Bill Burr, a comedian renowned for his unique take on many popular and controversial issues, is coming to Madison this Thursday. Bill, who has starred in several feature-length comedy specials, has been working as a stand-up comedian for about 20 years. He knew the exact moment when stand-up was the job for him.
“I was working in a warehouse and there was someone else I was working with—they were into stand-up as much as I was,” Burr said. “I guess when it became possible was when we were watching people on TV and he was like ‘Bill, we’re funnier than these guys, one of these days, I’m going to take a shot of Jack Daniels and go onstage.’ And the second he said it all the sudden it became this doable thing.”
Burr is known for delving into topics that some comics won’t touch. For his upcoming show in Madison, he plans to hit on the themes of adoption, robots, sociopaths, meat eaters and mosquitoes, just to name a few. Currently his favorite bit is on Lance Armstrong’s interview with Oprah Winfrey. However, there are some topics that Burr says he tries to stay away from.
“You know, some famous person’s daughter starts making pornos … those just seem like easy, cheap jokes,” Burr said. “Someone could look at my act and say I get a lot of cheap jokes in there, but I try to have a little bit of quality control.”
Hecklers are a staple of stand-up comedy. They stir mixed emotions from different people. Even as a performer, Burr feels that hecklers aren’t so bad for the most part.
“If you’re going to go out on a stage and talk to a crowd, you’re going to get heckled … I have people complain, ‘Oh, you go to a Broadway show, they don’t heckle.’ It’s like, ‘then book a musical.’ Get on Broadway. The president got a shoe thrown at him,” Burr said. “The only heckler I don’t like is someone who’s just hell-bent on disrupting the show.”
Regardless of hecklers or anything else, Burr is focused on continuing his career as a stand-up comedian. He doesn’t feel pressure to move into other mediums such as television. He feels that he’s doing the exact right thing for himself.
“I worked my ass off 21 years in to finally get these great gigs and then people go ‘What are you doing next?’ So you’re just like ‘Well what’s wrong with this?’” Burr said. “My goal has always been I want to become the best comedian I can become, and I’m still working at that … My focus has been and always will be being a stand-up comedian.”
Bill Burr will take the stage at the Barrymore Theatre March 7 at 8 p.m.
