Most people connect Jeff Foxworthy with his series of redneck jokes. The reality is that those one-liners were never more than a small part of his act.
Attendees at the 28th Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo are likely to hear a sampling of the redneck lines, but Foxworthy will offer much more in his hour-long performance during the annual Industry Appreciation Party on Thursday, Feb. 28.
Foxworthy is one of the most successful comedians in the country. He is the largest selling comedy-recording artist in history, a multiple Grammy Award nominee, and best-selling author of 22 books. Widely known for his redneck jokes, his act goes well beyond that to explore the humor in everyday family interactions and human nature. He is now host of the hit show, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?, which airs on FOX.
Foxworthy lives in Atlanta with his wife and two daughters. As a prelude to his Expo appearance, Foxworthy shared insights about his life, his career, his family, and the world of comedy with COLE Publishing.
Q. Most people seem to know you for the redneck jokes. In a broader sense, how would you define your comedy? And yourself as a comedian?
Foxworthy: The redneck jokes worked because they were one-liners — easy to remember, easy to retell — and most folks were guilty of at least a few of them. But even at their height, they were just five minutes of a two-hour show.
As a comedian, I think of myself as a storyteller, drawing from real life. I think everybody has the same thoughts as comics, but comedians have learned to grab them and hold them up in the light. Then people in the audience laugh, elbow each other, and think, “I’ve thought that,” or “I’ve done that.”
Q. What inspired the redneck routine? And why do you think that particular part of your act resonated so strongly?
Foxworthy: It started because that’s what people on the road always called me. I had this thick accent and always wore jeans and boots, and they would kid me, “Ah, Jeff, you’re just an ol’ redneck from Georgia.”
I quickly found from traveling around the country that it wasn’t just a Southern thing. Once you got five miles outside any city, people were the same. One night I’m playing at a comedy club outside Detroit and they were kidding me about being a redneck, and the club was attached to a bowling alley that had valet parking.
I told them, “If you don’t think you have rednecks, come look out the window. People are valet parking at the bowling alley.” It ends up there are people suffering from a “glorious absence of sophistication” no matter where you go.
Q. Many people at the Expo own family businesses, and some will have their spouses and children at your show. Does your family provide a source of inspiration?
Foxworthy: I just trusted early in my career that if I thought something, or my wife said something, or my kids did, surely we couldn’t be the only ones who thought or said that. I’ve talked about my extended family, especially my in-laws, so much through the years that now I promise to take them on a fabulous vacation each year as payment. Then after hanging out with them for a week or two, I have another 20 minutes of material. It’s a vicious circle I can’t seem to get out of!
Q. You have achieved possibly more than you dreamed when you started out. What advice would you have for people in the Expo audience about living their dreams?
Foxworthy: It’s like I tell my kids: We all have different gifts, no one person’s more important than the next. But you still have to work hard with focus and purpose. If you have a passion about what you do, no matter how much money you make, you are blessed. If you don’t, then even if you get rich, you’ll still dread going to work.
Q. What are the challenges to keeping a healthy family life while in a career that keeps you so busy and puts you on the road so often?
Foxworthy: Well, life is all about priorities. I was very blessed that I moved from week-long runs in comedy clubs to one-night concerts about the time my oldest daughter was born. I began to pay a premium to fly private so I could go home every night. I might get home at three in the morning, but I was there when my kids woke up.
I have turned down great parts in movies because I wasn’t willing to spend nine or 10 weeks away from my family. Thankfully, it has always worked out. But if I have to choose between fame and my family, my family always wins.
Q. You do extensive volunteer work with Duke University Children’s Hospital and for other causes. What rewards has that brought you?
Foxworthy: I chose to work with Duke Children’s Hospital because they were a leading research hospital, and they didn’t turn any kid away based on ability to pay. Because of this policy, they needed help in raising between $40 million and $50 million a year. I just didn’t see how I could turn my back on a place doing such wonderful work. My wife (Pamela Gregg) and I have been the honorary chairpeople of their fundraising efforts for more than 11 years.
As a family, we are involved in many things. My oldest daughter and I just went to Kenya with a group from our church to work in AIDS orphanages for a week. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done, and my daughter came back with a different view of God and the world.
Q. How do you like performing at private shows? Are they different from your regular performances? How?
Foxworthy: I love private shows. Usually the audience members are with spouses, which makes them better laughers. I don’t have to promote private shows as I do regular concerts, and because I have always tried to work cleaner, I usually don’t have to worry about offending anybody.
Q. What has been the single most rewarding thing about working as a comedian?
Foxworthy: The most rewarding thing has been learning that comedy helps people through rough spots in their lives. I can’t begin to tell you how many people share stories about watching a video or reading one of my books to a sick family member, and how it made that person laugh, even if only for a moment. It’s a gift that I’m very thankful for.
In addition, the career has allowed me to take care of my family and many other people as well. I believe that when you’re in the public eye, you do have a responsibility to send the right message, especially for kids, because you do have influence.
Q. What should attendees at the Expo expect from your performance?
Foxworthy: There’ll be no smashing of watermelons with a sledgehammer! I hope they’ll see themselves in a lot of the material, point at each other, and just laugh.
