Duo use comedy as vehicle to get across positive message /By Justin Joiner justin.joiner@capjournal.com

Submitted by rob on Sat, 2011-11-05 12:11

 

Duo use comedy as vehicle to get across positive message
 
 
Duo use comedy as vehicle to get across positive message
Terry Ree plays a comedic country song for students at T.F. Riggs High School Thursday.
 
 
Posted: Friday, November 4, 2011 1:12 pm
By Justin Joiner justin.joiner@capjournal.com
 
PIERRE — Somewhere, deep in their set, behind the jokes about nymphomaniacs, sagging tattoos and Charlie Sheen, comedians Terry Ree and Bruce Williams had a positive message for students at T.F. Riggs High School.
 
It was blatant: “Stay in school and never get a job in your entire life,” Ree joked.
Surrounding the positive message, which also included not doing drugs, were jokes about President Barack Obama, Norwegians and angry wives – a typical performance for the musical comedy duo, sometimes known as the “Indian and the White Guy.”
But despite humor some people may find offensive, Ree says comedy is a good vehicle to get positive messages out to students.
“That is what we’ve always done. We just kind of weave the two together,” he said.
Although he jokes that he is not sure if it has any effect.
Tynell Kocer, a T.F. Riggs graduate who saw the performance for the students, said she thought it did have an effect.
“I think the funny twist on it made the kids pay attention to it,” she said. “I thought they were hilarious.”
Thursday’s performances, one for students and one for the public, were sort of a homecoming for Ree who graduated from T.F. Riggs High School. His nephew, Mike Stroup, is the assistant principal at the high school.
“It is always good to come home,” Ree said.
After graduating high school, Ree said he had two choices – go to Vietnam or go to school, so the choice was easy. He attended Black Hills State College, which is now Black Hills State University, where he met Williams.
The duo originally set out to play music, but eventually comedy became a bigger draw for their crowds and now they incorporate and mixture of both into their sets.
The evening performance was a fundraiser for the school’s Native American program, which hosts a graduation powwow for seniors and eighth-graders.
Williams said the duo will continue their Summer of Love tour across the state.
“The Summer of Love was three years long, so that is how long this tour is going to be,” he said.
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