Laughing, Bill Engvall admits he may have reached the age where he views the world through a different lens -- something like the cranky old Muppets in the balcony.
Watching cyclists zip by on the trail behind his Los Angeles condo, he wonders why they have to act like they're competing in the Tour de France.
FAQ
Bill Engvall
WHEN — 6 & 9 p.m. Saturday
WHERE — Choctaw Casino Hotel in Pocola, Okla.
COST — $49 & up
INFO — 800-745-3000
He worries about the future for his son, who just finished college, "which is astounding. He finished his 10-year plan right on time. Now he's selling snowboards."
He grumps that when he starts a 9:45 p.m. show, he thinks "I should be horizontal by now."
"Things are changing, and it's weird for people in our generation," Engvall says. "We're in this generation that had changes happening early, and now we're having these major changes again. Our generation was probably the last one that grew up with the 'go to college, get a job, buy a house' plan. Now they don't want to settle down -- ever."
Engvall doesn't spend his shows being a grumpy old man -- even though he wants them to feel like conversations among friends. But he does talk about his wife Gail and their nearly 35-year marriage.
"I can't do any better," he says simply. "I'm always amazed at these guys who hit my age and just walk out. It's too easy to split up. Gail and I have our moments. We just don't put them on Facebook. If you didn't know us, we'd just be a normal couple. But we don't sit there when we're out to eat and stare at our iPhones. That's going to be the death of this society.
"If I had known when I was single that all I had to do was put on a wedding band [to meet girls], I'd have worn one a long time ago! When you're on stage, it's so weird. A girl will literally come up to you and say, 'I think it's so great how you talk about your wife. Wanna go have breakfast?' What am I going to do, push another baby stroller? That'd be a deal breaker!"
On the other hand, Engvall says, he's never been a huge star -- and he's fine with that.
"I'm at that age where I just want to have fun with my show. The entertainment audience is so fickle. You're hot, and then you're not. I've never been really hot, so I never had that real fall. My shows been really steady for the last 25 years. Don't think you're going to see a stand-up comic. I'm the funny guy in your living room."
-- Becca Martin-Brown