A cliché tenet of comedy is making jokes that are relatable. Oftentimes a comic will go on stage and grumble about day jobs, childhood nostalgia, or the differences between men and women because relatability triggers a laughter response. Relatable premises don’t guarantee good jokes, but rather, easy laughs (I mean, think about Internet memes). But veteran standup comic Steven Wright mines for laughs differently, and doesn’t ever move past “Is this joke funny?” to do it. Wright has little stage presence, zero energy, a droll monotone and modest looks – so why is he one of the most revered, respected, and legendary presences in American comedy? It’s all because of his jokes. Full of double-meanings, subtle irony, wordplay, and anti-humor, Wright’s jokes are often just sentences or one-liners that sometimes contain multitudes, and sometimes contain very little. “One night, I stayed up all night playing poker with Tarot cards; I got a full house and four people died.” “I like to reminisce with people I don’t know; granted, it takes longer.” “I used to be a narrator for bad mimes.” Wright packs so much funny into one sentence – just think how much he packs into 90 minutes …

Steven Wright • Jan. 17, 7:30pm • State Theatre, 316 Eau Claire St. • Tickets: $35-$40 • (715) 832-ARTS (2787) • eauclairearts.com