Despite his youthful appearance, Dwight Slade
has the privilege of already being a comedy legend in American stand up. Born
in Seattle, Washington, Dwight moved
often in his early years, living in San Mateo, California; Wilton, Connecticut;
Marietta, Georgia and Houston, Texas.
It was while in middle school in Houston that Dwight
became friends with Bill Hicks, an intense young man with a
secret dream of becoming a stand-up comedian. The two quickly developed a partnership
that has lasted a lifetime. The two became enamored by comedians on The Tonight
Show and began writing jokes to try out on friends. Soon they were sneaking
of their parent’s suburban homes and riding their bikes to auditions and
open mikes. At 14, Bill and Dwight had
an 8X10, an agent, and lofty dreams of stardom.
In 1978, a small improv theater opened in Houston called the Comedy Workshop.
The two 16 year olds conned school friends into giving them rides to try out
their stand-up on open-mike night. The under age performers were often asked
to wait outside the club before their show. The duo's career faced another obstacle
when Dwight's family moved to
Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Throughout his high school years,
continued to focus on stand-up. As a freshman at the University of Oregon,
Slade finished 3rd in the Euphoria Comedy Contest, and full
of ambition, moved to Hollywood.Slade
reunited with Bill Hicks in 1981 in Los Angeles to write a screenplay. The two,
now working as separate stand-ups, began to crack the world of Hollywood. At
18, Slade became one of the youngest
performers to ever perform at the famous Comedy Store.
In 1983, the comedy boom was underway and Dwight
found he could garner more precious stage time in Portland, Oregon than in Los
Angeles. “Why should I live in Los Angeles when I can be just as miserable
and unknown in Portland?” Slade moved to and soon established himself
as the premier stand-up in the Northwest opening concerts for Jay Leno and Jerry
Seinfeld.
Slade finished his degree at
Portland State University in 1985 and hit the road, touring comedy clubs all
over North America. 1988 marked the birth of his first child and Dwight
made his national television debut on A&E’s Good Time Cafe.
The young family now faced an interesting dilemma: how do you travel on the
road as a working comedian and stay together as a family? The solution took
the form of a 36 foot fifth wheel travel trailer that the young family toured
and lived in for four years while Dwight headlined
comedy clubs across the US and Canada. With the birth of their second child,
the Slade decided to hang up the nomadic lifestyle and settle down in Portland.
“My second child was born in the RV,” says Slade, “We were
pulled over at the time.”
It proved to be a good decision.
While grounded in Portland, Slade
was able to explore more personal aspects to his stand up comedy. Putting together
the critically praised, one man political primer, "Do People Really Think
Like That?" Dwight was not
only funny, but also thought provoking. The San Antonio Express wrote, “Slade
restores one’s faith in comedy as the great equalizer. At his cerebral
best he becomes the voice of the little man looking for a little justice –
and just maybe a little pay back – for life’s daily mundane humiliations.”
The 90’s found Dwight moving
into new arenas of creativity. Radio station KXL-AM billed him as “The
Northwest’s Most Dangerous Mind” as he became a noted talk radio
personality who used humor instead of rage to engage listeners. He released
two comedy CD’s on Humor Ink recordings, "Weird State," and
“Shut-up.”
Slade’s feature film debut
came in 2000 in the movie “Inconceivable,” which enjoyed a run on
Showtime and is available for rent at Hollywood Video.
Slade also co-starred in the gritty family drama, “My
Way Home” which won the Platinum Award at the 2001 Houston International
Film Festival.
2002 Proved to be a banner year for Slade,
becoming the first stand-up to make appearances at the three major North American
Comedy Festivals, Aspen, Chicago and Montreal in one year. On the heels of his
performances, Slade signed a development deal with Warner Brothers Television.
Slade was chosen to appear on HBO’s “Best of the US Comedy Arts
Festival” and made an appearance on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend. Slade’s stand-up has gained
international stature after earning a five star review from Scotland’s
Minister of Culture at the prestigious 2003 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and appearances
at the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival in 2005 and 2006. He followed this
with a tour in Afghanistan performing for US Troops and a tour of Israel. He
performed in concert with guitar god Jeff Beck and the legendary Lynryd Skynryd
and appeared on Byron Allen's Comics Unleashed. Dwight is currently living in
Portland, Oregon and is a single father with two children. He continues to touch
lives with his comedy and, yes, he is an Aries...
What a riot! Dwight Slade can have you weeping, falling off your chair, or rolling on the floor, all while trying to catch a breath between fits of laughter at his comedic act. In fact, Dwight is one of those rare people who can make you laugh at his body language and personality alone, even without the employment of verbal language. Klamath Falls is not known for much, but it somehow produced out its cold dusty hicksville loins a fellow who sees the comedy in *everything* that happens around us, and who runs it back around at us again with ten times the punch of the original. Enjoy a show if you have the chance. ;=)
, January 8, 2006
Reviewer: Debbie
(Coon rapids, MN)
This guy is a riot...laughed from start to finish.. really cute too...
Dwight Himself, June 19, 2007
Reviewer: Kelly
(Salem, OR)
I saw Dwight in Salem, Oregon. This was my second time seeing him. He was fairly funny, although I'm not sure why he kept staring at my husband's package until he couldn't contain himself any longer and pointed it out to the crowd. Bill Hicks would not be proud. Harvey's will have 2 available spots in November. Oh.. The Hunter and Meaghan jokes are getting old too.
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