Lewis Black On His October 11th Show At New York’s 92Y, Doing Broadway & What’s Coming Up
Lewis Black has been one of the country’s most successful stand-up comics for around 2 decades. While he has been active as a stand-up comic since the 1980s, one thing that people do not realize about Lewis Black is that his genius extends beyond performing. For example, he holds an MFA from the Yale School Of Drama. Beyond full-length theatrical works that were produced — and starring in his own sit-down Broadway show several times — Black has written hundreds of one-act plays.
The career of Lewis Black truly took off in the mid-1990s when he began appearing on The Daily Show as a commentator for the recurring “Back In Black” segment. His Daily Show notoriety has led to nearly a dozen comedy specials on television — they have aired on HBO, Epix, Comedy Central and History Channel — and acting in a variety of roles, including the film Accepted, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and the recent Woody Allen series for Amazon. His distinct vocal delivery has also made him an in-demand voiceover artist (e.g. Inside Out, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Penguins Of Madagascar).
On October 11th, Lewis Black, Susie Essman and Alan Zweibel will be on-stage with John Fugelsang at New York City’s 92Y. On-stage at Kaufmann Concert Hall, the comics are promising “no-holds-barred comedy.” To learn more about the upcoming event, I had the pleasure of doing Q&A with Lewis Black himself. Tour dates and other info on Black can be found at www.lewisblack.com.
Lewis Black: It will be an entertaining conversation that ends in punchlines. We enjoy each other’s company and think the audience will too. If not, it could be a lonnnng night.
Who did you meet first: Susie, Alan or John?
Lewis Black: I met Susie, in the late 80s when we were working at Stand-Up New York. Alan, I met last year at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown New York. And John I met, god knows when, sometime in the early 90s when we were doing stand up. I am not sure where and not sure exactly when.
After many years as a playwright and doing one-man shows off-Broadway, you did Broadway proper. Where does that rank for you in terms of career accomplishments?
Lewis Black: It was huge. If I wasn’t going to get a play on in a Broadway theatre, it was nice to be able to perform in one. It meant the world to me and to my parents who got to see me performing there. They had seen many shows on Broadway.
Lewis Black: It’s a toss-up between watching Brett Kavanaugh’s hearings or the fact that the President thinks people made the death toll in Puerto Rico up. There’s more, but your paper doesn’t have the space. When I send this off, I will think of 30 other things.
92Y event aside, what do the next few months look like you career-wise?
Lewis Black: I will performing around the country in my The Joke’s On Us Tour. After each show
I will be doing a live-stream through out the world taken from questions and comments and rants written by people in the town I am performing in. I will be on The Daily Show a few times. And I’ll be working on a new play.
Is there anything in your career that you haven’t yet accomplished but are still hoping to do?
Lewis Black: I wish I had done a sitcom, but I’m not hoping anymore that it will happen.
When not busy with your career, how do you like to spend your free time?
Lewis Black: Spending time with my friends, and if I have any real free time, playing a bad round of golf.
All these years later, having worked everywhere as a comic, what is it that keeps you based in New York?
Lewis Black: My friends, the West Bank Cafe, and if you are going to live in a city, this is the city to live in.
What was the last concert you attended?
Lewis Black: I did a Playbill cruise where I performed and watched 6 small concerts by a number of brilliant Broadway performers.
Finally, Lewis, any last words for the kids?
Lewis Black: Don’t let the assholes get you down. And you are the future, don’t be as dumb as we are. You have seen stupid so try and avoid it. Please. You can make the world a better place. I believe that.
About the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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