Comedian Bill Engvall
Best known for his role in the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, comedian and actor Bill Engvall will perform two shows at the Lucky Eagle Casino and Hotel in Rochester Sept. 6.
Engvall has had an expansive career including not only stand-up comedy, but also roles in television and movies, as well as his own self-titled sitcom for TBS.
The stand-up comedian has hosted numerous television shows including the game show LINGO, Country Fried Videos and Mobile Home Disasters, and also had a role in the TNT show Hawthorne, among others.
A native of Galveston, Texas, Engvall decided to try his hand at stand-up comedy at a nightclub one evening and discovered that this was his calling.
Engvall answered questiions asked by the chronicle in an email interview
Q: Have you performed at the Lucky Eagle before?
A: I am not sure if I have or not, but that’s not surprising because I have a hard time remembering what happened last week. Hahahahaha.
Q: How did you get your start in comedy?
A: I did a couple of shows in college but never thought that it would be what I would be doing for the next 35 years. I started professionally at a club in Dallas called the Comedy Corner.
Q: Besides your work as a stand-up comedian, you’ve been an actor, producer and game show host among other things. What is your favorite part about your career?
A: Without a doubt stand-up is my favorite. Don’t get me wrong, the movies and television shows are great, but when you’re on stage with a great audience there is nothing better.
Q: Did you find it difficult to transition back to stand-up after being on television?
A: Not really. It was actually harder to transition into acting because as a stand up you are doing all the talking. In acting you have to learn how to listen which for a lot of comedians is hard to do because you have been trained to be the center of attention.
Q: Who has been your greatest influence?
A: As far as stand up goes I would have to say that I was most influenced by Bob Newhart, Steve Martin and George Carlin because they were the most popular during the time that I was a fledgling comic.
Q: Who’s the best comedian out there right now?
A: Me!!!! Hahahahaha, that is hard to say because on any given day any comedian could be the best.
I would say that the most popular would be Kevin Hart, who by the way I think is hysterical.
Q: How do you keep your tour fresh with new content? Where does your inspiration come from?
A: I always try to add in new material not only for the audience but also for me so that I am always on my toes.
Q: How did the Blue Collar Comedy Tour impact your career?
A: The BCCT was a huge impact on my career because we performed in front of so many people that I became well known across the country. Also, the fact that it was a clean show, which is what I do, was huge in our success.
Q: Why do you think the Blue Collar Comedy Tour was such a success?
A: I think it was the perfect storm. We appealed to a demographic that had largely been ignored by the media. We were just four guys who love what we do and we were like your next door neighbor or someone that you know in your life.
Also, we are all very talented comedians who take comedy very seriously.
Q: What was the most rewarding part?
A: I obviously can’t speak for the other guys but for me, it was the fact that we had a very wide demographic: everyone from kids to grandparents.
Q: What has life been post the Blue Collar Comedy Tour?
A: It’s been great. I continue to tour and it has opened doors for me that I don’t believe would have been opened without BCCT.
Q: What’s next in your career?
A: I will continue to tour because I love the live performance. I am in a family faith-based movie called "Catching Faith," which is on Amazon and is in Walmart. I am going to be filming a movie this fall where I play a serial killer and, believe it or not, I am really looking forward to this role. Because I always want to stretch myself and give my fans something new that I am doing.
Q: I’m awful at telling jokes. What advice would you give me to help bring my jokes to the next level?
A: Hahahahaha, I am not sure but I guess the best advice I could give you is just keep working at it. The longer you do something the better you get at it.
