Photo by Mike Lavoie
Comedian and former ‘Saturday Night Live’ star Colin Quinn brings his unique brand of humor to the South Orange Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Sept. 26.
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — In today’s politically correct society, a white man joking about ethnicity could set off a proverbial powder keg of offensiveness. But Colin Quinn does not care.
The former “Saturday Night Live” star has made a career out of speaking his mind without fear of repercussion, no matter the topic. And while culture is a subject many comedians veer far away from to avoid any potential backlash, for Quinn, it is simply too intriguing to resist.
“I’ve always been interested in it, since I was a kid,” Quinn told the News-Record in a phone interview on Friday, Sept. 11. “But it’s especially interesting nowadays, when it seems like everybody’s horrified by it. Then it really gets interesting when you’re like ‘Wait a minute. Why do people not want to talk about it?’ Now it’s really interesting to me.”
The topic was so interesting to Quinn that he wrote both a book and a one-man show — “The Coloring Book” and the Jerry Seinfeld-directed “New York Story,” respectively — each humorously examining how his hometown of New York City has been influenced by the legion of ethnic groups and races that have settled there. His points are illustrated with stories from his own experiences growing up in Brooklyn, with reflections on how political correctness has turned a once-bold community, proud to celebrate its diversity, into a city afraid to acknowledge its differences. Now that “New York Story” has closed, Quinn is taking much of the material on the road, and will perform at the South Orange Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Sept. 26.
More venues may seem like more opportunities to offend the politically correct types, but Quinn said creating controversy is not something he ever worries about. That is because he is not trying to antagonize, even when poking fun at stereotypes, as he explained. And he said the vast majority of people understand this.
“If you know what you’re talking about and you’re being funny, that’s more important than anything,” Quinn said. “It never comes down to trying to make some preachy point. I’m trying to be funny when I say things. That’s what I do — I write jokes, I write comedy. I’m not trying to tell anyone how to feel, how to think.”
“As long as it’s done artfully, with humor, people don’t usually complain,” he said.
Quinn has certainly perfected that process, as evidenced by the reception his book and show have received. “The Coloring Book” has become a New York Times bestseller while “New York Story” garnered critical raves. His other recent one-man shows, the historical satires “Long Story Short” and “Unconstitutional,” received similar acclaim.
Part of the reason his topical comedy is so fine-tuned can be attributed to his stints as anchor of “Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update,” as well as two-years hosting Comedy Central’s “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn.” Yet, according to Quinn, what also had a big impact on his humor was simply growing up in New York City, surrounded by an eclectic mix of ethnicities, when no one was afraid to talk about their differences.
“It does teach you the old cliches, that there’s good and bad with everybody,” Quinn said of growing up in such an environment. “But it also teaches you that everyone has their own style, too. It teaches you that people are all the same, but they’re also different. That’s just the way it is. It’s just so funny to see people brainwashed into thinking ‘Hey, if I mention any diversity other than a general one, I’m racist.’ It’s very weird. People sound programmed to me right now.”
That type of political correctness can have a negative effect on society, Quinn said. As he explained, enforcers of political correctness are really more concerned with controlling what others think than actually promoting civility.
That hurts everyone in the long run, he said.
“There’s no racial dialogue at all,” Quinn said. “It’s basically people tiptoeing around all these issues and subconscious feelings and it never really gets done. If we had a whole conversation or a Constitutional convention on it every year or something that we really go out of our way to make it a thing — that’s the way to do it. But it’ll never happen.”
What is sure to happen is Quinn’s SOPAC show, and the comedian said he is excited for it. Having performed “Unconstitutional” at the local venue a few years ago, he said he loved its New York City vibe and intimate setting. And he looks forward to returning Sept. 26.
“It’s a great space to do what I do — it’s theatrical, but it’s also stand-up,” Quinn said. “It’s my kind of place.”
To order tickets, call 973-313-2787 or visit www.sopacnow.org/colin-quinn.