U Weekly. Serving The Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio

Big Man = Big Laughs

By Steven Patrick

Ralphie May has been doing standup comedy for almost two decades now. His persistence with the difficult business has finally paid off in the past five years or so. May was the first runner-up in the first season of “Last Comic Standing” in 2003. Some would expect disappointment at coming in second place, but May has an optimistic view of the situation. “I honestly think it’s best that I didn’t win. You remember in ’89 when Jethro Tull won the Grammy over Metallica? Metallica was the clear favorite and, right after that, Metallica got huge,” said a laughing May.

May’s career did get huge thanks to the exposure from “Last Comic Standing” and constant recommendations from famous comic friends like Doug Stanhope, Jeffrey Ross, and Jay Mohr. May explained, “All those guys were in a competition to see who could get me famous the fastest. It didn’t matter to me who won...I couldn’t complain.” May’s success was a dream come true that started in high school in Clarksville, AK when he won a comedy competition that gave him the chance to open up for standup legend Sam Kinison. “I was a nervous wreck. It was terrifying. I bombed and thought my career was over before it began.”

Thankfully, his career was just starting. May moved from Arkansas to Houston, TX where he honed his comedy routine, and within a few years he was the headliner at every comedy club in the region. Feeling he had tapped the Houston market, May made the move to Los Angeles to expand his career and become an actor. A few years later America was introduced to Ralphie May on Last Comic Standing. May credits hard work and determination for his current success, pointing out that there is “no shortcut to the top of the mountain.”

Being overweight is an enormous part of his act, no pun intended. May, who once tipped the scales at over 800 pounds, uses his size as his biggest gimmick. His weight problem gained him a spot on VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club in 2005. “That was so much fun. I still keep in touch with Wendy (the Snapple lady) and Mia Tyler...and Daniel (Baldwin). I just saw his brother Billy at a CSI audition and passed along a hello.” May actually hurt himself as he continued to lose weight and work out following the show. “I was doing tons of crunches and pushups, running a mile and a half three times a week, but I ended up giving myself a hernia. I had surgery for the hernia and then surgery to remove excess skin left over from the weight loss.” Currently, May is still recovering from these surgeries, but plans to continue to lose weight once he receives a clean bill of health.

During our conversation, May was distracted by Alyssa Milano in a commercial on the television in his room. “Sorry man, I was just watching her talk about how close she shaves her legs. What a f***in’ sexy beast...I don’t care what she’s selling — I’m buying. I loved that Charmed show she was on. I’d just put it on mute and watch the hell out of that. [laughs]” May is looking forward to his upcoming Columbus show in support of his recent cd/dvd, Ralphie May: Girth of a Nation, because of the high-energy crowds here. “The people in Columbus are just as happy to laugh at me as they are cheering on the Buckeyes. If a joke doesn’t go well, I can always shout ‘O-H.’ It’s almost cheating.”

Ralphie May will be performing at The Funny Bone Comedy Club from Friday, June 1 through Sunday, June 3. Tickets are $22. For more information please call 471-5653 or visit www.gofunnybone.com. For more information about Ralphie May please visit www.ralphiemay.com.

Originally Published: May 30, 2007

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