Tulsa’s Brady Theater played host to another of those life-enhancing events for the liberal and progressive minded folks who reside along this, the most conservative stretch of Old Route 66. Few celebrity comedians validate progressive values and touch all the right nerves of liberals immersed in life in Red State America with the precision and eloquence of Bill Maher. Saturday evening he did just that, LIVE on HBO! It is not every day of the World that a concentrated audience of Liberal and Progressives find themselves on live national TV. It most certainly was worth putting up with the opening act, an up and coming stand-up comic whose name I arrived too late to catch.
Bill opened his monolog by noting that since HBO scheduled this event three weeks ago that Scott Pruitt got canned and that Medical Marijuana had been legalized in Oklahoma. He then laid it on the line. “I wanted to come here. I love the Red States, I really do. I miss ‘normal’ so much…I miss sensible, middle-of-the-country Liberals so much.” That felt comforting to hear from someone thought by many to know what he is talking about as people like us are often made to feel like members of a marginalized aberrant minority.
Bill then launched into his trademark scathing criticism of the 45th President culminating in his statement that he gave $1 million to President Obama to oppose Mitt Romney in 2012. He followed that up with “I would gladly give Mitt Romney $1 million tomorrow to take over the country!” The Trump bashing, all of it legitimate, was the red meat for this liberal audience and was easily half the show. In spite of this, Bill at least paid lip service to the sentiment that all were welcomed at his performance including Trump supporters insisting that there were some among us. “This is a country, not an apartment. We can’t draw a line down the middle. We have to learn to live together” Although there were numerous non-believers in the crowd, Bill even went out on a limb later on and welcomed all the evangelicals. Funny, nobody spoke up when he did.
The show was a solid hour of classic Bill Maher in his element. Now in his early 60’s, he is still the consummate stand-up comic. Judging from this performance, he has not lost a step. All jokes and commentary were pertinent, relevant and elicited the expected audience reactions. Just as on his show Real Time, with every subject he broached he delivered some thought provoking one-liners many of which were gut-busting keepers. He even stated up front he’d be doing all his greatest hits. Admittedly, a lot of the better ones were the off-color topics but what the hell, if Bill Maher is doing stand-up then it is ALL off-color.
– On the subject of ideologic purity and the 2016 Election: “In 2016 the Democrats and the Republicans played a little game of chicken. The Democrats said ‘How can you be so stupid as to vote for Donald Trump?’ The Republicans said, ‘Don’t tell us how stupid we can be!'”
– On the subject of illegal immigration: “We don’t have an immigration problem. We have a ‘my life didn’t turn out the way I wanted so I blame other people’ problem.”
– On the subject of man-woman sexual satisfaction and multi-orgasmic women: “You (women) have a machine gun. We have a musket!”
In a larger sense of message, Bill conveyed some very sobering advice. “Democrats cannot afford to blow another election.” He spared no criticism of Democrats and those on the political left who insist on rigid ideologic purity on issues such as defense of Islam and sexual harassment which lends to a perception of extremism and costs our candidates enough votes to matter. Speaking for myself, his message was well taken, albeit while laughing. The entire Bill Maher experience was all over in an hour’s time. It was every bit as comforting and satisfying to sit among a packed Brady Theater of like-minded souls as it was to see live and in person a celebrity who serves as a mouthpiece for so many on a weekly basis who also more often than not speaks directly to me if not for me. I would like to offer my thanks to the folks at the Brady Theater and all the promoters and HBO planners who made this show possible. Just as Bill has said on his show, when he plays Red State venues like this, his fans come out of the woodwork. As an eye witness, I will vouch for the comment just as I have the other three times I have seen Bill Maher at the Brady. Until next time we fans will follow him on Real Time.
Bill Maher: Live from Oklahoma 7.7.2018