North Carolina native and comedian Clifton Cash is tired of well-worn redneck jokes and how easily comedians in and out of the south use the region as the butt of jokes.
The Sick of Stupid Comedy Tour, comprised of three comedians (Clifton Cash, Stewart Huff, and Tom Simmons) all from the south, are out to provide something different…what Cash calls progressive, witty commentary about the south, by southerners.
WFAE’s Sarah Delia spoke to Cash before his show in Charlotte which is Wednesday night at the Comedy Zone.
The philosophy of the Sick of Stupid Touris “not all people from the south are stupid and not all stupid people are from the south.” Comedian Clifton Cash thinks it’s time southerners take some responsibly for the negative perception people have about them which is what they tackle in their routines.
"Just like everyone loves to say ‘moderate Muslims need to stand up condemn fanatical Islam'…well moderate and progressive southerners need to stand up and condemn this kind of nonsense it is absolutely our responsibility to do that. Whether you have a microphone or not," says Cash.
That nonsense Cash is referring to are issues like HB2, the confederate flag on state issued license plates, gun control…all of which are fair game in their standup.
On stage Cash has an exaggerated southern drawl. He’s acting as a character, portraying an over the top stereotype of a southerner that is just too ridiculous not to laugh at.
He draws his material from current events, friends, neighbors, and his family which he describes as loving, caring, conservative, and religious.
"My mom she wanted to mount these mirrors onto her dresser but she couldn’t find the brackets and she said 'I guess God didn’t have these mirrors on that dresser.' I had to give her a hard time. I was like really, mom, is that who it was? All the war and famine and starvation around the world and God is messing with you with the mirror and brackets? So I turned that into a bit," Cash says.
They address a lot of tough subjects in their routines. He points out the south’s actions in history have warranted its complicated and sometimes negative reputation.
"Sometimes it’s hard to write about it, because I get mad. I love this state. There’s all these great little cities and beaches and mountains. There are free thinking progressive people but the rest of the country is like what’s going on with North Carolina?" says Cash.
Stewart Huff, another member of the trio points of these frustrations in a bit he does about the Civil War which is controversial in some circles.
Cash says he admires Huff’s ability to do this confrontational material, not all audiences are receptive to it.
Although this tour, the trio is trying to find crowds they know will find this material funny. There’s a young audience waiting for this type of comedy, Cash says they probably just don’t they’re hungry for it yet.
The Sick of Stupid Tour comes to Charlotte tonight at the Comedy Zone.
