Lewis Black ready to rant and roll in Iowa City

Most comics don’t embark on final tours. But then, most standups spend their 20s trying to find their voice as humorists.

Lewis Black, who is on his “Goodbye Yeller Brick Road” tour, stopping April 25, 2024, at the Englert Theatre in Iowa City, isn’t like most of his peers.

Black, 75, was a playwright throughout his 20s. He fell into stand-up and forged his own path by creating his own style.

No other comic is quite like Black, who practically froths at the mouth in the middle of his unpredictable diatribes.

He is the happiest angry man you'll ever meet. The comic is fueled by rage, which is evident during his hilarious rants.

“We’re living in a phenomenally well-written piece of satire,” Black said while calling from his New York City apartment. “If you saw what we’re living like in a book and it was fiction, you would have to laugh.”

Black is instantly furious when it comes to politicians on both sides of the fence. The veteran comic, who appears on “The Daily Show” to deliver his incendiary “Back in Black” commentary, isn’t a fan of Presidents Trump or Biden.

“Why would I listen to a guy with an orange head,” he cracked. “People go on about Trump’s nastiness, massive ego and that he’s a narcissist. I don’t care about any of that. I don’t listen to him because he has an orange head.

“Trump has been called a business genius, but he lost three casinos. The only way you don’t make money at a casino is to have the National Guard out front preventing people from entering the building.

“Biden is like the Ghost of Christmas Past. You literally can’t hear him when he makes an address to the nation. Biden is unintelligible when he makes an address, up until he says, ‘And God bless our troops.’ ”

Angry & frustrated

Black always appears on the edge of losing it, but that anger is an energy that propels the caustic humorist.

“Having this rage is huge because that’s when I’m funniest,” he said. “I’m at my best when I’m angry and frustrated. It connects with the audience because of their frustration. Years ago, I would turn my back to the audience and yell at the wall. When I figured out that the audience wouldn’t flee when I went on these rants, I turned around and faced them.

“Now when I cross the line live, I just stop and tell the audience I’ve gone too far.”

Black follows in a long line of iconic comics who were inspired by their anger, including George Carlin, Richard Pryor and Lenny Bruce.

“All of those guys have had such an impact on me,” Black said. “It’s fine to be angry and a comic.”

In the beginning

The rants emanating from Black often are full of vitriol, but the former spokesman for the Aruba Tourism Authority couldn’t be happier, because he loves his vocation. That’s been so ever since Black decided to pursue a career in the arts. It’s never been about money or fame for him. The Yale Drama school alum insists that he’s as pleased now as he was when he was a struggling playwright in New York during the ’80s.

“I’m no happier now than I was back then,” he said.

After studying play writing for seven years at the University of North Carolina and Yale Drama School, Black barely made ends meet. He can’t help but look back and laugh at one missing aspect from his prestigious education.

“No one at UNC or Yale ever taught me about plot,” he said. “It’s like teaching math to students but never having anyone in class learn about numbers.”

Like Carlin, who had hoped to become the next Danny Kaye but fell into stand-up, Black did comedy on the side. At midlife, he realized that stand-up was his ticket out of poverty.

“I didn’t become successful until I was 40,” he said. “It took that long to figure things out, but it’s fine. My book (2005’s ”Nothing's Sacred“) was written for a 16-year-old, since I ended up giving young people advice.

“My message was: ‘There’s no need to panic in high school. Figure out what you love. You might not end up at your destination but it will lead to something you want to do. Once you get there you’ll be way ahead of the pack. Look how long it took me to figure things out in comedy. Better late than never.’ ”

That’s how it is in the world of comedy. Rodney Dangerfield and Redd Foxx are examples of comic legends who didn’t connect with the mainstream until they passed the midcentury mark.

“And you can do comedy for as long as you want,” Black said. “It’s worked out for me.”

Black relaxes by traveling.

“I enjoy getting away, and I was in Europe,” he said. “The people in Europe live so much better than we do in this country. The big difference is that they don’t rattle each other over there. We’re always digging into each other.”

It’s a double-edged sword for Black, who doesn’t want to be bugged by petty annoyances, but the craziness provides fodder for his stand-up.

“I’ll never run out of material living in this country,” he said. “There’s some annoying stuff happening, but I make a living from it.”