Description
After graduating from the University of South Florida with a chemical engineering degree, Gallagher got his first taste of life on tour in 1976 as Jim Stafford's road manager. Stafford and Gallagher went out to California in 1979 and Gallagher decided to take the stage himself. He began honing his own comedy act while hanging out at both the Comedy Store and the Ice House. As his audience grew, Gallagher became most noted for wielding his trademark Sledge-O-Matic. He showered his audience with the pulverized remains of apples, oranges, lettuce, cottage cheese, and pound cakes. Show goers turn up already "Gallagherized:" wearing plastic raincoats, goggles, sunglasses, and refer to the front of the theatre as "Death Row." Gallagher has the distinction of being the first real star to come out of cable television. To date he has done sixteen specials: Uncensored Evening, Mad as Hell, Too Real, Totally New, That's Stupid, Stuck in the 60's, The Maddest, Melon Crazy, The Bookkeeper, Over Your Head, The Messiest of Overboard, The Leap Year Marathon, We Need a Hero, Smashing Cheeseheads, and the most recent Sledge-O-Matic.com. The Sledge-O-Matic DVD collection is available on EBay and Amazon.com, and you can purchase VHS tapes, 2-Bak caps, ponchos, and additional fan gear on Gallagher's website at www.gallaghersmash.com. Being one of the most thoroughly calculating performers in the world of entertainment, he writes all of his own material, runs his own operation, and does over 100 concerts a year, selling out the majority of them. All of Gallagher's affairs are handled exclusively by his company Sold Out Shows. Gallagher is a self- contained touring business with an agent, promoter and road manager all in-house. For the last twenty five years, Ruth Ann Propper has booked and promoted all of Gallagher's dates across the country. Gallagher calls Propper his "Personal Promoter," which he says every performer needs. Due to the fact that Gallagher wanted to be in control of his own business, he took off one hat as a comedian and put on another as a promoter and internet specialist. One of the reasons Gallagher has always been a successful touring attraction is that his ticket prices are very advantageous to the market. He has always been several dollars under everyone else. Gallagher's not greedy; he doesn't ask a huge ticket price. His fans always get more than their money's worth when they see a Gallagher show, with 110% from Gallagher. Before every show, he has an autograph signing party in the theatre, where fans can get his autograph and a picture with him. Flash photography is allowed at every Gallagher event. A Gallagher concert is an unforgettable experience. He is a keen and original observer of human nature and the American scene. "My humor makes people think," Gallagher says. "I want people to look more closely at this country and their lives to see the humor and absurdity in it all …I don't have to make it up, the truth is funny enough."