Angry Black man

(From Gannett News Service)

by Matt Farley

When he picks up his telephone one busy Monday afternoon, Lewis Black sounds like a man rapidly approaching the end of his rope. As usual.

The professionally harried comedian has a few days to kill in New York before he has to head to Massachusetts for a show, and he's trying to get some work done on his second book, which has to be finished soon in order to meet a spring release date. But the phone simply will not stop ringing.

"I'm just way overscheduled," Black says. "I guess I sort of live in New York, but really, I live on a tour bus. I think I'm still doing around 200 shows a year, but I can't even tell anymore."

Black, 59, is probably best known for his regular appearances on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," where his screeds on politics and modern life frequently devolve into profane shouting and irate finger-shaking. But Black's stage persona first emerged in the '70s, when he was working as a playwright and actor at various community theaters and he had to keep patrons entertained before the curtain went up.

These days, it seems as if people identify with a normal guy driven to the brink of madness by Starbucks, Lindsay Lohan and governmental hypocrisy: His album "The Carnegie Hall Performance" won a Grammy Award in February. On top of television appearances, live shows and book deals, Black's film career has also begun to flourish; he had roles in three major movies within the last year. And although Black seems to be a genuinely nice guy when unprovoked, it quickly becomes clear that his famous rage may not entirely be an act.

"You just do it," Black says when asked how he prepares his rants. "I start thinking about stuff before I go on and I start getting fired up. Then when I get onstage, it's zero to 60 in a couple seconds."

At any given moment, Black has at least 75 minutes of material ready to go, he says. But since much of his act is based on current events, he rarely gives the same show twice.

"This time next year, it'll be a totally different 75 minutes," he says. "If a bridge collapses or the president says something, I can add that in. (For instance,) the Chinese trying to kill us with their 11 million lead toys and poisonous toothpaste and dog food is a problem for me right now. How does it become cheaper to bring these things in from China when we have to send them back? What is the matter with us?"

While Black shies away from the title of "political comedian," he often has especially hash words for Republican leaders, both on "The Daily Show" and in his live performances. Still, given the opportunity, he is more than eager to firebomb the other side of the aisle. Upon hearing the name "Harry Reid," Black immediately proclaims the entire Democratic Congress "hideous" and "nightmarish."

"Everybody got excited because we elected these people by default," he says. "I couldn't believe it. They did nothing in the face of what has been going on the past six years, and their entire platform (in 2006) was like, 'We've got nothing, but it's a new, improved nothing."

Black seems especially disgusted with both sides' handling of the scandal surrounding Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who recently resigned over accusations he fired judges who refused to toe the Republican party line.

"Let's say you're a boss and you see one of your employees wandering around for the first hour of the day," Black says. "When you ask him what's wrong, he says, 'I can't remember where my desk is.' Then later you find him peeing in the wastebasket because he can't remember where the rest room is. Now, (when) you've got (Gonzales) in front of Congress saying 'I can't remember' 64 times, that's just inept. If anyone in any job can't remember what they've done in the course of their work, you fire them. It's not a question of politics."

It's safe to assume that Black will bring his standard routine with him when he performs at the Silver Legacy on Sept. 15, but he may also have some special remarks in store for locals: He previously worked in town as part of the Catch a Rising Star showcase.

"That was way back, but I liked Reno because it's a little bit more relaxed and blue collar (than Las Vegas)," he says. "I will gamble on occasion, and the rate of rape on the table games seems a little slower there."

When asked if he has a favorite local casino, Black at first claims he's been away for too long to remember, but then suddenly comes up with an answer.

"What's the name of the casino that hired me?" he asks. "That's it. That's my favorite."