Does wearing a 1950s housewife dress give you license to mock disabled people or drop the N-word? Does having a gay opening act justify relentless gay jokes?
These unlikely questions float to the surface when considering Lisa Lampanelli, an insult comic who has earned comparisons with — and praise from — foul-mouthed icons Don Rickles and Howard Stern. Her litany of put-downs has made her a favorite on Comedy Central roasts, but she also has tapped into a certain national hunger for our rawest, bloodiest taboos.
We spoke with Lampanelli in advance of her stand-up set tonight at the Pikes Peak Center in Colorado Springs about her audience, her upcoming projects and why she thinks most women aren’t funny.
Q: Your act seems to play on people’s notions of female propriety, i.e. “I can’t believe such a nice lady is saying such outrageous things!”
A: For me it works. The more I look like a June Cleaver type, the more shock value it has, and the more it takes you by surprise. If a joke’s good and you have warmth and likability, (an audience) will let you get away with it.
Q: In light of George Carlin’s death this week, do you think stand-up comics are often the last line of free speech, as many have said about him?
A: I don’t care about anybody but myself, so I have continued to get edgier and freer with my speech. I do my thing, and somebody pays to see it or buy it. I’m thrilled there are venues for me to do that. Who wouldn’t love to see a show like “All in the Family” these days? A show that’s edgy and well done. HBO, Comedy Central, Sirius Satellite Radio — as long as things like that still exist, I have that venue.
Q: The “All in the Family” example brings up an interesting point: Like that show, do people ever misinterpret your humor and think you’re actually endorsing the things you say?
A: Yeah, that bothers me if somebody comes up and goes, ‘Thanks for saying what we all just think’ after I make a joke about Jews. Part of me gets a little worried, but if one or two ignorant people don’t get it for the right reasons, it’s really not my problem. You just put it out there, and your intention has to be good.
Q: You’re one of a handful of successful female comedians. Why aren’t there more?
A: Women comics suck. There are three I like: Kathy Griffin, Sarah Silverman and me. I’d rather eat a gun than listen to the rest of them, because it’s women talking to women, instead of to everybody else. I always object to comics talking to a certain segment as if they’re above others.
Q: So you agree with that Christopher Hitchens piece in Vanity Fair last year about women being naturally unfunny?
A: Yeah, because women comics have to always be (complaining) about men. It’s just boring. What guy wants to see that? Comedy’s an escape, it’s not there to replicate the rest of your life.
Q: Would you ever do an all-woman show?
A: No, but oddly enough, my two openers happen to be women.
Q: I heard you recently signed a deal with HBO and that you have a book in the works. Sounds like things are good in your world, no?
A: I’m about to turn 47 next month, and it’s so cool to be on movie sets with Owen Wilson, or be on roasts with Ice T — these people you’ve watched for years. Plus, I love money. I cannot get enough Gucci purses. I’m all four “Sex and the City” girls rolled into one. I love buying stuff. It just cracks me up that at this age I get such a kick out of it.
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
Lisa Lampanelli
Comedy. Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave. in Colorado Springs, 18 and up. Today. 8 p.m. $33.75. 719-520-7469 or .
