Greek God of the Week: Lewis Black

Andrew Michael
Acacia

Lewis Black is performing at Assembly Hall October 7th as a part of his In God we Rust Tour. He was kind enough to give The Odyssey an interview.

I know you attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; how would you describe yourself in college?

I probably tried to get away with too much murder, but I had a great time. It was a great place to go to school because 24/7 you could either walk into a party or walk into your work, and I tried to make sure I balanced them.

You were also a brother at the Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity, can you describe your experience as a part of the house?

Well I was in the fraternity for a year, and then I dropped. It was kind of the place I got my feet on the ground because I transferred to UNC as a sophomore. UNC at that time had a 7:1 guy to girl ratio. So I joined the fraternity, in part, to cut down the odds for myself because those odds sucked! I still stayed good friends with the brothers, but I was no longer a part of the fraternity my junior year.

What was one of your favorite college memories?

We had this event called Jubilee, and the concert lineup for it was simply incredible. I got to see Janice Joplin and Tina Turner perform together, as well as the Allman Brothers when they were all alive.

What advice would you have to students to get the most out of college?

Just enjoy your time because this is as good as it gets. As soon as you graduate you’re going to have to get used to being surrounded by tons of jerks.

What is your overall opinion of Greek life?

When it’s an integrated and involved part of the campus, it’s a good thing; when they start thinking that they’re better than everyone or entitled, that’s when it falls off the tracks. Also, it’s pretty stupid to surround yourself with kids that are all the same as you, the smarter fraternities and sororities are the diverse ones.

You are obviously doing a show at Assembly Hall on October 7th, and visiting a bunch of college campuses on your tour as well. What do you particularly like about performing for college students?

I like the enthusiasm, the intelligence, the fact that I believe I have things to say to these kids that they can relate to. I also pride myself in, unlike other adults, not talking down to college students. While they might not completely be considered adults yet, you can still talk to them like adults.

Do you have any advice for those trying to get into the entertainment industry?

Kill yourself. It’s not easy and it’s not fun and a lot of people get into it for the wrong reasons. Many people try and make it the shortest distance between two points, and not everyone is Brad Pitt, so forget about it. You’re not gonna get a reality show, so forget about it. If you like doing it, the road isn’t that long, but if you’re doing it because you want to be famous, kill yourself.

Thanks to Matt Meyer for setting up the interview. If you would like to nominate someone to be the next Greek God or Goddess of the week, email me at andrewm@odyssey-midwest.com.

Andrew is a junior studying history and communication.  You may contact him at andrewm@odyssey-midwest.com.