Comic Bell brings his total bias here

W. Kamau Bell isn't comfortable revealing his age. "It's not a big deal," the comic and social critic recently said on the phone from New York.

"I'm not hiding my age. . . . I'm not worried about it." So how old is he? He doesn't say.

Bell, who is cocreator and host of FX's topical comedy show Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell, will be in town for a night of stand-up Friday at Prince Music Theater in Center City. The 8 p.m. show also will feature Janine Brito, Kevin Kataoka, and Aparna Nancherla.

Cocreated by Chris Rock, Totally Biased blends elements of stand-up, news commentary, and talk show. It was launched to critical and popular acclaim in September 2012 as a weekly show.

Such has been the praise that when it returns in September, it will be revamped as a nightly show on FX's new sister channel, FXX. (It'll be on at 11 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, with a weekly best-of compilation Sunday nights, also at 11.)

Bell was gracious on the phone. Funny, relaxed, but also reflective. He wondered if it's useful for reporters to refer to him simply as a comic or as an African American comic.

One thing's for sure: He pays attention to the news, which he dissects on his show with nimble mind- and lingo-power.

Think of him as a cross between Keith Olbermann (he's not afraid to express outrage at political stupidity) and Chris Rock (he's got a rare ear for language and great comic timing).

Bell's work first came to prominence in 2010 with his one-man show The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in About an Hour.

Critics dubbed him one of the country's best political comedians.

Bell was nonplussed by the label. "Every time a black man has an opinion, he's a political activist," he joked. "I was anointed a political comedian because I was doing jokes about the guy who's running for president. So I was told, 'Hey, well you are a political comedian.' "

Bell's observational comedy is political in the larger sense, hitting on such issues as race, poverty, and terrorism. "I feel the word sociopolitical fits better - how society is inter-connected," he said.

Bell traces his interest in politics, especially race relations, to his family.

"I feel like it was always part of the discussion in my house," he said. "Every month was Black History Month at our house."

Bell grew up in Alabama and Chicago, the son of Walter Bell, a self-made man who rose from bank teller and insurance salesman to become Alabama's insurance commissioner.

His mother is author and memoirist Janet Cheatham Bell, who began her career in the school textbook industry in Boston before founding a self-publishing firm.

Why did they name him Kamau? "It's a Kenyan name, but I'm not sure if that's even their heritage," Bell said. "I was born at a point when black people felt the revolution was coming, so they named their kids after African names."

Bell graduated from the prestigious University of Chicago Laboratory Schools before moving to Philly to attend Penn.

Though he misses the city, and Wawa hoagies, Bell didn't exactly fall in love with Penn, and left after three semesters.

"My major was East Asian studies," he said, "because I was really into Bruce Lee. That was my first mistake."

Bell felt like an outsider because "there was no real vital arts scene" at Penn.

"I just realized this is not my place, this is not my scene," he said. He moved to Los Angeles and threw himself into comedy, building up an impressive resumé: He cofounded the collective Laughter Against the Machine; cohosts a podcast with Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid called The Field Negro Guide to Arts & Culture, and released two albums, including 2010's Face Full of Flour.

The success of The W. Kamau Bell Curve put him on the map.

Chris Rock came calling.

"He saw the show in New York and called me a few weeks later and said, 'I want to help you get a TV show,' " Bell said. "I was like, Yeah? . . . Yeah!"

The show spelled a life chance for Bell, who was married, with a baby. His wife Melissa is working on a Ph.D. in contemporary dance theory. Their daughter, Sami, is now 2.

Totally Biased premiered during the 2012 election season, which gave Bell, an avowed liberal, plenty of material.

He said he tries to show there is bias in all reporting. "It's bias if one story gets more attention than others," he said. We need to start asking tough questions about the media, he said. Such as why celebrities get more coverage than some wars.

Or why did the Paula Deen scandal get equal footing with the murder trial of George Zimmerman for shooting Trayvon Martin?

"Both were given a lot of attention, which creates this false equivalency," Bell said. "I think my job as a commentator is to point this out."

Added the comic, "If Deen called me every day and dropped an N-bomb with me and no kid died in that process, I would be perfectly happy. We don't need to be covering Deen. There's real news out there."

8 p.m. Friday at Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St. Tickets: $22.50, $25. Ages 18 and up. Information: 215-893-1999 or www.princemusictheater.org 

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