A Goofy Guy's Long Road to Comedy Juggling Fame

Daniel Rosen Fancies Himself Gomer Pyle with Props

 

By Dave Jones

 

The name Daniel Rosen is one that undoubtedly sounds familiar to a large number of the jugglers in the United States. He has juggled on numerous television programs, including the Tonight Show, Comic Strip Live, Evening at the Improv, and the Tracey Ulman Show. And he has also done his fair share of acting in television. He was a co-host for a while on The Late Show. He had a recurring role in "Head of the Class" for several seasons, playing "Scab" a remedial student with blue hair and a pierced nose. Appearances on the Golden Girls and other shows have also come his way.

 

But, apart from the people who have caught his act at a comedy club, Las Vegas club or other live performance, most jugglers have probably seen nothing more than a few brief minutes of Daniel in action. He competed at the 1981 IJA convention in Cleveland, winning the five club contest and finishing well down the line in the U.S. Nationals. But he has been out of touch with the IJA juggling scene for a number of years, which is unfortunate not so much for him but for the jugglers who have missed out on his entertaining routines and unique personality. Those who have seen him live have no doubt been greatly entertained by his comedic as well as juggling skills, not to mention his songs, harmonica playing and first-rate banjo picking.

 

A typical Daniel Rosen show, if there is such a thing, includes comedy with three balls, three, four, and five balls, knives, six-foot unicycle, guitar, banjo, and an interesting device known as the "Swiss Army Cat," which defies description beyond what the name obviously implies.

 

This summer his appearances include dates at the Comic Strip in EI Paso (Aug. 13-17) and the It's Comedy club in Cleveland (Sept. 12-15). After a recent show, Juggler's World had a chance to talk with Daniel about his career, both where it has been and where it is going.

 

When did you learn to juggle?

I learned when I was ten. Actually I had already tried to teach myself. When I was eight I started doing magic shows at kids' birthday parties for five dollars and a piece of cake. And when I was ten I went to the renaissance faire in Southern California and there was a juggling school booth, where they would teach you for a dollar. And I spent the whole day there, I didn't even go to the rest of the faire, and they still couldn't teach me. So I went home and made beanbags and kept practicing and finally got it. Then I ran into the guy later, and by the way it was Martin Gray, who was president of the IJA in 1975-76, when the convention was in L.A. . . . He remembered me because I was the only guy who couldn't learn. And I showed him how much I had learned, and he gave me a job teaching for him the next year. He street performed and stuff, and he became sort of my mentor. I followed him around, and I started street performing. By the time I was 13 I was making a pretty good amount of money on the streets. When I was 1 5 I left home, and I was supporting myself completely.