For a quick lesson in futility, try striking up a debate with Adam Carolla.
"I'm not really into arguing with people," says the multi-versed comedian, author and radio/TV personality. "I know that what I think is right."
Carolla is in the midst of a tour alongside author and radio host Dennis Prager (Oct. 11, Ohio Theatre), with the two sitting down in front of audiences for thought-provoking talks on politics, religion, philosophy and whatever else they feel compelled to discuss. The evenings also include a question-and-answer session where "no topic is off limits." Carolla, for one, won't hold anything back.
"My thoughts, as painful as they may be for whatever group or individual I happen to be thinking about, as uncomfortable as it may be, it's not my opinion," says Carolla. "It's the truth."
Prager, an Ivy League-educated scholar, is known largely for his conservative political and social viewpoints. He also founded Prager University, a virtual education establishment. Carolla, on the other hand, got his start as co-host of the radio show Loveline with Dr. Drew Pinsky back in 1995. Since then, he has branched out in various ways — co-hosting The Man Show with Jimmy Kimmel, fronting his own morning radio program, appearing on Dancing with the Stars and Celebrity Apprentice, authoring a New York Times Best Seller and now running the current iteration of The Adam Carolla Show, one of the most downloaded podcasts on iTunes.
The fact that the two are teaming up actually makes sense, if only because they've seemingly done everything else on their own.
"I've always thought [Dennis] was a great mind," says Carolla from his home in Southern California. "He, of course, didn't know who I was. One of his engineers heard me talking about him on my podcast. He finally agreed to have me in [on his radio show], and I always knew it would be magical, and it was. Then somebody said, Why don't you two get together and do a show?"
The first one sold out, spurring them to book another at the same venue. Soon, they were scheduling shows across the country.
"I think [Dennis] was very skeptical, honestly," says Carolla. "I knew it would work. It's different. It's thoughts, it's talk, it's comedy, it's observations, it's Q&A — it's just sort of 'An evening with ...' kind of thing. It's just been nice."
Although they tend to agree on most of what they discuss, it's the differences in style that makes the pairing so intriguing. Carolla describes Prager as "wildly educated" and "not a yeller, he doesn't point his finger," while Carolla himself is known for being outspoken and unfiltered — something that has often stirred up controversy.
"I got in a bunch of crap [this summer] for allegedly saying that women weren't funny," says Carolla, acknowledging comments he made in June to the New York Post. "I never said women weren't funny. I said men were funnier than women, which happens to be a fact. It's the truth. I'm sorry it upsets people, I'm just reporting it."
It's one of the many topics sure to be discussed on the tour, of which Carolla is happy to have Cleveland as a participant ... sort of.
"I like Cleveland," he says. "It's too bad everyone from Cleveland has low self-esteem, but it's kind of nice, because you're like a good, 7.5 of a blonde that just got dumped by your boyfriend. You're easy pickings at a party."
That's certainly something one could argue, but with Carolla, what's the point?
