The Story of How Comedian Lewis Black Got His Start In Michigan

Lewis Black is still considered one of the most popular comedians living today. In a time where comedians regularly cross the line or are unsure of where it is, Lewis Black has always been a comedian with no lines and more of a comedian for the people. I’ve always viewed him in the same vein as George Carlin, and Richard Pryor. His subtle delivery followed by a burst of outrage is somewhat of a calling card for him and through the years he has put out some amazing specials.

One of which was in Michigan at the Fillmore Detroit back in 2009 for Stark Raving Black. In a recent interview that we did with Lewis Black, he talked about how this wasn’t a random decision to film on location in Detroit. It turns out that Michigan is where he got his start as a comedian, and really made the choice to pursue it as a career.

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Michigan is the first state I went to with a friend of mine, John Bowman, who had been touring Michigan for years. Way back about 30 years ago in order to see if I really wanted to tour, I went on tour with him through the state of Michigan...we went everywhere. That was when I decided that I really wanted to do it, that that's what I was gonna be doing, rather than writing plays.

 

One Last Hurrah

Lewis announced this current tour is his final traveling tour. He still plans to pop up every once in a while, but this show in Kalamazoo and Detroit may be the last time Michigan residents can see him live.