By Peter Lindblad
Being compared to George Carlin is pretty flattering for a comedian like Chris Porter.
Although taller, with a Midwestern upbringing and an almost Southern sort of drawl, the energetic Porter also once had a big, unruly head of curly hair, although it’s all gone now. Their physical differences aside, Porter’s onstage demeanor is certainly reminiscent of Carlin’s, as Porter often exhibits the same stunned, angry reactions to human stupidity and hypocrisy as Carlin. Porter’s observations tend to snowball into the funniest meltdowns ever.
It’s no wonder then that his 2014 Netflix comedy special was entitled “Chris Porter: Ugly and Angry.” A finalist on season 4 of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” who also released 2019’s “A Man from Kansas.” Porter also likes to dig below the surface to get at the truth of the matter, just like Carlin used to do.
“We kind of have a similar thing about taking the labels off things,” said Porter, who added that he loved Carlin and used to listen to the legendary comic’s 1972 album FM & AM. “He kind of did that one thing and I tried to take it a little further, but yeah, I definitely see it, and I definitely have the utmost respect for him. I got to open for him before he died.”
For Porter, the experience was unforgettable, even though he jokes his hair “… was at its worst, depending on how you see it.”
Porter continued, “I just showed up looking like the bass player from Manassas. And I just came over and watched him in the green room, and he kind of shook his head and chuckled and nodded, and you know, we had a little bit of a conversation. We took a photo and then he sat and listened to my set, and said it was great, and then the best part for me was I got to watch him do his new special in front of 200 people.”
Porter recalls that Carlin was as sharp as ever.
“He was doing like two weeks’ worth of shows leading up to and shooting what would become his last HBO special (2008’s ‘It’s Bad for Ya’),” said Porter. “So, I got to see it all live, and you know, especially in the late ‘90s, I always thought Carlin was really trying to more make a point, and in that last special, he brought it back, and it was just devastatingly funny. It was classic Carlin, that perfect balance of point and joke. So great. I really feel privileged that I got to see him.”
Porter is scheduled to perform April 23-24 at the Skyline Comedy Club in Appleton. Here’s a taste of his own unique brand of comedy, relating a story about a crazy night with Justin Verlander (Caution: The language is for mature audiences):
Like every comedian, Porter has been influenced by those who’ve come before. Still, he has a style all his own. It all started for Porter at home, where his father held court.
“I mean, my dad – he wasn’t a comedian – but he was probably the funniest dude I knew for a long time,” said Porter. “He still is, but also, growing up, it was all about Robin Williams and Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy … you know, dad and I watched a lot of ‘Evening at the Improv’ and those shows in the ‘80s, so it was all of them … Jerry Seinfeld, Jeff Foxworthy … all those cats were on there before they were anything, and you just remember them. When I started doing comedy, you know, it was more like Lewis Black, Mitch Hedberg … [and] just a lot of guys that never got their big break.”
Look for a longer story on Chris Porter in Out & About Wisconsin’s monthly magazine.