For Roy Wood Jr., it’s all relative
Don’t expect a heavy dose of politics when Roy Wood Jr. comes to the Spokane Comedy Club this weekend.
The comedian, a correspondent on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” says his standup sets are much more focused on relationships and sports.
“Because I work on a political show, my time on the road is an opportunity to talk about all the things I can’t touch on there. So it’s relationships, sports. If I am dabbling in politics, it’s more in the broader sense.” And, he said, the material for this weekend is all new since his comedy special “No One Loves You” premiered in January.
“I wasn’t a comedian that pivoted creatively when Trump was elected,” he said. “I’ve pretty much always done what I’ve always done, and that’s try to find some level of balance to issues of race and some issues of relationships.”
But when he spoke to The Spokesman-Review on Wednesday, politics were front and center – he was on a break from prepping for “The Daily Show’s” live show after the Democratic presidential debate.
“Covering politics, it’s fun but stressful but rewarding,” he said. “Finding a joke during these times and landing the joke without consequence is definitely a high-risk activity.”
The consequences to not landing a joke: a lot of angry tweets. Even landing the joke can have the same result, he said, because people sometimes flat out disagree with you.
But political hatred online doesn’t bother him, and he understands why people argue about politics.
“At the end of the day, with politics, no matter which way you lean, your beliefs are rooted in what you believe is best for the country. You believe this candidate will help the most people,” he said.
But the people arguing about sports, that he doesn’t get. Even though he’s a big sports fan (“I’m from the South, you have to love football and Jesus”).
“I understand why you’re angry (about politics) because this is about the fate of the country,” he said. “But a man who’s willing to argue and fight with me over which dude in a shirt threw a ball to another ball in a shirt, that troubles me. Because the fate of the country is not resting on the arm of Tom Brady. We’re just arguing about a sport that neither one of us is athletic enough to do.
“So that person scares me more because you’re vested in something that does nothing for the rest of the country. It’s entertainment.”
During the conversation, Wood talked more about sports and politics, plus parenting and memories of his first visit to Spokane. Here are highlights:
On his comedy: “The only thing I do different from city to city is how I stack the order of my show. … My comedy is like Walmart, where in certain cities there’s going to be different stuff in the front, but, once you get in the store, it’s the same Walmart. Like I would imagine in Spokane, there’s a lot of Cougar stuff at the front of that store. Probably not the same case over in Olympia or Seattle.
“There are a few things I’ll tweak differently, but for the large part the body of my comedy is the same wherever I go because I’m just trying to represent myself.”
On how this visit will be different from his 2010 visit to Spokane while on the “Last Comic Standing” tour: “All I remember is some bar with some pool tables and hanging with a couple fans from the show. I was a single man and not a father in those days, so I imagine, after the shows this weekend, I will go home and check email and prepare to FaceTime my son when he’s up at 6 a.m. East Coast time.”
On how politics is like sports: “If you’re rooting for a candidate that’s polling terribly, I can understand that because I’m a Miami Dolphins fan, and I still think we’re going to the Super Bowl because that’s what you’re supposed to think.”
On how he would winnow the Democratic presidential field: “If there’s going to be 12 people debating, then there should be 11 podiums and just everyone runs at the beginning of the debate. And you start every debate with musical podiums. And then the next debate you go down to 10 podiums, then nine …
“I really think that we need a candidate that’s quick enough on their feet to beat the other candidates to a podium. I know the Bernie supporters aren’t going to like this plan, but so be it. Somebody has to be the Miami Dolphins. We can’t all be the Seahawks.”
On the challenges of parenthood: “I think the hardest part of parenting is being excited about stuff that doesn’t impress you, like preschool drawings.
“That’s been the biggest challenge as a parent, lying to my 3-year-old that I like his drawings. Yeah, it’s just OK. It’s not bad, but it’s side of the refrigerator material, not front. Only the good stuff goes on the door. We have to put this one on the side.”
On why 3 is the terrible age: “I think 3 is worse than 2 because they know what they’re doing when they don’t do it. At least a 2-year-old doesn’t know. A 3-year-old knows. He knows he has to use the bathroom and still says no. And still proceeds to urinate on himself in a rental car as you’re returning it and the Hertz agent is walking up to your car.”