Bubba’s
Back
in Town
By
Maggie Cramer
Pensacola
Downtown Crowd
After
returning from the bright lights of Las Vegas, local comedian Bubba Bechtol is
already gearing up for the road again. DTC caught up with Bubba while he had
some time off to find out how he enjoyed headlining a Vegas show, how his
successful career began, and what he has up his sleeves for the future.
Let’s start out with a little bit of trivia. Did you know that Bubba
is the number one nickname in
America
? And that’s a good thing.
Al
though the name Bubba is sometimes used to represent a stereotype or
“redneck” character, the name has also come to mean a friend, pal, and
amigo. That’s an idea that local comedian James Terryl Bechtol, called
Terryl as a child and Bubba nowadays, likes.
Bubba
Bechtol has been a Gulf Breeze native since 1970, when hurricane Camille
forced him to leave the
Mississippi
Gulf
Coast
where he was born and raised. Since then, his journey as an entertainer has
been a whirlwind. After working in politics, when he ran for the U.S.
Congress, and as a professional speaker, Bubba entered the world of comedy.
“I got started right out here on
Pensacola
Beach
,” he says, noting that he would perform during the White Sands Panhandle
Band’s breaks at the old Sun Ray Taco Shop on the boardwalk. “I had never
done it [comedy] before in my life,” Bubba remarks. “I was 47 years old
before I ever did the first bit of comedy.” He used his experience working
on the motivational speaking circuit, and, from there, his career took off:
Bubba moved to
Nashville
, signed a record deal with MCA records, and put out a comedy album for the
label. Bubba’s third album and first release with MCA, I’m Confused, hit
it big, selling around 220,000 copies.
Al
l three of Bubba’s album sales total around 600,000 copies.
Al
though his journey has
been successful, Bubba’s learned some lessons about being a comedian along
the way. Because of his background in politics, Bubba started out performing
political humor. His first album, Bill Ain’t
No Bubba, was a politically charged reflection of Terryl’s
opinions. However, he learned quickly that political humor, more often than
not, alienates half the audience. Bubba’s second album, Bubba Unclogged,
described the character of Bubba—a middle class, lovable galoot, with a
brainy side as well. Before the release of his third album, the brand of
“redneck comedy” began to enter the media’s scope. Jeff Foxworthy came
out with the catchy “You might be a redneck if” jokes. According to Bubba,
a rising tides lifts all boats. In this case, the tide was Foxworthy’s brand
of redneck comedy. Foxworthy’s routine “gave me permission to go ahead and
do the things I was holding back on.
Al
l of a sudden it was chic to be a redneck,” Bubba says. His third album was
a reflection of this new brand of comedy. “I didn’t change markets, the
market changed on me.” Bubba describes his present stand-up routine as
“current events comedy. My comedy is quick; it’s opinionated; it’s just
the way Bubba sees the world.”
As
Bubba became better known with the release of each album, other doors swung
open. About eight years ago, he began making regular guest appearances as a
comedy act on the Grand Ole Opry, performing as
legends like
Jerry
Clower and Minnie Pearl had previously. His
performances on the Opry caught the eye of a
Las Vegas
producer, who then recruited Bubba for a show called Redneck Comedy Live
alongside comedians Killer Beaz, Sam Griesbaum
and Dick Hardwick. The show drew crowds during the months of October and
November of 2006, while Bubba performed as the show’s headlining act on the
world-famous Vegas strip. Despite the show’s success as a crowd-pleaser,
reviews declared the family-friendly show “not edgy enough for Vegas,” a
location often referred to as “
Sin
City
.” While the other comedians decided to change the show’s tune, making it
for older audiences only, Bubba opted out. “I had a decision to make, and I
said ‘Okay, I can’t do this. I’ve never done it, and I’m not going to
start now,’” Bubba remarks, confidently. “I don’t regret it a bit. I
headlined a show in Vegas for more than 30 days. That was one of my dreams. I
can mark that off my list now.”
But
it’s not over for Redneck Comedy Live. The show, in its original
all-ages format, will begin touring the country in February, after Bubba gets
a little respite at home.
A
hometown show is likely coming up soon. Bubba, who has served on Pensacola
Little Theatre’s Board of Trustees for the past two years, enjoys performing
for a local audience, despite the extra work that goes into preparing for and
performing a show on home turf. “It’s easier when I’m away. I hate to go
out there and be funny in front of people that know me and I have to live
with. I have to be a little more careful, because they’re just going to take
it personally,” Bubba notes. “When I’m in a strange town, I don’t
care, because I’m getting on a bus, and I’m leaving there that night!”
While
Bubba is used to the traveling required of an entertainer, he admits that
he’s looking forward to some downtime after the upcoming Redneck Comedy
Live tour. He’s currently working with a local publisher on a book
entitled Who’s Your Bubba?—a
collection of articles he has written over the span of his career. He also has
more ideas in the works, including a book explaining the sayings of Buddha in
Bubba’s words, “so people know what Buddha is
talking about.”
For
now and for the future, Bubba is focused on adding “author” to his resume.
He looks forward to a book tour after the release of Who’s Your Bubba.
“I’d like to have as much success with my book as I had with my albums,”
Bubba says. He also recently recorded a live album in Chumuckla
at the Farmers’ Opry entitled Igmos—a
cross between ignorant and moron—on which Bubba gives the world his picks
for the top twenty Igmos in the country. Igmos
is due to be released in the spring of this year.