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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

Drunk in Public

Ron White

Hip-O Records · Album · 2003 · 39 min

The slow-drawled comedy album that introduced the world to Tater Salad.

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With a tumbler of scotch in one hand and a lit cigar in the other, Ron White delivers a brand of Southern storytelling that relies on deadpan timing rather than high-octane catchphrases. He stands out as the cynical black sheep of his Blue Collar Comedy Tour contemporaries, opting for slow-drawled self-deprecation over broad caricature.

Recorded in 2003 at the Laff Stop in Houston, Texas, this live album captured White just as his career was pivoting toward national stardom. He moves methodically through a series of misadventures, most notably his signature ‘Tater Salad’ routine about a public intoxication arrest. Rather than leaning on easy regional stereotypes, White mines humor from his own terrible decision-making, terrible advice from his cousin Ray, and the simple logic of why being thrown out of a bar shouldn’t count as being drunk in public.

The set list

4 bits

  1. High prices at the mall sunglasses hut

    Questions why sunglasses cost more than a 25-inch television while being one-upped by a snooty salesman.

  2. Flying on an extremely small regional airline

    Describes a tiny plane departing from a combination airport, hair salon, and tire center, traveling so slowly it was passed by a kite.

  3. Blaming violent video games for juvenile crime

    Sarcastically argues that video games are scapegoated for teaching kids shooting accuracy instead of addressing poor parenting.

  4. Being thrown out of a New York City bar and arrested for public intoxication

    Recounts getting hurled into the street by bouncers over wearing a hat, arguing with the arresting officer that he wanted to be drunk in a bar rather than public, failing a sobriety test, and invoking his alias 'Tater Salad'.

How it plays

Tone
Hostile, profane, and observational, littered with obscenities and sex jokes.
On stage
Big, black-suited, Cheshire Cat-grinning comic holding a Scotch on the rocks in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
About
drinking and smoking, life as a traveling comedian, marriage and former wives, air travel, video games and youth violence, encounters with law enforcement

What the critics said

Praised for striking a chord with fans through unapologetic drinking, smoking, and unfiltered storytelling, successfully driving a packed solo headlining tour.

In the room: Energetic club crowd that laughs loudly, screams, and whistles.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: allmusic.com, open.spotify.com, alchetron.com, qobuz.com, archive.seattletimes.com, en.wikipedia.org, albumoftheyear.org, imdb.com.

Backstory

A former Mexican pottery business operator discovered by Jeff Foxworthy, touring nationally behind his debut comedy album.

Details

Released
Taped
Laff Stop, Houston
Runtime
39 min
Where
Hip-O Records (album)
Honors
RIAA Certified Gold
Topics
Before
Comedy Central Presents (2003)
After
They Call Me Tater Salad (2004)

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