Comedian and New York resident Lewis Black said Mayor Eric Adam’s indictment for bribery and fraud has “made [Bill] DeBlasio, who I thought was the worst mayor ever, look good.”
Political headlines like this are comedic fodder for Black, who is the longest-running correspondent for Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.” But he said he’s growing weary.
“How many jokes can you make about this insanity?” Black told Boston Public Radio on Thursday. “Every special I have a joke [where] the Democrats do this, the Republicans do that. Honky, honk, quack, quack, quack. It’s the same over, and over, and over again. Now it’s just gotten a little crazier.”
Black is now saying goodbye to the comedy circuit for good with his “Goodbye Yeller Brick Road” tour that comes to The Wilbur this weekend.
But is it really a farewell?
“I mean, I’m not going to do 150 shows,” Black said, adding that he may still do the occasional opening act for his comedian friends, one-off performances or appearances on “The Daily Show.”
But after this tour, his days of being a roadie comedian are over. Black recalled a flight several years ago where he ran into the legendary comedian Don Rickles. Rickles, then in his eighties, was en route to a comedy performance. Black recalled saying to his own opening act at the time, “I’m not doing that.”
Black, now 76, said his primary relationship is with the audience.
“Going in front of an audience where people like you more than you’ve ever liked yourself … it’s pretty remarkable,” he said. But he’s not worried about making up for this lost connection. He’ll be opening for comedian Kathleen Madigan and doing live shows of his “ Lewis Black’s Rantcast” podcast.
And if that’s not enough?
“I’m going to get on public transit and yell at people to love me,” he said.
For information and tickets visit https://thewilbur.com/artist/lewis-black/.
