Yeah, everyone’s a comic these days. We get an hourly dose of the “your mama’s so fat” one-liners or the YouTube spoofs of Harry and Ron’s not-so-straight friendship. C’mon people, how many “that’s what she said” cracks can we stomach in one sitting? With everyone and his mom thinking he’s a comedian, it’s hard to find a standout who makes you clutch your sides, roll on the ground laughing, squeeze your thighs together before you piss sort of entertainer. Enter Ralphie May. He doesn’t censor, he doesn’t conform, and he sure as hell doesn’t care.
Stand-up king Ralphie May catapulted himself to comedic fame with his breakout stint on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” His fresh and incomparable humor founded him a strong and devoted fan base, and since the show wrapped, he has become one of the most popular comedians in the country. Ralphie took time to chat with the Badger Herald about just how much his life has changed post reality show, and about Sunday’s performance at the Barrymore Theatre.
“Let’s put it in perspective,” he said. “When I did ‘Last Comic Standing’ I lived in an apartment in a very dangerous part of Los Angeles. Within a year I bought a house in the Hollywood Hills. I paid off all my bills. It was so amazing to be at that level.”
Though he did not win the show, May has no regrets. He found his own brand of comedy in the process, a brand that he says works for everyone.
“It’s weird,” he said. “I have what people in the industry and stand-up comedy call the ‘strangest audience in America.’ You see everybody at my shows ? young, old, black, white, brown, different backgrounds, and all these hone in together into what I think is the best audience in America. They laugh hard. They have a great time. I can’t say enough about it.”
May, who started doing comedy when he was 17, is unapologetic when it comes to content. When asked whether some might find his material controversial, he laughed in response.
“Oh, without a doubt,” he says. “I hope so. I hope they find it very controversial because that’s the only way it’s good.”
Unafraid of causing an uproar, May tells it like it is. His material is all his own, and he refuses to rely on anyone else for content, allowing him to make his comedy into whatever he wants it to be.
“I’m a very, very topical comic,” he says. “I write very fast, I write a lot of jokes and I think I do them pretty well. I don’t have writers ? it’s not me. If it doesn’t come out of my mouth, I don’t trust it.”
With an attitude like that, May’s fans are sure to get exactly what they’re looking for. He goes on to explain just how unapologetic his stand-up is.
“The n-word,” he said. “I’ll say it 40, 50 times in my act, and afterwards I’m taking pictures with black people all the time. People assume that the black community will be explicitly reacted to any sense of the word.”
And as it turns out, it’s quite the opposite. May’s goal is to dispel racial assumptions by using the very words that so many consider taboo.
“If nothing more, they are the better part of our society for forgiveness and open-mindedness, and if it’s funny, you gotta laugh,” May said of the African-American community. “I’ve always found that community more accepting of me than the white [community], to be honest with you. I was one of the first white comedians on BET. I’m just me, baby.”
When asked why people should take the time to come to his show, May was armed and ready with a response.
“I think they look for something different,” he said. “You know if you had turkey sandwiches your whole life and someone started selling cheeseburgers, you’d want something different. [On] Comedy Central they all sound the same. Not me. I talk about the stuff that most comics aren’t fast enough writers to cover, and I try to do that all the time.”
So, if you’re looking for some off-the-wall, uncensored, fresh comedy, Ralphie May is just the guy to deliver. On his upcoming trip to Madison he said, “Well, I like football and ya’ll have an amazing football team. I always end up rooting for them. I have not seen a game, but I would love to, and I can’t wait to come.”
A Badger Football Fan? Ralphie, you’ll fit right in here.
Ralphie May will be performing Feb. 28 at the Barrymore Theatre. Tickets are 29.50 in advance.