Steven Wright's Angle on the world

Steven Wright's official biography reads: I was born. When I was 23 I started telling jokes. Then I started going on television and doing films. That's still what I am doing. The end.

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In truth, he is somewhat more complicated, but the deadpan tone and understated delivery are pure Steven Wright. The comedian, actor and Academy-Award winning writer brings his trademark comic timing and seemingly inexhaustible one-liners to Juneau on Friday, Oct. 4, for a performance at Centennial Hall.

Wright, 46, has built a national following over his 20-year career as a performer by commenting on the obscure, paradoxical and ironic aspects of everyday life.

"I'm mainly observing, just looking at what's going on, seeing from a different angle, twisting it around," he said.

He doesn't do impersonations, dirty jokes or ethnic humor. He doesn't comment on politics or world affairs. He's interested in the big things - the galaxy and how our brains work - and little things - dryer lint, sponges and hinges.

"That's just what interests me, humor-wise," he said.

Steven Wright

When: 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4.

Where: Centennial Hall.

Tickets: $25.20, available at Hearthside Books.

This is Wright's first trip to Juneau, but he's come to Alaska before. He has an old high school friend in Palmer, and his performance in Anchorage, the day after the Juneau show, will be an opportunity to visit. Then he heads to Las Vegas for four nights. He called the contrast between Alaska and Vegas "surrealistic."

Steven Wright on getting ideas and writing comedy (4.5 MB .wav format)

Also about writing songs and playing music (600 K.wav format)

"It's so extreme," he said. "You might not think about it because you live in Juneau, but I'm from New England. When I come back it's like I've gone on a space ship."

Wright grew up in Burlington, Vt., one of four kids. He said he privately aspired to comedy but did not actively pursue it until he started writing jokes in his early 20s. A talent scout caught him delivering his one-liners at a Boston comedy club/Chinese restaurant in 1982 and booked him on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson." The show launched his career.

Wright has had cameos and roles in 18 movies, starting with "Desperately Seeking Susan" in 1985 and including "Natural Born Killers" and "Reservoir Dogs." He won an Oscar in 1989 for Best Short Live-Action Film for "The Appointments of Dennis Jennings," which he co-wrote and starred in. He's released the Grammy-nominated comedy album, "I Have a Pony," and made two HBO stand-up comedy specials. He recently wrote, directed and starred in a 30-minute film, "One Soldier."

Writing is his bread and butter, but he doesn't treat it like a job.

"I just run my errands and hang around and go places," he said. "I'm just wandering around and something will hit me, but I don't go out to try and get something to hit me. I guess my subconscious is always looking for the thing, you know?"

Wright doesn't sweat writer's block or running out of ideas.

"It's like rain. It might not happen for a week. Then it'll just start raining," he said. "So then when I don't think of anything, I never get nervous about it because I know it's going to come at some point. It might sprinkle, it might be a storm. It's thinking - you could never stop thinking."

Wright complements his writing with other, noncommercial artistic pursuits, including making abstract acrylic paintings and writing songs.

"I've been painting since high school," he said. "I don't try to show or sell. For me it's fun. You don't need any logic. You go completely by how you feel. I love writing comedy - it's my favorite of all the things I do, but it's logical, it has to make almost mathematical sense on one level."

He plays guitar and writes songs, and although he incorporates a few songs into his performances, it's something he mostly does for himself.

"When I do my show I play these four insane songs. They're funny, but when I make these other things they're serious," he said. "I just love to play music and make up songs. Guitar is great, you just pick it up and hit a few chords and it's happening. Other art forms take so many steps."

Painting and writing are pretty similar, he said.

"I just like creating," he said. "It's all coming from the same thing, just playing, fooling around. It's all fooling around."

Wright moved west and lived in Los Angeles for a dozen years, but recently returned to New England and moved to Rye, a little seacoast town in New Hampshire.

"I never liked Los Angeles, I was always there for show business, acting and stuff, and then I just got fed up," he said. "I didn't like the environment. I'm very affected by what I see and it's really an ugly city and then I just said, 'Forget this - I'm going back to see a snow storm, I want to see some pine trees.'

"Doesn't matter where I am. My brain just keeps going. And then I just go on the road, and it doesn't matter where I start from."