Ronnie James Bio

"The grand wizard of classic rock. A poet of hope for the
downtrodden. The single most important vocal technician in the
history of heavy metal. All of these accolades have been garlanded
upon the royal roar known as Ronnie James Dio."

"The Dio canon is now regarded as above and beyond trend, one of
the few hallowed metal collections composing the very definition
of "classic rock". May the man preach, pontificate and power-chord
for many years to come. "

(www.ronniejamesdio.com/bio_dio.asp)

Troubadour. Truth teller. Sweater comic. Ish has been called all of these things. But perhaps more than anything else, he is a healer. He heals with his unique gift of laughter. He brings us together to celebrate our common humanity. He raises up the oppressed with his message of hope.

Ish may be the single greatest humorist in the history of mankind. He combines the cutting wit of Dorothy Parker, the folksy appeal of Will Rogers, and the incisive social commentary of Lenny Bruce. Immortals all, they look down upon us, titans astride the Olympus of American humor. But soon, they will be joined -- nay, eclipsed -- by Ish. And for the opportunity to watch his gift unfold we should be grateful.

He burst onto the comedy scene like a supernova, or some other similarly bright object. By turns sardonic and sincere, erudite yet unfailingly humble, he bypasses traditional performance interaction to connect directly with the souls of his audience. From the moment he first hit the stage, there was a sense that the comedy landscape would be altered forever, or at least for a fairly long period of time. His emergence heralded the beginning of a new age in comedy, when the very form itself would be reconceived and reborn. Comedians and critics alike were forced to ask themselves hard questions, such as "what is hack, really?", "did you ever notice?" and "how long has he been up there?".

His sets are not mere recitations of jokes. Rather, they transport you on a metaphysical journey that never returns you to the place you were, even if that's what you would have preferred since it was closer to where you parked.

His classic bits, such as "best study ever," and "banana/vagina" have already taken their rightful place in the firmament alongside such timeless classics as "Who's on First?", "7 words you can't say on television," and "you might be a redneck."

Watch. Enjoy. Savor this moment, for a giant walks among us.