---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Detroit is drunken idiots. It was no…"
description: "\"Detroit is drunken idiots. It was no surprise to me. I performed with Kenny Rogers for one year as his opening act, and I got to visit every major Amer..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/674/gallagher-36375_act_detroit-is-drunken-idiots-it-was-no-surp_305527.jpg"
---

#  Detroit is drunken idiots. It was no surprise to me. I…

![“Detroit is drunken idiots. It was no surprise to me. I performed with Kenny Rogers for one year as his opening act, and I got to visit every major American city and notice the audience, and Detroit was one of the worst.” quote by Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/674/gallagher-36375_act_detroit-is-drunken-idiots-it-was-no-surp_305527.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/674/gallagher-36375_act_detroit-is-drunken-idiots-it-was-no-surp_305527.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/674/gallagher-36375_act_detroit-is-drunken-idiots-it-was-no-surp_305527.jpg)

> “Detroit is drunken idiots. It was no surprise to me. I performed with Kenny Rogers for one year as his opening act, and I got to visit every major American city and notice the audience, and Detroit was one of the worst.”

[Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gallagher/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Criticizes Detroit as a poor audience, using hyperbolic language based on personal touring experience.

**In simple terms:** Calls Detroit a terrible audience.

Key Takeaway

Avoid broad negative stereotypes.

Themes

criticism regional bias comedy audience perception travel

Mood

critical humorous

Type

observational satirical

When to use this quote

- tour planning
- audience analysis
- regional marketing

Key Concepts

stand‑up comedy cultural commentary performance critique

Questions to Reflect On

- What factors truly affect audience reception?
- How can comedians adapt to diverse crowds?

A Different Perspective

Generalizations can alienate and misrepresent.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/)

## Related quotes

> [I would say about 90 per cent of drunken idiots in comedy clubs wear ties, particularly in London where I work most of the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-mack/i-would-say-about-90-per-cent-of-drunken-idiots-in-comedy-clubs-wear/)

[Lee Mack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-mack/)

> [When I was really little, I listened to Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Barbara Mandrel, Crystal Gayle, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, and Patsy Cline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-bell-bundy/when-i-was-really-little-i-listened-to-dolly-parton-loretta-lynn/)

[Laura Bell Bundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-bell-bundy/)

> [Maggie Rogers is great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-lawrence/maggie-rogers-is-great/)

[Trevor Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-lawrence/)

> [Cameron Rogers writes like a magician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-j-bishop-2/cameron-rogers-writes-like-a-magician/)

K. J. Bishop

> [Will Rogers was an American hero - someone you could get your teeth into and love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-scott/will-rogers-was-an-american-hero-someone-you-could-get-your-teeth/)

[Willard Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-scott/)

> [Well, Ben Rogers, if I was as ignorant as you I wouldn't let on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/well-ben-rogers-if-i-was-as-ignorant-as-you-i-wouldn-t-let-on/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Will Rogers wasn't helpful to me at all. He was just concerned with his way of doing things. He didn't like me much because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-o-sullivan/will-rogers-wasn-t-helpful-to-me-at-all-he-was-just-concerned-with/)

[Maureen O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-o-sullivan/)

> [I first started writing historical fiction in the late '70s and kept pictures of Kathleen Woodiwiss and Rosemary Rogers on my refrigerator until my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-henley/i-first-started-writing-historical-fiction-in-the-late-70s-and-kept/)

[Virginia Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-henley/)

> [“Healing is the way of the heart. This book is an invitation to open our heart. Healing is a love affair with life. Healing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-dhyan-giten/healing-is-the-way-of-the-heart-this-book-is-an-invitation-to-open/)

[Swami Dhyan Giten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-dhyan-giten/)

> [To paraphrase the great Will Rogers, El Rusho never met a pharmacist he did not like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/to-paraphrase-the-great-will-rogers-el-rusho-never-met-a-pharmacist/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [We were only allowed to watch Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers and 3-2-1 Contact!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-leigh-cook/we-were-only-allowed-to-watch-sesame-street-and-mr-rogers-and-3-2-1/)

[Rachael Leigh Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-leigh-cook/)

> [I'm like Will Rogers, I never met a man I didn't like... well, Eichmann maybe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-benny/i-m-like-will-rogers-i-never-met-a-man-i-didn-t-like-well-eichmann/)

[Jack Benny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-benny/)

> [“By placing Rogers in context, then, we can finally see that his compassion was not a vague feeling of warmth and fuzziness, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-g-long/by-placing-rogers-in-context-then-we-can-finally-see-that-his/)

[Michael G. Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-g-long/)

> [Lee Ann Womack is from near where I grew up in East Texas, so I've always looked up to her. I sang a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/lee-ann-womack-is-from-near-where-i-grew-up-in-east-texas-so-i-ve/)

[Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/)

> [“war is not nice because it’s such a waste, as Queen Sara puts it. It wastes precious resources that could otherwise be used for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-g-long/war-is-not-nice-because-it-s-such-a-waste-as-queen-sara-puts-it-it/)

[Michael G. Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-g-long/)

## More by Gallagher

> [I know what people laugh at. I know their vocabulary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gallagher/i-know-what-people-laugh-at-i-know-their-vocabulary/)

[Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gallagher/)

> [I don't know why they say "you have a baby." The baby has you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gallagher/i-don-t-know-why-they-say-you-have-a-baby-the-baby-has-you/)

[Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gallagher/)

> [People don't know how to behave in public anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gallagher/people-don-t-know-how-to-behave-in-public-anymore/)

[Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gallagher/)

> [I have spent my life paying attention to my art form, developing my art form, worrying about my show and what I'm bringing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gallagher/i-have-spent-my-life-paying-attention-to-my-art-form-developing-my/)

[Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gallagher/)

> [I need wrong to get laughs. I need a normal world so that I can be abnormal, and that's my problem. Comedians need prejudice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gallagher/i-need-wrong-to-get-laughs-i-need-a-normal-world-so-that-i-can-be/)

[Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gallagher/)

> [I know that I am an excellent live performer. I know that I have spent my life paying attention to my art form, developing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gallagher/i-know-that-i-am-an-excellent-live-performer-i-know-that-i-have-spent/)

[Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gallagher/)

> [“Don't you wish there was a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence? There's one marked 'Brightness,' but it doesn't work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gallagher/don-t-you-wish-there-was-a-knob-on-the-tv-to-turn-up-the-intelligence/)

[Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gallagher/)

> [Parents are trying to be friends with their kids rather than draw the line and tell them what proper public behavior would be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gallagher/parents-are-trying-to-be-friends-with-their-kids-rather-than-draw-the/)

[Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gallagher/)

> [I don't want to overthrow the government. I wanna fire 'em.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gallagher/i-don-t-want-to-overthrow-the-government-i-wanna-fire-em/)

[Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gallagher/)

> [I was the first one to allow a projectile to come off of the stage and into the audience. And I kind of take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gallagher/i-was-the-first-one-to-allow-a-projectile-to-come-off-of-the-stage/)

[Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gallagher/)

> [I don't say that I'm going to be like every other comic that's blue, or gratuitous use of language. I do try to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gallagher/i-don-t-say-that-i-m-going-to-be-like-every-other-comic-that-s-blue/)

[Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gallagher/)

> [Why do we call it a hot water-heater when there's no need to heat hot water?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gallagher/why-do-we-call-it-a-hot-water-heater-when-there-s-no-need-to-heat-hot/)

[Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gallagher/)

[Explore all 13 Gallagher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gallagher/)

## More Act quotes

> [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/)

[Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/)

> [Teachers' unions don't act in the interest of most teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/teachers-unions-don-t-act-in-the-interest-of-most-teachers/)

[Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/)

> [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [People take years learning how to act; it's a skill, not just a job. If I tried it out and thought I'd be OK,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/people-take-years-learning-how-to-act-it-s-a-skill-not-just-a-job-if/)

[Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/)

> [Self-discipline is an act of cultivation. It require you to connect today's actions to tomorrow's results. There's a season for sowing a season for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ryan-blair/self-discipline-is-an-act-of-cultivation-it-require-you-to-connect/)

[Gary Ryan Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ryan-blair/)

> [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/)

Vashti Quiroz-Vega

> [I always advise people not to act upon the advice that I give them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/i-always-advise-people-not-to-act-upon-the-advice-that-i-give-them/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [I have no interest in watching myself act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wesley/i-have-no-interest-in-watching-myself-act/)

[Paul Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wesley/)

> [“Don't wait, just sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/don-t-wait-just-sweat/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [I do believe some people can naturally act and don't know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-arnold/i-do-believe-some-people-can-naturally-act-and-don-t-know-it/)

[Andrea Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-arnold/)

> [Regardless of what I do, whether I write a book or whether I act or whether I host, I'll always do stand-up comedy because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-mandel/regardless-of-what-i-do-whether-i-write-a-book-or-whether-i-act-or/)

[Howie Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-mandel/)

> [On 'Workaholics,' I feel like I'm just hanging out with my buddies being filmed, but on 'Mindy,' I'm around professional funny people who act.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-holm/on-workaholics-i-feel-like-i-m-just-hanging-out-with-my-buddies-being/)

[Anders Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-holm/)

> [I'm not an artist, and I want to take risks, and when the possibility of failure occurs, it's because the idea is all exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/i-m-not-an-artist-and-i-want-to-take-risks-and-when-the-possibility/)

[Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/)

> [I don't have a huge amount of gear, but on the software side, I have a number of plug-in chains that act as abstracted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hopkins/i-don-t-have-a-huge-amount-of-gear-but-on-the-software-side-i-have-a/)

[Jon Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hopkins/)

> [I honestly didn't know that I wanted to act until I was probably 12.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-rae-mayo/i-honestly-didn-t-know-that-i-wanted-to-act-until-i-was-probably-12/)

[Miranda Rae Mayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-rae-mayo/)

Browse all 1,802 Act quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Detroit is drunken idiots. It was no surprise to me. I performed with Kenny Rogers for one year as his opening act, and I got to visit every major American city and notice the audience, and Detroit was one of the worst.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gallagher"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gallagher/detroit-is-drunken-idiots-it-was-no-surprise-to-me-i-performed-with/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Act"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gallagher/detroit-is-drunken-idiots-it-was-no-surprise-to-me-i-performed-with/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/674/gallagher-36375_act_detroit-is-drunken-idiots-it-was-no-surp_305527.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/674/gallagher-36375_act_detroit-is-drunken-idiots-it-was-no-surp_305527.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/674/gallagher-36375_act_detroit-is-drunken-idiots-it-was-no-surp_305527.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Detroit is drunken idiots. It was no surprise to me. I performed with Kenny Rogers for one year as his…” — Gallagher",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Gallagher",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gallagher/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Detroit is drunken idiots. It was...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gallagher/detroit-is-drunken-idiots-it-was-no-surprise-to-me-i-performed-with/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gallagher/detroit-is-drunken-idiots-it-was-no-surprise-to-me-i-performed-with/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
