Beginning her career at open mics in Boston, Paula Poundstone soon moved to San Francisco, which in the late '70s and into the '80s, was the hub for freethinking and unique comedians. People like Dana Gould, Jake Johannsen and Bobcat Goldthwait, among others, would hone their craft at places such as the Holy City Zoo, which was a home for these kind of absurd and original voices. Quickly, Poundstone rose through the ranks, with her quick wit, observational style and masterful crowd work. Like other comedians who have mastered the art of crowd work (like Jimmy Pardo, to use a more recent example), Poundstone is able to make something that takes a lot of skill look completely natural.

"I go out and do two hours, and it's just me and them," says Poundstone. "Every night is slightly different, because a lot of it has to do with who's in the crowd, what's on my mind on that particular night, and what comes up in conversation. ... In the beginning, (I started talking to the crowd) because I would always forget everything I meant to say.

"Even when I was doing the open mic nights, and I just had five minutes, invariably I would go on and forget what I meant to say, and then I would be sort of awash, trying to figure out what my five minutes was. And it would all come from this very nervous place - panic. ... So, in the beginning, I felt like it was this really bad thing to do. It was me not being able to get myself together. I eventually thought, ‘You know what? A lot of really fun stuff happens this way.'"

Read Rev. Adam McCkinney's full interview with Paula Poundstone in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

PAULA POUNDSTONE, 7:30 p.m., Friday, July 12, Pantages Theater, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, $28-$69, 253.591.5890