The Cable Guy connects big-time with his audience

He has become one the country's most popular acts.
Dan Whitney is just a regular baseball cap and sleeveless-flannel shirt wearing blue-collar guy, who also happens to be one of America's more popular comedians.
Perhaps you know him best as Larry the Cable Guy, co-star of the WB Network's sketch comedy "Blue Collar TV" show or as Jeff Foxworthy's cohort on the insanely popular "Blue Collar Comedy Tour."
Whitney's transformation from a nondescript comedy club funnyman into the rugged and politically incorrect "Git-R-Done" Larry the Cable Guy almost didn't happen. A stand-up veteran of 20 years, it wasn't until a decade ago that Whitney made the change and never looked back.
"It's bizarre because it's not my real name, but the persona is closer to me than before, when I was doing standup," said Whitney, calling from Dallas. "Because I would go on stage and wouldn't have a hat on. [Now] I've worn a hat with a hook on it everyday since I was 8. So when I went on stage and I had no hat and was dressed up, I felt very uncomfortable, like I was wearing a costume. So now, I'm loving it."
A start in radio
The roots of Whitney's onstage persona began in the late '80s when Whitney started contributing funny bits to a Tampa, Fla., radio station. Before he knew it, the comedian was syndicated, calling 27 stations a week from the road where he was still honing his stand-up skills. In fact, for a short while in the late '90s, Larry The Cable Guy was a frequent morning show contributor to Cleveland's WMMS-FM 100.7.
Aside from earning some decent cash, the experience proved pivotal in his education as a comedy writer. In addition to ostensibly writing a new monologue every day, Whitney began to see his audience grow at warped speed, allowing him to perform to sold-out crowds in all of the markets in which Larry the Cable Guy was broadcast.
While many comedians have made a fine living from such a venture, Whitney's future belonged with a group of similar-minded comedians, led by one redneck-identifying funnyman.
"They were all stepping blocks," Whitney said regarding his stand-up routine and his radio gigs. "Jeff [Foxworthy] was a good buddy of mine but I kind of got the 'Blue Collar Comedy Tour' because I had a really good underground following. So they knew that I was good for some ticket sales. And plus they thought I was funny and they wanted me on the show."
Considering the "Blue Collar Comedy Tour" grossed $15 million in its first year on the road, Whitney's career has gone through the roof. A subsequent DVD release of the tour sold a million copies and his stand-up tour is currently booked in arenas all over the States. Larry the Cable Guy plays Friday at Cleveland's Wolstein Center at CSU and April 9 at Pittsburgh's Benedum Center.
Popular show
In addition to all of his success, the "Blue-Collar TV Show" has quickly become one of the WB's hottest programs. He's not surprised.
"The reason is I think a lot of people are sick and tired of these shows that try to shove something down your throat," Whitney said. "We're trying not to do anything like that. We're just three guys and we find things that we think are funny. If we want to do a whole sketch about a fart joke, we're going to do it. We're not saying watch this show and you're really going to learn a lot. It's entertainment. And for people who think it's lowbrow entertainment, well, don't watch the frickin' show."