On comedy tour, The Reverend is aiming to kill

He’s been making people laugh for 18 years.

By JOHN BENSON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

On a daily basis, the fine line between genius and idiocy is examined ad nauseam on the Howard Stern radio show, which can be heard mornings on Sirius Satellite Radio.

For the most part, his regular cast is composed of societal misfits, oddballs and castoffs, who consistently entertain audiences by completing mundane tasks. However, their contribution to the show can’t be discounted, which is what makes The Killers of Comedy Tour, featuring Stern regulars Reverend Bob Levy, Beetlejuice, Sal the Stockbroker, Yucko the Clown, Shuli and more, a popular touring draw wherever it plays. This King of All Media bill pulls into Cleveland for a Sept. 29 date at the Agora.

“People who don’t know what to expect, they really have no clue as to what is going to happen, are very surprised at how good the comedy is,” said Levy, calling from New York City. “It’s a comedy show. You have seasoned comedians on there, and we kick-ass. They’ll see that.”

An 18-year comedy veteran, Levy was first discovered by two of Stern’s former minions: writer and funnyman Jackie “The Jokeman” Martling coined him The Reverend, while it was producer K.C. Armstrong who was responsible for getting Levy on the air. Eventually, Levy would win the Stern show’s “Meanest Listener Contest.” He’s contributed to the program ever since.

“I’m out of my mind, and there are many things wrong with me,” Levy said. “I can’t spell too good and say a lot of words. But more importantly, I can come up with some good bits. When I go on the air, I can handle just sitting in.

“To be on the Stern show, you have to be pretty well-rounded. If you can be normal and funny, that isn’t going to cut it. You have to have a lot of (expletive) going on with you to be a character on that show.”

Prey to predator

Often a target on the Stern show, Levy goes from prey to predator when on the comedy stage. 

“I make people part of the joke,” Levy said. “It’s not like going to a movie and just watching somebody. So I watch everything in the audience, and I can come up with stuff live. It’s all one-liners. I talk about my life and work the crowd real good.”

Having witnessed a few Stern-related live shows in the past, what stands out is the notion that the jocularity and obnoxiousness is just an extension of the live show, with the only difference being gregariously vocal fans can get in on the fun. In the stand-up comedy world, that’s called heckling.

Levy has this warning for any loudmouths.

“Anybody that does, they get (expletive) hammered down,” Levy said. “I’ll ruin anybody’s (expletive) life if they want to open their mouth. I don’t worry about that.”

Growing popularity

Considering it’s been over 18 months since Stern’s high-profile defection from terrestrial to satellite radio, Levy said he believes the shock jock’s popularity has grown. He points to the success of The Killers of Comedy Tour, which continues to tour the country to large audiences.

“I think he’s definitely bigger now,” Levy said. “We’re getting more people at shows now then we did on regular radio because on regular radio, people would listen to 10 minutes or 15 minutes going to work or coming home. These fans now listen to the whole show and especially since the re-runs are on the whole day, they get to hear the whole show. So it makes everybody more popular.”