Skip to content
Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

They Call Me Tater Salad

Ron White

Comedy Central · 2004 · 56 min

The blue-collar standout goes solo with scotch-soaked stories.

Watch it free on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Ron White stands on stage with a glass of scotch in one hand and a cigar in the other, establishing himself as the cynical, adult-oriented alternative to his clean-cut tourmates. Rather than family-friendly observations, he leans into self-deprecating tales of his own public intoxication, bad marriages, and arrests. The signature bit details an arrest in his youth where he sarcastically gave his alias as Tater Salad, only for the ridiculous nickname to catch up with him years later during a rough night in New York City.

Filmed at the State Theatre in Kalamazoo, Michigan, this 2004 release was his first solo one-hour special. It arrived at a crucial transition point in his career, hot on the heels of the massive success of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. The set includes his memorable storytelling about surviving a harrowing flight on a twin-engine plane, getting thrown out of a New York bar by six bouncers for refusing to remove his cowboy hat, and a cynical critique of the DeBeers diamond marketing slogan.

The special originally aired on Comedy Central in late 2003, pulling in record viewership for the network’s Sunday programming. The 2004 DVD release topped the Billboard comedy chart and went on to sell over a million copies.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Stolen van radio and the insurance claim

    Recounts driving 49 hours listening to the wind after his van radio was stolen, then claiming to his insurance provider that it was made by Rolex

  2. They Call Me Tater Salad arrest story

    Relates an encounter with law enforcement that led to 'Tater Salad' being permanently recorded in the police national database as his alias

  3. Coupons At The Fair

    A humorous routine regarding using coupons at a fair

  4. Anecdote vs Antidote

    A comedic routine playing on the confusion between anecdotes and antidotes

  5. Bronco Ride Sex

    A standup routine about sex and bronco riding

How it plays

Tone
Irreverent, adult, smart-ass, and unapologetic
On stage
Southern smart-ass and alcoholic redneck intellectual sipping scotch and smoking
Pace
Relaxed tempo with precise comedic timing, Texas drawl, and deliberate cadence influenced by his preacher uncle
About
alcohol and substance use, police encounters and arrests, relationships, personal anecdotes

What the critics said

Generally positive appraisal highlighting White's distinctive stage presence and impeccable delivery, while noting heavy overlap with material from his album 'Drunk In Public'

In the room: Enthusiastic crowd with front rows that matched the audience from Larry the Cable Guy's taping on the same date

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: imdb.com, themoviedb.org, theseriouscomedysite.com, bingebase.com, cinafilm.com, letterboxd.com, inarchives.wordpress.com, eu.recordnet.com.

Backstory

Taped in Kalamazoo on the same night at the same venue as Larry the Cable Guy's special; marks White's transition into solo headlining with uncensored, adult material contrasting with the family-friendly Blue Collar brand

Details

Released
Taped
2003, State Theatre, Kalamazoo
Runtime
56 min
Where
Comedy Central
Director
Michael Drumm
Topics
Before
Drunk in Public (2003)
After
If You Quit Listening, I'll Shut Up (2018)

More from Ron White

If you liked this