From the 1990s into the first decade of the 2000s, the comedic routine “You Might Be a Redneck” by Jeff Foxworthy dominated the airwaves. According to the cartoon, you might be a redneck if:
-You consider a bucket of KFC and a six-pack to be a seven-course dinner.
-You’ve ever mowed the lawn and discovered an automobile.
-You put on a bra with no straps while wearing a strapless dress.
Foxworthy, who claims the term “redneck” simply denotes a “beautiful lack of sophistication,” became the de facto spokesperson for this group of people due to his Southern drawl and omnipresent presence.
Although Foxworthy was born in the large city of Atlanta, Georgia, his family hails from a little town in the same state. Before his family moved to the peaceful hamlet of Hapeville, he spent his formative years in the Atlanta suburb of Decatur (the birthplace of chain restaurant Chik-fil-A).
As Foxworthy noted in an early biography, No Shirt, No Shoes… No Problem!, he was raised around aspiring comics. He teamed up with his Uncle Jimmy to portray the dummy in their ventriloquist act and claimed that his father, Big Jim, had the “typical redneck sense of humor” despite having a stuffy job as an IBM executive.
He was also impacted by grownups who were not members of his immediate family and who exhibited inappropriate behavior. A truck driver friend of mine had a “gut like the front end of a ’55 Buick” and never wore a shirt. A different friend’s father once did a great job of judging a farting competition.
Foxworthy and his friends came up with inventive methods to amuse themselves and annoy the adults, much like most small-town youngsters who grew up before the internet (or even cable TV). When his younger brother started experiencing problems going to the bathroom, the brothers built a huge poo out of mud and imagined there had been an accident in the bathroom. As cars approached, they pulled a stuffed animal across the road while hiding in a shrub adjacent to the road.
Some of the activities had a very “redneck” feel to them. Foxworthy injured his nose when he was 17 years old while attempting to jump from a moving pickup truck into a hay pile. Another occasion, he and his buddies came dangerously close to being detained for shooting doves at an airport’s runway activities.
Despite raising hell, Foxworthy was a smart cookie who mostly evaded punishment by using his intelligence to achieve decent marks. After graduating from Georgia Tech with a degree in computer science, he followed his father into the IBM building where he worked as a technician until the mid-1980s, when he decided to take the leap into the world of stand-up comedy.
Foxworthy acknowledges that he is a product of his time and location, but he feels that his experiences are universal, which is what gave rise to his successful career. Regardless of cultural background, almost everyone can identify with or empathize with his stories of divorcing parents, failed relationships, and pals getting each other into trouble.
The comedian also asserts that rednecks are commonplace. In fact, he came up with the routine that would make him immensely famous during a performance in the far northern state of Michigan in the late 1980s in a bar next to a bowling alley with valet parking.
Foxworthy recalled being dubbed a redneck by a jeering spectator “Look out the window, for crying out loud, I commanded him. You might be a redneck if you use valet parking at a bowling facility.”
He was motivated by the laughter that ensued to pen 10 of those jokes that evening in his hotel room. Furthermore, Foxworthy continued to write, gathering the material that resulted in appearances on The Tonight Show, his own sitcom, the Blue-Collar Comedy Tour, and a hosting position on Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? as well as almost two dozen publications.
He subsequently remarked, “Someone stated that with rednecks you’re talking about the lowest common denominator.” “It is, after all, the common denominator, in my opinion. Most of us have engaged in [redneck behavior]. There aren’t many of us who belong to a wealthy, educated culture. When you live in Los Angeles, you assume that everyone is fashionable and cool. Enter your vehicle. Real life is what happens between New York and Los Angeles.”
With a home in Atlanta and a farm outside the city, Foxworthy has long since left the glittering lights of Hollywood and is now back in the familiar meadows of his native state. Even though his performance now reflects the perspective of a guy entering his 60s, he still does approximately 70 concerts year and is aware that audiences are still looking for the trademark hillbilly riffs.
In September 2018, he stated, “I did a gig a week or two ago outside of San Diego, and I didn’t do any.” “You didn’t do any redneck jokes, a man right there in the front row said as I walked off the stage. I then realized, “You just made me giggle for an hour and a half.” So, make a mental note to finish off a handful of those.”
Watch him share more in the video below:
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