Git-R-Dumb

There have been countless hacks posing as legitimate comedians over the years, but few have achieved the success of our next Hater Hall of Shame inductee.

(Sorry about the picture quality) 

Daniel Lawrence Whitney aka “Larry the Cable Guy”,  Born February 17, 1963

Daniel Whitney was born into a conservative family in Pawnee City, Nebraska, where his father Tom Sr. worked as a minister.  At the age of sixteen, Daniel and his family moved to a rural area of the U.S. known as West Palm Beach, Florida.  In 1985 he quit his job in the fast food industry, and began performing stand-up at local comedy clubs.  For whatever reason, family and friends encouraged Daniel to pursue a career in comedy–his initial shtick went something like this:  

He started gaining some notoriety in the 90′s while doing comedy bits on the radio, which basically consisted of prank calls using personas Whitney had created.  This type of material led to brief stints on radio stations in several different states, and one character in particular caught the ear of The Blue Collar Boys–a group of unfunny people led by Jeff Foxworthy.  One of Daniel’s creations was a dumb, stereotypical redneck; and by a stroke of luck, that was exactly the type of comedian Foxworthy was looking for.  In the blink of an eye, the comedian once known as Daniel Whitney was replaced by a fictional character named Larry the Cable Guy.  The fact that Larry’s act became popular in some parts of the country was not surprising, but the level of fame he has reached is baffling:  6 comedy albums (3 certified gold by the RIAA), 3 films that were actually shown in theaters, and a book titled “Git-R-Done” that was published.  He was even roasted by his peers on Comedy Central this past Sunday night, a tribute usually reserved for people who are funny.  Here are a couple of comedians who feel the same way:

Greg Giraldo tells it like it is:

“I don’t care who ya are, that’s funny right there.”  –Larry the Cable Guy catch phrase

I couldn’t disagree more…