Album Notes

When redheaded comedian Darren Carter, saw the infamous “Kick a Ginger” episode on “South Park,” he had to smile.
For the uninitiated, “Ginger” is the British nickname for redheads. In the “South Park” episode grammar school student Cartman leads a campaign against redheads who he says “are disgusting, inhuman, inherently dumb, have no souls, and are unable to survive in sunlight.”

Carter thought the episode was hilarious — a brilliant parody of the idiocy of racism and prejudice. But the comedian, who was raised in Fresno and attended Roosevelt High School, did have some reservations.

“If I was a kid in junior high, I don’t think I would have thought it was that funny, though,” Carter said. “I was pretty much harassed by the kids because of my red hair and freckles. And the idea of kids being encouraged to kick gingers made me shudder.”

Carter was pleased, though, when he heard about the anti-“South Park” campaign
“Hug a Ginger,” in reaction to school yard incidents in which redheads were, well, kicked.

“For a ginger, it was heartwarming to see the backlash,” he said. “I can’t tell you how many times I was called Opie growing up.”

That childhood experience, though, led Carter to a virtual gold mine of comic material.

His act is full of impersonations, social commentary and observational comedy inspired, at least in part, by creating coping mechanisms in dealing with his childhood tormentors. He has performed on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” several Comedy Central specials and had a small part in 2005’s “Be Cool.”

The whole “South Park” episode also inspired him to title his latest CD “That Ginger’s Crazy,” a play on Richard Pryor’s ground-breaking comedy album that infamously used a racial epithet in its title.

This Comedy CD is a hilarious non-stop representation of what it's like being at a live comedy show watching Darren Carter. The perfect gift for comedy fans!