“I almost think in jokes,” says comedian Steve White. “Either that or it’s the flip side and very spiritual and majestic. Sometimes it’s both. I look up and see a beautiful dove and it craps on my forehead.”
After 24 years of doing stand-up, he explains, your mind starts to work a certain way. “I’m always the guy that sees things no one else does,” White says. “I see the fat lady in the bikini bottom she shouldn’t be wearing. It’s almost like the comedy gods are playing tricks on me. I always catch glimpses of the nastiest, funniest stuff.”
Laypeople might see these things as well, but not with the same perception as White. “That’s the comedy gods saying to me, ‘We gave you that so you can be society’s seer and put this in your jokes and show us how silly we are.”
If it hadn’t been comedy, White would have left his career in accountancy for what he calls “serious acting.” He's appeared in five Spike Lee films and served as director in training on Lee’s Malcolm X.
White performs Thursday-Sunday at Newport’s Funny Bone on the Levee. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Thursday, 8 and 10:15 p.m. Friday, 7:30 and 10 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
Find ticket information and get club details here.
