“I was homeless for awhile. I didn’t want anyone to know so I slept in front of a Ticket Master.”
– Dwight York
While on stage, Dwight York delivers one-liners in a rapid fire succession. The jokes keep coming, one after another, with minimal set-up before the explosion of laughter. He sees no reason to wait around before getting right to the good stuff, so at Wiley’s, Jan. 27-29, York will be releasing a full arsenal of punch lines.
The self-professed ‘Stephen’ King of one-liners, due to the dark and absurd nature of his jokes, York has been entertaining audiences for over a decade. Through his onstage persona of a crotchety old man who used to live on the streets, York has found a permanent home in comedy.
“I’m living my dream. I am hooked to the world of making people laugh,” said York. When he was in his late twenties, York was feeling fed up with a dead end factory job and began performing at open mic nights before eventually touring full time.
York has always possessed a sharp wit and derived pleasure from entertaining others. “My mother always battled depression and I was someone who could get a little chuckle out of her once in awhile,” he said.
A regular on the Bob & Tom radio show, York relishes the opportunity the appearances provide to reach the intended audience. He’s also featured on the Bob & Tom CD ‘You Guys Rock,’ and was a part of the ’Friends of Bob & Tom’ tour, performing with many of the nations top comedians. Among the highlights of York’s career was being on stage at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in front of 15,000 people. “It’s hard to tell with a crowd that big if everyone is listening, and its literally a tough crowd, but it was a good time.”
In addition, York is also a published author, having written ‘The Vile File – Jokes too Sick for the Stage,’ in 1999. He was recently immensely honored when legendary comedian Emo Philips admitted to having read the book. “Emo recited one of my jokes to me from my book. I couldn’t believe it, but I shouldn’t be surprised he read it as I left copies in clubs everywhere.”
Though never actually homeless, beyond living on the road for years while traveling the circuit, York continuously finds correlations between himself and his on stage persona. However, his self-deprecating humor is only meant to entertain, not define him. “My reality is that I mess with the audience’s minds. That’s what I do,” he said.
Dayton is one of York’s favorite cities to perform in and he looks forward to slinging a heavy load of one liners at Wiley’s. “For each show I use the best jokes I’ve accumulated through my career, that’s my recipe for comedy.”
Dwight York will be at Wiley’s, Jan. 27 – 29; Thursday at 8 p.m. for $5, Friday at 9 p.m. for $10 and Saturday at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. for $12. Call 224-JOKE for reservations. Visit www.dwightyork.com for more information.
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