says your dad was always getting arrested. What for?

Juston McKinney – Drunk issues, domestic, and the dog getting loose.  He even threw a brick through the window at the bank.  That was a long time ago, and now he has been sober for 2 years.

CFN – You use your dad a lot in your act.  Is that because of the way you grew up? Are you close to your dad now?

JM – I see him regularly now and our relationship is better.  We are more friends than father and son.

CFN – What was it that sparked your interest in comedy?

JM – I like to make people laugh.  In junior high I told my friends that I wanted to be a comedian and they all laughed.  (Look who has the last laugh!)

CFN -  You had a show you created of your life that you wanted to sell to CBS Productions, but that fell through with the invent of reality TV. Are you still trying to do it?

JM – I am constantly trying to sell the shows on my life.  Maybe with time, I will be able to get it done.  It is my dream.

CFN – How do you come up with your material?

JM – A lot of it is off the cuff, meaning it just happens, spur of the moment type thing.  I am always working on new stuff.  It’s tough to do the same thing over and over if your trying to do DVD’s, specials, etc.

CFN – Just for fun.  Are you still broke? (While in New York, he befriended a waiter at Dangerfield’s Comedy Club who was a part-time stockbroker. The waiter/stockbroker talked him into putting all his money in the market. Very shortly after in 2000, the market crashed, which left him with virtually nothing.)

JM – I live week to week like most people.  I have a house with two cars and two kids.  I work enough to pay the bills, so I do not travel a lot.  I like to be home as much as possible and spend time with my wife and kids who are the most important to me and keep me going.

CFN – Do you miss being a policeman?

JM – At times.  It is very rewarding, I miss the positives reactions from people.

CFN – How would you describe your life today? From how you grew up and did you think you would be so successful?

JM – I thought I would be further along and more successful.  I almost had a sitcom at 30 years old.  I have not reached my goals yet.  I just want to get more financial security like most people.  I am really not saving,  just living. One of my goals is to be able to sell out theaters. In 3-5 years, I hope to be where I wanna be.

CFN – How does it make you feel to hear people refer to you as the “Next Generation of Blue Collar Comedy”?

JM – It was  an absolute honor to be asked to do it.  It was a really successful tour for 1 year.  We did a DVD and the show aired on TBS ” Blue Collar Next Generation”.  I do not think of myself as the next generation of “Blue Comedy”.  It is a great compliment – those guys are incredible.

CFN – What would you tell someone who wants to do comedy?

JM – Do it as a hobby at first.  It’s a lot of work and don’t expect to live off of it.    When you start, be careful in the beginning. It’s a tough job.  Just because you have been on TV doesn’t mean anything.  Just be careful.

Juston is playing various venues through out New England.  Be sure to check his website  justonmckinney.com for more information on future shows and news.

Here are his latest dates:

July 29-31: Saugus, MA – Giggles Comedy Club
August 3-7:  Minneapolis, MN – ACME Comedy Club
August 20-21: New York City, NY – The Comic Strip
September 4:  Blue Hill, ME – Blue Hill Fair
September 23-25:  Saugus, MA – Kowloon Komedy Club
October 23: Manchester, NH – The Palace Theater
November 4-7:  Saugus, MA – Giggles Comedy Club
November 13:  Claremont, NH – Claremont Opera House