Rob Schneider from “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo” has performed stand-up comedy around the world, including in Australia, India and Singapore. He has also performed in the Middle East for U.S. soldiers as part of United Service Organizations tours.
Now, he will perform his stand-up routine for a crowd of Cougs at WSU on Feb. 26.
“It’s like a calling — I couldn’t not do it,” Schneider said about doing stand-up in a phone interview with The Daily Evergreen.
When the comedian is on stage and a show is going well nothing compares, he said.
“I don’t think there’s anything better,” he said. “With your clothes on. That’s what Woody Allen said, and I agree.”
While every audience is different, Schneider said he enjoys college crowds for their excitement and open-mindedness to ideas, even if they can’t completely relate to those ideas.
As an artist, Schneider said his job is to get his point of view across while walking the fine line between entertaining the audience and keeping things interesting for himself.
His material covers a wide range of topics including the economy, relationships, his personal life, his mother as well as the current and future directions of the U.S.
“I try not to get too serious about things,” he said. “Because, you know, people wanna laugh.”
Schneider’s event, sponsored by WSU’s Student Entertainment Board (SEB), was re-scheduled from Jan. 29 after Schneider was booked to appear the next day on “The Late Show with David Letterman.”
SEB Director Brian Logan said the total cost of the event, including technical aspects, was about $20,000.
“It’s incredibly expensive to bring in anyone,” he said.
Because Schneider had performed near Seattle shortly before the original date, Logan said they received a good deal when booking him.
Tickets are $12 for students and $22 for the public. Those who purchased tickets prior to re-scheduling will not need to exchange them for new ones, according to a notice on the SEB Web site.
Logan said they are expecting to sell about 600 tickets. As of Feb. 23, a Facebook page for the event listed 419 people as “attending.”
Kylee Kracht, the head of SEB’s student lectures program, said Schneider (CQ) is the first headlining comedian SEB has booked.
Most headlining comedians who have appeared at WSU were booked through Beasley Coliseum, she said. SEB’s previous comedy shows were limited to smaller-name comics who perform during the organization’s Up All Night events.
Kracht said Schneider was chosen from a list of potential acts because of name recognition, and due to the fact he would be in the Seattle area at the time of the original performance date.
The CUB was chosen in favor of Beasley, Kracht said, to provide a more intimate performance setting and keep costs down.
“I just really hope students enjoy it and that it’s something we can continue to do,” she said.
Tickets can be purchased through the Beasley Coliseum ticket office, at http://ticketswest.com or by phone at 800-325-7328.
The event takes place at 8 p.m. on Feb. 26 in the CUB Senior Ballroom.
