Fancy Ray

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions.(December 2007)

Ray "Fancy Ray" McCloney is a comedian well known in the Midwest (especially his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota) during the 1980s-1990s for his resemblance to Little Richard as well as his distinctive, sometimes bizarre, comic persona. Ray's recurring performance themes revolve around his own good looks and sense of style. Known professionally as the "Best Looking Man in Comedy," Ray has appeared in numerous TV commercials and cable access shows.

Ray's other recurring self-given nickname is the "Human Chocolate Orchid."

In 1994, Fancy Ray appeared with Weird Al Yankovic on his cable TV show in Minneapolis.[1]. In the episode, Fancy Ray humorously described the origins of his name: "Fancy comes from the Flamboyant, the Fertile, the Fashion part, and the Fragrant."

However, in a 1998 interview, Fancy Ray claimed he was actually more influenced by his grandfather, Fancy Wade, a sharp-dressed ladies' man. Upon Wade's 1984 death, Ray inherited Wade's music collection, including Little Richard recordings, which inspired him to become known thereafter as Fancy Ray.[2]

Fancy Ray ran for the Minnesota governor's office in 1998 under the People's Champion banner. The election was famously won by Jesse Ventura. Ray won 919 votes in the race. [3]

Recently, Fancy Ray moved to North Hollywood, CA where he appeared on the NBC television show Last Comic Standing[4] in early 2007. Ray was immediately booted off the show.

Ray continues to perform in comedy clubs.