Ralphie May doesn’t ever try to “”be black.”” It’s just in his Southern blood. And with May’s wit, this overweight white guy who can appeal to the masses equals comedy gold.
Most well known for being the hugely hilarious guy from Tennessee/Arkansas/Houston and runner-up on the first season of “”Last Comic Standing,”” May will be performing at the Rialto Theatre on Friday. Since “”Last Comic Standing,”” May has appeared on “”Celebrity Fit Club,”” circuited at hot comedy clubs with his standup and most recently has had his own standup special, “”Girth of a Nation”” on Comedy Central. In addition, he is in the process of doing a movie about a fat superhero and working on a television show with his comedian wife.
Most of May’s material is topical. He reads four newspapers a day in addition to reading online news sites. Much of his material is what may be found to be politically incorrect. Being from a poor family, he didn’t really “”see”” race as a child-it was more about surviving together whether white or black.
“”I grew up in Arkansas.”” May said. “”We were all broke. It was not black and white. It’s all the same thing. That’s what makes my humor cross so many cultural lines, because, hey I’ve been there. I used to live with Mexicans. I got waist deep in their culture. I gained more respect for them from it.””
When you’re from the South, we’re the redheaded stepchild of America, yet we’re responsible for its culture. We’re responsible for jazz, blues, the greatest American food. I’ll always be partial to sweet tea and a nice ‘ya’ll,'”” May said.
May first tried standup when he was 13 and had his first professional gig at 17. At 18 he moved to Houston to pursue standup.
“”If I wasn’t married, Alyssa Milano. She’s smoking. She’s accomplished. She’s radiant. Her or Lucy Liu. I like a woman with freckles. A woman without freckles is a night without stars.””
“”I think a turkey sandwich is great. There’s so many good foods. I’m gonna get kicked out of the fat-guy club for this, but salad. It makes my whole day better. I’m pretty simple. And a glass of sweet tea.””
“”‘Lost.’ I would love to be Hurley on ‘Lost.’ And he ain’t lost a pound since he’s been on the island. That would be fun. Or ‘Law and Order: SVU.’ I would like to be a cop or forensic computer guy.””
idn’t go to college. I regret that, and I had great SAT scores too,”” May said. “”So for 14 years, my family thought I was a failure-I had 34 scholarships. And I didn’t use any of them. It upset my family a lot.””
May seems to always strike a chord with his audience and he does this by being himself and doesn’t mind if a few people don’t appreciate his humorous opinions. For May, he is just telling it as it is.
“”The truth is, like a lot of white folks from the south, I got black blood in me,”” May, who listens to hip-hop, said. “”I didn’t get the big dick, I just got bad credit. I’m just trying to be me. I’m politically incorrect. It’s my badge of honor. If everybody loved you, you’d be in fucking pop music. Hell, Jesus isn’t even loved by everybody. Do I fear people? Sure, yea.””
When it comes to current events, May definitely has some strong opinions. He has his own idea of racism that doesn’t necessarily include using the n-word, which he actually uses in his routines. He thinks racism isn’t about the technicalities of being politically correct, but about the larger spectrum of people and action.
“”What’s real racism?”” May said about Hurricane Katrina. “”Leaving a whole town, that’s predominantly black and poor for 6 days in over 100 degree heat. Where thousands of people died. Splitting up families and placing them across America. Which is more racist? Granted nobody in the government said ‘n****.’ You can’t ban a word, this is America, freedom of speech.””
Whatever his ideas are May brings them out in a humorous, truthful way that most everyone can appreciate.
Ralphie May will be performing on Friday at 8 p.m. at the Rialto Theatre. Tickets are $21 and $26.
