Tim Warner moved to New York City from the North Side of Syracuse not long after 9/11 to pursue his dreams of becoming a comedian. Now, over a decade later, Warner is returning to Syracuse to film his first comedy special, “A Flawed Pursuit o’ Happiness."

The East Syracuse Minoa alumnus will be filming in front of an audience at The Lost Horizon at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. on May 11. Tickets for the 18+ shows are $15-$20 and are available at TheLostHorizon.com. Opening for Warner is NYC comic Melissa Diaz and Syracuse band Wagner3000.

When Warner was 13, he gained a spot in the talent finals of the Art Struck Stars of Tomorrow contest at the Landmark Theatre, doing impressions of characters from The Simpsons, PeeWee Herman and Steve Urkel. He told The Post-Standard at the time, “I want to be one of four things when I grow up: a comedian, an actor, a baseball player or a guitar player.”

Warner spoke with us ahead of his return to Syracuse to talk about filming his upcoming special, moving to NYC, and the beauty of comedy.

How did you get your start in comedy?

I tell everyone, I started with comedy when the sadness began. For me, it was a coping mechanism to figuring out what life is. Growing up, you’re trying to get through the day without being hassled and with limited negativity. Some people go to sports, some people go to music, some people go to theatre, I just went for the laugh.

I was a waiter at Viva Debris in Hotel Syracuse, working for comedian and club runner, Joe DeLion. Through that I became a personal assistant for the headliners that would come through town. I would drive them anywhere they wanted and got them anything they needed. I would get talking to them not just about comedy, but about being a professional. It came down to me needing to be in NYC or LA because that is where you can get up on stage the most so early on.

I flipped a coin, and heads came up, which was NYC. And then when 9/11 happened, I saw that as a sign that I made the right choice and I needed to go.

You actually flipped a coin?

Yes, it was an actual coin. I was around 24 years old, and left for NYC after 9/11 when I knew the rent was going to be cheap. I pulled a Madonna; I moved to Brooklyn in 2002 with $2,000 and a backpack. Before that, I lived in North Syracuse and I had a map of NYC and had a tack with a number on it and it pointed to every place you could perform comedy. Before the age of Google maps, this is how I knew the city. If someone said, “Oh there is this spot on 72nd and 3rd”, I would say, “Oh, that’s right near the Comedy Strip on 79th and 2nd.” That is how I came to know the city, based on where the comedy spots were.

Why did you decide to film a special in Syracuse?

Everything that seems amazing and successful, it all starts with a dumb, stupid, simple idea. This special started as just an idea when my business partner and manager, Jon Savoy, came to me and asked, “What would you like to do? You need some sort of album or something else.” I felt I needed more than audio, so I said let’s do video.

Coming back to Syracuse feels like this journey is coming full circle. I thought The Lost Horizon would be perfect because, to me, it’s a legendary rock venue. I remember seeing Gwar there when I was a kid. Music is one of my biggest influences when it comes to comedy.

It seems like everything is falling into place perfectly. Everyone at The Lost Horizon has been fantastic. The film crew and sound guy are all local hires. I’m glad we could pull that off.

I heard you have a tattoo of the Syracuse skyline. Is that true? Could we get a photo?

Yes, on my shoulder.

Comedian Tim Warner lives in NYC, but has hometown pride with a tattoo of the Syracuse skyline.

Were there ever moments after moving to NYC where you second-guessed yourself and thought you might have to move back to Syracuse?

There’s been a bunch of doubt, but every time I have thought about walking away and having a “normal life”, it dulls me. I feel myself getting cancer just at the thought of it. There is something about being able to look at something in a way that not a lot of people do and making it funny, that connects with me. A life without it would be boredom and that’s the worst.

I was homeless in the city for about 10 or 11 months, and the only way I made money was that I answered phones at a comedy club during prom season for less than 7 bucks an hour under the table. I did that for 10-12 hours a week and then I would bark in Times Square. I would stand on a corner in Times Square with a flyer and try to get people to go to the comedy show. I would get a spot on stage and for every person I brought in, I would get money. I will tell you one thing though, I sucked at barking.

There’s also times when material hits and when it doesn’t, even from night to night. It’s all a part of the process and as much as I like to live in the moment, sometimes it’s about looking at the long game. You have to have the right mindset for it all.

If someone asked you what your comedy show was like, what would you tell them?

I would tell them “concept comedy special.” I’ve always loved concept albums like “Dark Side of the Moon” or the "White Album” where every track goes together. I’ve been told I am universal, which is something I take a lot of pride in. I look at the human condition and find the humor in that. The idea of not just why are we here, but what are we doing here.

I’m an observer. I watch what we do and say, come up with my own conclusion, and try to put it in a humorous way that hopefully connects with people. One of the reasons I do comedy is so I don’t feel alone. When I come up with a strange thought or idea and make it funny and people say, “I never really thought of it that way, that’s interesting," and that to me says that I am not alone in this.

How do you deal with hecklers?

I’ve never really gotten anything really hateful. I’ve had someone disagree with a point, and while I don’t invite it, I will let them speak their case. Hopefully the rebuttals I have will top anything they have to say. I don’t get mad, I enjoy it because I think people could just sit inside and watch comedy on Netflix. The fact that they came out to see a live show, I know that will be an element of the experience.

I have been fortunate so far that nothing has been too terrible, but I know that will change eventually.

Tell me about your podcast “The Joker In The Rye."

The podcast has been on and off for a year and a half. It’s me filming myself with my cell phone around New York City basically talking about how it takes 10 years to ‘make it’ overnight.

Some final thoughts on comedy from Warner:

Comedy doesn’t get the credit for what it does. The amazing thing about comedy is whether you are doing it in the school cafeteria or on stage, when you make someone laugh, they are completely open. There’s no offense or defense, and to me that is a moment where you can touch a soul and make a connection. Laughter is an uncontrollable, emotional response and that is the beauty of it. If you can be a “conductor of laughs” in sense, it’s such a beautiful thing to be able to pass on to people.