Bill Engvall’s comic philosophy was partly shaped by Jay Leno.
“Jay once told me: ‘Never do jokes about things you know nothing about,” Engvall said in a telephone interview. “I’m just a guy with a normal life. On stage, I try to keep it real and I try to keep it honest.”
Engvall — known for The Blue Collar Comedy Tour, television appearances and best-selling albums — performs at The Sharon on May 10, at 5 and 8 p.m. Part of the proceeds will benefit Cornerstone Hospice.
Now 60, Engvall can identify with many Villagers.
“I can’t wait to do my show in The Villages,” he said with a laugh. “I’m their age – I’m not some 20-year old on stage. I grew up without cellphones. My wife says I was born a generation too late.
“The invention of the cellphone was the death of society. You see people walking into buildings and talking to themselves. Who needs cellphones?”
There are others challenges with age.
“I’m dealing with it,” said Engvall, identified with his famous comic slogan, “here’s your sign.’ The joke is that stupid people should wear a sign letting the rest of the world know about their lack of knowledge.
And getting old is a laughing matter for him.
“The older I get, the more I realize the less I know,” Engvall says in a routine called “Aged and Confused.” He adds: “When I was young and dumb I thought I knew everything. Now I don’t understand why people do the things they do. I’ve come to the conclusion — the end is near.”
Another routine goes like this: “Getting old sucks. I make noises getting into bed, now.” Other subject matter includes his hernia and colonoscopy.
He also hits the sack earlier.
“I love doing 3’o’clock shows,” Engvall said. “If I don’t have a late show, I’m horizontal by 10 o’clock.”
But that’s the reality of age.
“You’ve got to deal with the aches and the pains,” said Engvall, who appeared on “Dancing With the Stars,” in 2013. For one number, he was dressed as the Lone Ranger. He lasted 10 weeks and when eliminated told the audience, “It proves to me there is God,” adding that he couldn’t last one more dance.
Here is a video:
Engvall was born in Galveston, Texas. He appeared in comedy clubs and gained notice at 22, when he won Best Male Standup at The American Comedy Awards.
After numerous television appearances, Engvall really soared with the Blue Collar Comedy tour in 2000.
Jeff Foxworthy, Ron White, Larry the Cable Guy and Engvall became comedy’s version of rock stars, touring the country to packed houses. They toured nearly six years, made three concert movies, a satellite radio show and even inspired a television network.
“I miss it a little bit,” Engvall confessed. “Mostly, I miss being with the other guys. Now, I’m alone on the road. After a show, I go back to an empty hotel room. With the guys, we’d all get together after a show. We really liked each other.”
Could there be a reunion?
“I never say never, but I don’t know,” Engvall said. “I don’t know if we could recapture what we had. It was a perfect storm, at the right time with the right guys. I don’t know if we can (duplicate) that success again.”
Times have changed. America is a divided country these days, especially on politics.
“There’s a lot of anger out there,” Engvall said. “It’s like, ‘If you don’t vote for the guy I like, I’m gonna kill you.’ I don’t do political humor. If you do, you immediately alienate 50 percent of your audience.
“My job is to entertain and I want people to feel good after they see my show. In a way, we really need comedy these days. I only hope that in America, we can get back to the point where people are enjoying each other again.”
Engvall was a big fan of Richard Pryor while growing up. But Engvall works clean and abhors using “curse words” on stage.
“I work clean and I want to do a show as if my wife was sitting out there for 90 minutes and wouldn’t be embarrassed. Richard Pryor was great but what he did reflected his lifestyle and his background. He grew up in poverty.
“When some rich guy who grew up in Beverly Hills gets on stage and talks like Richard Pryor, it just doesn’t work. It’s not honest.”
Engvall says his comic influences include Bob Newhart and an early Bill Cosby. Engvall calls it “conversational” humor.
“They told stories,” he said. “It’s like having dinner in your living room and I’m the one telling stories and making you laugh. It’s not telling jokes, it’s making conversation.”
Here is an video example of Engvall’s humor: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=engvall+getting+old&&view=detail&mid=E6C86B9FCC9CC74D3E5EE6C86B9FCC9CC74D3E5E&&FORM=VRDGAR
Success, in a way, has changed this comedian.
“I’m more relaxed and settled on stage,” Engvall said. “I’m not being egotistical when I say this, but I know I’m funny. I’m more comfortable.”
Engvall, however, knows there are comic limits. He’s always looking for new material and doesn’t always find it.
“You know,” he said, “it’s like I tell people. Sometimes, life just isn’t that funny.”