Tim Wilson mined humor in music, nostalgia and sports

Comedian Tim Wilson, who died Wednesday at age 52, relished his role as Southern gentleman know-it-all when he visited radio's "Bob & Tom Show" in Indianapolis.

The Georgia native made dozens of appearances on the morning program that's heard locally on WFBQ-FM (94.7) and more than 100 stations nationwide. Speaking with a thick drawl and frequently wearing a hat, Wilson held court on topics ranging from JFK assassination theories to Chuck E. Cheese's restaurants.

"I'm sort of like your uncle who knows more than you do," Wilson told The Star during a 2012 interview. "The curmudgeon who explains things."

Billy Gardell, star of CBS sitcom "Mike & Molly," referred to Wilson as the Mark Twain of stand-up comedy. Tom Mabe, a Kentucky-based comic known for "reverse harassment" conversations with telemarketers, characterized Wilson as the John Wayne of comedy in a Wednesday tweet.

"Bob & Tom" co-host Tom Griswold said Wilson died of a heart attack in Columbus, Ga.

When speaking about his close relationship with Wilson, Griswold said Wilson is the only comedian in the radio show's three-decade history to borrow Griswold's clothes for a stand-up appearance, borrow Griswold's guitar to play a song and to sleep in a car in Griswold's driveway because Wilson felt comfortable there.

"It's a real loss," Griswold said during a Thursday interview. "He was a very unusual guy. He was one of the few guys who could go on at great length and be funny on any topic, all the time."

In 2012, Wilson said Griswold and co-host Bob Kevoian are the "best thing that's happened to road comedians." Wilson said "Bob & Tom" cast members Chick McGee and Kristi Lee were as close to the comedian as a brother and sister, and Wilson complimented Ron Sexton -- known as "Donnie Baker" on the show -- as being a "joke-writing machine."

In addition to performing in traditional stand-up format, Wilson wrote and recorded comedic songs based on music, nostalgia, religion and sports.

"Acid Country" -- from his 1994 debut album "Waking Up the Neighborhood" -- recounts Wilson's musical upbringing, in which his mother gave equal billing to Nashville twang and counterculture rock: "We'd watch Porter (Wagoner) and Dolly (Parton), then throw on the Grateful Dead." On Thursday's episode of "Bob & Tom," Griswold's tribute to Wilson included the playback of the comedian performing "Acid Country" on the show in 1995 -- his first-ever "Bob & Tom" appearance.

Wilson's "First Baptist Bar & Grill" and "Church League Softball Fistfight," two popular "Bob & Tom" selections, find humor in holy contradictions.

One of Wilson's comedy albums made for major-label Capitol Records Nashville included Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Levon Helm guesting on harmonica, mandolin and drums. Griswold said Wilson told a story about paying Helm, the Band's multi-instrumentalist who died in 2012, with a bag of money in a Denny's restaurant.

"I think Tim's secret desire was to produce the Allman Brothers' 'At Fillmore East,' but somebody got there before he did," Griswold said. "When he was in high school, he tracked down Eric Clapton's grandmother for a paper he was writing about Eric Clapton."

Wilson's mastery of Southern accents produced a bit in which the comedian broke down the differences in dialect from Louisiana to Florida to North Carolina.

Fellow comedian Gardell featured Wilson in a 2013 episode of Showtime cable-TV series "Road Dogs." Wilson had been scheduled to perform on Feb. 28 and March 1 at the Stardome comedy club in Birmingham, Ala.

Outside of comedy, Wilson co-wrote with Roger Keiss the 2009 book "Happy New Year -- Ted."

The book presents a theory that Ted Bundy committed four murders in Georgia, crimes previously not linked to the serial killer who was executed in 1989.

"I have the greatest detective story of all time," Wilson said in 2012.

Wilson is survived by his wife, Deidre, as well as a son, Ari, and a daughter, Sophia, from a previous marriage.

Call Star reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.