October 2, 2025 • 10 mins
Bill Engvall is hitting the Event Center at the Rhythm City Casino in Davenport on Friday night, October 3rd. He's out of retirement and ready to make you laugh. Hear what he loves and is up to now!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning. It's Bill ing Vote.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Hi Bill, Hey, thank you so much for calling.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Oh, thank you guys.
Speaker 3 (00:06):
Oh my gosh, we're so excited to have you in
at the Rhythm City Casino with your tour. You're so funny.
I'm Texas born, but you're so funny. I literally don't
understand how people get into comedy because we're.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Not trained to do anything else.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Well, well, you know, it's one of those things.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Do you do you grow up kind of being the
class clown? Do people sign your yearbook? Hahaha?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I knew you were always funny. I mean, how does that?
How did you get started on this?
Speaker 3 (00:38):
You know?
Speaker 1 (00:39):
I never I always liked My dad always had Bob
Newhart records and stuff. So, I mean, I liked comedy,
but I didn't know you could make a living at it.
And I just kind of fell into it and went
on and open mic night, just on a dare and
found I loved it and the people seemed to like
the style I was doing, and so it just kind
(01:01):
of went from there and it just the train started
rolling and I've loved every minute of it.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Yea from the Blue Blue Collar Comedy Tour. The Jeff
Foxworthy Show, The bill Ingvall Show, and you know what,
I even remember Delta.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Don't don't judge me.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
God, okay, so let me. I'll tell you a story
about Delta show. So it was after she had left
Designing Women and so she got her own show and
they were going to shoot a pilot. Well I got
called in for an audition to be her nephew or
something like that, and it was just a reoccurring role.
(01:43):
I wasn't even a regular and it was just for
the pilot. But I don't know if I was just
so naive or or stupid that I just assumed I
was going to be on the show as a regular.
And the the guy that was producing, a guy named
Barry Kimp, said, you were so excited. We felt so
bad that you were just on the pilot and that
(02:04):
was it that they made me a reoccurring character.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Talk about guilting him.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Yeah. Well, I wish I could tell you I did
it on purpose, But it was just like, oh, I
mean I came in on do we get a chair
with our name on it? And you know we're the
dressed in rooms and we're you know, COSTU is like
they were like, oh my god, we what do we
do with this guy?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Well, give him his own TV show. Yeah, that's what
you do, right, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
I guess. And then you know, that was such amazing,
you know, and that's kind of the comedian's holy grail
is getting your own show. And I remember we were
going to shoot the pilot and right before we started shooting,
I walked outside and on those big stage doors. We
were one stage away from where they shot Seinfeld and
I just remember looking at that door and I said,
(02:51):
the bill Ing Bow Show. And I said, you made it.
You did, You did what you wanted to do. And
Jennifer Lawrence, we gave her her first job if you
played my daughter, right, And Uh, it's just you know,
I got to tell you, it's this career has been
something that you can only dream about. Uh, it's you know,
(03:12):
the and just even to the fact that, like I'm
talking to you, it's like people want to hear from you,
they want to interview you stuff, and that's that's really cool. Uh.
At Plus, like my fans there in the area of
the Quad Cities area have always been They've been with
me since the Funny Bone Comedy Club way back in
the nineties. Yeah, yeah, and it's uh, I'm so excited
(03:38):
to get back in that area just because of that
that I always had such great fans there and would
come out to the club and now here we are
Rhythm City Casino and uh of coming out of retirement, uh,
which was weird. Yeah, because yeah, you know, I you know,
in hindsight, what I should I was just getting burnt out, sure,
(03:59):
and what I should have done is just taken a break.
But retirement, my wife and I would talk to We
talked a nauseum about it, and you know, we made
it through COVID, but I knew COVID would end retirement. Man,
you're together twenty four to seven, and.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Uh, yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
I learned things about my wife that I didn't know
after you think, after forty two years of marriage, I
wouldn't know everything there is I know about that woman.
But I discovered that she likes to walk through open houses. Oh,
we have no intent on buying this house. We aren't
even going to put an offer in, but she just
likes to walk through and see how the other people live.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Oh, that's so funny.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
What you know?
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Great for stand up?
Speaker 3 (04:42):
I mean, stand up is not easy and I'm you know,
any time I've ever heard you do stand up, it's
always so based on real life.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Well, I found early Thank god, I found this out
early on. You know, I know I've written a good
joke when I see a husband or a wife kind
of elboid other kind of going, that's you right there,
because I think that's what people want. They want to
know that you're like them, that you're and you know,
this is where I really am am proud to say
(05:13):
that I learned that early on. And again I am
just like you. You know, you could live next door
to me and you wouldn't have any idea what I did.
But and that's what I wanted my career to be
because I think if by not trying to change who
I am, I am true to who I am. And
that's your next door neighbor who just happens to be funny.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Yeah, the whacky next door neighbor. Maybe a little bit
of that.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Yeah yeah, well yeah, definitely whacky. Uh, but you know
it's uh, it's it's been such a fun career and
I just decided I am not I'm not going to
turn my you know, there's an old phrase, the rednecks
out there will know this phrase you dance with who
brung In? And uh, that's that's you know, the Good
(06:01):
Lord has given me the ability to make people feel
better through laughter, and who am I to turn my
back on it?
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Absolutely?
Speaker 3 (06:06):
So, if you had to look back at your career, well,
when you look back at your career, which isn't done,
but what would you say, like maybe one instance that
was like your favorite part?
Speaker 1 (06:19):
You know, that's a great question. And I will tell
you what. In nineteen ninety one, I think it was,
they had the American Comedy Awards, and it was the
first year they had let the public vote as opposed
to know, some panel that decides who they think is
(06:39):
the funniest. And I was up against a bunch of
guys that for guys that I really respected in the business.
And when Joan Rivers called my name as the winner
of the Best Male Stand Up in a Nightclub, I
joke my wife and I look back at the tape.
(07:01):
Sometimes my wife and I get the same look that
trailer park people get when they see a UFO.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
You know, I love that.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
But that was that award put me on the map.
And then blue Collar, Blue Collar was by far the best.
You know, you imagine you with three of your buddies
selling out arenas and people going crazy. That that was
such an amazing experience that I wish I remember. I
(07:32):
would before every show we would do, I would walk
out to the stage in this arena and I would
look at the empty seats and go, somebody's pickets to
see this show. And that's that's crazy.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
It's so funny that that amazes you, because that just
really does show how grounded you are. I I literally
love what you do and just the fact that it's
so real life. I was very sad to hear when
you were like, oh, you know, I'm going to retire,
but so happy that you're coming out of retirement, especially
for the big show on Friday.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
So what thank you?
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (08:08):
And now, how how many dates so far besides the
one on Friday are you doing for this return to fame.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
I'm what I've decided is that I'm going to do
just en updates to keep it fun. Yeah, you know
where it's because I really love what I do. I
love the fact that you know, and talking about what
we're talking about earlier is the people that are coming
out to the show who've already bought tickets. There's a
hundred different ways they could have spent their money, and
(08:36):
the fact that they're choosing to come see me really
really makes me proud. And the show I'm you know,
you're back to your original question. I don't know the
answer to that, just because I keep saying, oh, I'm
only going to do this many shows. But I love
being on stage. I love hearing people laugh, and I
always you know, my my one thought is I want
(08:57):
people to leave my show feeling better than when they
got there. You know that that last, because nothing's better
than a good laugh. And the show's going to be
so much fun. We've got some new material, we're going
to do some of the old classic bits, and it's
just going to be a blast. And I can't wait
to get back on stage.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
We can't wait to see you. I'm so excited about
Friday show. And if people do still want to get tickets,
I don't know how many there are left, because I
think it's going to be like to the rafters here,
but Rhythmcitycasino dot com you can head over to the
marketplace and see if there are any left too, but
packed house. I know it's going to be a great
time on Friday night.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Bill, we can't wait to have you.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Well, I can't wait to get back in that area.
And I'm just happy that the boat doesn't leave the dock.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Now, yeah, me too, because yeah, exactly, we don't have
to worry about getting seasick.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Well, I'll tell you a real quick story. When I
was working at the Funnybone there, me and the other comic. Now,
this was back when the boat had to leave the
docks and it would go down the river and turn
around and come back. And I think we had like
twenty bucks each, and we cut through that in about
we hadn't even I don't even think they'd undone the
rope yet. And we've lost our twenty bucks. And so
(10:15):
for the rest of the time we set up with
the older people on the top deck watching the factory
go by.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Well, hey, that's not a bad way to spend.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Your time, No, it was.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
It was very lovely.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Well, yes, we're glad that we get to stay in
one place so people can filter in and have a
great time.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Bill.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
So happy to have you in town on Friday night,
Rhythm City Casino and until then, safe travels.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Okay, thanks and thank you. Again for doing this. I
really appreciate you, know, you guys and radio. You've you've
been behind me for the whole career, and I do
appreciate it.
Good morning. It's Bill ing Vote.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Hi Bill, Hey, thank you so much for calling.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Oh, thank you guys.
Speaker 3 (00:06):
Oh my gosh, we're so excited to have you in
at the Rhythm City Casino with your tour. You're so funny.
I'm Texas born, but you're so funny. I literally don't
understand how people get into comedy because we're.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Not trained to do anything else.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Well, well, you know, it's one of those things.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Do you do you grow up kind of being the
class clown? Do people sign your yearbook? Hahaha?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I knew you were always funny. I mean, how does that?
How did you get started on this?
Speaker 3 (00:38):
You know?
Speaker 1 (00:39):
I never I always liked My dad always had Bob
Newhart records and stuff. So, I mean, I liked comedy,
but I didn't know you could make a living at it.
And I just kind of fell into it and went
on and open mic night, just on a dare and
found I loved it and the people seemed to like
the style I was doing, and so it just kind
(01:01):
of went from there and it just the train started
rolling and I've loved every minute of it.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Yea from the Blue Blue Collar Comedy Tour. The Jeff
Foxworthy Show, The bill Ingvall Show, and you know what,
I even remember Delta.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Don't don't judge me.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
God, okay, so let me. I'll tell you a story
about Delta show. So it was after she had left
Designing Women and so she got her own show and
they were going to shoot a pilot. Well I got
called in for an audition to be her nephew or
something like that, and it was just a reoccurring role.
(01:43):
I wasn't even a regular and it was just for
the pilot. But I don't know if I was just
so naive or or stupid that I just assumed I
was going to be on the show as a regular.
And the the guy that was producing, a guy named
Barry Kimp, said, you were so excited. We felt so
bad that you were just on the pilot and that
(02:04):
was it that they made me a reoccurring character.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Talk about guilting him.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Yeah. Well, I wish I could tell you I did
it on purpose, But it was just like, oh, I
mean I came in on do we get a chair
with our name on it? And you know we're the
dressed in rooms and we're you know, COSTU is like
they were like, oh my god, we what do we
do with this guy?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Well, give him his own TV show. Yeah, that's what
you do, right, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
I guess. And then you know, that was such amazing,
you know, and that's kind of the comedian's holy grail
is getting your own show. And I remember we were
going to shoot the pilot and right before we started shooting,
I walked outside and on those big stage doors. We
were one stage away from where they shot Seinfeld and
I just remember looking at that door and I said,
(02:51):
the bill Ing Bow Show. And I said, you made it.
You did, You did what you wanted to do. And
Jennifer Lawrence, we gave her her first job if you
played my daughter, right, And Uh, it's just you know,
I got to tell you, it's this career has been
something that you can only dream about. Uh, it's you know,
(03:12):
the and just even to the fact that, like I'm
talking to you, it's like people want to hear from you,
they want to interview you stuff, and that's that's really cool. Uh.
At Plus, like my fans there in the area of
the Quad Cities area have always been They've been with
me since the Funny Bone Comedy Club way back in
the nineties. Yeah, yeah, and it's uh, I'm so excited
(03:38):
to get back in that area just because of that
that I always had such great fans there and would
come out to the club and now here we are
Rhythm City Casino and uh of coming out of retirement, uh,
which was weird. Yeah, because yeah, you know, I you know,
in hindsight, what I should I was just getting burnt out, sure,
(03:59):
and what I should have done is just taken a break.
But retirement, my wife and I would talk to We
talked a nauseum about it, and you know, we made
it through COVID, but I knew COVID would end retirement. Man,
you're together twenty four to seven, and.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Uh, yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
I learned things about my wife that I didn't know
after you think, after forty two years of marriage, I
wouldn't know everything there is I know about that woman.
But I discovered that she likes to walk through open houses. Oh,
we have no intent on buying this house. We aren't
even going to put an offer in, but she just
likes to walk through and see how the other people live.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Oh, that's so funny.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
What you know?
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Great for stand up?
Speaker 3 (04:42):
I mean, stand up is not easy and I'm you know,
any time I've ever heard you do stand up, it's
always so based on real life.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Well, I found early Thank god, I found this out
early on. You know, I know I've written a good
joke when I see a husband or a wife kind
of elboid other kind of going, that's you right there,
because I think that's what people want. They want to
know that you're like them, that you're and you know,
this is where I really am am proud to say
(05:13):
that I learned that early on. And again I am
just like you. You know, you could live next door
to me and you wouldn't have any idea what I did.
But and that's what I wanted my career to be
because I think if by not trying to change who
I am, I am true to who I am. And
that's your next door neighbor who just happens to be funny.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Yeah, the whacky next door neighbor. Maybe a little bit
of that.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Yeah yeah, well yeah, definitely whacky. Uh, but you know
it's uh, it's it's been such a fun career and
I just decided I am not I'm not going to
turn my you know, there's an old phrase, the rednecks
out there will know this phrase you dance with who
brung In? And uh, that's that's you know, the Good
(06:01):
Lord has given me the ability to make people feel
better through laughter, and who am I to turn my
back on it?
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Absolutely?
Speaker 3 (06:06):
So, if you had to look back at your career, well,
when you look back at your career, which isn't done,
but what would you say, like maybe one instance that
was like your favorite part?
Speaker 1 (06:19):
You know, that's a great question. And I will tell
you what. In nineteen ninety one, I think it was,
they had the American Comedy Awards, and it was the
first year they had let the public vote as opposed
to know, some panel that decides who they think is
(06:39):
the funniest. And I was up against a bunch of
guys that for guys that I really respected in the business.
And when Joan Rivers called my name as the winner
of the Best Male Stand Up in a Nightclub, I
joke my wife and I look back at the tape.
(07:01):
Sometimes my wife and I get the same look that
trailer park people get when they see a UFO.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
You know, I love that.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
But that was that award put me on the map.
And then blue Collar, Blue Collar was by far the best.
You know, you imagine you with three of your buddies
selling out arenas and people going crazy. That that was
such an amazing experience that I wish I remember. I
(07:32):
would before every show we would do, I would walk
out to the stage in this arena and I would
look at the empty seats and go, somebody's pickets to
see this show. And that's that's crazy.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
It's so funny that that amazes you, because that just
really does show how grounded you are. I I literally
love what you do and just the fact that it's
so real life. I was very sad to hear when
you were like, oh, you know, I'm going to retire,
but so happy that you're coming out of retirement, especially
for the big show on Friday.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
So what thank you?
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (08:08):
And now, how how many dates so far besides the
one on Friday are you doing for this return to fame.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
I'm what I've decided is that I'm going to do
just en updates to keep it fun. Yeah, you know
where it's because I really love what I do. I
love the fact that you know, and talking about what
we're talking about earlier is the people that are coming
out to the show who've already bought tickets. There's a
hundred different ways they could have spent their money, and
(08:36):
the fact that they're choosing to come see me really
really makes me proud. And the show I'm you know,
you're back to your original question. I don't know the
answer to that, just because I keep saying, oh, I'm
only going to do this many shows. But I love
being on stage. I love hearing people laugh, and I
always you know, my my one thought is I want
(08:57):
people to leave my show feeling better than when they
got there. You know that that last, because nothing's better
than a good laugh. And the show's going to be
so much fun. We've got some new material, we're going
to do some of the old classic bits, and it's
just going to be a blast. And I can't wait
to get back on stage.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
We can't wait to see you. I'm so excited about
Friday show. And if people do still want to get tickets,
I don't know how many there are left, because I
think it's going to be like to the rafters here,
but Rhythmcitycasino dot com you can head over to the
marketplace and see if there are any left too, but
packed house. I know it's going to be a great
time on Friday night.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Bill, we can't wait to have you.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Well, I can't wait to get back in that area.
And I'm just happy that the boat doesn't leave the dock.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Now, yeah, me too, because yeah, exactly, we don't have
to worry about getting seasick.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Well, I'll tell you a real quick story. When I
was working at the Funnybone there, me and the other comic. Now,
this was back when the boat had to leave the
docks and it would go down the river and turn
around and come back. And I think we had like
twenty bucks each, and we cut through that in about
we hadn't even I don't even think they'd undone the
rope yet. And we've lost our twenty bucks. And so
(10:15):
for the rest of the time we set up with
the older people on the top deck watching the factory
go by.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Well, hey, that's not a bad way to spend.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Your time, No, it was.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
It was very lovely.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Well, yes, we're glad that we get to stay in
one place so people can filter in and have a
great time.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Bill.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
So happy to have you in town on Friday night,
Rhythm City Casino and until then, safe travels.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Okay, thanks and thank you. Again for doing this. I
really appreciate you, know, you guys and radio. You've you've
been behind me for the whole career, and I do
appreciate it.
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