Smash!
Comedian Gallagher isn’t laughing
By Jon Chattman
For decades, his audiences have shown up wearing raincoats, and bringing umbrellas. But there’s more to comedian Gallagher’s act than taking a large wooden mallet (the “Sledge-O-Matic”) and smashing watermelons and Big Macs. “I did prop comedy because that’s what you should do on a visual medium not just stand there and talk,” the 59-year-old said in a recent interview. But Gallagher goes beyond flying fruitbits on stage and off. He’s also known for his witty social commentary. And he says his today’s audiences need it more than ever. “People got dumber as I got older,” he explained.
Gallagher said society is full of frauds and hypocrites – we believe what we’re told to believe, and we buy into what everyone’s selling. “Everybody is in costume to be somebody they are not. That’s why they have trucks (SUVs) when they are not truckers…they have to appear to be something unusual. Why not be smart?”
Continuing his point, the admitted ex-hippy said, “When you start to look at America, you see that it’s only a thin surface. It’s not real. The preachers are perverts; the head of the charity is stealing money; the girl might be a boy; the boy might be a girl, and the champion baseball player is hopped up on steroids.”
Gallagher went on to say Americans are incapable of making their own decisions because “to make a choice, alienates the world.”
“They don’t want to make a decision because they might be wrong so they end up half right and half wrong,” he said. “I’m telling you everything is a spoon fork. Everything is amalgamated, homogenized. Something has to be so utterly stupid or blatant before anybody even knows its wrong.”
Elaborating on that, Gallagher said the media fails to report what’s real, and society is obsessed with sex over substance. “How do we get a guy for indecent exposure when everybody wears their pants below their waste?,” he asked rhetorically.
Looking at the positives, the comedian jumped back to America said, “I guess the good news is we still lead the world in science. There is some great work being done with stem cells and in physics.”
Aside from his political views, Gallagher spoke out on how he’s been treated by the entertainment industry. Taking a page from the Rodney Dangerfield handbook, he said he gets little respect.
While his career took off in the 1980s (he had over a dozen television specials on Showtime), the comedian, also know for his signature ‘stache and cap, said there’s little place for him on the tube or in Hollywood these days. That’s probably why the comedian takes his show literally on the road, doing over 100 shows a year. The comedian also has found a following by selling original DVDs and apparel on his website www.gallaghersmash.com.
Summing up his worldview, Gallagher said, in essence, he’s concerned that America’s broken, and can’t be fixed. Still, he stressed, “I’m like a cheerleader for America. I want our team to win.”
Note:
This interview was originally conducted for thecheappop.com in March 2006
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No pun intended, but Gallagher really hit the nail on the head with his social commentary. It is a shame that someone with his wit and ability to make us laugh year after year with fresh material is snubbed by hollywood. I am only more dissapointed to learn I just missed his local show this weekend! America needs to realize how much Gallagher contributed and give him his due.
Any time he is back in town he is welcome in my house!
At least gallagher has the right to whine in this country he thinks has gone down the crapper. but jeez louise, shut the f up already. you were famous in the 80′s and a while, which is more than most people will ever do. and you’re still making a living. it just sounds like you’re jealous that watermelon schtick and “social commentary” isn’t on america’s hit list, so you blame america.
whatever
Ur just a sore loser… i mean honestly… look at america now… it’s a shit pile… no one has any respect for other cultures and people in america think everyone should deviate frome thier own scheduals and culture to pay attention to them… so i don’t wanna hear it.
Kit