Collegehumor.com writer performing comedy act at Bear's Place tonight

When Steve Hofstetter takes the stage tonight at Bear's Place, no subject will be safe. From Terri Schiavo, to his Jewish-Irish heritage, to his hatred of Larry the Cable Guy, nothing is off-limits for the up-and-coming comedian. \nThe head writer for CollegeHumor.com, who hosts a show, "4 Quotas," on Sirius Satellite Radio in addition to writing for ESPN and Maxim, is hitting it big. His comedy album, "Cure for the Cable Guy," is enjoying several months on the comedy charts. And he has way more Facebook friends than you.\nHe returns to Bear's Place tonight at Comedy Caravan. Hofstetter said he is looking forward to his return to the spot of his first road gig and the first place to put his picture on the wall. \n"It was my first road gig, and this is probably the 15th time I've performed here in four years. I absolutely love it," Hofstetter said.\nHofstetter is enjoying the success of his first album, which makes a statement about comedy's place in American culture. He attacks Larry the Cable Guy of Blue Collar Comedy fame for "promoting ignorance that promotes the downward spiral our country is on."\nDan Whitney's character, Larry the Cable Guy, upsets Hofstetter not because Whitney creates a fake persona but because Whitney is unwilling to accept that it's just a persona, he said. \n"(British comedian) Sacha Baron Cohen is Ali G, but he's still Sacha Baron Cohen," Hofstetter said. "He's not credited in other movies as Ali G." \nKnown as the "thinking man's comic," Hofstettler said it's important that people research what they're interested in so they can have educated conversations. \n"Not everyone has to be into politics and religion, but you should at least know what you're talking about," he said. "If your political conversation includes the words NASCAR, Jesus or dill hole, it's not a political conversation." \nOn the surface, Hofstetter's topics might come across as controversial, but he stresses looking beyond the surface of his words and focusing on the meanings. Though he might talk about taboo subjects he insists he's not as interested in shock value as he seems.\n"In the short run, shock value sells, but in the long run, truth works," he said. "I know people will be shocked by a Terri Schiavo joke, but I say it not to shock people but because I fully believe in it."\nHofstetter said hate mail riddled with spelling errors from people who don't take the time to make sense of his words floods his mailbox. Listeners hear volatile words and assume he's making insensitive jokes, but he said it's necessary to listen for the meaning. \n"If people understood the meanings of words, there would be no such thing as light ranch dressing," he said.\nTelling a joke once or twice on stage that you're not completely invested in is OK with Hofstetter, but he said if you're going to tell a joke for a couple years, you better be prepared to stand by it.\n"I stand by almost everything I say because I think before I speak, which is rare," he said.\nTo avoid becoming stale, Hofstetter is constantly writing new material and is working up bits for a new album. Of his 45-minute set, he likes to have about 20 minutes of new stuff. \n"I write all the time," he said. "If you want to hear the classics, get the CD."\nHofstetter's unwieldy number of Facebook and MySpace friends has attracted jealousy from some. He had to get friends to help him accept all his friendship requests, and Facebook administrators made him close his account because it was crashing their servers. \n"It's funny, because some schools are trying to ban it," Hofstetter said. "If anyone blames Facebook for their problems, then they really don't understand their problems."\nLike most comics, Hofstetter had to build up his act over time, struggling through some early sets.\n"Everybody bombs. Everybody bombs," Hofstetter said. "You only get better if you have a bad show"