Even When Ron White Isnt Blue Hes Still Not Funny
The scotch-drinking, cigar-smoking, Blue Collar touring comedian Ron "Tater Salad" White will appear at the King Center in Melbourne on Friday, Sept. 30. One of the top grossing comedians performing today, Ron is also a successful actor and author. His book, "I had the Right to Remain Silent But I Didn't have the Ability," appeared on the New York Times best seller list.
I spoke with Ron about his comedy, "parallel thinking" in comedy, and the worst gig he ever played. So, let's "Shake, Rattle & Know": Ron White.
QUESTION: Last time I saw you, you were golfing here in Florida. How's the golf game going?
ANSWER: It's good. I golfed in this charity golf tournament thing yesterday and we came in dead last, but I did great, so it must have been their fault. There were 23 teams and only one team didn't even finish, so I guess we could find that team and give them some real s--- about it. We shot a 64 and were still 10 shots out. I just got back from London and Scotland and got to play over there to, but I don't remember a thing about the trip.
Q: You're pretty much constantly touring, so how do you find the time to turn over new material?
A: I do it one joke at a time. I am not the type that will quit one show and start working on a whole new show; that never happens. I won't sacrifice power to be new. I don't work with any time restraints. I just beat the crowds up with it one joke at a time, so when I roll around to your city in another two years it will be a new show. I am still selling hard tickets and continue to work. When I am in L.A., I might do five 15-minute sets a night and work on material. I am an elder statesman now, so it's good to get out there with the younger comedians and try new stuff.
Q: What is the worst gig you ever played?
A: Early on in my career I performed at a bowling alley, and they didn't even stop the bowling. It was just dumb luck if they even heard me over 27 lanes of bowling going on. Also, I wasn't very good then and had a bad microphone, so you combine that with the venue and it made for a pretty terrible show.
Heart singer sets off to do 'the Ann Wilson Thing'
Q: It seems like comedy is the only profession where you are expected to be "on" all the time. Does that frustrate you?
A: Oh, I don't do it. I am not on. I have a really busy life, and I don't have the time to try and make people chuckle. I think my wife appreciates that, too. I mean, I am a funny guy to be around, but I don't feel pressured to make people laugh. I have my own tequila company, my own record label, I'm busy and I have no obligation to be funny all the time. There are guys like Robin Williams that were just funny all the time, on or off the stage, but I'm not one of those guys.
Q: What was your most embarrassing onstage moment?
A: It was like the second time ever doing comedy. I went blank. And I mean not just that I couldn't think of the next joke, but I couldn't think of anything at all. The worst part is I was doing two sets there, and I didn't invite anyone to the first one because I thought I was going to suck. The first one actually went pretty well, so I invited a ton of people to that second show. Now, I have done over 11,000 shows, so embarrassing moments don't happen very much anymore.
Q: Have you ever had a comedian steal a bit from you and try to use the "parallel thinking" excuse?
A: Oh, yeah, I sure have and they couldn't even use the parallel thinking excuse, because it was an obscure joke about Cincinnati chili and he said it word for word. The joke talks about a Mexican boy with a goat and an onion, so that's not parallel thinking. I had worked with the guy like a week earlier, too. He must have taped my set and studied it, too, because he nailed the joke. It was at the Comedy Corner in Tampa, Florida. He came off the stage, and I was waiting for him. I can be pretty intimidating, and I took him out back and let him know that if he ever said anything again I said he would regret it. That is one of my things, don't steal my stuff or I will come after you!
Titusville comedian talks nude resort, rodeo clowns
Q: Have you seen any social media posts or quotes attributed to you that you never said?
A: I have, but I usually don't care enough about it to bother me. As long as they aren't trying to attribute something racist or homophobic and attribute it to me, I don't really care. I think when people do talk to me, I give enough quotable stuff that there isn't a need to misquote me.
Q: Which of today's popular comedians do you think are funny and which ones are not?
A: Lisa Lampanelli sucks. She is just horrible. There are some young comedians I have seen at clubs that are good, I just can't remember their names. I tend to like the older comedians closer to my age. I like guys like Dave Attell, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock. I love Jim Gaffigan. Jim can work clean and is just so gifted. You could put him in a church or a salon and he would do well; I know I can't do that. I have the salon part of that nailed, but I don't think there is a church anywhere that would be open to me coming in. I have been doing this long enough I can tell the difference between a comedian that has been doing this for 10 years and one that has been doing it for 30. It is an art form, and it takes time to perfect it just like a painter or a trumpet player would. I also see when comedians get publicity way too early on and then can't back it up. Amy Schumer is an example. Her comedy writing for movies is off the hook, but her standup just isn't that good. People laughed at her comedy special, but she is really green and not there yet.
Lewis Black: 'Country could use lesson in etiquette'
Q: What is the best comedy advice anyone ever gave you?
A: Jeff Foxworthy told me to always put the punchline at the end of a joke, I guess that made sense to me on day three of comedy! I think the best advice I can give someone is to be true to who you are and be true to your nature to have a chance in this business. Even then it still might not happen for you. You have to be who you are and not what someone wants you to be, and you can't see someone and be like, "I'm going to be like them," and think it's going to work for you. Some of the great comedians had one common denominator, whether it's Richard Pryor, Sam Kinison or Jeff Foxworthy; they were always true to who they were.
If you have an artist/band you'd like to recommend for review, contact Nunez at srkmusic@cfl.rr.com of follow Mike on Twitter: @srkmusicflorida
The details
Who: Comedian Ron White
When: 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30
Where: King Center, 3865 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne
Cost: Tickets are $45-$240.
Info: Call 321-242-2219 or visit kingcenter.com. For more information on White, visit tatersalad.com.
Source: https://www.floridatoday.com/story/entertainment/2016/09/28/ron-white-amy-schumer/91183260/
0 Response to "Even When Ron White Isnt Blue Hes Still Not Funny"
Post a Comment