That was before he perfected the now-famous mad-guy act that has won over throngs of college politicos with its firebrand wit.
That was, oddly enough, around the time when Black was a participant in UNC’s student government.
“I was elected to the student senate,” he said in an interview last week. “They had a student senate back then — now they probably have a student dictator.”
These flippant remarks are par for the course with the jittery comedian. Notorious for chipping away at the pedestals of popular icons, Black takes no holiday when it comes to talking about himself.
Asked if he used his time on the senate floor to hone his public speaking skills, Black responded — scornfully — with words that cannot be reprinted here.
The comedian is comfortable with curse words. He spreads them thick, like icing on a word cake. And his tendency toward the tawdry has worked wonders for his stand-up.
It also will likely yield positive results at the Union Auditorium, where he is scheduled to perform his routine Saturday night.
The stop is part of a nationwide tour featuring big cities, college towns and just about anywhere with a book store.
With all the tour dates and his literary baby, “Nothing’s Sacred,” to promote, Black said he has less time for “The Daily Show,” which was responsible in large part for his early success.
“They understand that things are changing for me,” he said. “They’ve been great.”
Indeed, things are changing.
Though he still does his “Back in Black” bit for Comedy Central, Black said he’s having fun traveling the states and doing stand-up. It’s what he’s good at, and it’s what he enjoys — kind of like writing his book.
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Wait, no.
“(Writing) sucks. It’s like having a homework assignment that’s perpetual,” Black said. “It’s always Sunday, it’s always 5:15 and you always have to get up and go to school the next morning.”
Despite his assessment of recording thoughts on paper — he joked that he should have been a college journalist — Black is proud of his new book, which features an autobiography to age 27.
He didn’t write about the other half of his life because he got tired of doing it.
Black’s appearance, “Lewis Black and Friends,” is the marquee event for the Carolina Comedy Festival, sponsored by the Carolina Union Activities Board.
The festival, which this week featured writers and actors from all varieties of comedy backgrounds, is becoming a bit of a tradition with Black. He headlined the parent event, Heelarious, in spring 2003 and he has plans for an even bigger event next year.
“What I want to do is develop something … make it a college festival,” he said.
Black, who made some of his first appearances at Cat’s Cradle, said he envisions a future banner event featuring Franklin Street bar shows and a mix of big-name comedians and amateurs from surrounding colleges.
He said he misses Chapel Hill, and that he might even come back for good one day — once he settles down.
For now, though, it seems that stepping out of the Tar Heel state was probably for the best.
“I was sad when I left,” he said. “But if I stayed I’d probably be a raging alcoholic and a drug addict, and I’d get nothing done.”
Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
