by joel land
WHAT: Larry the Cable Guy
WHERE: Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
WHEN: March 8 at 7:30 pm
When EU learned that Larry the Cable Guy was coming to town, we knew that we had to interview him. What could be more perfectly up Jacksonville’s alley than Larry and his Blue Collar comedy schtick? But when it came to who could interview him, we drew a blank. Then we mentioned the possibility of giving an interview to local standup comedian Joel Land and he didn’t hesitate to volunteer. Joel spoke to Larry the Cable Guy via telephone.
EU: The first time I ever heard of Larry the Cable Guy you were buzzing the comedy circuit continuously. It seemed you were performing at the Comedy Zone here in Jacksonville several times a year. The next thing I know you can buy any Git-r-Done merchandise imaginable at virtually every gas station, and now you’re packing arenas all over America. Which factored in the most on your runaway success, hard work, the Blue Collar phenomena, or magical charisma?
Larry: Magical good looks, hard work and compromising pictures of Jeff Foxworthy. No, standup is a job. I started out doing radio spots for 27 stations all over the country. I’d be up at 6 in the morning everyday, so I couldn’t stay out with everybody til 3 in the morning. Only 30% of the stations paid me, the rest was all free. The only payback I asked from them is that if I come to their city just help me promote the show…I developed a really good underground following; I was able to sell out comedy clubs just from doing my radio. Then it just snowballed into what it is today. But it was definitely a lot of hard work. That and I never let myself get discouraged.
EU: You just sold out two solid nights at Radio City Music Hall in New York, what kind of feelings does that muster up?
Larry: Dude, that was the most nerve-wracking thing I’ve ever done in my whole life. The thing that was nerve-wracking was just the mystique, it’s Radio City Music Hall. It’s in New York. Not really regarded as a blue collar venue… I did just under 12,000 people. Jamie Foxx worked Madison Square Garden and I outsold him by 5,000 people. Just the fact that that happened, I was really thankful. I told the crowd I was like the redneck pied piper. It’s just another tearing down the wall of critics saying I’m only a red state act, because I’m not a red state act; I’m a funny act. I don’t care if your red state, blue state or friggin purple, if you have a sense of humor and like to laugh and like my style of comedy, which fortunately a lot of people do.
EU: You’ve been in Florida since age 16, work aside, did you ever do much time here in North Florida/ Jacksonville? You know just goofing off?
Larry: I was in Florida at 16, when I was 19 I left for college in Georgia. I went to a Baptist college. I was there 3 years…no, 4 years. I got put back a year (chuckles)… I started working the Comedy Zone there, they were real good to me when I was starting out… But I love Jacksonville. I used to come up there all the time. Of course when I started doing bigger things, I got to be buddies with all the Skynyrd guys, you know they’re all from Jacksonville-
EU: Yeah, I’ve heard that.
Larry: I’d always had a good time there. It’s pretty, I know that much.
EU: With all the hype on global warming, could you agree with my theory that when you hear thunder, that’s God stomping around. When it rains, that’s God crying. Global warming? That’s just God running a little fever right now.
Larry: [Laughs] Yeah, I’d agree with that. I got no problem with global warming, it extends tube top season [chuckles]. It’s a good thing Al Gore put out his movie in the summer time. That was smart, if he would’ve put it out now everybody would be going “You dumbass, it’s freezing.” It’d be like an umbrella salesman trying to sell umbrellas in Phoenix.
EU: Your Christmas album A Very Larry Christmas, containing such hits as ‘Titty Bar Christmas’, ‘Donny the Retard’, ‘O Holy Crap’, and ‘The First Queer Santy Claus’, was an instant classic. How did this come about?
Larry: The Christmas album did real good, it was the craziest thing ever… I mean I did it like 13 years ago. That was before Blue Collar ever hit, so anybody that got that CD was a die-hard fan. It was nothing like my act, it was more like my radio stuff… And that sumbitch sold 970,000 copies in 9 months. It will go platinum next year when they re-release it.
EU: Aha, can I smell a Christmas special?
Larry: You know, I’m working on that. I think it would be really fun to do like an old Dean Martin, Bing Crosby Christmas special. I’ve already approached Comedy Central about it. Every year have a one hour Very Larry Christmas Special.
EU: With Larry and friends?
Larry: Yeah, Larry and Friends, I’d have guests on there and I’d have someone on there actually singing a song. There would be sketches and parodies, you know, and we’d have a couple of serious things on there, you know, it would be a Christmas special.
EU: What’s on Larry’s iPod ? Is it still the “Cars” soundtrack? Have you met Rascal Flatts? And why do they look like that (all polished up)?
Larry: [Chuckles] I don’t know about that. You know what I like really is urban music.
EU: Really?
Larry: Keith Urban [chuckles]. No my iPod is full of Marshall Tucker Band, Skynyrd, George Strait, Chris Ledoux, and then I have a hit mix with Iron Maiden, Cinderella, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and that kind of stuff.
EU: Just the essentials.
Larry: Yeah.
EU: What can we expect at your show here in Jacksonville?
Larry: An hour and twenty minutes of one-liners... I take requests, people send notes backstage, and if I can I will. But people will get to see a brand new act. I’m not going to change the way I do things. People come to expect certain kinds of jokes from me, and that’s what they’re going to get. I‘m not going to cross the line too much, I’m going to cross it a little bit. If you’re bringing your kids, I don’t think it’ll be that bad. I ‘m not going to drop any f-bombs I’m not going to take the Lord’s name in vain. They’ll hear some old country terms [chuckles] and some innuendo.
Catch Larry the Cable Guy live at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on March 8 at 7:30 pm for The Right to Bare Arms tour with special guest Reno Collier. You can purchase tickets through Ticketmaster or charge by phone at 353-3309. For the complete interview go to eujacksonville.com.
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