“The Joke’s on You” is literal for a Gallagher show. He will smash watermelons on stage. You will get sledgehammered fruit on you.
He’s bringing the bit that’s survived 40 years to Temple Theatre on June 15 (7-9 p.m.). He’ll join a growing list of nationally known comedians to come through Sanford — Carlos Mencia, Pauly Shore and most recently, James Gregory.
Gallagher’s current national tour has included fellow comedians Arie Fletcher and Bob Nelson. Previous shows have been described as “old school comedy” with a lot of improvisation. Gallagher’s act has stood the test of time — it began in the 70s and elevated him to stardom in the 80s when he became among the first to successfully reach a mass audience via cable channels like Showtime.
Lately, he’s made more headlines for being controversial (he’s very much right-wing and very OK with letting you know).
“I know that being controversial is bad, but America likes the bad boy,” he recently told the Bristol Herald Courier. “It’s from an extreme point of view. You can’t be in the middle and be funny. I’ll tell a Trump joke and a Hillary joke.”