FLOD Spotlight - Issue 3

COVER STORY | RICH LITTLE
COVER STORY | RICH LITTLE
“Well, yes, it has kind
of disappeared. I do
impressions and tell jokes
and punchlines. Most comics
today do observational
humor. [Today’s comics]
don’t tell jokes – they just
talk about situations. It’s
a whole different type of
comedy. Today, you’ll see a
lot of comics come out, and
they have no real prepared
material, so they end up with
‘how are you feeling tonight’
and ‘where are you from?’
They hope to get lucky by
talking off the cuff. That’s
tough to do. I think only Don
Rickles and Robin Williams
were [among the few who
were] successful at doing
that.
“I saw a comic the other
night. He was funny, but
he used the f-bomb like 18
times. The young people
accept it, and they are doing
it on commercial television
now, saying anything they
want. I remember doing
The Tonight Show, and they
bleeped me when I said,
‘damn.’ That kind of raw, talk
any way you want to type
of comedy is what many
young people want. I’m sure
there are a lot of people who
don’t like it at all – but those
are people who don’t go to
nightclubs.
“I think it’s a cheap way to
get a laugh; I really do. It is
kind of a shock thing, yeah.”
Your artistry has
remained popular
through many decades.
Is there an element in
your creativity that has
helped you achieve such
longevity?
“Doing a lot of impressions
that weren’t done by a lot
of other people — including
politicians. And observing
what was going on in
the news [in my act] and
staying fresh. I’m constantly
updating my show, but
there’s no question about
it – people want me to do
Johnny Carson, Jimmy
Stewart and John Wayne.
“I enjoy thinking up new
material and new jokes.
Taking something that’s
been said by someone
notable or a fact and making
it funny. For example, you
[work with] something like
Donald Trump, who talks all
day about building a wall and
how the Mexicans are going
to pay for it. But he doesn’t
say how big the wall will be
or how the Mexicans will
pay for it – and that’s what
the public wants to know.
Politicians just say what they
want to do, but they don’t
go into details. I work with
that. If Hillary goes against
Donald Trump, I’ll have a
wealth of material.”
What’s your measure of
satisfaction today?
“I finally figured out what
people want to hear. I love
writing something that really
works and having my show
go over really well. When,
after the show, people are
commenting how good it
was – that’s very rewarding
and makes me pleased
because I write everything
myself. I don’t rely on
writers anymore. (In the
early TV days, you worked
with writers. On the roasts,
they gave you writers. They
wrote your routine and you
could use it or try something
on your own. But everybody
had something prepared for
them, I think. Except Don
Rickles, Jonathan Winters,
Charlie Callas and Foster
Brooks.)”
Tell me about the next
big goal you’ve set for
yourself ?
“Well, I have a book coming
out about my career called
Little By Little - People I
Have Known And Been.
I’ve been working on it for
almost 20 years, and we’re
almost there with it. It’s all
about the great memories I
have of the people I worked
with. When I think about all
this – you gotta realize to get
on TV today, you have to be
younger. You have to have
something [significant] to
promote, or they don’t want
you. You realize that. Thirty
or 40 years ago, I got on TV
because I was funny. I did the
David Letterman show about
10 years ago, and it was the
highest rated show of the
season. But they wouldn’t
have me back unless I was
promoting a book or was in a
movie. So maybe when my
book comes out, I’ll be back
on the talk show circuit.”
I know you are a
supporter of Wounded
Warriors. What drew
you to the plight of
veterans?
“These soldiers have put
their lives on the line in tough
places like Afghanistan,
left their families and come
home with no legs or other
extremely challenging
difficulties. They should
be looked after for the rest
of their lives. There’s no
question - God, what they did
for us? They are strug-gling
to get medical attention,
dealing with trauma and
all kinds of psychological
problems. I hope the next
president really [addresses
these issues]. That would
make me very happy.”
Is there a special
highlight in your career
thus far that has really
stayed with you?
“Yeah, probably my
association with Ronald
Reagan. That’s been the
most rewarding, and it
has given me the most
satisfaction. I was able to
get to know him personally
and perform for him so
many times. I considered
him a friend. He had a
great sense of humor. He
always wanted to tell you
a joke or hear one. Always
interested in what you were
saying or doing. He wasn’t
terribly presidential, more
like a lovable grandfather.
Everybody loved him, and
he had so much charisma.
That was a great time for
me, you know? I’ve had a
number of them. Getting
to know these icons and
knowing them on a social
level has been a great thrill
for me – like Jimmy Stewart;
we were very close. Yeah, I
have some great memories.”
For more information on
Rich Little, visit his site
www.richlittle.com
6 FLOD SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 3 | FIRSTLADIESOFDISCOSHOW.COM
FLOD SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 3 | FIRSTLADIESOFDISCOSHOW.COM 7