Ralphie May
Kalamazoo State Theatre
March 11, 7:30 p.m.
$29.50
kazoostate.com, (269) 345-6500

Ralphie May holds FCC insurance up to $1 million to protect him from fines up to $275,000 per incident. He's not vulgar, but he speaks his mind — he's politically incorrect.

You may have seen him launch his career on the first season of "Last Comic Standing." He had a special called Austin-tatious that aired on Comedy Central last year. REVUE spoke to the 38-year-old comedian about late night TV, and why the Tiger Woods situation was a "gift from God" for him as a comedian.

"Tiger Woods always claimed to be half black and half Asian," May said. "The last few months have proven both. Single car crash, two hedge rows, a fire hydrant and a tree without going over 20 miles per hour in your own neighborhood. That's the most Asian thing I've ever heard. Cheating on his wife with 20 girls. That's NBA black."

May talks about the difficulty of working as a comedian and trying to stay fresh with his jokes. His jokes have a lot of topical humor, and he has the motto that a comic is only as good as his last joke. May went to on talk about Woods, this time hitting his sponsorships, including AT&T, which recently dropped him amongst the scandal.

"I wish AT&T would let me out with their sh***y blue map," May said. "I see a call tower and I still lose the call. Who do I have to [expletive] to get out of AT&T?"

Performing on radio and late night television holds different challenges for May — especially with his knack for politically incorrect jokes. He had a radio show on Sirius for one year and the station is interested in doing more. May enjoys the medium of radio and the flexibility that comes with it and looks forward to the possibility of doing a show again in the future. Late night television, however, is a different story.

"I have a hard time building a set for them," said May. "They fight me on every joke. I present it more raw than I would normally. They nitpick and try to take all the funny away. When I got a standing [ovation] on ‘The Tonight Show,' that was years of culmination working on that set."

May loves the art of comedy and anything that helps to advance its exposure, whether it helps him personally or not. In mainstream media, he says the biggest supporter of stand-up comedy is Comedy Central.

"Comedy Central takes young comics and gives them exposure," May said. "Some of them have the chops. Some get burned out and leave the business altogether. You don't know what you're doing in comedy until you've been doing it for eight years. You're ignorant to the process. You don't know who you are as a person."

May is working on his next comedy special. He also has a movie coming out this year starring Neil Patrick Harris and Amy Sedaris called The Best and the Brightest where May plays a security guard.

Other Comedy Events
By Joshua Melfi

Radisson Hotel
270 Ann Street NW, Grand Rapids 
(616) 363-9001

Radisson's Sunday Night Funnies is a free comedy show for those who aren't quite ready to let their weekend come to an end. Sunday Night Funnies features a wide variety of West Michigan comedians and a few touring acts. With free admission, lots of laughs, cheap food and drinks, and convenient parking, it's a good send off to a great weekend! The shows are every Sunday and start at 8:30 p.m. Running March 7, 14, 21 and 28.

Dr. Grins
20 Monroe Ave. NW, Grand Rapids
thebob.com, (616) 356-2627

Just by looking at him you can tell Emo Philips was born to be a comedian. Everything from his hair, clothes, spastic contortions, blank stares, and, more notably, his material, is funny. He has developed his own unusual onstage character and has perfected his performances with more than two decades of being on stage. Philips has released three comedy albums and his E=Mo2 album won the 1985 New Music Award for best comedy album. One of his jokes from his 2001 album Emo was voted "Funniest Religious Joke Ever" in a 2005 online poll. He was also included in the top 50 of E4's 100 Greatest Comedians. Aside from stand-up, Philips has also appeared on the television shows Miami Vice, and The Weird Al Show. His voice is so unique that he has also had several voices over credits on the animated series Dr.Katz, Professional Therapist, Home Movies, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, and Slacker Cats. Don't miss this one-of-a-kind comedian when he comes to Dr.Grins March18-20. Also playing: March 4-6 Chris Barnes, March 11-13 Ian Bagg, and March 25-27 Tommy Johnagin.

Radisson Hotel
270 Ann St. Grand Rapids
(616) 363-9001

Radisson's Sunday Night Funnies is a free comedy show for those who aren't quite yet ready to let their weekends come to an end. Recently, it celebrated its first year anniversary in November. Sunday Night Funnies features a wide variety of West Michigan comedians and a few touring acts. The shows are every Sunday and start at 8:30 p.m.

Dr. Grins
20 Monroe Ave. NW, Grand Rapids
thebob.com, (616) 356-2627

"That thing gotta Hemi?" If you know where that line is from, then you probably know the face of Jon Reep. Or maybe you know him from NBC's Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central's Premium Blend or the half-hour special Comedy Central Presents: Jon Reep. Either way this "redheaded hillbilly" has been selling out clubs and getting standing ovations at colleges all across the country for years. His high-energy shows are filled with non-stop characters that have his audiences laughing from start to finish. Come see him when he makes his stop at Dr.Grins on Feb. 25-27. Also playing: Feb. 4-6 Pat Godwin, Feb. 11-13 Alonzo Bodden, Feb 18-20 Cash Levy

Van Andel Arena
130 West Fulton, Grand Rapids
vanandelarena.com, (616) 742-6508

Whether he is talking to Walter, a retired, grumpy, Vietnam Vet, Peanut the purple-skinned "woozle," or Achmed the dead Terrorist, Jeff Dunham has his audiences in stitches. He has brought ventriloquism back into the spotlight and has done so in a big way. As of March 2009, he has sold more than four million DVDs and received more than 350 million hits on YouTube, making him one of the most viewed entertainers of all time. He is the host of his own reality show, The Jeff Dunham Show, and has had three comedy specials on Comedy Central. He was hailed by Time Magazine as "perhaps the most popular comedian in the U.S." His innovative show features a long list of unique characters that can only be described as politically incorrect, gratuitously insulting and ill tempered, which makes for a one of a kind show. The show starts at 8 p.m. on Feb 26. Tickets are $44.

Carlos Mencia may not be the most-liked man in the comedy biz. From allegations of stealing bits from fellow comedian and former host of Fear Factor Joe Rogan to George Lopez, Mencia is known for this as much as he is for his comedy.

Mencia quickly addressed claims of joke-stealing by saying, "That's not cool to steal other people's s**t. I don't want your defense of me to be, ‘well he tells it better.' It should be, ‘He's not that kind of person.'"

But in a recent phone interview with REVUE, Mencia comes across as a humble man who is very grateful for the opportunity to make ends meet. He recently returned from a USO tour with Detroit rocker, Kid Rock. He says he had a blast overseas entertaining the troops, and enjoys every chance he is able to do so.

"Performing for the troops is an experience," Mencia said. "You go out there, you put it all on the line. You put your feelings aside. You go out there and you just give ‘em a show. You come home and you say, ‘holy s**t, I didn't die!' I would do pretty much anything my country would ask me to. Going over there and telling jokes isn't a very big sacrifice."

Mencia has made his way up from the comedy clubs to the level of performing in theatres and casinos across the country. He, of course, made his mark in 2005 by hosting his own half-hour show on Comedy Central called Mind of Mencia.

"I remember a long time ago, Sam Kinnison saw me perform. I had a really great set. He said, ‘you think you're funny, come back tomorrow 12:30, one o'clock when they're all drunk. If you can make them laugh, then I'll really believe you're funny. I was like, ‘I can do it.' I came back the next night and had the worst set of my life. I remember thinking, ‘oh s**t, I have more to learn.' I never stop learning."

Since then, Mencia has worked to hone his comedic craft, and every once in a while, he'll go back to his beginnings.

"I still go back and raid comedy clubs all the time," said Mencia. "It's like the essence of real. There's nothing more I enjoy than going to the comedy store at 12:30 [a.m.], when there's only 12 drunk people left. Just going up there and throwing stuff to the wall to see what sticks. See if I've still got it. See if I'm still crazy enough to go up there and make those guys laugh."

Carlos Mencia
Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort
Jan. 23, 8 p.m.
$35-60
soaringeaglecasino.com, (989) 775-7777

Mike Green
Dr. Grins, Grand Rapids
Dec 26, 8 and 10:15 p.m.
$15

Mike Green has a tattoo of an Oreo, which has given him the name "Oreo man."

The Detroit-based comedian specializes in his own brand of observational humor, and has been doing stand-up since he couldn't decide what he wanted to do out of high school. But why does he have an Oreo tattoo?

"When I was 12 years old there was an older guy on the corner," Green said. "He was the cool guy in the neighborhood. He was a senior in high school and he was dating this really great girl. [My friends and I] used to be tag along. He said if we all got a dollar each he would tell us what he does with his girlfriend. My friends and I all got a dollar each and he told us that he takes Oreo cookies, dips them in milk, throws them at her butt and he eats them. When I walked home that day I thought that's the coolest guy I've ever met in my life. I want to be just like that."

Green turned this anecdote into a joke that he used early on in his career. It became such a popular joke, he became the Oreo man. After people started to bring Oreos to the show and throwing them at him, he stopped using the joke, but the moniker stuck.

Green talks a little bit about being a Catholic in his act, but he avoids politics all together. Other topics that are covered include Steven Tyler, the style of late night news stories, and the hormones of his ex-wife. He avoids writing anything offensive. Instead, he simply gets on stage and tries to make the people laugh. Green enjoys his success. He worked extremely hard to develop into the headlining act he has today, and performs at a mix of clubs and corporate events.

"I like the fact that I can pay my bills with it now," Green said. "I starved for the art for a long time. I like getting on stage for that hour. It's the other 23 hours that are hard to cope with."

Green offers material that is funny and easily relatable. You can check out video and audio clips, get your hands on Green's Comedy CD or new DVD by going to his Web site at oreoman.com.