“Politically Incorrect” in Hermosa
Bill Maher appears at the Comedy & Magic club this week. Photo by David Shankbone
by Tom Fitt
“New Rules: Just because a country elects a smart President doesn’t make it a smart country,” said Bill Maher. “A few weeks ago, I was asked by Wolf Blitzer if I thought Sarah Palin could get elected President, and I said I hope not, but I wouldn’t put anything past this stupid country. It was amazing – in the minute or so between my calling America stupid and the end of the Cialis commercial, CNN was flooded with furious e-mails and the twits hit the fan. And you could tell these people were really mad because they wrote entirely in CAPITAL LETTERS! It’s how they get the blood circulating when the Cialis wears off.
“Worst of all, Bill O’Reilly refuted my contention that this is a stupid country by calling me a pinhead, which A) proves my point, and B) is really funny coming from a doody-face like him.”
That’s what stand-up comedian and social commentator Bill Maher in the Huffington Post on Aug. 7, 2009. The Post is an Internet vehicle to which one responds by typing only with his/her left hand.
Maher appears Tuesday night at the Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach. Right turns into the parking lot will be strictly forbidden.
In a story by Hector Salanda in the San Antonio Express News on Jan. 26 (prior to a Maher concert), the comedian claims to be a throwback to Jack Paar, Dick Cavett, David Susskind and Tom Snyder, TV talk-show hosts who took time with their guests and issues.
But the star of HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher also says when he’s doing his stand-up act, deeper topics — from the healthcare debate to the economy to Afghanistan to global terrorism — take a back seat to the laughs.
“Stand-up comedy is the kind of thing where you don’t want to screw around with people. You want to make them laugh really hard,” Maher said. “You want to make their face hurt.”
Maher gained fame as the host of Politically Incorrect, which aired on the Comedy Central television network and later ABC.
Just six days before his weekly series returns for its eighth season, the live comedy special “Bill Maher…But I’m Not Wrong” showcases on HBO with an hour of stand-up comedy on Feb. 13.
Bill Maher, Comedy & Magic Club, 1918 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach. Tuesday, Feb. 9, 8 p.m. Tickets, $40. Call 310-372-1193 or visit comedyandmagicclub.com. ER