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Comedian Craig Gass knows what sounds funny.

After growing up with deaf parents, the New York-based comedian learned how to speak by mimicking television shows and has mastered the art of comedic impressions.

"I always had this ability to, the weirder the voice, the easier it was to copy it and take it," he said. "It was always like this weirdo superpower that I had."

Gass will perform his stand-up comedy routine at 9 p.m. tonight and Saturday night at Marlintini's Lounge. Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door. Local comedian Dan Fink will open both shows.

Gass has been featured on a number of television shows in recent years, including as the infamous "Glazed Donut Boyfriend" of the character Miranda in the hit HBO show "Sex in the City." He also was cast to play the X-rated standup comedian known as "The Portland Dangler" on the NBC show "Las Vegas."

"I've been lucky that I've had a lot of really weird characters on TV," he said.

He said growing up in an unusual situation as the child of deaf parents and with a deaf sister helped broaden his sense of humor. He said it gave him "the ability to laugh at everything." He is beginning to add more elements of his childhood into his act, he said, but there is much more to the shows.

"I know there's a lot of material there, so I'm starting to inch my way into that," Gass said. "But mostly it's like a combination. There's a lot of impressions, a lot of dirty jokes about drinking and having fun."

Gass came to Juneau in September of 2006 to perform and has been interested in coming back ever since.

"I loved it out here," he said.

He has been in town for several days now putting his impressions to work. He has been featured on KXXL radio this week doing celebrity impressions that range from Christopher Walken auditioning for the comedy show this weekend to Tracy Morgan, formerly of Saturday Night Live, looking to hook up with Juneau ladies.

"It's very flattering that there are people going, 'Oh my god, we've got to go have sex with Tracy Morgan,'" he said laughing. "It's very flattering that there are people going, 'Man, this is awesome,' that they believe in the voice enough to believe that it's real. It's very flattering."

• Contact reporter Eric Morrison at 523-2269 or eric.morrison@juneauempire.com.