Wayne Brady thinks of himself as a pretty down-to-earth and serious person.

This is the same Wayne Brady that does crazy impressions, acts out hilarious scenarios and makes millions of TV viewers across America roll with laughter each week. Brady co-stars in the popular ABC comedy improv show, “Whose Line is it Anyway,” along with Drew Carey, Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie. He is also headlining “Dew the Rec” at Veishea Friday.

“I love my job and I love entertaining people and doing what I do. But then off the camera, you’re just a regular guy,” Brady says, calling from Los Angeles. “It’s a job, so I’d be lying to you if I said that we run around and joke around all the time. The three of them [Carey, Stiles, and Mochrie] are very, very good people and very hard-working guys.”

Brady says one of the best aspects of the program is that it has helped people to discover what improv is all about.

“I think that improv definitely has a great appreciation across the country right now, due in no small part to `Whose Line.’ We’ve definitely educated the country a little bit as to what it is. The folks are really digging it.”

But Brady is quick to add that although “Whose Line is it Anyway” may be comical, not all improvisation has to be funny.

“As an improvisationalist I think that a lot of people get confused, because we really aren’t comedians,” he says. “Improv itself is just a theatrical art . it doesn’t have to be funny. [On `Whose Line is it Anyway’] we just try to take it a step further and make our improv funny.

Although the show is Brady’s most visible role to date, there is much more to this funnyman than his work with the “Whose Line is it Anyway.”

Brady began acting in theater productions such as “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “A Chorus Line” and “A Raisin in the Sun,” when he was 16. From theater, he transitioned into television, hosting “The Countdown to the American Music Awards,” the VH1 comedy series “Vinyl Justice” and making guest appearances on programs such as “Politically Incorrect” and “In The Heat of the Night.”

Brady will soon have his own show to add to his ever-expanding repertoire. The pilot episode of “The Wayne Brady Show” is expected to air sometime this summer. Brady says the show will be a musical sketch variety show, featuring an orchestra, dancers and of course, “a lot of comedy.”

“On my very first show, as my musical guests I had Brian McKnight and ‘N Sync, and the three of us played an improvised song together,” Brady says. “Justin [Timberlake] was beat-boxing and singing, Brian was playing the guitar and I was singing. And it was really great. It’s stuff like that we want the audience to know our show for.”

Speaking of music, not only is Brady a longtime musician, he is a big music fan. He listens to “a hodge-podge of stuff,” including DMX, Jay-Z, Destiny’s Child, Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Sinatra and various hip- hop artists.

“I’m a huge ‘N Sync fan,” he says. “And if anyone thinks I’m not cool for that at the college, I can’t apologize because I love those guys.”

Since last March, Brady has also been performing stand-up comedy at various colleges and theaters throughout the United States.

“It’s been wonderful,” he says. “I’ve been having a lot of fun meeting people all over the country that watch the show . The college crowd is definitely there to have a good time.”

And while the butterflies usually don’t attack his stomach before he goes on-camera, he says he still gets a little nervous when it comes to stand-up comedy in front of live audiences.

“I think it’s a responsibility that if anyone comes out to see you, you need to give them every bit of you,” he says. “And I just get nervous right before I step on because I want to make sure that [the audience] gets their money’s worth and that they enjoy themselves.”