Comedian Collin Moulton goes back hoping to move forward

”Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.”

– Baseball Hall of Famer Satchel Paige

Collin Moulton has disregarded Satchel Paige’s iconic advice. The veteran comic decided to trace his heritage by recently visiting Scotland and England. The experience provides endless fodder for material, which will be delivered Friday and Saturday at the Spokane Comedy Club.

“I just got back from Moulton, England,” Moulton said by phone from Appleton, Wisconsin. “I was searching for some good people in my family tree and I came up with bupkis.”

Moulton, 52, discovered that he is a direct descendant of Thomas Moulton, an admiral and judge during the reigns of King John and King Henry III, who took part in a number of wars with Scotland. Sounds impressive, however, Moulton said his ancestor was not exactly beloved.

“Thomas Moulton was reviled by the town’s people,” Moulton said. “They dismantled a chapel he built. The townspeople hated him. He was a scoundrel but I think I learned that there is a little scoundrel in all of us.”

Moulton can’t help but laugh at his lineage.

“I was just trying to find one good person in my ancestry and I couldn’t do it,” Moulton said. “This all started with my dad. I didn’t want to be like him, since he was troubled in so many ways.”

However, Moulton took after his grandfather, who was a vaudeville comic in the 1920s.

“I guess I get this comedy gene from somebody,” he said.

Unlike his forefathers, Moulton comes across as a good guy, who is family first, career second. That’s why he left Los Angeles for Georgia a dozen years ago.

“People who grow up in Los Angeles experience a life that’s not normal,” Moulton said. “I wanted a different world for my children.”

Moulton decided to settle for the benefit of his family.

“I can still be a comic and live in Georgia,” Moulton said. “I love my life. I have a half-acre chicken farm. I surf. I’m living the life.”

Expect Moulton to also riff about his children, who are 17, 14 and 5, for part of his set.

“It’s a lot dealing with three children but they’re in the right place being outside of Los Angeles,” Moulton said. “I love living in Savannah. Thankfully I realized that I didn’t have to live in Los Angeles to be in this business.”

In 2011, Moulton started auditioning online for parts.

“It hit me that if I audition in that manner that I didn’t have to be there and it was such a relief to move away from Hollywood,” Moulton said. “My impression is that Spokane is like Savannah, which is where people have good values and selflessness. The great thing is that I can live in Georgia and still perform around the country and do what I love. I experience enough so that I still have plenty of material.”

And when Moulton needs more to wax about, he can always go back to England to learn more about his family.

“I got plenty from that trip,” Moulton said. “You’ll hear all about when I come in to perform.”