Trae Crowder and Corey Ryan Forrester share a lot in common, starting with both being stand-up comedians from the South. They both got big boosts in their careers after posting viral videos Crowder in 2016 with The Liberal Network, in which he delivers scathing political commentary you might not expect to gibe with his accent, and Forrester in 2021 with his alter ego Buttercream Dream, a faux professional wrestler who proves to be surprisingly enlightened.
At the same time, the two have very distinct styles of comedy that have complemented each other as they collaborate on several projects. With fellow comic Drew Morgan, theres the wellRED Comedy Tour and podcast, along with the book The Liberal Redneck Manifesto. And Crowder and Forrester also host the Puttin on Airs podcast and have just released a new book, Round Here and Over Yonder: A Front Porch Travel Guide by Two Progressive Hillbillies (Yes, Thats a Thing.)
Published just this week, the book contains stories of their travels from all over the United States, as well as a recent tour to the U.K., told in the pairs distinctive voices in fact, they highly recommend the audio book if thats your thing. But they also stress that the physical copy is, in Crowders words, a great toilet book. He elaborates: Because its essays and such, you can pick it up and put it down, you can skip ahead or do whatever you want. Its easy to read in trips to the toilet.
As guided by the pair, youll get travel tips on finding the best spots in each city for food and fun as well as good-natured observations about each place visited. Making fun of something and hating it are not mutually exclusive, notes Forrester. I could sit here and make fun of Dave Busters for two hours, but at the end of the day, theres not many places better to watch a football game. Like, there are 10 Fast and the Furious movies for a reason.
I spoke with the comedians about life on the road, how their act plays from town to town and how much acting comes into their personas.
Youve travelled all over do you notice dramatic differences in how the comedy plays on different coasts? Or even when you went to the U.K., did you have certain expectations?
Corey Ryan Forrester: It went better than I expected in the U.K. I mean, we I knew that wed have a good time. And I knew that were both professionals. And the end of the day, we know how to do comedy, even if our comedy is not for you.
Trae Crowder: I feel like hes downplaying it a little bit. I literally thought, These people are not going to be able to understand the words that are coming out of my mouth! Who cares if they get the reference points, they wont even understand the words Im saying! But it went well. I know that a big part of my comedy hinges on the crowd knowing this accent is considered to be dumb sounding. I asked our tour guide if that came across and he said, Uh, yeah, I think they get that. I think pretty much everyone on Planet Earth knows that.
Forrester: And we do play a little different when we travel. For instance, when we do shows in the South, were lucky enough that people who come to our shows generally know who we are. Its not a bunch of random people at a comedy club. We actually tend to poke a little more fun at the South when were there because were amongst friends. Its that old joke of well, we can say that! On the West Coast, I probably make more fun of coastal elites. Its like the opposite of pandering, if thats a thing.
How much of your stand-up do you think of as acting because youve created these personas the Liberal Redneck and Buttercream Dream who are characters. How much of it is you and how much is a performance?
Crowder: There are parallels with acting for sure, and it varies from stand-up to stand-up. Sometimes Ill go out and do more voices and accents and characters, but its not at the level of someone who is doing sketch and improv and brilliant characters onstage. With the Liberal Redneck videos, I like to say that its me cranked up to 11. I come from a very rural, white trash, redneck background and Im a progressive guy. Its not a totally different person, it all comes from an authentic place.
Forrester: Likewise, the Buttercream Dream is 100% acting, but the things I say as him, I wholeheartedly believe. Theres no doubt that when you go on the stage, you crank it up a little bit, because its show business youre putting on a show. But when Im on stage, theres not one part of it I dont touch Im over here, Im over there. But thats how I am, Im a bubbly personality. Its how I am when Trae and I are just talking, and I get excited because I see a Waffle House. Its different from a total character like Andrew Dice Clay, which God bless him, thats awesome.
I find comedians often make great actors. How much are you looking to expand as actors and even stretch yourself into, say, dramatic roles?
Crowder: Im absolutely open to it. John Mulaney has a famous bit about watching Law Order and the guy at the bar who wont stop unloading boxes while discussing a brutal murder. I did a couple episodes of Veronica Mars and essentially played that guy. But I didnt have formal training originally, and when I moved out here, I started taking classes. And it made a huge difference for me. I think back on auditions I went on before I started studying and I just cringe. There are plenty of people who are complete naturals but for me, the classes made a huge difference. And our coach, Myra Turley, specialized in comics who want to be actors, so it was perfect for me.
Forrester: Ive done some short films, including a pretty dramatic one thats not out yet. I do think stand-up helped me just in terms of being comfortable in front of people. And Ive done some audio dramas that Ive really enjoyed. Id love to do all kinds of things behind the camera and in front of it.