“I’d feel bad inside if I did. I’ve never been good at curbing myself,” she said. “Oklahoma’s got some fucked-up politicians, but it’s also got Wayne Coyne, so … I’m all in.”

Editor's note: The July 2 performance has been postponed. Here's a note from WinStar World Casino & Resort: "Due to unforeseen circumstances, Sarah Silverman's WinStar World Casino and Resort performance on Saturday, July 2nd has been postponed. All tickets will be honored when the new date is set. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to rescheduling as soon as possible."

Click on Sarah Silverman’s Twitter feed during an election year, and the actress and standup comic is in the fight, posting scathing broadsides or just making certain her followers get the straight scoop.

Silverman, who brings her standup set to Oklahoma 8 p.m. Saturday at WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, said her progressive politics and election-year frenzy come from her upbringing in Bedford, New Hampshire, the center of the universe during primary season.

“It’s funny because my standup isn’t political at all for some reason,” Silverman said during a recent email exchange with Oklahoma Gazette. “I mean, it’s socially political for sure in places, but yes, on Twitter I get into it. I grew up with parents who took very seriously their rights as active citizens. My mom’s jewelry box was filled with political buttons. She was a photographer for the McGovern campaign. We always had campaign volunteers staying at our house on election years.”

That spirit was in effect during the political off-season, as well; her father, Donald Silverman, was trained as a social worker and owned a clothing store called Crazy Sophie’s Factory Outlet in Bedford. During winter, he would merge his two vocations, heating the store’s vestibule so homeless people could make it through the cold New England nights. Silverman said her passion for social justice might be the reason she goes straight for the transgressive sexual, religious and societal jokes that populate her act.

“If you’re too close or care too much, you become a puddle of feelings and paralyzed,” she said. “I can only be funny about it if I can get some distance from it. ”

Heavy subjects

Silverman started her standup career in 1992, and the following year, she earned a featured performer/writer slot on Saturday Night Live, surviving 18 weeks in Lorne Michaels’ comedic churn but getting cut after none of her written sketches made it to air that season. But that year of frustration led to projects such as The Larry Sanders Show, Mr. Show and The Sarah Silverman Program on Comedy Central that better suited her unique voice. She stays busy but doesn’t subscribe to the “one hour of new material per year” philosophy of her friend Louis C.K., preferring to let the material evolve naturally.

“I’ve done two specials 10 years apart,” she said. “I’m sure I had material for a couple specials between that time, but I’m terrible at monetizing what I do. It’s a product of keeping my overhead so low, I suppose. That said, I feel ready to do another special, so I suppose I will in the near future.”

Silverman’s enduring popularity and outspoken nature occasionally turn her into a target. In late June, she was the butt of an anti-Semitic tweet by former reality TV star Tila Tequila that became widely reported in the press. She said it happens too frequently to count.

“I get that every day, all the time,” Silverman said. “If I let it, it can scare me  … but I can be very brave if I just don’t read it. All that hatred was in people before the Internet. I just never saw it. So it’s smart, I think, to continue to not see it as much as I can, though every once in a while, I’ll retweet one so they can feel what it’s like to actually be held slightly accountable.”

But her fearlessness gets its best forum on stage, where nothing is sacred and nearly everything is gleefully profane. She said that she never tempers her material, even when performing in the most conservative states.

“I’d feel bad inside if I did. I’ve never been good at curbing myself,” she said. “Oklahoma’s got some fucked-up politicians, but it’s also got Wayne Coyne, so … I’m all in.”

Print Headline: Straightforward standup; Outspoken comedian Sarah Silverman performs Saturday at WinStar World Casino & Resort.

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