The recession is on most people's minds these days. It's rare to pick up a copy of the newspaper or turn on the news and not read or hear the words "bailout," "credit woes," "unemployment" and "foreclorsures."

While many entertainment venues have seen a decrease in attendance as a result of the economy, comedian Flip Schultz said he's noticed that comedy clubs have become a diversion for people who want to hide from all the bad news.

"I'm finding a lot of people are enjoying themselves a lot more at the clubs because there is so much going on in the world now that's not good," he said during a recent telephone interview. "They allow themselves to just really let loose and have a good time, have a drink or two, leave whatever worries they have at the door before they walk into the club.

"I have a lot of people coming up to me (after shows), just saying, 'Thank you. I really needed that.'"

Schultz will help Antelope Valley residents relax and enjoy themselves when he performs his stand-up act tonight at Schooners Mesquite Grill, 43807 15th Str. West, Lancaster. The dinner show begins at 6 p.m. Call (661) 940-7028 for reservations and ticket information.

Schultz knew he wanted to be a comedian as a young boy growing up in Florida.

"I loved Robin Williams. He was probably my favorite. And Steve Martin, Howie Mandel," said Schultz, who moved to Los Angeles eight years ago next month. "I would ... watch their routines and then I would go to school and I'd tell some of those jokes that I saw on TV, or I'd have just some of my own silly things that I'd do in class to make everybody laugh.

It was very weird, I knew at such a young age that I was going to make people laugh for a living."

He "performed" at family get-togethers and bar mitzvahs he attended. When he was 18, he entered his first open mike conteset, performing his act on a "real" stage and won.

When he enrolled in college, there was no question he would major in something entertainment related.

"As I got further along in school, I realized there wasn't a class in comedy," he said, "but theater was the next best thing for me, so I just took that route. And I still do acting, but comedy right now is my main focus."

He graduated cum laude, receiving his batchelor of fine arts in theater from Florida Atlantic University. His improvisation training landed him gigs with CoemdySportz, Mixed Nuts, Mortal Improv, Rebels Without Applause, Curtain Up and Comics Anonymous.

The comedian described his act as "a mix of a lot of different, if you will, genres of comedy as far as there is observational comedy that I do, a lot of personal stuff, like relationships and family stuff. But mainly, it's goofy.

"People never really walk out of my show, going, 'Wow ... he sees my views on politics' or 'He knows how to describe the human psyche so well.' I think people just leave my show going, 'Wow, that was a lot of fun.'"

He has appeared on NBC's "Last Comic Standing 4," Comedy Central's "Live At Gotham," CBS' "Star Search" and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

While stand-up continues to be where he spends most of his energy, Schultz also uses some time to write.

"I'm writing for (ventriloquist) Terry Fator (first season winner of 'America's Got Talent')," Schultz said. "He has this huge deal with the Mirage in Vegasd. I ended up getting hired as one of his staff writers, which was really, really cool."

Schultz has also written stand-up material for comedians Jamie Kennedy, Dana Carvey and Pablo Francisco.

"With Dana Carvey, just by happenstance, I got to work with him for a weekend at a club in Brea when he was getting ready for his HBO special," Schultz recalled. "He was an incredibly nice guy and when I watched his act, I just took down a couple of ideas. After the show, I asked him if he would like to hear them. He said 'Sure.' He liked a lot of what I had written and he ended up giving me a special thanks credit on his HBO special."

Schultz also co-wrote a sketch show that will be staged next month at The Improv Comedy Lab in West Hollywood.

Before that, however, he will be at Schooners, where he promises "a good time."

"I've played at Schooners a couple of times," he said. "It's always fun. The sawdust on the floor is very charming. Come knowing that you're going to have a really fun time. ...".

"And you can buy my CDs and DVDs at the show," he added, laughing.