"My mom's Mexican and my dad was a redneck from Kentucky. That makes me a Latina gringa," she said. "Translated, that means 'Latin white trash.'"
Being half Mexican and half redneck, she points out, provides certain advantages.
"I can date guys with credit cards," she said. "And I can date guys with green cards."
Ethnicity, being a single mom and the dating scene are the main sources of Earley's humor as a popular Bay Area standup comic. She is also a freelance journalist, author of two books and a newspaper correspondent. Now she can add magazine editor and publisher to her resume.
The first issue of Funny Business Magazine, a quarterly publication, debuted in June. She describes it as "Northern California's only serious magazine about funny people."
"I always had a dream of publishing my own magazine," Earley said. "There wasn't anything out there like this. Being a publisher is a dream come true for me. The comedy magazine is a huge change in my career. Becoming publisher and editor of my own publication was a huge leap of faith and investment. I still ask, 'What am I doing?'"
The slick color magazine is a potpourri of articles, personally profiles, photos and jokes - all aimed at making readers laugh, think and learn. In her introductory letter from the editor, Earley writes, "Hopefully, with each page you turn, you'll be inspired, educated, motivated, and entertained. I give God the glory for this magazine, for giving me the gift of making others laugh, and for the opportunity to share with you through a bunch of great writers, those who once did and still do today, make the world a happier place through comedy."
Here's a sampling of a few clever one-liners appearing in the magazine from Bay Area comics:
"I read that 15 percent of Americans are dyslexic. I thought 'Wow! Just over half." - Larry "Bubbles" Brown
"If only politics were more like baseball, where when you're caught stealing, you're out." - Will Durst
"Just did a show for the corporate executives of Costco. They only needed one show but I made them buy 12 of them." - Tommy Drake
Another of Earley's goals is to bring more comedy to Far East County this year.
"I'm going to bring former Channel 2 comic and co-host Mark Pitta to town, along with other Bay Area favorites," she said. "East County needs more laughter in their lives. Heck, everyone does!"
Earley isn't joking when she says comedy is good for your health. "There's a lot to laughter," she said. "It has a healing effect. Laughing produces endorphins, which make you feel good and reduce stress. So, in a way, you could say I'm a therapist. All comics are."
Writing and making people laugh are Earley's consuming passions. But she also loves to learn, which she says is a major benefit to being a journalist. She earned two associate of arts degrees from Los Medanos College: one in journalism and another in liberal arts. She also earned a bachelor of arts in English at Cal State Hayward.
"I've always loved to write," she said. "I was editor for two semesters for the newspaper at LMC, and I also did a column called 'Funny Side Up,' which is the same title of my column that ran in the Press for four years."
It was an offhand remark at a journalism class party nine years ago, in fact, that sparked her comedy career.
"I've always been funny, even as a kid," Earley said. "I was cracking people up at this party, and one girl said, 'You could do standup comedy.' I'd been keeping a file called 'One Liners' for quite some time. But that remark planted the seed. So I put together some material and went to an open mike night at this place in Concord. I went over real big and that convinced me to stick with it."
Was getting on stage for the first time with untested material scary? "Not at all," she said. "I've always loved the limelight."
With tongue in cheek, Earley said she likes to test new material on people who are a captive audience. "Elevators are a great place to try out new material," she said.
Earley has performed at numerous comedy clubs throughout the Bay Area and produced some shows at Cap's Oak Street Bar & Grill to raise money for various charities. She recently produced a comedy night at the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek to raise money for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition.
"Comics are generous and giving people as a group," she said. "They're always ready to perform free if it involves charity."
Those who know Earley best have great respect and admiration for her. In a letter to the editor of Funny Business, Dr. Raul Rodriquez, former president of Los Medanos College, wrote of Earley: "She has become a prolific journalist, a successful standup comedienne, a tireless advocate of charitable causes, and a savvy businesswoman. I have no doubt that Charleen's latest project, Funny Business Magazine, will also be a resounding success."
Earley hopes so. "I pray it takes off and blesses those who read it," she said. "I've always been one who likes to make others laugh and feel good about themselves. My goal is that Funny Business Magazine will help facilitate that.
"I'm also big on following your dreams and doing what you love. I like to inspire people to do what they're passionate about. Everything else is a ball and chain and you won't be productive. Find your purpose in life and put all your energies into it!"
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