Steven Wright

Steven Wright is not what you would call an exuberant man. His deadpan monotone, constant pacing and brow-furrowing give the impression of a man looking for the right part of the ledge from which to jump.

Curiously, he is a comedian. And despite the impression he gives off, Wright swears he feels fine.

"I'm not depressed," Wright said. "I come off as depressed. I mean, even besides onstage. It's just something about my tone of voice, but I'm not depressed. I'm clinically insane and very happy."

Wright has not been depressed onstage for more than 20 years now. Originally starting his career as a stand-up comic, Wright began a film career in the '80s. "The Appointments of Dennis Jennings," which he co-wrote and starred in, won the Oscar for Best Comedy Short in 1988. Among other films, he has appeared in "Natural Born Killers," "Mixed Nuts" and "Half Baked"÷ in a celebrated uncredited performance as the Guy on the Couch. Despite his popularity as a character actor over the last two decades, he still considers himself primarily a stand-up comedian.

"I just got back from Sydney, Australia," Wright said. "I was doing a part in a movie, a sequel to ÎThe Mask.' It was good. Everyone was nice. I like to do some acting once in a while to break things up."

Wright has just released three of his films on DVD: "The Appointments of Dennis Jennings," 1985's "A Steven Wright Special" and 1999's "One Soldier," available only through stevenwright.com.

"We decided to do this like a year ago," Wright said. "None of (these films) were available anywhere. So I thought I should put this stuff out. No one can even see what I'll be doing in the theater that night."

All of the films are unmistakably Wright's work. They have a certain despairing, almost existential quality, yet manage to generate laughs. And despite the consistently dark tone of the films, Wright claims his comedy happens organically.

"I don't play in any attitude or think, ÎOh, I'll do this type of movie or write this type of joke.' I don't do that. Things come into my head, and that's just how they come. It's just how I think, like my fingerprint or my tone of voice if you recorded it and then watched it on a diagram if you could see it going up and down. Except it's my thoughts, which is fine with me. That's just me."

He is seemingly as comfortable as a comedian could possibly be with his material. It is as familiar as his own reflection coming naturally out of Wright's offstage personality. Yet, he never feels as if he is coasting along or simply getting a laugh because people know his work so well.

"When (audiences) come to the show, they like me already," Wright said. "But they still will not laugh unless it's funny. It's not like I can say anything. I try out new jokes during shows, and if it's not funny, they don't laugh."

In contrast to his suicidal stage presence, laughter has never been a problem for Wright.

Wright will perform tomorrow at the Rialto Theatre for $31. Tickets are 2-for-1 for students who show ID.