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Poundstone's self-mocking humor is hit
Comic and National Public Radio star Paula Poundstone will perform at the Seven Clans Paradise Casino in Red Rock on Saturday.
Courtesy
By KAREN SHADE World Scene Writer
Published: 6/27/2009 2:17 AM
Last Modified: 6/27/2009 4:29 AM
Comic Paula Poundstone thinks she has swine flu. She knows because she's checked the list of symptoms.
"I mean, I'm assuming it's swine flu," she said. "I read on the BBC Web site. They have a Q&A about the swine flu, and it was every symptom that I had."
Isn't that just like a news junkie? Instead of staying in bed, Poundstone pored over news sites despite displaying signs of a pandemic.
That was a few weeks ago, and no doubt fans of "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me," NPR's weekly news quiz, will hear about her bout when Poundstone returns to the show that pits her against other panelists, such as writer Tom Bodett, CBS contributor and news blogger Mo Rocca, Washington Post columnist Roxanne Roberts and others.
It is, after all, National Public Radio. To be on this show, it isn't enough just to know what's happening in the world at any moment, but you have to be clever and have a wit that Oscar Wilde would applaud. Poundstone has both naturally.
At the moment, she's madly cleaning hard surfaces like doorknobs and countertops. She's also recently learned about "proper tissue disposal."
"I'm not sure what other people have been doing with them to make that a part of the report, but that is one of the lines of defense Apparently some people have been stringing them for necklaces," she said between hoarse coughs.
It isn't surprising that Poundstone is always funny, even when her body's under attack. What's unexpected is how she's only recently released her first comedy album, "I Heart Jokes," recorded at the Stone Mountain Arts Center in lower Maine, earlier this year.
Poundstone has been doing stand-up for two decades. The choice to do her own solo album at this time came down to four things.
"They have great crowds there," she said, "a terrific room, the equipment to do it and a really good recording guy. So, things were in place, and so we did it. Seems to have worked out fairly well."
Hopefully, things come together for Poundstone when she plays the Seven Clans Paradise Casino on Saturday in Red Rock, south of Ponca City. Although she's been to the area in years past, this is the first time she's been back in the region for a while.
Poundstone is known for her prolific touring. She's also known for her openness about past troubles, such as a controversial 2001 arrest that led to a five-year probation and court-ordered alcohol rehabilitation for child endangerment and inflicting injury on a child.
Not only does Poundstone discuss the period in her self-titled book, but it also made it into her comedy.
"I'm not much of a secret keeper. Probably because I have OCD and can't stop talking. Therefore, I say everything I've ever thought," she said. "The truth is it certainly was fun to find whatever comedy I could out of it. There were times even in the midst of walking through the fires of hell, which I'm fairly certain I did, where it was explosively funny. The truth is, that, in my opinion, is what a sense of humor's for. It's rungs on a ladder, it's what you pull yourself up with."
Paula Poundstone
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Seven Clans Paradise Casino, 7500 Highway 177 in Red
Rock, south of Ponca City
Tickets: $20, call (866) 723-4005.
Karen Shade 581-8334
karen.shade@tulsaworld.com
By KAREN SHADE World Scene Writer
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