December 18 2006

Who is Larry the Cable Guy, really?

Filed Under Stand-Up Comedy

Last night, 60 Minutes did a profile of Dan Whitney, aka Larry the Cable Guy and my favorite part of the segment was this:

Larry the Cable Guy: So I went up there, had a great set… killed as they say. And…
Bob Simon: That’s what they say, killed?

Obviously, I do a blog about comedy, so I try and be up on terminology. But am I short-sighted or isn’t the description “killed’ basic cultural literacy? Or a sign that a reporter might not know enough to talk to a performer? Just saying.

Anyway, the report’s mostly gloss. But the fascinating part, besides hearing a subtler version of the “Larry” accent fall out of Dan’s mouth, was the mention of J.P. Williams, the architect behind much of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour and Larry the Cable Guy’s success. At one point he declares that that most of Hollywood doesn’t get his success, “because they don’t understand much outside of Los Angeles and New York. And that’s the problem.” And he’s right. It is a problem.

So much of culture is about culture itself or up it’s own ass, that there’s very little common ground to embrace (I’m fully aware, as always, the irony of saying this on a comedy blog). Much as many don’t like it, “Larry” is reaching a broad big audience in a world that’s become more and more narrowcasted. And they’re not all bumpkins and rednecks. There’s a lesson here to be taken from the Blue Collar success and I hope that even if comedians can’t stomach all of Dan’s material, they find spots where their work intersects enough to broaden their own appeal. And for those of us who are fans, to recognize that a friend who likes “Larry” might be, depending on their tastes, turned onto other comics like Brian Regan, Louis CK or Dave Attell. “Larry” as gateway drug if you will.

I’m not saying anyone has to do a wholesale transformation like Dan Whitney…

But Larry the Cable Guy’s a reality. Use it to comedy’s advantage.

Update: Yahoo has a few exclusive clips not used in the piece.

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Comments

Posted by scamboogah on 12/18  at  06:07 PM

That whole piece pissed me off. Nice of 60 fucking Minutes, a show that’s supposed to represent class and the inability to be bought off, to do a story that might as well have been shot, directed and edited by Larry the Cable Guy’s publicist. Not one mention of his former personality at all. You’d think that might be relevant.

I hate this country.

Posted by Jack on 12/19  at  03:07 PM

I think a bigger part of the audience isssue is there are so many choices that it’s easy to narrow-cast yourself if you really know what your niche is.

It’s not like the golden days of media when there were only a handful of stations.  There are more choices and more ways to get that information.

Granted, most arms of the media beast are owned by a handful of companies, but on the consumer level there are choices that one can make.

Heck, I just realized a few months ago I watch more comedy on my iPod or on YouTube than I do on “normal” TV.

Oh, and I agree that the 60 Minutes piece was pure puffery.  It was really an odd infomercial and not much else.  Which makes me feel bad for 60 Minutes as a source of decent cultural criticism. They just are not what they used to be in many ways.

Posted by Mike on 12/19  at  05:13 PM

I’m often surprised at the degree cultural elitism and vitriol directed at Larry the Cable Guy.  You’d think he’s ushering in a dark ages of comedy.  Personally, I don’t find him terribly funny, but I have laughed at a few of his jokes.

Newsflash:  different people have different tastes in comedy.  He’s not single-handedly responsible for the dumbing down of America.  Considering he can well live the remainder of his life in luxury without ever working one more day, I’d say he’s pretty damned intelligent.  I don’t think luck had that much to do with it.

All the folks who jump down his throat (looking at you, David Cross) give him waaayyy too much power.  He’s a mediocre comedian who found a huge marketing niche and took advantage of it.  That’s all.  Other brands of comedy will survive, really.

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