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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 |
Then, I started building my time up. "Yeah, he's got time; he don't mess with the audience,
but he uses profanity." So, I stopped cursing. Every time they gave me an obstacle, I was like,
"Can ya'll just say I'm a funny motherfucker?"
Who are these people you're talking about? Club owners?
No, comics. Bitter comics. I moved up here with Air Force bag, an alarm clock and $40 dollars.
The comics didn't accept me up here. They knew I was funny. When they had special auditions,
they would invite their boys, but they didn't invite me.
How did you work around comic cliques?
I did my own shit. When I couldn't make any money and they didn't want to give me work...
I went to a restaurant and started my own comedy show. Any comic can tell you I never fucked
with the "clique" shit. Everything that happened, I worked hard and had to do it myself. I used
to be mad. Talent and all these cornball motherfuckers and they know me. I'm telling you the
real shit. When they didn't fuck with me, they couldn't stop me.
I would go to this motherfucker's room [Boston Comedy Club] on a Sunday night after I'm on The Corner. I have a resume that comics don't have. They were on BET. I was on the Emmy award-winning show The Corner.I would come to the club on a Sunday and they just finishing watching me on HBO, and I would be like, "Can I get some time?" "I don't know if we got time."
Back then, I had enough credits where I should have been able to walk-in a spot, especially
in a black room. Don't respect me as a person, but respect my resume and what I do -
for what we do. Where I started comedy in D.C., the funniest motherfuckers got onstage.
If you were average and the top dog walked in, you understood that, "I might not go on today."
The difference between me and the way these corny motherfuckers do it in New York, I was so
naive, when they used to bump me, I thought I was headlining. They would bump me down to
[number] 18 and I'd be like,"Yeah, I'm headlining." I didn't know that was a shitty spot.
What advice do you have for comics who may be nervous about following a comic with a killer
act? How do you deal with it on a competitive level where you think, "this guy is going upstage
me?"
I've had killer acts go in front of me. I zone them out. It's Donnell's time. You're not going to
have that psychological edge on me. I'm not thinking about you. And if you're funny, all you
can do is be as funny as you. I've had guys that go on and do some of my shit right in front
of me. I block it out. You gotta be you and don't look at it as a competition. You gotta go for
whatever the energy is. You transfer that energy; you don't go against it. You don't separate
yourself from it; you're a part of it. You let people know you acknowledge it but now, you're
going into my world. And my world is nice.
I don't think there's too many acts I can't follow. I believe in myself that much and I know I'm
funny. I'm funny Donnell. I'm not funny Richard Pryor. I'm not funny, trying to be Eddie
Murphy. My whole life I've been funny. I didn't read a book or go to stand-up comedy school.
It's really in my blood.
-Tasha A. Harris, Winter 2006
but he uses profanity." So, I stopped cursing. Every time they gave me an obstacle, I was like,
"Can ya'll just say I'm a funny motherfucker?"
Who are these people you're talking about? Club owners?
No, comics. Bitter comics. I moved up here with Air Force bag, an alarm clock and $40 dollars.
The comics didn't accept me up here. They knew I was funny. When they had special auditions,
they would invite their boys, but they didn't invite me.
How did you work around comic cliques?
I did my own shit. When I couldn't make any money and they didn't want to give me work...
I went to a restaurant and started my own comedy show. Any comic can tell you I never fucked
with the "clique" shit. Everything that happened, I worked hard and had to do it myself. I used
to be mad. Talent and all these cornball motherfuckers and they know me. I'm telling you the
real shit. When they didn't fuck with me, they couldn't stop me.
I would go to this motherfucker's room [Boston Comedy Club] on a Sunday night after I'm on The Corner. I have a resume that comics don't have. They were on BET. I was on the Emmy award-winning show The Corner.I would come to the club on a Sunday and they just finishing watching me on HBO, and I would be like, "Can I get some time?" "I don't know if we got time."
Back then, I had enough credits where I should have been able to walk-in a spot, especially
in a black room. Don't respect me as a person, but respect my resume and what I do -
for what we do. Where I started comedy in D.C., the funniest motherfuckers got onstage.
If you were average and the top dog walked in, you understood that, "I might not go on today."
The difference between me and the way these corny motherfuckers do it in New York, I was so
naive, when they used to bump me, I thought I was headlining. They would bump me down to
[number] 18 and I'd be like,"Yeah, I'm headlining." I didn't know that was a shitty spot.
What advice do you have for comics who may be nervous about following a comic with a killer
act? How do you deal with it on a competitive level where you think, "this guy is going upstage
me?"
I've had killer acts go in front of me. I zone them out. It's Donnell's time. You're not going to
have that psychological edge on me. I'm not thinking about you. And if you're funny, all you
can do is be as funny as you. I've had guys that go on and do some of my shit right in front
of me. I block it out. You gotta be you and don't look at it as a competition. You gotta go for
whatever the energy is. You transfer that energy; you don't go against it. You don't separate
yourself from it; you're a part of it. You let people know you acknowledge it but now, you're
going into my world. And my world is nice.
I don't think there's too many acts I can't follow. I believe in myself that much and I know I'm
funny. I'm funny Donnell. I'm not funny Richard Pryor. I'm not funny, trying to be Eddie
Murphy. My whole life I've been funny. I didn't read a book or go to stand-up comedy school.
It's really in my blood.
-Tasha A. Harris, Winter 2006
Rawlings' Protege Speaks Up
Alex Scott
Comedian and co-host of the morning show, Rhythm Ride on
Charlotteville, VA's Kiss 92.7 FM talks about his mentor, Donnell
Rawlings.
"He was great! I thought I killed [but] he would bring me notes listing
everything I did wrong. I don't think I would have had the success that I
have had if it wasn't for him. He gave me stage time and tips not
because he knew me, but because he loves comedy that much."
Comedian and co-host of the morning show, Rhythm Ride on
Charlotteville, VA's Kiss 92.7 FM talks about his mentor, Donnell
Rawlings.
"He was great! I thought I killed [but] he would bring me notes listing
everything I did wrong. I don't think I would have had the success that I
have had if it wasn't for him. He gave me stage time and tips not
because he knew me, but because he loves comedy that much."
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