Skip to content
Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

If You Quit Listening, I'll Shut Up

Ron White

Netflix · 2018 · 63 min

A cigar-chomping Southern veteran riffs on Beverly Hills and divorce.

Watch on Netflix(opens in a new tab)

or watch it free on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

At 61, Ron White is wealthy enough to live in a custom-built Beverly Hills home, but his instincts remain firmly in the gutter. For his first Netflix original special, the Blue Collar Comedy Tour veteran walks on stage in a sharp suit with his trademark cigar in one hand and—in a departure from his usual scotch—a glass of tequila in the other. He spent decades paying his dues on the comedy club circuit, and here he uses that hard-earned, slow-rolling Southern timing to show how fame and fortune have only made him more of a menace.\n\nReleased in October 2018, the hour is structured around White’s cynical view of his own luxury, featuring stories about Japanese toilets that open automatically, his taste for exorbitant Beverly Hills tacos, and his defense of gay bars as a marriage-free sanctuary. He also spends time explaining his philosophy on DUI checkpoints and analyzing the sheer malice of Canadian geese. Critics and audience members noted that while the material leans heavily into crass, old-school shock value and his standard tales of excessive drinking, his signature delivery and deliberate pacing are what carry the performance.

The set list

6 bits

  1. Radical terrorist Canadian geese

    Riffing on the sinister, threatening habits and behaviors of wild geese.

  2. Beverly Hills living and West Hollywood gay bars

    Comparing his redneck Texas background to his upscale life in Beverly Hills, admiring gay men in local West Hollywood bars for historically not having to deal with marriage.

  3. Drunk-driving checkpoints and Chris Hemsworth

    Sharing observations about navigating drunk-driving checkpoints and contemplating how handsome actor Chris Hemsworth is.

  4. Early sexual encounters and childhood anxiety

    Recounting losing his virginity at 18 repeatedly to prostitutes and dealing with bedwetting anxiety as a child.

  5. Comedy club economics

    Breaking down the disparity in pay between opening acts, feature acts, and headliners in comedy clubs.

  6. December 1996 Las Vegas weekend opening for Jeff Foxworthy

    Reflecting back to a milestone weekend opening for Jeff Foxworthy at the MGM Grand while Bill Engvall opened for Reba McEntire at Caesars Palace.

How it plays

Tone
Crass, profane, cynical, and bawdy.
On stage
The crass, cigar-smoking 'drunk uncle' sipping tequila onstage in a crisp suit, self-described as a 'raging alcoholic.'
About
Sex, Celebrity, Wild geese, Fame and fortune, Marriage and divorce, Stand-up comedy business and pay scales

What the critics said

Sean L. McCarthy of Decider praised White's crass, profane, and undeniably funny storytelling; Emma Kopelowicz of The Daily Free Press found the special to drown in alcohol and dirty, offensive 'drunk uncle' humor.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: taillight.tv, electrastarmgmt.com, allmovie.com, decider.com, dailyfreepress.com, rottentomatoes.com, thecomicscomic.com, imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org.

Backstory

Reflecting on growing up poor in rural Texas, achieving wealth through comedy, building a home in Beverly Hills with his newest wife, and surviving divorce.

Details

Released
Runtime
63 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Tom Forrest
Topics
Before
They Call Me Tater Salad (2004)

More from Ron White

If you liked this