I Had the Right to Remain Silent...But I Didn't Have the Ability

I can't say I'm a huge fan of Jeff Foxworthy. Like everyone, I guess, I enjoy his "redneck" humor but what I appreciate the most about him is that he has helped bring a number of other comedians to the world in the "Blue Collar Comedy Tour." One of the comedians who owes the most to Foxworthy is Ron White, a debt "Tater Salad" acknowledges very clearly in this book. Foxworthy deserves his kudos, then, because Ron White is, in my opinion, the funniest of the "blue collar" comedians. In this book, White alternates chapters of his onstage work with chapters on his life. One thing is clear--Ron White is not a person with whom I would ever want to be friends. His "backstage" stories mostly fall into the category of "funny to tell later but not funny while it was happening." By the time he gets to the night he spends at his "friend," Bill Engvall's, house, I was thinking that Mr. White was too much for me. On the other hand, I laughed out loud so many times while I was reading this book that my wife made me read in another room so I'd stop bothering her with my noise. There is no doubt that Mr. White is a polished comedian who can tell a story that is every bit as funny on the page as it is to hear him tell it. His bit about the plane flying from Flagstaff to Phoenix may be one of the funniest comedy pieces of all time. I doubt a lot of people who aren't already familiar with Ron White will bother to pick this up; however, it is worth reading by anyone. I'm not enough of a fan to be completely familiar with all the stuff here so I was happy to come across new things. But, even if you are already a Ron White fan and know these riffs by heart, this book is for you. There are laughs on every page.

Ron White is not JUST a Comedian, like Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy (and a handful of others like Bernie Mac, Kat Williams and Chris Rock), he has become a genuine American institution. He is the "genuine article" and this book tells why. Not only does it contain all of his most famous jokes, but the least famous ones as well. It gives us a window into his soul, the very reasons for his immense talent: It grows directly out of his experiences, which are nothing if not a checkerboard of ups and downs, barely surviving on the thinnest edge of the margins of U.S. society. But then with a "game" and irresistible ability to bounce back, White rides his "Texas cowboy persona" back into town and on to success. His "highs" always kept getting "higher" than his "lows," until he finally hit the jackpot on the "Blue Collar Comedy tour." But that is not the best part: The best part is the book also tells us how he became a comedian. Interspersed between his best and his worst jokes, Tater tells us all about these "ups" and "downs": The long period of incubation; his drug, women and marriage habits; all those trips back and forth across the U.S. in his pickups, vans and buses; his raucous late night "creeping" and partying, even his art business in Mexico, and on and on. For those who love White's comedy, this is a collectors item; for those who don't yet know him, this is an unimaginable surprise: Either way it's a win-win: We all are immeasurably enriched by his talents, and that includes him. Five stars.

Anyone who appreciates Ron White's storytelling ability will LOVE this book. In my opinion, he is the standout performer in the "Blue Collar Comedy Tour" shows. The book contains some familiar stories from his stand-up routine and other material that describes his life before show business.

Ron White is genius! Ron's classic and new comedy mixed with true (never before told) stories of his life will be you in the reading mood page after page.

Ron's interesting oral story-telling ability translates very well into text. It's probably better to be familiar with his delivery so you can "hear" it on your head rather than read it cold. But either way, this is a great read and I hope Ron has plans for another book soon!! If you have a long flight or bus ride ahead, I highly recommend this one to make it fly by! I just wish he'd come by Massachusetts once in a while!!!!!!