Mike Pace, a comedian from the Midwest who likes to make fun of yuppies, has recently had to face certain facts.

Though he still considers himself a lower-middle class kid from St. Louis who relates more to NASCAR than yoga, his Southern California lifestyle would say otherwise.

For one thing, Pace, 45, lives in an upscale Carlsbad community. He shops at chain stores and mini malls. And, like many of his neighbors, he drives one of those big, gas-guzzling cars. "Sometimes, at the end of my set, I realize I'm just like those people," he says while watching his 14-year-old daughter's soccer game. "I'm basically making fun of myself."

Whether he's laughing at himself or at his peers, his true-life comedic formula has recently paid off.

This weekend, for the first time in his 20-year career, Pace will perform at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colo.

The comedy confab, sponsored by HBO, is where TV execs go to find the Next Big Thing. Everyone from agents and managers to media and comedians pack the snowy streets hoping to make deals.

To get a gig at this party, you must be invited.

"It's a huge thing," Pace says in between licks of his orange lollipop. "It means you're admired by your peers."

The invitation may be an honor, but it's no party. His weekend in Aspen is just about the biggest gig of his life.

"My ideal would be to get a show on HBO," he says. "I'd love to have that kind of freedom and not have to deal with these new, puritanical rules."

Pace is scheduled to perform four showcases over the weekend with the hope that someone will like his comedy enough to expand it into a sitcom.

Maybe he'll be the next Drew Carey or Ray Romano. Or maybe not.

"I'm going for the demented father thing," he says. "I'm the ex-party animal who had a family but still has that wild guy perspective."

Making fun of himself is one thing. But Pace's act also pokes fun at his three kids and his wife, local radio personality Cindy Pace.

"I'm not easily offended. After 18 years of being married, I don't know any other way," she says. "I truly believe in him. I think he's hugely talented."

As a young boy, Pace idolized Johnny Carson.

His parents would let Pace stay up just past 10 p.m. so he could catch Carson's opening monologue on "The Tonight Show."

Later, he tried his own material at his Catholic school, where he'd do impressions of his favorite cartoon characters and constantly face the wrath of unhappy nuns.

As he got older, Pace dabbled in a few improv comedy workshops, but always as a hobby. He supported himself as a special education teacher's aide and as a bartender.

Then one night, Pace took a dare and got on a comedy club stage. That experience was enough. Pace quit his jobs, and telling jokes became his profession.

"I quit to force myself to take comedy seriously," he says. "I had to put myself against a wall. I didn't want to give myself an out."

Rather than mixing bloody marys, Pace began touring the country performing one-nighters and private parties. He's appeared in a few commercials and TV shows – including a part as a cop who arrests Larry David on "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

But after this weekend, Pace is hoping for more than bit parts and comedy club gigs. He wants a TV show. He wants to be recognized.

Even if it means turning into a yuppie.