The Ripe, Round & Irreverent Wisdom of Comedian RALPHIE MAY

    icon Jul 21, 2011
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Just in case you missed his hilarious performance last year at the Temple Theatre, Ralphie May will be coming back to Saginaw on July 26.

The comedian from Los Angeles was an instant success after the first season of NBC's hit reality series, "Last Comic Standing.”

With a platinum DVD “Just Correct” locked and loaded, May recently added another film under his belt with a new movie “The Best and Brightest" starring Neil Patrick Harris and Amy Sedaris, scheduled for release later this year.

As for his live comedy show?

“It never stops,” May said. “I do about 600 shows in about 50 weeks a year.”

And he’s looking forward to his return to the historic downtown Temple Theater. “I really like Saginaw,” he said. “I loved the Schuch Hotel and the charm of Hamilton Street when I visited last summer.  And the Temple Theatre is really incredible...what a gem!"

May attributes his success to continuously developing new material, which he feels brings fans back again and again to his performances. Apart from possessing an insightful irreverence as sizable as his physical presence, for many May is a shining beacon of political incorrectness. “Actually, I’ve lost some weight,” he notes. “I’ve lost a whole fat guy since Last Comic Standing, and I’m still fat as hell, which sucks. But I’m working at it. I’m not one of these comedians who thinks if I lose weight I’ll lose my funny.”

Quoting late stand-up comedian George Carlin, May said most comedians write about 10 new minutes of material a year.  “The great ones write 30 minutes,” May said. “I probably write two hours a year. There are just so many great things going on in the world to write about. You’ve got gay marriage in New York, Bin Laden, the list goes on and on..."

May, who has performed stand up for the last 22 years, said much has changed since he first started his career back in 1989.

“For the first 13 years, every month was nerve wracking,” he said. “You wonder how you’re going to pay your bills. You come to LA, you’re doing gigs and you’re doing anything you can to make ends meet and survive.”

Born in Cattanooga, Tennessee, May was raised in Clarksville, Arkansas. When he was 17-years old he won a contest to open for the late, great comedian Sam Kinison, whom he considered his idol. Kinison suggested he move to Houston, Texas to further develop his comedy routine. May then studied at the Performing Arts in Houston and graduated, moving to Los Angeles to pursue his career in entertainment.

“Sam wrote me a letter of introduction, but by the time I got to Houston, that comedy club has closed,” May explains. “I saw another comedy club called the Comedy Showcase that said it was a college for comedians. I walked in and told them I was a comedian. They were like, ‘OK, whatever. We’ve never heard of you. Do you do standup much? About 13 times. ‘Well, that makes you a comedian. Get up here and bomb for a couple years and then you’ll be funny. That’s exactly what I did. And then I got really funny and things took off.”

But after coming in second on “Last Comic Standing,” May’s life changed forever. 

“People say I was robbed, and I think they really took to me after that,” he said. “I think the audience fell in love with me that summer. A lot of kids watched that show and a lot will now bring me out to their colleges for shows. I love getting the opportunity to meet all of them, shake their hands and say, ‘Thank you.’”

To show his appreciation, May said that he constantly strives to give back. Apart from numerous appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, in 2005 May was the only white comedian to perform on The Big Black Comedy Show.

“I will stay as long as they want me to after the show,” he said. “I’ll meet every single one of my fans, sign autographs, and take pictures. And I do a long show. Most people don’t make more than $20 an hour and it’s not that cheap to come out to a show. I want to make sure they get their money’s worth.”

“I see the absurdity in things and I think it’s my job to point it out. My biggest concern is that we’re losing our sense of humor and have become an apologetic society. Nobody and take a joke. Everybody is so sensitive.”

“Comedians are like shepherds. We lead people to where the funny is. I want my audience to come back year after year and know that they’re going to get new jokes. And I make them laugh -- hard, until they start to cry. That’s my goal.”


If you go:
What: Ralphie May Comedy Show
When: 7:30 p.m. July 26
Where: Temple Theatre
Cost: $29 and $39 per ticket
On the web: www.templetheatre.com
Phone: 989 754-SHOW (7469)

 

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