Gottfried brings his scorched earth brand of comedy to ROH Saturday

Never at a loss for words, Gilbert Gottfried will tee up his comedy game Saturday at the Rochester Opera House. (Courtesy photo)

2017© ROCHESTER - When folks come up to Gilbert Gottfried on the streets of Manhattan these days the first thing they say is, "Boy, you must have a lot of material, look at the government."

"My act has never been geared to politics," he says, however. "And ever since I was on Celebrity Apprentice, they think I like really know Donald Trump like I'm one of his advisers."

Gottfried was the third contestant fired in the NBC show's seventh season, but it's not like the veteran standup comedian, actor and former voice of the Aflac duck ever has trouble finding work.

Right now he's doing a lot of standup dates throughout the East Coast, which brings him to the Rochester Opera House on Saturday at 8 p.m., plus he does a podcast titled "Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast in which he discusses classic movies and talks to "Hollywood legends and behind-the-his talents who influenced his comedic career.

Gottfried even had a documentary made about him, "which means you either found a cure for some horrible disease or you're dead," he quipped Thursday during a phone interview from his Manhattan home.

The documentary made its debut to rave reviews at the Tribeca Film Festival this year, but Gottfried has his reservations about allowing them to make it.

"The documentary follows me around to a few clubs on the road, then takes a look at home life, but when I talk about it it scares me," he explains. "So I always think of that scene in the Wizard of Oz when the wizard says, 'Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.'"

"I feel like the man is me. I'm always afraid when you reveal yourself if that is going to hurt yourself and hurt your performance."

Well, it hasn't yet.

While rocketing to stardom in the 1980s with roles on Saturday Night Live and Beverly Hills Cop II and the 1990s in Problem Child and as the voice of the parrot Iago in Aladdin, Gottfried continued to hone his often risqué, sometime raunchy insult humor at many of America's best comedy clubs.

When asked what folks can expect from him Saturday night at the Rochester Opera House, he deadpans, "They can expect to sit there for five minutes and then look at each other and say, 'What are we doing here?'"

Those of the faint of heart should be aware Gottfried's humor can go a little over the top, if not a lot.

He's actually pushed the boundaries a little too far a couple of times in his career, like when three weeks after the 9/11 attacks he joked that he tried to get a direct flight, but "they said they have to stop at the Empire State Building First."

"Definitely parts of my act that are dirty, over the top, not the kind of thing you play at the church social," he said. "But basically I'm like the crazy person on the subway who's just talking to themselves, that's me."

Which he probably does a lot living in Manhattan with his wife Dara Kravits and his two young children, Lily and Max who are 8 and 10.

At 62, the always brash always unpredictable Gottfried is actually a family man.

So after doing Saturday Night Live, movies, TV shows, podcasts and video games, what's his favorite venue?

"Whoever's waving a check in my face that moment," he says matter of factly.

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