Lewis Black on Dublin show, Robin Williams and the state of America

Asking a comedian to sum up their show is usually a gamble – sometimes, you get a comedian towing the party line about it being a “great night out” or a generic “this is some of my best material shtick” but American comedian Lewis Black has a unique pitch for his upcoming Liberty Hall show.

The veteran comedian says the aim of his Dublin show is to apologise on behalf of America for it’s behaviour over the last few years.

Black, one of the most sharp-minded and astute comedians working today, treated us to a masterclass over Zoom about what informs his comedy style, his love of Irish comedy, and sang the praises of the Irish healthcare system (yes, really.)

The comedian is well-known for his long-running stint on The Daily Show, and Black said the chaotic American political climate of the last decade or so has proven to be a rich vein of comedic material.

“Basically I’m coming to apologise for what you’ve had to watch us do. I have friends around the world who are always asking me what is going on in the States, so I’m looking forward to trying to explain it as much as I can, or at least the best I can anyway, because the whole thing is inexplicable.”

As Black succintly put it, he says the show is an examination of “jackasses at play.”

Black likened the state of American politics as two parties running on two different realities.

“We used to debate ideas in this country but we don’t do that anymore, we debate reality.”

The comedian compared the American political sphere to two people taking LSD and the banal, esoteric arguments that ensue.

“I’ve been on LSD, I get it, when I was on it and the other person wasn’t, you knew you were in different realities, and these shmucks don’t know the difference! It’s beyond belief!”

“In Ireland, you guys have your heads pretty screwed on, you don’t deal with the same stuff that we do.”

The Donald Trump presidency saw politically-charged comedy become mainstream, and according to Black, that era allowed anyone to become a political comedian.

“You can become a comic just by quoting the guy. The news started reading his tweets with a straight face and reporting it as fact. That’s my job!”

Black is no stranger to political comedy, with his long-running segment on The Daily Show bringing him international acclaim, and said that working with Jon Stewart was an education in of itself. 

“Jon will hate for me to say this, but I learned about micromanaging from him. He’s very much a micromanager and that’s difference between me and him. It’s what made the show great.”

“I would show up on a show and he would shape it. He would say ‘this episode is dark, we need some lightness so let’s bring on Lewis for some fireworks and to let him yell and scream.”

When Black lands in Dublin later this month, the groundwork begins for putting together his act.

For the veteran comedian, it involves walking around Dublin, taking in the environment, keeping an eye on what’s on people’s minds at that particular moment in culture, and having it all coalesce.

Black discussed a headline that he says serves as a springboard to this particular show.

“The headline is ‘man and wife shot during church gun safety talk – how brilliant of a punchline is that? That serves as the intro to the show and it gives an audience a deeper understanding of just how far gone we are.”

The ongoing writers and actors strike arose over the course of the conversation, and Black joked that he may stay in Ireland if the strike rumbles on.

A major contributing factor of the strike is Hollywood studios looking to use artificial intelligence in writer’s rooms as means to cut costs, and Black dismissed the idea that AI could replace comics like him.

“Comedians are already artificially intelligent,” he mused.

“I’m a member of the screen actors guild and the writers guild, and we signed a contract before streaming services became the norm, it predated the breakdown of traditional television. Right now they’re trying to cut a deal where background extras are scanned by artificial intelligence, they are scanned, and they are paid for that day’s work, without seeing any of the profits.”

Black sung the praises of the Irish and British style of television, noting he’s a huge fan of Derry Girls and has watched the entire series three times over, and the tradition of 6 episodes a season is something America should emulate.

“In Ireland, actors can receive an additional income by working in the theatre because you guys actually have government support for the arts.”

He sung the praises of Irish comics, with Tommy Tierna, Des Bishop, Jason Byrne, David O’Doherty and Dara O’Brien mentioned as favourites of Black.

The comedian suffered a near-fatal bout of pneumonia in Ireland seven years ago, and joked that it was “the best near-death experience I’ve ever had!”

Black said that there is a conception among Americans that European healthcare is sub-par, but he said that his own experience with the Irish healthcare system was “spectacular.”

“It was great, the bed was terrific, I loved the food because you guys don’t really care about the dietary thing is for patients so that was great, and overall the care was great!”

When it was remarked that the Irish healthcare system is somewhat lacking compared to it’s European contemporaries, Black retorted “come on over here! I’ll pay for you to come over here and have a bad experience with our healthcare system!”

Conversation soon turned to Black’s friendship with the late, great Robin Williams.

Black and Willams had a close professional and personal partnership, and Black had a unique insight into how the Oscar-winning star ticked. 

“He was like a firework on stage. It was like watching a great fireworks display, he could go from one subject to another, could connect things that no sane person could possibly connect, and the way his mind could just flash was extraordinary to watch.”

“Some people would say that Robin Williams would steal from people, and I happened to be working with him. One night he was on stage, he did a bit of mine, it was three lines or whatever, and my friend Kathleen Madigan pointed it out to him. He was in shock because so much went into his brain that I don’t think he was conscious of it. He went at the speed of light, and there was no other comic like him, apart from maybe Richard Pryor.”

According to Black, Williams was a major advoate of young up-and-coming talent, saying that he saw Williams approach comics after shows to offer support and advice.

“The man was an absolute sweetheart. He went out of his way to help support young comics, much like how George Carlin was.”

As for his Dublin show, Black said that the Liberty Hall gig on September 1st may be one of the last times Irish fans can take in his work.

“If you like me and you like my work, this may be your last shot to see me. I’m not saying I’m gonna pop off after this, but I wanna write a fourth book, I wanna go back to stage writing and most of all, I’d just like to sit back and watch those other jerks work for a change!”

Tickets for Lewis Black at Liberty Hal are available from Ticketmaster.