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Cupid’s Chase set for Saturday at Kirby Park

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Life Deconstructed: A 92 and a half year-old’s guide to life

<p>His fans will probably think it&#8217;s adorable that before he heads out to a new place, Dennis Miller likes to research it and find out something unique.</p><p>An interesting fact the comedian dug up about Wilkes-Barre &#8212; which he will visit March 2 when he and broadcaster Mark Steyn bring their &#8220;Adorable Deplorable&#8221; tour to the Kirby Center &#8212; is that Home Box Office got its start here.</p><p>Did you know that? he asked a reporter who had called him for a telephone interview.</p><p>Sure, I told him. It&#8217;s not that I hear local folks reminiscing every day about the early HBO subscribers, but there is a sign in downtown Wilkes-Barre that explains they signed up in 1972.</p><p>&#8220;That&#8217;s pretty cool,&#8221; Miller said when I told him where he could find the marker. &#8220;Trust me, I am going to look for it.&#8221;</p><p>He should be able to find it easily, since it&#8217;s not too far from the Kirby Center, where he and Steyn will take the stage for an evening billed as &#8220;thought provoking and comedic satirical conversation.&#8221;</p><p>When we spoke, Miller wasn&#8217;t sure what topics the duo might address, but noted &#8220;I am dedicating a lot of my time to the quirks and idiosyncrasies of social media.&#8221;</p><p>He also has some family material, viewed through the lens of being a parent.</p><p>&#8220;And then I have some political jokes.&#8221;</p><p>While Miller is often described as a conservative or, at least conservative-leaning, comedian his own take is &#8220;I&#8217;m as socially liberal as an individual can be&#8221; while being conservative on &#8220;fiscal stuff and the war on terror.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;There are enough targets on both sides of the aisle,&#8221; he said, adding that his hope for the show is &#8220;for conservatives and liberals to come away holding their lower right side and saying &#8216;That hurt.&#8217; &#8220;</p><p>His take on political division in this country is that &#8220;I&#8217;m 65 and it&#8217;s as polarized as I&#8217;ve ever seen it.&#8221;</p><p>But he&#8217;s hopeful the polarization will ease as people ask themselves, &#8220;Why am I wasting some of the hours I could be happy, being cranky? All I can do is vote.&#8221;</p><p>The &#8220;Adorable Deplorable&#8221; name of the tour harkens back to the &#8220;basket of deplorables&#8221; term Hillary Clinton used for some of her political opponents in 2016.</p><p>Miller says he didn&#8217;t immediately seize on it as something he could use, but thought to himself, &#8220;I bet she doesn&#8217;t think it&#8217;s a big thing&#8221; and &#8220;It&#8217;s going to be a big thing.&#8221;</p><p>When he and Steyn were deciding what to call the tour, &#8220;the comic in me wrote out about 10 names&#8221; and that one emerged the winner.</p><p>Describing Steyn as &#8220;intimately more informed on the state of the world,&#8221; Miller added, &#8220; I&#8217;m a comedian. He&#8217;s a genius.&#8221;</p><p>That sounds like a modest self-assessment for a one-time boy from Pittsburgh, who describes his hometown as &#8220;a good place to be raised.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;They don&#8217;t let you get too full of yourself,&#8221; he recalled with a laugh. &#8220;In Pittsburgh my friends would say, &#8216;Shut up. Don&#8217;t be a moron.&#8217; &#8220;</p><p>Among his accomplishments, Miller is a five-time Emmy Award winner for his HBO talk show &#8220;Dennis Miller Live&#8221; who can be heard hosting his radio podcast, &#8220;The Dennis Miller Option&#8221; and syndicated radio feature, &#8220;The Miller Minute.&#8221; His latest stand-up special, &#8220;Dennis Miller: Fake News - Real Jokes&#8221; is available on Amazon Prime.</p><p>Steyn is a recording artist and author of several bestselling books including &#8220;America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It&#8221; and &#8220;The Undocumented Mark Steyn.&#8221; His most recent CD, &#8220;Feline Groovy,&#8221; was a Top 20 album on the Billboard chart.</p><p><ins>The &#8220;Adorable Deplorable&#8221; tour comes to the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, 71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, at 8 p.m. March 2. Tickets start at $56.50. A VIP package includes premium seating, an opportunity to meet Miller and Steyn after the show and to take a picture with them, and an autographed gift to take home. For more info, call 570-826-1100 or kirbycenter.org.</ins> </p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Dennis Miller and Mark Steyn will come to the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts on March 2. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_miller.steyn_.jpg</photo0><caption0>Dennis Miller and Mark Steyn will come to the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts on March 2. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photo </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_DennisMiller.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Comedian Dennis Miller said the conversation could range from politics to family life to &#8216;the quirks and idiosyncracies of social media&#8217; when the &#8216;Adorable Deplorable&#8217; tour comes to the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts on March 2. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_DennisMiller.jpg</photo1><caption1>Comedian Dennis Miller said the conversation could range from politics to family life to &#8216;the quirks and idiosyncracies of social media&#8217; when the &#8216;Adorable Deplorable&#8217; tour comes to the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts on March 2. </caption1><photoCredit1>Submitted photo </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mary Therese Biebel</p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO </strong></p><p><strong>What: </strong>Adorable Deplorable Tour</p><p><strong>When:</strong> 8 p.m. March 2. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, 71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre</p><p><strong>Tickets:</strong> Begin at $56.50.</p><p><strong>VIP option:</strong> Includes premium seating, a chance to meet and take pictures with Miller and Steyn, and a gift to take home.</p><p><strong>Info:</strong> 570-826-1100 or kirbycenter.org </p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

‘Adorable Deplorable Tour’ heading to Kirby Center