# Larry the Cable Guy **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 11, 2006, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-the-cable-guy/360262 "2006-06-11T02:07:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-the-cable-guy/360262/21 "2006-06-16T07:02:58Z")
**Ferret Herder** said, "…you can be Mexican (or as he says, “a beaner”) without being born there, after all.’ That’s exactly right. I wasn’t born in Italy, and my father-in-law calls me a ‘Wop’. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-the-cable-guy/360262/22 "2006-06-16T13:28:53Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Video of Dan Whitney doing standup, NOT as Larry The Cable Guy. > [http://www.dead-frog.com/archives/2006/06/larry\_the\_cable\_guy\_dan\_whitney\_video.php](http://www.dead-frog.com/archives/2006/06/larry_the_cable_guy_dan_whitney_video.php) That is wierd. The jokes are in the same vein… just the character and delivery are different. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-the-cable-guy/360262/23 "2006-06-16T13:30:40Z")
Psst… PeeWee Herman isn’t a real guy either. Some dude named Paul Rubens. Dishonest bastard! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-the-cable-guy/360262/24 "2006-06-16T13:30:53Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Here’s another news flash! > Dame Edna is a man! I was happier before I knew this. A LOT happier :mad:. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-the-cable-guy/360262/25 "2006-06-16T15:18:10Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I was happier before I knew this. A LOT happier :mad:. Please tell me you did not just learn Dame Edna is a man. [Gob Bluth] Oh come on! [/Gob Bluth] ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-the-cable-guy/360262/26 "2006-06-16T18:18:27Z")
> [@Operation Ripper](#): > > Well, he did live in FL for like 30 years, do that not count as “growing up in the South?” No. No, it doesn’t. In no way is West Palm Beach “the South”. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-the-cable-guy/360262/27 "2006-06-16T18:37:32Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Please tell me you did not just learn Dame Edna is a man. > > [Gob Bluth] > > Oh come on! > > [/Gob Bluth] Okay, it was a Simpsons reference. ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-the-cable-guy/360262/28 "2006-06-17T06:06:12Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Psst… > > PeeWee Herman isn’t a real guy either. Some dude named Paul Rubens. > Dishonest bastard! Yeah, but when he did movies (or even on the Pee-Wee Herman show) he was listed in the cast as “Paul Rubens.” There was _never_ any attempt to give the illusion that Pee-Wee wasn’t a character played by an actor. I haven’t followed “Larry’s” career in any sense, and I’ve never seen his stand-up, but it irks me that he’s listed in the credits for **Cars** as “Larry the Cable Guy.” In that film, Mater is the character, voiced by Daniel Whitney. The voice may sound a lot like Larry’s, but it’s not Larry, the character, doing the voice for Mater. It just seems disingenuous. I agree with what is said above that “Larry” is a lot like the characters in professional wrestling (or rappers, for that matter), but a lot of them (though not all) use their real names when performing outside their usual field. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-the-cable-guy/360262/29 "2006-06-17T06:10:12Z")
> [@vaderspal](#): > > I haven’t followed “Larry’s” career in any sense, and I’ve never seen his stand-up, but it irks me that he’s listed in the credits for **Cars** as “Larry the Cable Guy.” In that film, Mater is the character, voiced by Daniel Whitney. The voice may sound a lot like Larry’s, but it’s not Larry, the character, doing the voice for Mater. It just seems disingenuous. What makes you think it’s not Daniel, the person, doing Larry, the character, doing the voice for the character in the movie? I haven’t seen it, but the previews and trailers sound nothing like the video of Daniel above. They sound like the character, Larry. ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-the-cable-guy/360262/30 "2006-06-17T06:32:06Z")
> [@Garfield226](#): > > What makes you think it’s not Daniel, the person, doing Larry, the character, doing the voice for the character in the movie? > > I haven’t seen it, but the previews and trailers sound nothing like the video of Daniel above. They sound like the character, Larry. Because a fictional character cannot play a fictional character in a real movie. Daniel, the actor, is performing Mater, the character, _in the style of_ his most popular character, Larry the Cable Guy. That’s probably why Pixar hired him to begin with, they probably thought the “Larry” voice would work well for Mater (and it does). But it’s still the _actor_ doing the voice, not the character. For instance, say that Tim Allen’s character in “Christmas with the Kranks” is very similar to his character in “Home Improvement” (I haven’t seen the movie, but just suppose). You still wouldn’t list the character name of “Tim Taylor” in the credits of the Christmas movie. ---
**Author:** ![Mayo\_Speaks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mayo\_Speaks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayo_Speaks)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-the-cable-guy/360262/31 "2006-06-17T07:12:20Z")
> [@vaderspal](#): > > Yeah, but when he did movies (or even on the Pee-Wee Herman show) he was listed in the cast as “Paul Rubens.” There was _never_ any attempt to give the illusion that Pee-Wee wasn’t a character played by an actor. > > I haven’t followed “Larry’s” career in any sense, and I’ve never seen his stand-up, but it irks me that he’s listed in the credits for **Cars** as “Larry the Cable Guy.” In that film, Mater is the character, voiced by Daniel Whitney. The voice may sound a lot like Larry’s, but it’s not Larry, the character, doing the voice for Mater. It just seems disingenuous. > > I agree with what is said above that “Larry” is a lot like the characters in professional wrestling (or rappers, for that matter), but a lot of them (though not all) use their real names when performing outside their usual field. Well, to the public this Dan guy is unknown, whereas Larry is well known. If (let’s say) Bono was in a movie, he almost certainly wouldn’t be credited as “Paul Hewson”. Ditto for Sinbad, Ice Cube, Madonna, Sting, et al. You could say that those guys aren’t characters like LTCG, but that’s splitting hairs IMO. I’d imagine that the Bono I see on TV is a very different guy than the Paul Hewson who eats dinner with his kids. Ergo, “Bono” is a character, but the public knows that character and not the man Paul Hewson. To me, Dan Whitney vs. Larry the Cable Guy is the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![RogueRacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RogueRacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogueRacer)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-the-cable-guy/360262/32 "2006-06-17T18:01:27Z")
I’ve posted something about this at least once before. I guess I’ll do it again. The BCCT guys all came through here a few years ago (separately). I had no real desire to see Foxworthy or Engvall. Some friends were going to see Larry the Cable Guy and invited my GF and I. It wasn’t in the “must see” zone of our radar, but with friends we figured it would be a good time. We were stoked about seeing Ron White. He was by far the funniest in the original BCCT, in my opinion. Larry the Cable Guy ended up being outstanding. I’m very glad we went. Sure the jokes are done in a crude, red-neck sort of way, but it was funny. The crowd seemed to agree. It turns out he (Dan Whitney) is a cousin (for real) of some people we know. I didn’t meet him, but I found out second hand from multiple sources that he came in a day early to hang out with these relatives. He went to a party with them. Everyone that I’ve talked to that met him said he was a great guy. After his show he announced that he would be available after the show to meet anyone who wanted to talk to him. He said he would stay however long it took. Ron White on the other hand was clearly just cashing a pay check. I will never waste money on him again. The only performer that I have ever seen mail in a performance as much as Ron White was Hank Williams Jr. (an ex-GF **had** to see him). On top of that, his new material just wasn’t funny. The crowd was flat for most of it. Ron White gets tons of love on this board. A majority seems to want to crap on Larry the Cable Guy. From my experience, the majority has it all wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-the-cable-guy/360262/33 "2006-06-17T18:05:43Z")
> [@Bambi Hassenpfeffer](#): > > No. No, it doesn’t. > > In no way is West Palm Beach “the South”. Yawn. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-the-cable-guy/360262/34 "2006-06-17T22:28:09Z")
> [@vaderspal](#): > > I haven’t followed “Larry’s” career in any sense, and I’ve never seen his stand-up, but it irks me that he’s listed in the credits for **Cars** as “Larry the Cable Guy.” In that film, Mater is the character, voiced by Daniel Whitney. The voice may sound a lot like Larry’s, but it’s not Larry, the character, doing the voice for Mater. It just seems disingenuous. Larry the Cable Guy is his stage name. A lot of famous actors (and some not-so-famous ones) have taken stage names over the years. Julius Marx preferred to be credited as Groucho Marx. Caryn Johnson prefers to be credited as Whoopi Goldberg. Daniel Whitney prefers to be credited as Larry the Cable Guy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-the-cable-guy/360262.md?page=1)