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BACK ISSUES INTERVIEWS Stand-Up Comedians Jim Norton Robert Kelly Donnell Rawlings Brad Stine Tammy Pescatelli Leighann Lord George Sarris Nick DiPaolo Russ Meneve Shang and more By Tasha A. Harris, NYC Comedy Journalist STAGE TIME The Magazine That Stands Up For Comedy |
What was your experience performing on Def Comedy Jam?
I was young. I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I wasn't really pleased with my set on
Def Jam...because Def Jam would have you thinking that if people didn't stand up and go crazy,
then you didn't do a good job. But after I performed, I was kind of down because I didn't rip it
and Chris Thomas said, "What are you upset about?" I was like, "I didn't blow the room up."
He was like, "You have a set that in the theater people appreciate and then you have a set that
translates on television better with people you can captivate the audience."
I did a sketch about this kid name fat Tyrone who took my bike when I younger, but I didn't
know that I had a little acting skills. But he right. It was one of those bits that stuck with me.
They remembered the storyline was good; the characters was good. I wasn't like every other
comic when I first started. Every other comic during the Def Jam era was like, "Look at that
nigga right here! Yo momma this and yo momma that." But I started out with solid characters
and structure, but I was too young to understand that it would help me out in the future
How did you develop your style?
My comedy is more observational so the only things I would talk about would be the things that
happened in my life - like the joke about fat Tyrone taking my bike. It turned out to be a
five-minute piece but it started with, "You remember when your mother told you not to let anyone
ride your bike and then somebody take it." I tried it three times and I couldn't get it off.
One of my friends, Royale Watkins saw the depth in it and he knew what to do with it. He bought
the joke from me for like $20 bucks. He was like, "You going to do anything with that fat Tyrone
joke?" I was like, "Naw man. You can have it." Then after I sold it to him, I had a breach of
contract because a week later, I just tried it and pieces started coming out, so I had to call
Royale and be like, "Yo, I got $20 for you. I want my joke back."
Who were your comedy mentors?
There are some people I appreciate like Tony Woods. He was a guy I looked up to. I liked his
style. Robin Harris. I saw a lot of similarities with his style and my style. And Martin Lawrence.
I felt connected to Martin because when I first saw him perform live I was like, "This motherfucker
talks about everything I can say to him and everything that I know." He made me feel like you
can just talk about regular shit and be funny with it.
How is the comedy scene different now than when you started?
When I first started, it was like...a lot of untalented people. I'm being honest because you had
an outlet. Before Def Jam, black comics didn't have a lot of outlets. It was real selective as to who
made it or who could be on television so they would weed out all the shitty acts. So when Def Jam
came, it was such a need for black comedy that everybody could get on. You didn't even have to
be talented to get on. You could just have a catchphrase and get work all across the country.
But now people are burned out with that and people are starting to see the truth. Now it's coming
back to where the cream of the crop is starting to rise now. I'm not trying to be insulting to any
comics. It was like everybody was pigeonholed to one spot and then when it got wide open with
all these shows, it was like everybody was talking about the same thing. And then when you close
that off where people can't get into it, now it goes back to the most talented people shining and
that's where it's going now.
Were there more or fewer opportunities?
When I first started, there were more opportunities. But since it wasn't a lot of talent, the
opportunities became limited. If you look at television now for the last 14 years, BET has been
the only outlet for black comedy. Now Puff Daddy came back into the market.
There's no difference between Def Comedy Jam, Bad Boys of Comedy and if they reintroduce
Def Comedy Jam - they got the same comics talking about the same thing. There's not too
many people stepping their game up. And if the people who do step their game up, they get
the rewards of it. They get careers in acting, theatre and a lot of other stuff.
How would you describe your writing process? Do you write onstage?
Naw, I write in my sleep. [laughs] I'm serious. I wrote a bit about having sex with my girlfriend
the other day. I really write my life.
I was young. I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I wasn't really pleased with my set on
Def Jam...because Def Jam would have you thinking that if people didn't stand up and go crazy,
then you didn't do a good job. But after I performed, I was kind of down because I didn't rip it
and Chris Thomas said, "What are you upset about?" I was like, "I didn't blow the room up."
He was like, "You have a set that in the theater people appreciate and then you have a set that
translates on television better with people you can captivate the audience."
I did a sketch about this kid name fat Tyrone who took my bike when I younger, but I didn't
know that I had a little acting skills. But he right. It was one of those bits that stuck with me.
They remembered the storyline was good; the characters was good. I wasn't like every other
comic when I first started. Every other comic during the Def Jam era was like, "Look at that
nigga right here! Yo momma this and yo momma that." But I started out with solid characters
and structure, but I was too young to understand that it would help me out in the future
How did you develop your style?
My comedy is more observational so the only things I would talk about would be the things that
happened in my life - like the joke about fat Tyrone taking my bike. It turned out to be a
five-minute piece but it started with, "You remember when your mother told you not to let anyone
ride your bike and then somebody take it." I tried it three times and I couldn't get it off.
One of my friends, Royale Watkins saw the depth in it and he knew what to do with it. He bought
the joke from me for like $20 bucks. He was like, "You going to do anything with that fat Tyrone
joke?" I was like, "Naw man. You can have it." Then after I sold it to him, I had a breach of
contract because a week later, I just tried it and pieces started coming out, so I had to call
Royale and be like, "Yo, I got $20 for you. I want my joke back."
Who were your comedy mentors?
There are some people I appreciate like Tony Woods. He was a guy I looked up to. I liked his
style. Robin Harris. I saw a lot of similarities with his style and my style. And Martin Lawrence.
I felt connected to Martin because when I first saw him perform live I was like, "This motherfucker
talks about everything I can say to him and everything that I know." He made me feel like you
can just talk about regular shit and be funny with it.
How is the comedy scene different now than when you started?
When I first started, it was like...a lot of untalented people. I'm being honest because you had
an outlet. Before Def Jam, black comics didn't have a lot of outlets. It was real selective as to who
made it or who could be on television so they would weed out all the shitty acts. So when Def Jam
came, it was such a need for black comedy that everybody could get on. You didn't even have to
be talented to get on. You could just have a catchphrase and get work all across the country.
But now people are burned out with that and people are starting to see the truth. Now it's coming
back to where the cream of the crop is starting to rise now. I'm not trying to be insulting to any
comics. It was like everybody was pigeonholed to one spot and then when it got wide open with
all these shows, it was like everybody was talking about the same thing. And then when you close
that off where people can't get into it, now it goes back to the most talented people shining and
that's where it's going now.
Were there more or fewer opportunities?
When I first started, there were more opportunities. But since it wasn't a lot of talent, the
opportunities became limited. If you look at television now for the last 14 years, BET has been
the only outlet for black comedy. Now Puff Daddy came back into the market.
There's no difference between Def Comedy Jam, Bad Boys of Comedy and if they reintroduce
Def Comedy Jam - they got the same comics talking about the same thing. There's not too
many people stepping their game up. And if the people who do step their game up, they get
the rewards of it. They get careers in acting, theatre and a lot of other stuff.
How would you describe your writing process? Do you write onstage?
Naw, I write in my sleep. [laughs] I'm serious. I wrote a bit about having sex with my girlfriend
the other day. I really write my life.
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