WHEN YOU RIDE WITH BILL MAHER ... CONTROVERSIAL HOST FINDS COMEDIC FODDER IN EVERYTHING FROM RECALL MADNESS TO ANTI-TERRORIST RHETORIC.

Byline: Valerie Kuklenski Staff Writer

WHEN BILL MAHER takes the stage Friday at California State University, Long Beach, the gubernatorial recall election is likely to be on the minds of many in his politically savvy audience.

And that should make them putty in the hands of Maher, a veteran comedian

who culls the bulk of his material from news reports.

``We call (this election) the Monologue Assistance Act of 2003,'' said Maher, now on hiatus from his HBO current events-comedy clash, ``Real Time With Bill Maher.'' ``This state writes itself practically.''

Maher was one of the first national TV figures to speak out against the recall of Gov. Gray Davis and had a satellite dialogue with the governor on his show in mid-August.

``I suggested to him some slogans, because Arnold (Schwarzenegger) has so many slogans from his movies,'' Maher said. ``One of them was: 'Somebody has to raise taxes - why not elect the guy you already hate?'

``It's so silly that Arnold Schwarzenegger and the rest of them just keep saying, 'Well, we don't have to raise taxes, we don't have to cut services.' Oh, come on, isn't that why we're in this mess in the first place, because we weren't honest with each other?''

Honesty has not always been the best policy for Maher's television career. His cable-spawned ABC late-night show, ``Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher,'' lost sponsors and eventually was canceled in the wake of a comment he made just days after the Sept. 11 attacks. Maher said ``lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away'' was more ``cowardly'' than the hijackers' flying airplanes into buildings.

He landed on his feet, though, settling in at the more content-tolerant HBO last winter, soon after publication of his latest book, the poster-illustrated ``When You Ride Alone You Ride With Bin Laden,'' subtitled ``What the Government Should Be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism.'' He adapted the book for a one-man show on Broadway that picked up a Tony nomination.

The fallout from his ``Politically Incorrect'' comments does not seem to have taken an edge off Maher's material. Just days after his latest HBO stand-up special aired in July, one New Yorker issued an online press release announcing the formation of what he calls the ``Stop Bill Maher political party,'' branding the comedian ``the greatest threat to democracy'' and ``a festering sore on the national psyche that slowly, agonizingly erodes everything we as Americans hold dear.''

Maher says he has not heard from (nor of) the individual who issued the release, but he is happy to label his own humor as ``subversive.''

``We need more subversives,'' Maher said. ``I love when people, without irony, make comments like, 'What we all hold dear.' What about the 100,000 people who bought my book and the thousands who came to my Broadway show? And the nice ratings I have for my TV show?

``Even if you say f--- me, what about them? They don't count? I can't talk to them?''

The Newsday review of the live show noted that Maher ``stands alone on stage, jabbing both his index fingers at us, a repeated gesture that gives him the unexpected quality of a marionette. But he definitely is pulling his own strings. We appreciate that.''

And Maher does have a loyal following, which HBO rewarded with a pickup for another season starting in January. And he is respected by many for giving a national audience to well-informed individuals with opposing views.

He said he is far more likely to be greeted in public by his fans than his foes.

``I've been saying controversial things on television steadily for 10 years now, and I can count on one hand the times somebody's come up to me and said, 'Hey, you really (blew it),' '' Maher said. ``I'm not saying they don't think it. I know there's lots of people out in America who don't have any taste for me at all, but they don't come up to you.

``It's only the people who like you or, of course, there's always people who pretend they like you,'' he said. ``My favorite was at the height of (President Clinton's) impeachment, which had been going on for like six months, a guy came up to me and said, 'Hey, I love your show, man. Hey - you doing anything on this Clinton thing?'

``We'd done it every night for six months - we were sick of it! 'No, we missed that one. We got it on the board, though.' ''

He said in his 90-minute Long Beach date, he aims to ``make people laugh about what's going on in the world, taking the stuff that makes you nervous, channeling that through your belly for a belly laugh.''

``Now that the ('Real Time') season is ending, I wanted to get back on my feet,'' Maher said. ``Stand-up is the greatest therapy in the world, and it's the best thing I could do.''

Valerie Kuklenski, [phone]

valerie.kuklenski(at)dailynews.com

BILL MAHER

Where: Carpenter Center, California State University, Long Beach, 6200 Atherton St.

When: 8 p.m. Friday.

Tickets: $30 to $35. Call [phone].

More Maher

For the uninitiated, here's a sampling of Bill Maher's humor:

From ``When You Ride Alone You Ride With Bin Laden,'' a collection of observations on the post-9/11 world:

``Americans today confuse freedom with not being asked to sacrifice. ... We'd rather sacrifice virgins than our SUVs.''

``Two dollars a gallon to go ten miles is too much, but five to the parking valet to go ten feet is OK.''

``I realize that sadness (over terrorism) is a much safer emotion, but is it necessary to have so demonized anger in America?''

``Criticizing America doesn't mean we want them to win - we want us to win, that's why we're criticizing!''

From his HBO show, ``Real Time With Bill Maher'':

On President Bush's job approval rating dropping to 49 percent in a recent poll: ``He says he's not downhearted about it. He says, 'Look, the election is still a year away. And remember, all I need to get is one less vote than the other guy.' ''

``Gov. Gray Davis had Al Gore come into the state to help him energize the minority vote - because no one says 'forshizzle' like Al Gore.''

On Arnold Schwarzenegger's reputation: ``I never thought I would be able to think of one individual as both lecherous for a Kennedy and stupid for a bodybuilder.''

TV shows returning tonight

8 p.m.

``Smallville'' (WB) - Under the influence of red kryptonite and living in Metropolis, Clark (Tom Welling) gets involved with a crime lord named Morgan Edge who hires him to break into LuthorCorp. Meanwhile, desperate to put his family back together, Jonathan takes drastic measures to bring Clark home. Guest starring Rutger Hauer.

9 p.m.

``Angel'' (WB) - Taking over the Los Angeles offices of the supernatural law firm Wolfram and Hart proves to be more challenging than expected for Angel (David Boreanaz) and the gang, especially when their first case involves representing an evil client who threatens to destroy the city. Guest starring James Marsters, Rod Rowland, Sarah Thompson and Mercedes McNab.

- Compiled by Jaime Spangrude

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1) no caption (Bill Maher)

(2) no caption (book: ``When you ride ALONE you ride with Bin Laden'')

Box:

(1) More Maher (see text)

(2) RETURN ENGAGEMENTS (see text)