Witty comic promotes new stand up show ‘Very Famous’
Michael Ian Black is “Very Famous.”
And, fresh off his new deal with Comedy Central, Black will bring his certain brand of humor to the Russell House Ballroom tonight at 8 — a stop on his “Black Is White” stand-up tour.
“It will by and large be a series of jokes,” Black said. “In terms of humor, I like the funny kind of humor where people laugh and enjoy themselves.”
The “Black Is White” tour follows up the August premiere of Black’s Comedy Central special and CD titled “Very Famous,” which features everyday observations and stories. And, as noted by the title of his new comedy showing, Black doesn’t shy away from the attention.
“It was really just a long, hard look in the mirror and saying to myself, ‘What do you see there?’ Success, fame,” Black said, when asked about the naming of the Comedy Central special.
USC is the only college stop on the promotion tour — a closed show hosted by Carolina Productions.
“I just enjoy doing stand-up, so I’m trying to have fun,” Black said. “I’m just trying to have a good time with young, college-aged girls. And if boys want to come, and they show up too, that’s fine.”
And what sets the South Carolina crowd apart from other legs of the tour?
“Certainly in the South, I feel that there is more sweet tea than in other places. That’s the big difference — a lot more sweet tea,” Black said.
Known best for his time on VH1’s “I Love the ... ” decades series, and his Twitter reign — fueled by unicorns, tacos and Kristen Wiig — Black has picked up more than 1.6 million followers on the social networking site with his almost indescribable wit.
With 140-character quips like, “When I get up early, it’s because I love my children and want to get them off to school on time so I don’t have to see them all day,” Black does receive a little choice-worded feedback from followers. But the bigger question is, what does his family have to say about the pointed tweets?
“My family can’t read, so they never see the Twitter things,” Black said.
Black first started his comedy career as a student at New York University in a sketch comedy troupe called “The State.”
“We had our own TV show for a while, and then I did other TV shows, and now I’m going to South Carolina,” Black said.
But, Black’s recent career in stand-up comedy has been a new arena for the pop culture comedian.
“I had been a long-time admirer of stand-up comedy, and years before I started doing it, I thought it was one of the most challenging things a performer could do,” Black said. “After years of doing sketch comedy and working with friends, I decided that it might be fun to try stand-up, so that’s what I did. And I’ve spent the last couple of years trying to get good at it.”
However, his career doesn’t stop on the stage or silver screen. Black has written several “contemporary classic” books, including 2008’s “My Custom Van (and 50 Other Mind-Blowing Essays That Will Blow Your Mind All Over Your Face)” and his upcoming children’s work “I’m Bored.”
“I just sort of thought to myself, ‘It would be cool to write a book,’ because I have books in my house, and none of them are by me,” Black said. “I thought wow, this a------ Hemingway can do it — what makes Hemingway so great? This guy Hemingway thinks he’s so much better than me. F--- that guy.”
And, through all his on- and off-screen works, which also include the role of Phil the bowling alley manager on ABC’s “Ed,” and the writing and directing of 2006’s “Wedding Daze,” Black sorts his favorites by one basic principle.
“I don’t think about it in terms of what was my favorite and least favorite; I just look at it in terms of what made me the most money. That’s really the only important criteria.”
Michael Ian Black will take the Russell House Ballroom stage at 8 p.m. and is free to USC students and faculty.
“You’re paying student fees anyway, so you may as well see what that money’s paying for,” Black said. “Otherwise it’s just like shoving it down a toilet drain. If it were a choice between me and shoving money down a toilet drain, I’d say I’m the slightly better option.”