Credit: Fox Nation As soon as Jeff Foxworthy began work on The Joke’s On Me, he knew it might be his last stand-up special. The legendary member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour has released numerous platinum-selling comedy albums, starred in his own ABC sitcom, and hosted Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?. But specials have become too much. “I don’t want to stop doing stand-up altogether,” Foxworthy says. “But it’s a lot of work to do a special.”  When Fox Nation approached Foxworthy about making a special, he immediately knew that he wanted to film it in a unique manner. Inspired by Peter Jackson’s Get Back documentary, which showed The Beatles making their 1970 album Let It Be, Foxworthy wanted to give comedy fans an intimate insight into how he creates his material. “I remember I was watching that documentary and their process with tears in my eyes,” he says. “It didn’t take away from the final product, it made it richer. I’d never seen anybody do that with stand-up.” Foxworthy told Fox the only way he’d make a special was if a cameraman filmed him writing material in his office, going to clubs around Atlanta, trying out jokes, bombing, and then the journey to making them funnier. Even Foxworthy was surprised when Fox agreed. The process of making The Joke’s On Me proved to be particularly poignant for Foxworthy, as it was filmed at the Gas South Theatre in Duluth.  Foxworthy was born, raised, and still lives in Atlanta, while he also has a home in Harris County. “This is the 12th special I’ve ever done, but I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed the process this much,” he says. “I hit a fire-hose writing moment where everything came out, and I’m so glad I was able to make a love letter to stand-up comedy.” Foxworthy is hopeful that The Joke’s On Me will help burgeoning comics learn some valuable lessons about what it takes to become a stand-up.  When comedians ask him for guidance, Foxworthy always insists, “Nobody has your life experience. Nobody has your point of view. The sooner you learn to let your stand-up be you, the better it will work. That’s just part of the learning curve.” While that might make it seem like becoming a comedian is relatively simple, Foxworthy adds, “I think you just need to do it every night for 10 years and then all of a sudden you have a style.” Credit: Fox Nation He says his biggest piece of advice is that they need to hang out in comedy clubs with other comics, so that they can see how material is performed, developed, and honed, as well as how comedians find their own voice.  After moving to Los Angeles in the early 1990s, he would watch comedians like Jerry Seinfeld and Steven Wright at the famed Hollywood Improv club and wonder if he should imitate them. “Steven Wright in particular had this really slow and monotone style,” Foxworthy says. “He was really popular and I wondered if I should copy it.” But Foxworthy soon realized that he had to do it his own way.  When fellow comedians would try to offer well-meaning advice like toning down his accent, he’d stick to his guns. “I dug my heels in,” he says. “I’d think, Where I come from, you’re the one with the stupid accent.”  Foxworthy’s huge success underlines that, despite his Southern drawl, there’s a universal appeal to his material.  “If I have a thought, or my wife or family says or does something, I’m going to assume that other people are thinking, saying, and doing the same thing,” he says. “I’m always trying to find that common area. It’s always so pleasing to hear people tell me, ‘It’s like you’ve been in our house.’ Even if people are from a different place and the accents are different, I look for how we are all the same, more than how we are different.” Foxworthy got the ultimate approval of his approach when he was performing Nashville in the late 1980s and Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant walked in to watch. After the show, he decided to seek out Plant, who not only told him that he was funny but also said people from London would often make fun of how he spoke growing up: “I kept thinking as he spoke to me, Holy hell! Robert Plant likes redneck jokes. It was great to find something I had in common with him.”  Being back around his family and friends is why Foxworthy returned to Atlanta in 1997, after seven and a half years of living in LA. In the 29 years since, he has continued to thrive as a comic, touring across the country regularly while also performing in his home city. He’s also authored over 26 books—including the You Might Be a Redneck If… and Redneck Dictionary series, autobiographies, cookbooks, golf and work guides, as well as children’s tales.  As Foxworthy looks to the future, he wants to combine his literary and stand-up voices. While he’s still not exactly sure what form this will take, he’s fascinated by Mark Twain’s hugely successful speaking lectures and tours of the mid 1800s. “He was funny. He was really smart. He was able to break things down simply. I’d love to do something where I share life advice in that way. It feels like it’s been a long time since somebody did that.” Foxworthy feels that people are pining to hear somebody speaking in a truthful and candid manner, as “nobody trusts the government, their news, and social media,” adding, “I want to address the 85 percent of things that people agree on, not the 15 percent we don’t. I don’t want to yell and be judgmental.” Whatever he ends up creating, Foxworthy is just excited to be approaching comedy in new and original ways. “I’ve been doing this for 42 years. I’m not interested in doing it the same way,” he says. “Sometimes it’s great to fail, as long as you’re pushing boundaries. I just want to follow my instinct. That’s what makes it fun and exciting when you’re creative.” The post Jeff Foxworthy on making The Joke’s On Me and looking ahead after 42 years in comedy appeared first on Atlanta Magazine. ...read more read less