Comedian Lewis Black Admits He's Funniest When He's Angry
Veteran Standup Comic Bringing 'Goodbye Yeller Brick Road' tour to Charleston Music Hall
Jeff Walker, Entertainment Writer
While his name may not be as easily recognized as some of his contemporaries, such as Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, Drew Carey, or Jim Gaffigan, at 76 years of age Lewis Black is just as respected in the world of stand up comedy as are his peers. A Washington DC and Maryland native, Black graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1970, earning a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from Yale in 1977.
Considering he didn't start his second calling until he was nearly 40, Black has no regrets. "After college I started writing plays. I've probably written a 1000 plays at this point. However, most of them not seen, certainly by the vast majority of the population."
A playwright-in-residence at New York's West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theatre Bar during the 1980's, Black did manage however to have a few 100 of his one act plays produced. "It's always been my first love."
Black admits his evolution into stand up came about naturally. "I guess it sort of grew on me. I've been committed to doing standup since I was 21. I was emceeing shows before the plays started, hopefully getting the crowd in a particular mood."
Known for his dark humor as well as sarcastic rants pertaining to social and political issues, Black says his routines were more subdued in his younger years. "Early on my comedy was more about my sex life or lack there of. I would joke about family and friends. Basically I was just telling stories from the stage." He adds, "I've always been drawn to satire. And since I was writing plays and hanging around the theatre, I felt comfortable on stage."
His own comedy influences are among the who's who of comedy. "It runs the gamut. I appreciated the edgier comedy of guys like George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Lenny Bruce, but in the same vein, growing up I was drawn to comic actors like Bob Newhart and Jack Benny."
Black explains further. "They're all funny in different ways. Maybe their comedy wasn't for everyone, but the one thing they had in common is they made us laugh. They understood through some sense of silence or by creating tension they made audiences laugh. The playwright in me loves stories, and many of the greatest comedians over the years have been really good storytellers."
Black admits he was comfortable basking in a a few minutes of limelight prior to plays opening up. "I liked doing the bits before the shows, and getting the crowd riled up. Back then, 40 and 50 years ago I never imagined I'd be taking it to another level." Before standup came his way Black had a different mindset. "Honestly, I thought at some point I'd be a professor at UNC and continue to write plays on the side."
But as the 1990's progressed Black began to move more into standup comedy, with his rapid-fire indignant rants seemingly striking a chord with followers. Late night TV appearances lead to regular gigs on Comedy Central and his own HBO specials, with his comedic work earning him a 2007 Grammy Award for 'Best Comedy Album' for his 'The Carnegie Hall Performance'.
The first of his seven books 'Nothing's Sacred' (2005) was autobiographical, with Black including then some of his latest comedy material, as well as lines from his earlier playwrighting days. "Whether it's comedy or plays, it seems I'm always writing."
Over the years Black has offered up 15 comedy albums, as well as a dozen DVDs with his latest being 'Thanks For Risking Your Life' (2020), capturing a live performance recorded shortly before all live entertainments was halted due to the COVID.
How does the disturbed comic find material for his standup routines. "Look around me. There's a lot of stupidity happening in the world today. I think a lot of people like myself just get frustrated with with all the shit taking place in society, especially in politics. This whole thing about 'mis-information' which is basically just a form of lying, is enough to drive you over the edge." His irritability does have an upside. "When I'm angry, I'm at my funniest."
Black admits the woke movement hasn't impacted his career in any way, shape, or form. "It's not affected me at all, because I never reached that level of celebrity where it mattered. So I'm not bothered by it."
He goes on to say, "People say 'he's old', 'he's kooky', 'Black yells a lot'. Fortunately even though I've had success, I've been able to slip under the radar, because I'm not that big enough in the comedy world. I feel for those at that level where they have to walk a fine line."
Black had hoped to retire a few years ago, sadly the pandemic derailed those intentions. "I discovered I had a little more shit to get off my chest, and this whole political cycle we're in only adds to my frustration."
The two-time Grammy award winning comedian, actor, and writer does have plans to come off the road after 2024. He's fittingly titled his comedy exodus the 'Goodbye Yeller Brick Road, The Final Tour'. "Seems appropriate. It's just time to slow it down. I hope to do some stuff with my alma mater (UNC) and maybe write another book."
He has no plans to stop speaking his mind. "I'm not going to stop being funny, or angry. I'll still do my online rants." Black opines regularly on a podcast he calls 'Rantcast'. The audio format can be found through his website and is available on several streaming services. https://www.lewisblack.com/pages/rantcast
Lewis Black brings his 'Goodbye Yeller Brick Road' comedy show to the Charleston Music Hall on Saturday October 26th. "I love Charleston. I just got back recently after spending four days in Kiawah, just kicking back and playing some golf. Charleston is a great town, and I always look forward to playing there."
Black's opening act is Jeff Stilson, a fellow veteran comedian who spent a couple of years (1993-95) writing material for the David Letterman adding several zingers to Letterman's nightly Top Ten list. "I've known Jeff for year. He's down right funny. He's a writer and a producer, and he's won two Emmy Awards for comedy writing."
Fans of Lewis' outrageousness can witness his dark comedy Saturday Oct 26th at the Charleston Music Hall. For more visit https://www.charlestonmusichall.com/event/lewis-black/