Comedian, Heywood Banks, Delivers Distinct Performances

“Heywood Banks delivered distinct performances last Friday and Saturday nights, each concluding with the crowd-favorite “Toast”, said TOT co-owner, David Reed. On Saturday, he showcased some of his classic tunes. Renowned for his seasoned expertise, Banks displayed impeccable timing in both his monologue and the humor between songs, according to Reed.

Comedian, Heywood Banks, Comedian, Heywood Banks, delivered a stunning performance to a sold-out audience, at The Old Theater in downtown Lowell, last weekend. He played a combination of sing-alongs, inventive, bizarre songs, sung and played in a variety of styles, from folk, to country, to rock, to pop and beyond. His style interspersed humorous observations of life, with twisted and inventive appeals to a wide variety of audiences.

Banks considers himself, first and foremost, a comedian and then a guitar player. His oddball, off-the-wall antics and tunes have won audiences nationwide. 

Strolling onto the TOT stage, Banks opened with his laid-back approach, asking, “Is there any place in Lowell where you can’t buy marijuana?”

He played the song Interstate 80 Iowa singing about corn, corn, corn, and he plans on composing Interstate 94 Michigan. 

Throughout his interaction with the crowd, he talked about sink holes and disappearing Corvettes in Florida, and then a man who went to bed and also disappeared by a sink hole, but wasn’t found because he wasn’t a Corvette; as well as, practicing yoga, which was followed by a song about ‘only bending so far’.

As part of his repertoire, he played The One Eye Love, and The Noise in the Basement, punctuated with a powerful scream at the end, causing people to jump, followed by uproarious laughter.

One of his last performances was his famous Big Butter Jesus about a 60-foot-tall statue of Jesus with his hands raised to the sky. The statue erected in 2004, sat in front of Solid Rock Church in Ohio and could be seen from I-75. The statue was nicknamed “Touchdown Jesus”, as it depicted Jesus with his hands in the air similar to a field goal, and could be seen from his chest up as he emerged from the water.

However, in 2010 “Big Butter” was struck by lightning and burnt down to its framework. A new statue was built in its place, named “Corpus Christi” which was the full body of Jesus with one foot placed slightly forward.

His grand finale was the master play, Yeah Toast, drumming two forks on a metal toaster, which he recorded around 1986.

“Heywood Banks delivered distinct performances last Friday and Saturday nights, each concluding with the crowd-favorite “Toast”, said TOT co-owner, David Reed. On Saturday, he showcased some of his classic tunes. Renowned for his seasoned expertise, Banks displayed impeccable timing in both his monologue and the humor between songs, according to Reed.

“I saw audience members in tears, they were laughing so hard,” Reed said. “Overall, fantastic performances. Which of his songs are you still hearing in your mind? His songs are like earworms that get stuck in there.”

All in all, it was a crowd-pleasing event, many showing their appreciation as they left the show, purchasing items from a variety of T-shirts and CDs. The appreciation was returned by Heywood, posing for group photos and humble conversation; seems a lot of people from coast-to-coast like toast.