Lewis Black

This article is about the comedian. For the co-founder of The Austin Chronicle and SXSW, see Louis Black.
Lewis Black

Black, December 2007
Birth name Lewis Niles Black[1]
Born August 30, 1948[2]
Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
Medium Stand-up, Television, Film, Theater
Nationality American
Alma mater University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Yale School of Drama
Years active 1981–present
Genres Satire, Political satire, News satire, Observational comedy, Black comedy, Rant
Subject(s) American politics, American culture, current events, pop culture
Influences George Carlin,[3] Lenny Bruce,[3] Richard Pryor,[3] Lily Tomlin, Bill Hicks,[4] Bob Newhart,[3] Shelley Berman[3]
Influenced Dara Ó Briain,[5] Doug Walker,[6]Ralph Garman,[7]Jimmy Fallon
Notable works and roles Back in Black on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
The Carnegie Hall Performance
Lewis Black's Root of All Evil Stark Raving Black
Website lewisblack.com
Grammy Awards
Best Comedy Album
2007 The Carnegie Hall Performance
2011 Stark Raving Black
American Comedy Awards
Funniest Male Stand-Up Comic 2001

Lewis Niles Black[1] (born August 30, 1948) is an American comedian, author, playwright, social critic and actor. He is known for his angry face, comedy and style, which often includes simulating a mental breakdown, or an increasingly angry rant, ridiculing history, politics, religion, trends and cultural phenomena. He hosted the Comedy Central series Lewis Black's Root of All Evil, and makes regular appearances on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart delivering his “Back in Black” commentary segment. When not on the road performing, he resides in Manhattan. He also maintains a residence in Chapel Hill, N.C. He is currently the spokesman for Aruba Tourism, appearing in television ads that aired in late 2009 and 2010. He was voted 51st of the 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time by Comedy Central in 2004; and was voted 5th in Comedy Central's Stand Up Showdown in 2008 and 11th in 2010.

Black has served as an "ambassador for voting rights" for the American Civil Liberties Union since 2013.[8]

Early life

Black is the son of Jeannette, a teacher, and Sam Black, an artist and mechanical engineer.[9] He was born in Washington, D.C.,[10] and raised in a middle-class Jewish family in Silver Spring, Maryland,[11] graduating from Springbrook High School in 1966,[12] summa cum laude.

Black recounts in his book Nothing's Sacred that he scored highly on the math section of his SAT exam and later applied to Yale, Princeton, Brown, Amherst, Williams, and Georgetown. Every college he applied to except Georgetown rejected him, and by that point he had decided he did not want to go there, so he spent a year at University of Maryland before transferring to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There, he studied playwriting and was a brother of Pi Lambda Phi International fraternity and a member of Student Congress;[13] After graduating in 1970, he returned to Washington, where he worked at the Appalachian Regional Commission, wrote plays, and perform stand-up comedy at the Brickskeller in Dupont Circle.[2]

He earned an MFA degree at the Yale School of Drama in 1977, and was married for ten months when he was 26 years old.[2][14]

Black's career began in theater as a playwright. He served as the playwright-in-residence and associate artistic director of Steve Olsen's West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theatre Bar in Hell's Kitchen in New York City, where he collaborated with composer and lyricist Rusty Magee and artistic director Rand Foerster on hundreds of one-act plays from 1981 to 1989. Also with Rusty Magee, Black wrote the musical The Czar of Rock and Roll, which premiered at Houston's Alley Theatre in 1990. Black's stand-up comedy began as an opening act for the plays; he was also the master of ceremonies. After a management change at the theater, Black left and began working as a comedian, as well as finding bit parts in television and films.

Comedic style

Black's style of comedy is that of a man who, in dealing with the absurdities of life and contemporary politics, is approaching his personal limits of sanity. Sarcasm, hyperbole, profanity, shouting and trademark angry finger-shaking bring emphasis to his topics of discussion. He once described his humor as "being on the Titanic every single day and being the only person who knows what is going to happen."[15]

Black has described his political affiliation as: "I'm a socialist, so that puts me totally outside any concept...the Canadians get it. But seriously, most people don't get it. The idea of capping people's income just scares people. 'Oh, you're taking money from the rich.' Ooh, what a horrifying thing. These people really need $200 million".[16]

Black lists his comedic influences as George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Lily Tomlin, Bill Hicks, Bob Newhart and Shelley Berman.[3]

Career

Stand-up comedy

In 1998, Black starred in his first comedy special on the series Comedy Central Presents. He starred in two additional episodes of the series in 2000 and 2002. He starred in another special for the network in 2002, titled Taxed Beyond Belief.

Since 2003, Black has hosted the World Stupidity Awards ceremony at Montreal's Just for Laughs comedy festival for the three years the awards were presented.

In 2004, he had an HBO stand-up special titled Black on Broadway. Black hosted Comedy Central's Last Laugh '07, which aired on December 2, 2007 along with Dave Attell and D.L. Hughley.

In 2006, Black performed at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC for an HBO special, Red, White, and Screwed. It aired in June and a DVD was released in October. When explaining his choice of venue, Black said that "some asshole" was paid to count the number of times the word "fuck" was said from his previous HBO special, Black On Broadway, and that the original location, the Kennedy Center, wanted him to cut back on its use. Black was told the number was 42, when actually it was approximately 78.

Black received a 2007 Grammy award for "Best Comedy Album" for his album The Carnegie Hall Performance.[17]

Black hosted the Comedy Central television series The Root of All Evil in 2008. The show pitted two people or pop-culture topics against each other as a panel of comedians argued, in the style of a court trial, which is more evil, e.g., "Paris Hilton vs. Dick Cheney" and "Internet Porn vs. YouTube". After hearing arguments from both sides, Black, acting as judge, made the final decision as to which is more evil.[18]

In 2008, Black hosted History of the Joke with Lewis Black,[19] a 2-hour comedy-documentary on The History Channel.

Comedy Central's "Stand-Up Month" in 2008 featured specials originally presented on HBO by Black, along with programs featuring Dane Cook and Chris Rock. That year, as part of Comedy Central's "Stand-Up Month", Black's routine finished at #5 on "Stand-Up Showdown 2008", a viewer-based countdown of the top "Comedy Central Presents" routine.

In 2009, Black filmed two shows at the Fillmore Theater in Detroit, MI,. These were the basis for the concert film Stark Raving Black, which appeared in theaters for a limited time in October, and was released on video the next year.[20]

At the end of 2009, Black returned to the History Channel to host Surviving the Holidays with Lewis Black, in which he discussed the year-end pressures of Thanksgiving, Channukah, Christmas, and New Year's.

In 2011, Black filmed two shows at the State Theatre in Minneapolis, MN.[21] The shows were used for Black's comedy special "In God We Rust". The special premiered on Epix HD.[22]

An extended and uncensored version of the special broadcast on Epix HD was released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 11, 2011.[23]

In August 2013, Black recorded his ninth stand-up special Old Yeller: Live at the Borgata. Deadline reported that Black and the company that was releasing the stand-up special, Image Entertainment would later air it in the form of pay-per-view and VOD, making it the first comedy special to air simultaneously on all cable, satellite and telco platforms.[24]

Film and television career

Black appeared in episode 25 "Aria" (1991) of Law and Order as porn director Franklin Frome, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Obscene" (2004) as a shock jock, and in The Big Bang Theory episode "The Jiminy Conjecture" (2009) as an entomologist. He also released his autobiography, Nothing's Sacred, in 2005. Since November 9, 2005, Black has been making appearances in small segments on The Weather Channel. In December 2005, he appeared in an animated holiday special The Happy Elf, as the voice of the extremely tightly wound elf, Norbert.

In the film Accepted, a film about high school graduates who create a college when they fail to get accepted into any, he played Dean Ben Lewis of the school "South Harmon Institute of Technology". He also appeared in the 2006 films Man of the Year and Unaccompanied Minors. Black hosted Comedy Central's Last Laugh '06, which aired on December 10, 2006.

Voice acting

Black was the voice of "Manobrain" during the third season of the Cartoon Network series "Duck Dodgers". He was the inventor of a diet pill which was stolen while he was in college. He blamed the theft on his college friend Dr. I. Q. High, not realizing that the actual thief was Duck Dodgers. The theft set Manobrain on the path of evil.

Black provided the voice of the Deadly Duplicator in four episodes of the Adult Swim show Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law and in the video game based on the show.

Black did the voice-over for an oxpecker named Ted in Cartoon Network series My Gym Partner's a Monkey, appearing in "Hornbill and Ted's Bogus Journey". The character is portrayed in the same fashion as his comedy shows, though without the profanity. In addition, the bird's clothes, looks, and mannerisms match those of Black himself. Black also voiced Mr. E/Ricky Owens in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, and in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles a middle-aged man named Vic who is kidnapped by the Krang and mutated into a spider-like monster called "Spider-Bytez" by Michelangelo.

He is due to appear in the upcoming Pixar film Inside Out, due for release in June 2015 as the voice of Anger.

Tours

On June 18, 2007, he sat in with Southern rock/Jam band Gov't Mule at the 6th annual Bonnaroo music festival, where he had performed earlier that weekend, for what was to be a quick joke. A member of the audience threw a bottle at Black, which struck him. Black was upset and he encouraged the audience to boo the heckler before leaving the stage in disgust, while shouting obscenities at the heckler. This act was seen in an episode of Lewis Black's Root of All Evil titled "YouTube vs. Porn".

On June 29, 2007, Black gave a benefit show at Springbrook High School, his alma mater, in the school's auditorium for 1,100 alumni, faculty, and students. He performed in his usual style, stopping at points to remark how good it felt to use that language on that particular stage. At the end of the show he was given a Springbrook football jersey, and cursed at one teacher for giving him a B and causing him not to graduate first in his class.

In mid-December 2007, Black went with Robin Williams, Kid Rock, Lance Armstrong and Rachel Smith, Miss USA 2007, on a USO trip to support the troops in Iraq and Kuwait. They then wrapped it up on Dec 22nd at the U.S Naval Station in Rota, Spain.

Black helped create the annual Carolina Comedy Festival at his alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[25]

In 2008, Black went on tour to promote his book Me of Little Faith.[26] Black did a stand-up tour called "Let Them Eat Cake", with material from that tour being featured on his comedy album Anticipation.

Beginning in January 2010, Black embarked on a new tour called "In God We Rust".

The Naked Teen Voyeur Bus

Lewis Black after being released

In 2000, Black and fellow comedian Jim Norton were arrested for their involvement with "The Naked Teen Voyeur Bus",[27] a specially designed bus with acrylic glass walls containing numerous 18 and 19 year old topless women. This bus was driven around Manhattan while reports about it were broadcast on the Opie and Anthony radio show. Unfortunately, the radio station management did not inform the O&A show that the bus's route was also the route that President Clinton was using that day. Twenty-eight hours after their arrest, Black and Norton were released. Black appeared on The Daily Show the following night where he stated he was exercising his constitutional rights. He then joked that the location of this particular right was unclear, but that it was "between 'all men are created equal' and 'don't shit where you eat.'"[28]

Published works

Media releases

CDs

DVDs

Filmography

Television

Film

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Elkin, Michael (May 29, 2008). "Black, White-Hot and Read All Over". Jewish Exponent (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). p. 35. Giving the devil his due? No, says Black, it's due to Judaism that he feels as good as he does. 'Without it, I would have been in a lot of trouble,' concedes the Washington-born Lewis Niles Black, who forged his persona crossing the river and wading through childhood in Silver Spring, Md.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Cavna, Michael (September 23, 2012). "Lewis Black: All the World's a Rage". The Washington Post. p. A6.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Gillette, Amelie (2006-06-07). "Interview: Lewis Black". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
  4. ↑ Fortune, Drew (September 7, 2012). "Lewis Black on Politics, Aging, and Being the Guy Who Yells". A.V. Club.
  5. ↑ "Ditzy Boomhaha answers your questions". Chortle: The UK Comedy Guide. 2006-12-04. Retrieved 2007-07-27.
  6. ↑ "Doug Walker's Top 15 Comedic Influences". Youtube. 2011-12-10. Retrieved 2012-10-29.
  7. ↑ "Interview with Jimmy Fallon Tonight Show May 2nd, 2014". 2014-05-02. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
  8. ↑ "ACLU Names Celebrity Ambassadors for Key Civil Liberties Issues". ACLU. October 29, 2013. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Lewis Black Biography (1948–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
  10. ↑ "About Lewis: Who is Lewis Black?". Lewis Black Official Website. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Lewis Black Is One Angry Comic". CBS News. 2006-11-05. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
  12. ↑ "On Stage: A Comic Comes Home". The Washington Post. May 19, 2007. p. C12.
  13. ↑ Parker, Nick (February 7, 2002). "Arts – Back in Black". Daily Tar Heel (University of North Carolina). Archived from the original on 2003-02-20.
  14. ↑ Black, Lewis (2005). Nothing's Sacred. Simon Spotlight Entertainment. p. 201. ISBN 0-689-87647-5.
  15. ↑ Firecloud, Johnny (August 22, 2008). "Lewis Black Is Not An Asshole". Antiquiet.
  16. ↑ "Lewis Black’s back to comment on what ails society". (GotoRenoTahoe). Reno Gazette-Journal. May 18, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-06-29.
  17. ↑ "Grammy Awards". Grammy.com. September 30, 2006. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
  18. ↑ "Comedy Central Gets Angry With Lewis Black". IGN.com. October 4, 2007.
  19. ↑ "About 'History of the Joke'". History Channel. Archived from the original on 2009-02-25.
  20. ↑ "News". Lewisblack.com. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
  21. ↑ "Lewis Black rants about Michele Bachmann, Farmville, Twitter". Citypages.com. May 2011.
  22. ↑ "Breaking News". The Futon Critic. February 28, 2012.
  23. ↑ "In Black We Trust! Lewis Black returns to Comedy Central for the network television premiere of 'Lewis Black: In God We Rust'". Comedy Central Press Release. August 20, 2012]
  24. ↑ Team, Deadline (July 30, 2013). "Distributors Play Nice For Lewis Black Stand-Up Special". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  25. ↑ "News Team Correspondents | Biography". The Daily Show. 2005-03-23. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
  26. ↑ Eberhart, John Mark (May 29, 2008). "LA's the place for BookExpo". Kansas City Star (MO), pg. E17.
  27. ↑ Trunk, Russell A. "Lewis Black: The Carnegie Hall Performance" (Anne Carlini) website.
  28. ↑ "Back in Black – Jail Time" (VIDEO). The Daily Show. December 6, 2000.
  29. ↑ "Comedy Warriors: Healing through Humor". Comedy Warriors. 2013.
  30. ↑ "Comedy Warriors: Healing through Humor", IMDb (IMDb.com, Inc.), 2013

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Lewis Black
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lewis Black.