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Larry the Cable Guy is Serious about Entertainment

Most of the entertainment fans think Larry the Cable Guy is the funniest man on earth. But offstage, self-professed redneck Larry is not really Southern and not really interested in being funny. "I think people are way too into what comedians do," says Dan Whitney, "the Cable Guy", "If people like you, you`re a nice person and you`re funny and you resonate well with them, they`re going to support what you do."

The entertainment star Whitney, 43, a member of the popular Blue Collar comedy crew, should know. His album "The Right to Bare Arms" debuted at No. 1 on the country albums chart in April 2005 and is approaching platinum status (1 million sales) - rare for a niche market where production costs are quite low and 100,000 units sold is a success.

Whitney`s also having an impact in other spheres of the entertainment world. His film, "Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector," soon comes out on DVD. He`s also supplying the voice of Mater the tow truck in this summer`s Pixar hit, "Cars." The entertainment industry insiders say people turn to comedy when times are tough, although no one is claiming that war in the Middle East or rising oil prices are the sole reasons for comedy`s ascent. Whitney reacts: "I just consider what I do funny stuff. Anybody can laugh at it."