Politically Incorrect comedian will bring satire to Lied Center
By Mary Corcoran
Kansan Correspondent
Despite the popularity of his television show, Comedian Bill Maher has found time to visit the University of Kansas.
Maher, who is known for his biting wit and provocative opinions, will visit the Lied Center Saturday to give a stand-up comedy performance. Student Union Activities will sponsor Maher, who is the host of Comedy Central's Politically Incorrect.
"I thought he would be someone that parents and alumni, as well as students, could relate to," said Kristen Copeland, Emporia senior and SUA representative.
Maher's show,Politically Incorrect, consists of a fourperson panel led by Maher. The panel discusses Maher's choice of recent political activities. Maher describes his show, aired week nights on Comedy Central, as "the McLaughlin Group on acid."
In past shows, Maher's panels have included personalities such as Jerry Seinfeld, Roseanne, Roger Clinton, Watergate figure G. Gordon Liddy, mayor Marion Barry, playwright Harvey Fierstein, and Rep. Jim A. Traficant, D-Ohio.
Since this year is an election year, Maher once again is covering the election through the live program Indecision '96 as he did in 1992. This year Maher had political correspondents Al Frankin and Chris Rock, formerly of Saturday Night Live, and Arianna Huffington on the floor at the Democratic and Republican national conventions. Continuing coverage from Indecision '96 will be shown on Comedy Central through November.
Bill Maher
"With the elections coming up, I thought Bill Maher would be a great choice for homecoming/family weekend," said Copeland. "When it comes to elections, he's never been at a loss for words."
since his college years. After graduating from Cornell University with a major in English, Maher began to fine tune his comedy skills and could soon be seen performing in New York comedy clubs. From there he went on to do comedy tours in the United States as well as hosting three HBO specials. Then, in July of 1993, Comedy Central aired Maher's first Politically Incorrect episode.
Maher has shown an interest in comedy
Ryan Worleman, Lenexa sophomore, said he planned to attend Maher's KU performance.
"I think Bill Maher is a good political satirist, and even though I don't necessarily agree with his political viewpoints, he's still funny," Worleman said.
In January, Politically Incorrect will move from the cable Comedy Central to the network ABC, said the Indianapolis Star. Its new time slot will be after Nightline. Cable channels are known to be more lenient than the networks, but Maher said he did not think ABC would try to tame Politically Incorrect.
The show is known for its free expression of ideas, Maher said, and after nearly four years on the air, ABC knows exactly what it's getting.
Maher is known for more than his satiric television show. He also has written two books. He compiled a collection of his best Politically Incorrect lines in Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? Politically Incorrect's Greatest Hits, which contains such zingers as: "The movie Twister is breaking box-office records. Former vice-president Dan Quayle says he wished it was more like the board game." He also wrote an autobiography, True Story, which is a humorous description of his New York comedy club days.
Tickets for the Saturday show are on sale now at the SUA box office. Student prices are $13 for the floor and $11 for the balconies.
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS.
October 17,1996 The Hill
Homecoming
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