Christopher Titus is ready to deliver his uncompromising humor at Spokane Comedy Club

Mar. 3—It's not surprising that George Carlin is Christopher Titus' favorite comedian. Much like the late, iconic Carlin, who was as much philosopher and wordsmith as a standup, Titus is raw, blunt and uncompromising. Unlike many of his peers, Titus, 57, doesn't care who he offends.

"I'm doing a bit on white supremacy in my show, and I prove that it's bull," Titus said while calling from New York. "A guy at a recent show walked out and told me to stop my self-hating. I could do the 'Git-R-Done' (Larry the Cable Guy) material, but I don't want to do it. Gabriel Iglesias is funny. Everybody loves him, and he's playing theaters. But me, I'm playing to 140 people a night as I rip through COVID and the COVID conspiracy."

Titus, who will perform Friday through Sunday at Spokane Comedy Club, will wax about his dysfunctional family, his career and trippy experiences such as his recent brush with death at the dentist.

"I was having some extensive dental work done," Titus said. "I was given some nitrous, and I had an out-of-body experience. I floated to the roof of the room and then to the sky and then to deep space, where I saw Earth. When I came back, I told my dentist, and he said that I experienced what they call a dip. He's this Russian guy who just said, 'You dipped and had maybe little death.' He said not to worry, 'You're here now.' "

Titus isn't for everybody and has no problem with that, which brings to mind a quote from an old interview I did with Richard Lewis. "If everybody loves you, you suck," Lewis said. Titus laughed while recounting a member of the audience who wasn't amused by a recent performance.

"During a show, a guy who looked like he was on his way to a Civil War re-enactment, said, 'I wish you would do something funny,' and the audience booed him. I said, 'Maybe you just don't get it, dude.' It goes back to Carlin, he made you question your beliefs. I'll never be Carlin, but I'm trying. I'm from the clan of white trash, but I'm not white trash enough to be in the clan."

Titus grew up in North Hollywood with a mentally unstable mother and a father who had difficulty expressing his feelings for Titus. Much of his life was grist for the material from his show, "Titus," which ran for four seasons and debuted just after the turn of the century.

While falling asleep as a prepubescent, Titus would listen to Bill Cosby and Carlin comedy albums. "I knew since I was a kid that I wanted to be a comedian," Titus said. "When I got out of high school with my D- average, I gave myself four years to make it as a comedian. When it worked out, my dad said, 'I didn't know you wanted to be a comedian.' I said, "I told you that I did, but you never listened.' "

When Titus was nominated for a Writers Guild Award for best sitcom, he received a note from his father. "He left this purple Post-It for me, which just said, 'I didn't know you could write your own name,' Love, Pop.' It was difficult understanding our relationship."

But all the flaws and foibles make Titus' material interesting and compelling. Titus' unsparing take on the world is refreshing since he never panders.

"I just want to push the audience as far as I can and then give them light at the end." Titus' daughter, Keni Titus, 20, is sort of following in his footsteps. "It's a little different for her since she is a singer, and I'm a comedian," Titus said. "But her passion for writing songs is just as intense as my desire to write comedy."

And his daughter's material is a bit different since Titus lets her know how he feels about her. "I'm very proud of her," Titus said. "She's amazing. I'm excited about her future, and I'm excited about mine."