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Thursday, March 28, 2024

When it comes to Bill Burr’s stand-up routine, nothing is off limits.

“I’ll be talking about everything from election stuff to talking gorillas to the Illuminati and making sandwiches,” he said of his upcoming Gainesville show, which was originally scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts but has been postponed due to Hurricane Matthew.

Burr, who has been active in the comedy world for 24 years, has released four TV specials, hosts the popular comedy podcast “Monday Morning Podcast” and has his own animated show on Netflix called “F is for Family.” He has also acted across TV and film, including roles in “Breaking Bad,” “New Girl,” “Daddy’s Home” and “The Heat.”

Now, he is bringing his humor and his stories to Gainesville in a return to the college comedy scene.

“I’m big into college sports and I love doing college campuses,” Burr said. “I think once you start getting a following your agent steers you toward doing theaters, but on occasion I do still like to do those; college kids are cool.”

Burr, 48, grew up outside of Boston and got his big break on “Chappelle’s Show.” After touring around the world for years, he now performs about 100 stand-up shows a year by his own estimate, and although he has dabbled in acting, he considers comedy his first love.

“If you watch an Oscars awards show from like 15 years ago on YouTube, like (with) half the people you’re like, ‘What ever happened to that guy? Where did she go? Who is that?’ It’s too fickle,” he said. “As a stand-up, I work for myself, I’m self-employed and if I don’t rip people off and keep giving them their money’s worth, they’re going to keep coming back to see me, and I’ll never be unemployed.”

Despite having worked on a number of TV shows, from sketch comedy to sitcoms to drama, Burr disagrees with those who see TV as more prestigious than stand-up.

“I think it’s a big mistake in this business to build up a following and then completely abandon it because you got a TV show. I think some people view a TV show as higher than doing stand-up and I don’t. I think stand-up is the coolest thing you could ever do,” he said.

In addition to his comedy tour, Burr’s time is also heavily occupied by “F is for Family,” an animated show that he co-created based off of stories from his childhood.

Along with Michael Price, a writer and producer for “The Simpsons,” Burr is now working on season two of the show after season one debuted on Netflix in December. Vince Vaughn serves as an executive producer for the show, which features voices from Burr, Laura Dern and Justin Long.

When he has any spare time, Burr is frequently a guest on late-night talk shows like “Conan” and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

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“When I was growing up it was great when comedians would do stand up but it was even better when they would sit and improv with the host,” he said. “Jimmy Fallon was a fun one to do but Conan is my main guy; when I go on his show, he’s the best.”

Tickets for Burr’s Gainesville show are limited, but can be purchased on the UF Performing Arts website for $41 to $51. The box office will be closed Friday due to Hurricane Matthew.

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