Lewis Black is a man of many talents. He is best known for his standup comedy. In addition to ranting and raving about the latest trend, news story or cultural development, Black also writes plays and books. He also has been an actor in multiple feature films and been featured on many television shows as well as having is own show on Comedy Central.

Black will bring his latest standup act, “In God We Rust,” to the Scranton Cultural Center this Friday, Jan. 28. Black checked in with the Weekender to talk about his new tour, being in the theater industry and what has him angry right now.

WEEKENDER: What’s different with the “In God We Rust” performance?

BLACK: It’s totally different. Now we talk about the economy and now we talk about getting old. Now we talk about Facebook and Farmville, and the iPhone vs. Droid. And of course we talk about terrorism and the remarkable job that Democrats and Republicans think each party can do.

WEEKENDER: How do you keep up with the always-changing news to keep your act up to date?

BLACK: It’s really not that hard to keep up with it because anything that happened two weeks ago is like it happened yesterday. About every nine months I come up with a new act. What’s hard to keep up with is the fact that people are becoming more and more insane and not being able to deal with reality.

WEEKENDER: And what has you extremely angry in the news right now?

BLACK: To tell me that Facebook is worth $50 billion dollars, you’re insane. … Facebook is not a $50 billion thing. Nothing is worth $50 billion; it’s just not going to happen. Who decides this? Is it someone who had a caramel macchiato and their mood is temperate? That’s really going to change the finical f—-ing structure of the country? It’s virtual f—k reality. … What would be good news is someone figuring out the oil mystery. That would be worth $50 billion. …

WEEKENDER: Politics also are a heavy influence on your act. What currently has your attention in that field?

BLACK: … Now we’re going to argue healthcare again. … We know that most Americans will be covered; we know that no prior illness can override your f—-ing insurance. We do know that insurance companies are being told to back off and that they’re full of shit. But somebody, somewhere, decided that health was an industry — a profit-making institution — and it’s not. … I’m not an idiot, and I know for a fact that health is the thing that stands between you and death. It’s not something you make a profit off of. And all they did with their fancy words in the bill, well let’s just say it can’t be shittier. …

WEEKENDER: Can you tell me about your playwriting career before you got into comedy?

BLACK: Well, that’s just what I did until I realized I was making less money than a crack whore. So it just ended up by the way things were going that I drifted towards comedy. It’s basically the fact that people were drawn more to my comedy than my plays. But I do have a play going on this summer in Massachusetts

WEEKENDER: If you can go back in time to see any comedian dead or alive, who would it be?

BLACK: Lenny Bruce.

WEEKENDER: What was your most memorable standup show?

BLACK: Wow. Probably the one I did after 9/11 in San Francisco. I wish I had taped it. It was three days after. I was as edgy as I could possibly be. Apparently it was a pretty amazing show, but that’s just what people tell me. Literally, it was like I was in a zone and just went off. I was in my apartment for three days, jumped on a plane, and that was the first room I went into and started talking to people about it.

WEEKENDER: You’ve been featured on CNN, Fox News, etc. What’s your most memorable experience from those?

BLACK: The worst experience is easy. I did Neil Cavuto’s business show when he was on Fox News. He was kind of a fan, but he had me on with all of these experts. Ben Stein was also there. Ben Stein does not have a sense of humor even though he acts like he does. Now, Arnold Schwarzenegger had just won (the California gubernatorial election). So I made this joke on how since I’m Jewish, I’m not comfortable with a leader that has an Austrian accent. That’s it, a simple joke that is kind of stupid funny and it mostly falls back on me. Its 50 years after the fact. And this schmuck Ben Stein decides to say, “Well, you know Lewis, you have really gone over the line here. Arnold is a great friend of the Jews.” Come on, f—k you! I just went, “Ben, it’s a plain and simple joke. If you’re trying to make me look like an idiot, then you’re an idiot.” That was the last time I ever went on a panel. I won’t put myself in a position with those people who don’t know that it’s a joke. So now I do stuff like Anderson Cooper by myself because I’m on as someone who is a comedian, not someone who is going to discuss real economic policy. That’s not my job. My job is to come up with a joke about it.

WEEKENDER: Having performed at Carnegie Hall, won a Grammy award, been featured in movies and television shows and even your own television show, what’s next for you to accomplish?

BLACK: Hopefully this next play goes well. I think that’s the next focus for me. I wrote plays for a long time and I really didn’t know what I was doing. Now I hope I have a better grasp on it. As far as comedy goes, I just want to continue to enjoy it and be a person that the public enjoys spending time with.

Source: theweekender.com