Brad Stine
Encyclopedia
Brad Stine is an American stand-up comedian, actor
, and author
. Relatively unknown until 2003, Stine first gained exposure when he "came out" as a conservative
Christian
on his debut album, Put a Helmet On!
called the Regents, and his mother was a housewife. He is the second of four children.
Stine's parents divorced when he was eight, but they later remarried and moved to California
, only to divorce again. He stayed with his father, who briefly left the auto-body business to travel with his brother to carnivals in the Midwest. His father later remarried and returned to his previous work.
stunts and began honing his comedy skills.
In the late 1980s, Stine was hired by a manager and toured colleges across the country with comedians Craig Anton
and Emery Emery. His first television appearance was on Showtime’s "Comedy Club Network."
Stine continued to work in comedy clubs and on TV, and eventually dropped his magic tricks and stunts. He started taking acting lessons and auditioned for movies and television shows. On the advice of a fellow comic, he eventually made his Christian faith and conservatism the focus of his act.
, with his wife Desiree, and their two children.
as "aggressive" with a "rat-a-tat delivery" and by The New Yorker
as "frantic, aggressive, and caustic, with echoes of Robin Williams
, Sam Kinison
, George Carlin
, and Alan Keyes
." However, unlike these and a lot of other comedians, Stine does not use profanity or sexual humor because of his Christian faith. He has been described as "a clean Denis Leary
" and his material targets "liberals, humanists, political correctness and judgmental Christians." Stine has claimed that his conservatism has sometimes resulted in the loss of appearances.
’s "Evening at the Improv
" and MTV
's "Half Hour Comedy Hour," and has appeared on news programs such as Fox News' "Hannity & Colmes
," CNN
's "Paula Zahn NOW" and "Glenn Beck
," and the NBC Nightly News
. Stine has also been interviewed on National Public Radio and has been featured on FOXNews.com and in Newsweek
, the New Yorker
, USA Today
, and several other newspapers nationwide. He was a featured performer for Promise Keepers
in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007. Also in 2004, he performed for "R: the Party," a party hosted by Jenna
and Barbara Bush
during the Republican National Convention
in New York City
. Stine has also appeared with Go Fish (Christian band)
for the song Christmas with a Capital "C", which convicts the politically correct term "happy holidays" and supports the use of the traditional term "Merry Christmas." In July 2011 he was a featured performer for the Western Conservative Summit.
that emphasizes "spiritual masculinity". GodMen's inaugural event was held on October 28, 2006, in Nashville
, Tennessee
, and drew 200 men. Their second event was held on March 10, 2007, in rented space at a Franklin, Tennessee, mall and drew about 300 men. Many more events were scheduled for 2007 and 2008.
, Sarah's Choice
, Homeless for the Holidays
and Christmas with a Capital C
.
with Chicago
natives Jeff Allen and Anthony Griffith. The four comedians have been touring the country as The Apostles of Comedy since 2008 and are scheduled through May 2009.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. Relatively unknown until 2003, Stine first gained exposure when he "came out" as a conservative
American conservatism
Conservatism in the United States has played an important role in American politics since the 1950s. Historian Gregory Schneider identifies several constants in American conservatism: respect for tradition, support of republicanism, preservation of "the rule of law and the Christian religion", and...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
on his debut album, Put a Helmet On!
Early life
Stine was born and raised in Pittsburgh PA by Jerry and Nancy Stine. His father was an auto-body repairman and front man for a local musical comboCombo
Combo may refer to:*A small musical ensemble, especially in jazz*Combo Waterhole, a real location in Australia, believed to be the inspiration for Waltzing Matilda...
called the Regents, and his mother was a housewife. He is the second of four children.
Stine's parents divorced when he was eight, but they later remarried and moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, only to divorce again. He stayed with his father, who briefly left the auto-body business to travel with his brother to carnivals in the Midwest. His father later remarried and returned to his previous work.
Early career
Stine started practicing magic tricks at age 13, which later led to his performing magic in Southern California bars and restaurants. Stine also learned to perform sideshowSideshow
In America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair or other such attraction.- Types of attractions :There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions:...
stunts and began honing his comedy skills.
In the late 1980s, Stine was hired by a manager and toured colleges across the country with comedians Craig Anton
Craig Anton
Craig Ward Anton is an American actor and comedian. Anton is most notable for being one of the original cast of comedians on sketch comedy television series MADtv and for his role as Lloyd Diffy in the Disney Channel Original Series Phil of the Future.-Early life and career:Anton, eldest son of...
and Emery Emery. His first television appearance was on Showtime’s "Comedy Club Network."
Stine continued to work in comedy clubs and on TV, and eventually dropped his magic tricks and stunts. He started taking acting lessons and auditioned for movies and television shows. On the advice of a fellow comic, he eventually made his Christian faith and conservatism the focus of his act.
Personal life
Stine lives in Brentwood, TennesseeBrentwood, Tennessee
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,445 people, 7,693 households, and 6,808 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,889 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.63% European American, 1.89% African American,...
, with his wife Desiree, and their two children.
Comedic style
Stine's style has been described by NewsweekNewsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
as "aggressive" with a "rat-a-tat delivery" and by The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
as "frantic, aggressive, and caustic, with echoes of Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
, Sam Kinison
Sam Kinison
Samuel Burl "Sam" Kinison was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Kinison was known for his intense, harsh and politically incorrect genre humor...
, George Carlin
George Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
, and Alan Keyes
Alan Keyes
Alan Lee Keyes is an American conservative political activist, author, former diplomat, and perennial candidate for public office. A doctoral graduate of Harvard University, Keyes began his diplomatic career in the U.S...
." However, unlike these and a lot of other comedians, Stine does not use profanity or sexual humor because of his Christian faith. He has been described as "a clean Denis Leary
Denis Leary
Denis Colin Leary is an Irish-American actor, comedian, writer and director. Leary is known for his biting, fast paced comedic style and chain smoking...
" and his material targets "liberals, humanists, political correctness and judgmental Christians." Stine has claimed that his conservatism has sometimes resulted in the loss of appearances.
Major appearances
Stine has appeared on several stand-up comedy shows, such as A&EA&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
’s "Evening at the Improv
The Improv
The Improv is a comedy club franchise. Originally, it was a single venue founded in 1963 by Budd Friedman and located in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City on West 44th near the SE corner of 9th Ave. A second location was opened in 1974 at 8162 Melrose Avenue in the Fairfax District...
" and MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's "Half Hour Comedy Hour," and has appeared on news programs such as Fox News' "Hannity & Colmes
Hannity & Colmes
Hannity & Colmes was a live television show on Fox News Channel in the United States, hosted by Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes, who respectively presented a conservative and liberal perspective. The series premiered on October 6, 1996, and the final episode aired on January 9, 2009. It was the...
," CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's "Paula Zahn NOW" and "Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck
Glenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...
," and the NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
. Stine has also been interviewed on National Public Radio and has been featured on FOXNews.com and in Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, the New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, and several other newspapers nationwide. He was a featured performer for Promise Keepers
Promise Keepers
Promise Keepers is an international conservative Christian organization for men. While it originated in the United States, it is now world-wide...
in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007. Also in 2004, he performed for "R: the Party," a party hosted by Jenna
Jenna Bush
Jenna Welch Bush Hager , is the younger of the sororal twin daughters of the 43rd U.S. President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush, and a granddaughter of the 41st U.S. President George H. W. Bush. She and her sister, Barbara, were the first twin children of a U.S. President...
and Barbara Bush
Barbara Pierce Bush
Barbara Pierce Bush is the elder of the sororal twin daughters of the 43rd U.S. President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush, and the granddaughter of the 41st U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and his wife Barbara Bush, after whom she was named...
during the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Stine has also appeared with Go Fish (Christian band)
Go Fish (Christian band)
Go Fish is an American contemporary Christian band, originally formed in 1993 by Jamie Statema.For 10 years they were mainly an adult oriented band, until 2003 when they released Splash!, an album aimed towards children. Since then Go Fish has released several more children's products...
for the song Christmas with a Capital "C", which convicts the politically correct term "happy holidays" and supports the use of the traditional term "Merry Christmas." In July 2011 he was a featured performer for the Western Conservative Summit.
GodMen
Inspired by author David Murrow, Stine founded GodMen, a proposed alternative to Promise KeepersPromise Keepers
Promise Keepers is an international conservative Christian organization for men. While it originated in the United States, it is now world-wide...
that emphasizes "spiritual masculinity". GodMen's inaugural event was held on October 28, 2006, in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, and drew 200 men. Their second event was held on March 10, 2007, in rented space at a Franklin, Tennessee, mall and drew about 300 men. Many more events were scheduled for 2007 and 2008.
Acting work
Stine has appeared in minor roles in a handful of big and small screen movies, including the films Welcome to ParadiseWelcome to Paradise
"Welcome to Paradise" is a song by the American punk rock band Green Day. It was released as the second single from its third studio album and its major label debut, Dookie. The original version of the song was released on the band's second studio album, Kerplunk and was re-recorded for Dookie in...
, Sarah's Choice
Sarah's Choice
Sarah's Choice is a 2009 Christian direct-to-video pro-life film directed by Chad Kapper. The film stars contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Rebecca St. James as the title character, along with Logan White and Dick Van Patten. Christian comedian Brad Stine also appears in the film, along with...
, Homeless for the Holidays
Homeless for the Holidays
Homeless for the Holidays is a 2009 Christian-Christmas film by Breathe Motion Pictures. The film was directed by George A. Johnson, who previously directed Dreamer: The Movie. Shooting began on April 18, 2009 in Fort Wayne, Indiana...
and Christmas with a Capital C
Christmas with a Capital C
Christmas with a Capital C is a 2010 Christian-themed film directed by Helmut Schleppi. The film's plot was based on a song of the same name by Christian band Go Fish, which in turn was inspired by one of actor Brad Stine's stand-up comedy routines...
.
Multimedia
Brad Stine currently has two books and five performance videos/recordings available. A VHS was also available for purchase on a nationwide church tour. In September 2008 Brad was featured in the multi-comedian DVD The Apostles of Comedy, which also features comedian/actors Ron PearsonRon Pearson
Ronald "Ron" Samuel Pearson is an American actor, comedian and world record juggler.He started his career as a stand up comic at night clubs, a warm up guy on numerous shows...
with Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
natives Jeff Allen and Anthony Griffith. The four comedians have been touring the country as The Apostles of Comedy since 2008 and are scheduled through May 2009.