Cover of the Calgary Herald-2003

Flip Schultz doesn't mind making fun of himself for a laugh.

The American stand-up comedian is proud of being the Speedo guy, the fellow who wasn't embarrassed to jiggle his love handles in a swimsuit for a TV ad that touted the slimming virtues of Special K cereal a couple of years ago.

He says any comedian who claims to hate being recognized is lying.

"Comics have an ego that needs to be filled," he says. "I love performing. I love the applause. I love the attention."

He'll be looking for some of that attention tonight through Sunday when he performs as part of the third annual FunnyFest-The Calgary Comedy Festival.

But don't go to his gigs and expect to see the chubby, affable fellow who appeared in the cereal ad.

First of all, Schultz is downright skinny these days.

That's not the biggest shock, however. Within seconds, Schultz turns into a manic, mike-wielding madman once described by fellow comedian George Carlin as "as ostrich on PCP."

At a lunchtime appearance Thursday at the Eau Claire Market, he helped kick off the festival with a biting impression of Simon Cowell, the vicious English judge on the reality TV show American Idol.

"I want to take this pen and jam it in my ear," he yelled in a fake British accent.

"Because the sound of blood shooting out of my head is more enjoyable than listening to the banshee wailing that emanated from that rotting, cavernous hole you call a throat."

Ouch. Offstage, however, it only takes seconds for Schultz to turn back into a calm and soft-spoken guy who talks excitedly about how much loves coming to Calgary. Audiences are appreciative, he says, and with the current exchange rate, "I'll make about 20 bucks for the entire week."

Born and raised in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Schultz won a talent show with his first stand-up routine at age eight. By 22, he was making his living as a full-time comic.

"Flip" is a nickname he acquired in elementary school.

"My real name is Flipper and I shortened it", he says with only the slightest trace of a smirk.

"It's a variation of my real name."

Phillip, that is.

"Not Micheal. Not Benjamin. Why do people always think that Flip could be short for Benjamin?"

Now 28, Schultz says he spends a lot of time at the gym, as well as writing and working on comedy routines.

He recently appeared in the film Big Trouble, with Tim Allen, and with the help of his friend Dean Haglund (best known as Langly in The X-Files), he's developing an adult cartoon called The Nuclear Family.

Citing fellow funnymen such as Robin Williams and Adam Sandler as his heroes, Schultz admits that one day, he'd like to be as famous as they are.

For now, however, he says he's just happy to be paying his bills by telling jokes.

"I already think of myself as a success because I'm able to do comedy for a living."