For Ron Babcock and Ryan McKee, performing stand-up comedy together was purely accidental.

“We used to run a weekly stand-up show at Rio Salado Brewery,’’ Babcock says. ‘‘Not many people knew about it, sometimes not even the people in the bar. Since no one ever wanted to go first, Ryan and I would introduce the show and try and grab people’s attention as a duo. “We would throw something together in 10 minutes and, more often than not, it would go over really well, which is more than I can say for our solo stand-up (gigs) that we literally spent hours on.’’

And togetherness works well for them. The two won an award at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival for best variety act in 2003 and triumphed in a local comedian showcase at the Tempe Improv last year.

Dan Mer, owner of the Tempe Improv, even hired the twosome to host a few nights at his club.

“They're the only ones around here performing as a duo that I know of,’’ Mer says. “I think they have something very special. They have an edgier and hipper comedy than you'll see almost anywhere. They're original and very creative.’’

Take this exchange between the pair during a gig at Mardi Gras nightclub in Scottsdale.

“Do you love your ex-girlfriend?’’ Babcock begins.

“No, that's why I broke up with her,’’ McKee says.

“I thought she broke up with you.’’

“I let her think she did.’’

“Oh, is that why you let her throw all of your CDs in the pool?’’ “I kept the good one, Lionel Richie.’’ “And is that why you were crying?’’

“Those were tears of joy!’’

Breaking down walls

In their act, the Tempe duo, who are also roommates, blend stand-up bits with sketch comedy similar to that of the HBO comedy series “Mr. Show.’’

“It’s like if sketch and stand-up had sex and we’re the two-headed love child,’’ Babcock says. “Being in a duo works for us because we are both good at different things — Ryan with the writing and me with the performing.’’

“A lot of sketch comedy troupes do scenes,’’ McKee continues. “It's like theater where they put up that fourth wall and they act like the audience isn't there. We'll stop and talk to the audience like a stand-up comedian would.’’

Babcock and McKee, both 25, have been involved in the Valley comedy circuit for a mere two years, performing at venues such as the Tempe Improv, Trunk Space, Modified and Hollywood Alley. They met when they joined an improv group during Semester at Sea, a cruise ship that operates as a floating university.

In addition to their own act, they launched an occasional comedy magazine called Modest Proposal (www.ronandryan.com) in January 2003 after Babcock moved to the East Valley. It features humorous commentary and funny interviews with national comedians and is distributed nationwide.

McKee says that they decided to start Modest Proposal, 2,000 copies of which come out about four times a year, because there were no magazines covering comedy. “Our goal was to be the hip kids’ source for comedy and humor,’’ he says.

Despite all their work in comedy, it's still a side job for the duo — at least until Hollywood comes calling. Babcock works as a server at the Tempe Improv, while McKee teaches geography at the New School for the Arts and Academics in Tempe.

“It's really hard to make a good living as a stand-up comic,’’ McKee says. “Especially a comedy duo because we split the money.’’

Babcock adds: “Everyone's like, ‘You get two free drinks — one each!’’’

Beyond the Valley

The duo opened for national headliners David Cross and Patton Oswalt at the Celebrity Theatre last year at ‘‘Putting the MOCK Back in Democracy,’’ an event to raise voter awareness.

The show attracted more than 2,000 people and the two made a friend in Oswalt, who later hooked them up with gigs in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The duo also hosted a show when Oswalt performed at the Tempe Improv.

“Patton told me that he thought they were funnier than ‘Mr. Show,’’’ Mer says. “He became a big fan, and he really could not have said enough kind things about them.’’

The two hope to continue working as a duo and would like to break into the entertainment industry. McKee says he hopes to move to Los Angeles and pursue comedy writing jobs, while Babcock says he'd like to dive into something that's “part writing and part performing.’’

In the meantime, they continue to make a name for themselves in the comedy-saturated Valley. They've even signed a few autographs, including a couple of body parts.

“We once got recognized at a bar while my cute friend was visiting,’’ Babcock says. “She was like, ‘Does that happen do you guys a lot?' We were like, ‘All the time!'’’

Ron & Ryan
With: Chris Fairbanks
When: 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: Paper Heart Gallery, 750 N.W. Grand Ave., Phoenix
How much: $5
Info: