| StageTimeMag.com | Vol. 2 No. 1 |
Comedy news, interviews, reviews and essays
STAGE TIME | "The Comedian's Magazine"
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE FEATURES Festival Wrap Up: New York Underground Comedy Festival Hustle & Grow: STAGE TIME Celebrates 1st Anniversary Comic Resolutions 2007 Comic's Final Progress Report 2006 INTERVIEWS Brad Stine **NEW** Careers in Comedy: Ryan McCormick PR Manager COVER STORY Shang REVIEWS Angry Bob Comedy Jump Off Doug Powell Eric Schwartz James P. Connolly **NEW** Anatomy of a Joke "Racism Damnit!" Written and Performed by Shang |
| Funny. Conservative. Christian. And Proud. BRAD STINE America's Conservative Comedian Calls Out Liberals and Christians, Advises Comics How to Find Their Voice and Audience By Tasha A. Harris, Editor-in-Chief |
Brad Stine destroys the notion that only liberal comics are capable of
bringing the funny. In just a few short years, he has emerged one of
the most bankable stars in comedy, in part to embracing his comedic
voice that speaks to one of the largest and most ignored fan bases in
the country: Christian Americans. The veteran comedian, who is best
known for his high-octane, thought-provoking, in-your-face brand of
humor, spent two decades as a working comic in Hollywood before his
career-defining move to Nashville. Since 2003, Stine is one of the most
sought-after comedians working today, appearing on NBC’s Nightly
News, ABC’s Nightline, FOX News Hannity & Colmes and NPR's Fresh Air.
Stine's major breakthrough came when Adam Green's 10-page feature
story in The New Yorker magazine catapulted him into the media
spotlight. "The New Yorker was my Tonight Show," he says of his official
launch to stardom. Soon after, the in-demand comedian began
bringing the funny. In just a few short years, he has emerged one of
the most bankable stars in comedy, in part to embracing his comedic
voice that speaks to one of the largest and most ignored fan bases in
the country: Christian Americans. The veteran comedian, who is best
known for his high-octane, thought-provoking, in-your-face brand of
humor, spent two decades as a working comic in Hollywood before his
career-defining move to Nashville. Since 2003, Stine is one of the most
sought-after comedians working today, appearing on NBC’s Nightly
News, ABC’s Nightline, FOX News Hannity & Colmes and NPR's Fresh Air.
Stine's major breakthrough came when Adam Green's 10-page feature
story in The New Yorker magazine catapulted him into the media
spotlight. "The New Yorker was my Tonight Show," he says of his official
launch to stardom. Soon after, the in-demand comedian began
| Terms | Staff | About Us | Contact Us ©2005-2007 STAGE TIME - The Magazine That Stands Up For Comedy. All rights reserved. |
receiving calls from 60 Minutes and generating press coverage in The New York Times, Newsweek and USA
Today. The floodgates of career opportunities burst wide open as Stine scored a book deal from Penguin,
a record deal with Warner Bros. and recorded three CD/DVDs: Put a Helmet On (2003), Conservative
Unleashed (2004) and Tolerate This! (2005)
STM talked to the comedian during his one-day visit to the Big Apple while promoting his latest book, Live
from Middle America: Rants From a Red-State Comedian. Sitting cozily in the lounge at Hotel QT, Stine’s cool
demeanor is a sharp contrast from his high-voltage stage persona. But his passion for shattering stereo-
types as a conservative Christian comedian is nothing less than inspiring. Stine is not one to mince words.
He’s a straight shooter who proudly expresses his strong faith and is quick to call out Christians and
liberals alike.
How did you get started in comedy? And how did you transition from a magician to a stand up?
I got started in comedy because I was a magician, so whenever I did magic, it was always humorous and
more natural for me…What was cool about magic was that it allowed me to practice stand up and it was a
way to escape when I was losing the audience so I could figure it out. And the reason why I had to do that
is because the clubs – my show was so bizarre and high energy; it was hard to follow, so they would close
me.
I started out in 1980 and I went on the road and did 180 colleges in nine months with two other comics:
Greg Anton and Emery Emery. We did a three-man show where you try to make people laugh for money.
That’s how I got started developing material. Then I when I would go to these rooms, I found that
comedy was more intriguing to me as an artist and more interesting than magic. Magic is cool, but you
can teach somebody that; but you can’t teach someone comedy. Not everyone can do it. There are a lot
of great comedy writers who can’t deliver comedy. The artist element of monological comedy was so
intriguing to me that I began to push the magic to the side.
Plus, it was the late 80s and early 90s, the boom was going away and it was a lot harder to work because
clubs were shutting down. And you still had that kind of hierarchy of the prop guy going, “You’re not as
cool as the monologue guy.” So I also felt I needed to prove that I could be funny without a prop,
especially in the A-clubs like The Improv. They just weren’t doing the prop stuff there. Little by little, when
I got more confident that I have more material to deliver, and eventually I just put all these little tricks –
two or three in a row at the end of the show and that’s what I ended up doing on my first TV [set] on
Showtime and the MTV Half-Hour Comedy Hour. That was kind of the last of the recorded magic and then I
became a monologist.
Today. The floodgates of career opportunities burst wide open as Stine scored a book deal from Penguin,
a record deal with Warner Bros. and recorded three CD/DVDs: Put a Helmet On (2003), Conservative
Unleashed (2004) and Tolerate This! (2005)
STM talked to the comedian during his one-day visit to the Big Apple while promoting his latest book, Live
from Middle America: Rants From a Red-State Comedian. Sitting cozily in the lounge at Hotel QT, Stine’s cool
demeanor is a sharp contrast from his high-voltage stage persona. But his passion for shattering stereo-
types as a conservative Christian comedian is nothing less than inspiring. Stine is not one to mince words.
He’s a straight shooter who proudly expresses his strong faith and is quick to call out Christians and
liberals alike.
How did you get started in comedy? And how did you transition from a magician to a stand up?
I got started in comedy because I was a magician, so whenever I did magic, it was always humorous and
more natural for me…What was cool about magic was that it allowed me to practice stand up and it was a
way to escape when I was losing the audience so I could figure it out. And the reason why I had to do that
is because the clubs – my show was so bizarre and high energy; it was hard to follow, so they would close
me.
I started out in 1980 and I went on the road and did 180 colleges in nine months with two other comics:
Greg Anton and Emery Emery. We did a three-man show where you try to make people laugh for money.
That’s how I got started developing material. Then I when I would go to these rooms, I found that
comedy was more intriguing to me as an artist and more interesting than magic. Magic is cool, but you
can teach somebody that; but you can’t teach someone comedy. Not everyone can do it. There are a lot
of great comedy writers who can’t deliver comedy. The artist element of monological comedy was so
intriguing to me that I began to push the magic to the side.
Plus, it was the late 80s and early 90s, the boom was going away and it was a lot harder to work because
clubs were shutting down. And you still had that kind of hierarchy of the prop guy going, “You’re not as
cool as the monologue guy.” So I also felt I needed to prove that I could be funny without a prop,
especially in the A-clubs like The Improv. They just weren’t doing the prop stuff there. Little by little, when
I got more confident that I have more material to deliver, and eventually I just put all these little tricks –
two or three in a row at the end of the show and that’s what I ended up doing on my first TV [set] on
Showtime and the MTV Half-Hour Comedy Hour. That was kind of the last of the recorded magic and then I
became a monologist.