YouTube can be a comedian's friend - not always a comic's BFF, but an ally, nonetheless.

To wit: Simon King, who is a familiar face on the wildly popular internet video sharing service.

Punch in the name "Simon King" and you'll see the 35-year-old share his take on marijuana, Wendy's restaurant's Baconator, seniors, politics, gas prices, motivational speakers, and more - all conveyed through his trademark rapid-fire delivery.

While King considers the YouTube clips to be immensely useful in promoting his comedy to the masses, there's a caveat attached to it.

"A lot of those clips on line from my comedy special. I haven't done those jokes in a couple of years," King said. "The bits that really inspire me change regularly because that's the way my brain works. I tend to write prolifically. I write on stage. I do most of my writing with a mic in my hand."

YouTube, like other internet tools such as FaceBook and his website, www.thisissimonking.com, is another way of getting his name out there.

"The opportunity to be able to publicize yourself is absolutely massive," King said. "It's a useful tool. One of those videos can get a tremendous amount of hits that will help me promote my brand or myself."

The Langley-born comedian will perform, in the flesh, this Sunday, Sept. 30 at Sawbucks Pub in South Surrey as a fundraiser to benefit the Royal Canadian Theatre Company's youth mentorship program.

RCTC founder/director/writer Ellie King, Simon's mom, along with the theatre's musical director, one of its main actors and assistant director, and a fair number of other participants are Langley residents, but due to a lack of a venue the group is forced to present elsewhere.

"Our rent alone at Surrey Arts Centre is $32,000 this year not to mention the costs of teaching and costuming our participants who range in age from three upwards," Ellie King said, "so you will see the need to fundraise to keep our program going is paramount."

Being that it's a show at a pub, starting at 8 p.m., there will likely be the occasional curse word as part of his act, so there is a language warning attached to the show and you have to be 19 or older to attend.

"I'm myself on stage," King said. "Part of it is accessibility. The kind of material I do is 'ranty' and politicized so I try to avoid censoring myself. It's not a conscious effort to remove or use swear words."

King likes to make people laugh without slogging into offensive material.

"I absolutely hate hateful material," King said. "I will talk about things that are difficult to talk about but I will do it in a positive way."

Tickets are $20 and include a burger and beer, wine, or highball.

Advance tickets are available at Sawbucks Pub, 1650 152nd St., or at the door.

Food will be served at 7 p.m. with the show getting underway at 8 p.m.

Sawbucks Pub is yet another stop for King as he traipses across the North American landscape.

He's appeared on stage at the San Francisco International Comedy Competition, the Seattle International Comedy Competition, the Sudbury Comedy Festival, and the Vancouver International Comedy Festival.

He's performed at the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen and the HBO, TBS Comedy Festival in Las Vegas.

In the near future, King will be featured in the televised version of the CBC Comedy Festival and has a Comedy Now special upcoming.

tlandreville@langleyadvance.com