Brian Regan returns to Monterey with simple-yet-conscious comedy.

Comic Brian Regan approaches his work with a humble awareness.

“I don’t know if things get funnier,” he says. “You just try to keep your eyes and ears open for things that make you laugh. As soon as I start getting defined one way, I write away from that. I don’t ever want to be a caricature of myself.”

Regan, 59, has been performing since the early 1990s, and returns to Monterey’s Golden State Theatre Thursday, Feb. 16. On stage, Regan is physical, waving his arms around and contorting his face with a Jim Carrey-like elasticity. Despite seemingly simple jokes and straightforward observations about everyday life – like why Pop-Tarts have cooking instructions – Regan treats the nature of comedy and how it moves people with a balance of irreverance and respect.

“I’ve always liked comeuppance. I like an ego-popping joke,” he says. “I don’t like to make fun of people who can’t help themselves, but rather jokes about about stupid or boorish behavior. I like to take people down a notch. It’s like sawing the horns off a bull in a China shop.”

A 2015 New York Times article mentions how Regan has been praised by other comics for his act, which doesn’t contain off-color humor or offensive jokes. Regan explains how when he first started, he was young and naive.

“I had people push back on certain jokes and I don’t like hurting people,” he says. “I remember realizing words and thoughts mean things, so I try to be careful not to kick someone who is down.”

Ultimately, Regan just wants people to laugh.

“Comedy is something I can trust implicitly,” he says. “You can fake other emotions, but it’s hard to fake a genuine laugh.”

Another side of comedy that Regan enjoys is the construction of a joke. He’s currently working on a set for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

“I went over 25 different ways to say ‘to leave.’ It’s about tinkering with words,” he says. “The idea for the bit comes first, not the words. I’m always trying to find a better way to say things.”

Writing jokes is like any other kind of writing, he adds – it involves good editing to be done well.

“It’s fun to have specific goals in comedy, like to write a tight, five-minute set,” Regan says. “I’m interested in segues and words.”

BRIAN REGAN 7:30pm Thursday, Feb. 16. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $59.50. 649-1070, www.goldenstatetheatre.com