‘Everyman’ comedian Bill Engvall keeps the laughs coming in new special

Comedian Bill Engvall’s career has been bookended by atypical work schedules.

While first starting out, when comedy was a “cool hobby,” Engvall worked nights as a club DJ and slept in late.

Thirty-five years later, Engvall has made it so he performs mainly on the weekends, which gives him the rest of the week to relax with his wife, ride his horse or go fly fishing.

In between, Engvall has put in the work required to achieve that enviable schedule, including appearing on television shows like “The Jeff Foxworthy Show,” his own “The Bill Engvall Show” and “Dancing With the Stars,” and in movies like “The Neighbor” and “Wish for Christmas,” performing on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, writing three books, recording a podcast called “My Two Cents” and releasing more than a dozen comedy albums and DVDs.

Whew.

His latest special, “Just Sell Him For Parts,” brings him to the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel Thursday.

Throughout his career, Engvall has made and retained fans by simply being himself.

He stays away from political and religious material, saying those are private issues for each person. Instead, he sticks to what he knows, a tip he got from Jay Leno years ago, and writes about growing up in Texas and being a husband and father.

“What I try to portray and convey to people is the guy you see on stage is the same guy you’d see at the laundromat or at the store,” he said in a recent phone interview. “I’ve found that’s what people like is I’m just a real guy.”

One of Engvall’s popular bits, for example, involves his wife’s new snoring habit.

“I always know I’ve written a good joke when I see a husband or wife elbow each other like ‘Oh, that’s you,’ ” he said.

Engvall also has no trouble divulging the at times cringeworthy details about the various medical procedures he’s had in recent years, including knee surgery following his appearance on “Dancing With the Stars” and problems with a kidney stone, while still keeping the show clean.

“I put a lot of hard miles on this body and I think the collector’s saying ‘Alright it’s time to pay up,’ ” Engvall said. “People love hearing about your colonoscopy or they love hearing about your kidney stone because you now can say ‘I went through that too.’ ”

Occasionally a bit about the Hollywood side of Engvall’s life will make its way into a set. His time on “Dancing With the Stars,” for example, is heavily featured in “Just Sell Him For Parts.”

When he was first approached to be on the show, Engvall thought he was being asked to judge, not dance. He almost turned down the offer, but his wife convinced him to give it a shot.

The underdogs of the season, Engvall and his partner, professional dancer Emma Slater, surprised everyone by placing fourth through a combination of judges’ points and audience votes, knocking out strong competitors like actor Elizabeth Berkley Lauren and singer Christina Milian.

“At one point, the ABC executives came to me and they said ‘Bill, don’t take this the wrong way, but we didn’t know you had this many fans,’ ” Engvall said in “Just Sell Him For Parts.” “To which I replied, “Well apparently you’ve never dealt with rednecks.’ ”

Despite the knee surgery he needed after completing the show, Engvall looks back fondly on “Dancing With the Stars.”

For one thing, it exposed him to people who may not have otherwise known who he was. For another, it solidified his everyman status among fans.

“I don’t consider myself a celebrity because I think that’s not a great term…” he said. “I always tell them ‘I don’t want you to think of it like we’re going to see a stand-up comedian.’ I like it better when people think we’re sitting around the living room and I’m the funny guy doing the talking.”

Engvall ends “Just Sell Him For Parts” by thanking the audience for sticking with him throughout his decades long career.

Nearing 60, Engvall said he’s achieved every goal he’s set in the business, though he’s not ready to retire just yet.

“It’s been a wonderful career, and it continues on,” he said. “I’ll keep doing what I’m doing ‘til the people decide that they’ve had enough.”