Chris Spencer–I Feel Funny

Summary

Toure Show Episode Summary: Chris Spencer – I Feel Funny

Release Date: November 20, 2024

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of the Toure Show, host Torre delves deep into the world of comedy with the renowned comedian and producer, Chris Spencer. Together, they explore Chris's journey in the comedy industry, his innovative approaches, and his latest venture—the Vice TV series Black Comedy in America. This comprehensive conversation offers valuable insights for aspiring comedians and enthusiasts alike.

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Early Career and Influences

Chris Spencer recounts his initiation into stand-up comedy during his college years at UCLA. Inspired by contemporaries like Damon Wayans and icons such as Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor, Chris shares how witnessing the attention his friends received pushed him to pursue comedy himself.

Chris Spencer [12:13]: "I saw the attention he got. I'm just as funny as him. And that's how I started."

Chris emphasizes the importance of perseverance, noting that his initial performances were challenging but pivotal in shaping his comedic style.

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The Chitlin' Circuit and Black Comedy History

A significant portion of the discussion centers around Chris's new Vice TV show, Black Comedy in America. This series provides an introspective look into ten historical moments that have shaped black comedy.

Chris Spencer [31:06]: "It's called Black Comedy in America. It's an introspective look—10 episodes on 10 historical moments in black comedy."

Chris highlights episodes featuring legendary figures like Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, and Steve Harvey, reflecting on their camaraderie and the legacy of icons like Bernie Mac. He contrasts the authenticity and rawness of Def Comedy Jam with more mainstream platforms, emphasizing the importance of preserving black voices in comedy.

Chris Spencer [33:34]: "We were doing a comedy club in the hood and we're gonna rip our weave off and that's gonna be a hysterical joke."

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Approaches to Comedy: Material vs. Performance

The duo delves into different comedic styles, categorizing comedians as either "phone book people" or "material people." Chris Spencer shares his preference for spontaneous material, often experimenting with new jokes during performances rather than relying solely on pre-written material.

Chris Spencer [13:11]: "I like to go up and do all new material sometimes. It's scary."

He acknowledges that this approach can sometimes impede progress but appreciates the creativity it fosters. Chris also discusses the importance of crowd work and being attuned to the audience's reactions.

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Relationships and Influences in the Comedy World

Chris Spencer reflects on his relationships with other comedians, citing Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, and Bill Burr as significant influences. He admires their ability to blend storytelling with sharp humor and their capacity to handle silence on stage with confidence.

Chris Spencer [37:12]: "He's always ready. He's always ready."

Chris emphasizes the mentorship and collaborative spirit within the comedy community, highlighting how these relationships have enriched his own comedic journey.

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The New Comedy Generation and the Future

Chris speaks passionately about nurturing the next generation of comedians. He praises younger talents like Ryan Davis and Ti (a stand-up comedian), encouraging them to focus on storytelling over traditional joke setups.

Chris Spencer [52:36]: "The next generation is Ryan Davis, who's my co-host on this show. He's fantastic."

He underscores the importance of authenticity and unique storytelling, believing that these elements will set future comedians apart in a competitive industry.

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The Science of Stand-Up Comedy

The conversation delves into the meticulous craft behind stand-up comedy. Chris Spencer likens seasoned comedians to scientists, explaining how their seemingly spontaneous performances are the result of extensive preparation and refinement.

Chris Spencer [58:14]: "They are scientists. That's why these dudes do these hundred city tours and then do a special. They've perfected all that stuff."

He shares anecdotes about legends like Richard Pryor, illustrating how their consistent performance schedules allowed them to hone their acts and deliver flawless performances.

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Chris Spencer's New Vice TV Show: Highlights

Highlighting his role as the creator and executive producer of Black Comedy in America, Chris provides behind-the-scenes glimpses into the show's production. He discusses episodes featuring Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, and other comedic giants, revealing personal insights and untold stories.

Chris Spencer [34:15]: "There's a Chappelle episode. I believe it's our last episode. I actually went to Yellow Springs and shot him in a farmhouse in Yellow where the cornfield is right there."

Chris emphasizes the show's objective to celebrate black comedy's rich history while showcasing the personal struggles and triumphs of its pioneers.

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Conclusion

The episode concludes with Torre and Chris Spencer reflecting on the transformative power of comedy. Chris reiterates his commitment to pushing boundaries and fostering a collaborative environment for comedians.

Chris Spencer [57:00]: "It's a science. And most of us don't understand what you guys are doing up there. No idea that there's a whole science happening. And all we know is we're laughing."

This heartfelt discussion not only celebrates Chris Spencer's illustrious career but also serves as an inspiring guide for aspiring comedians aiming to make their mark in the industry.

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Notable Quotes

• Chris Spencer [12:13]: "I saw the attention he got. I'm just as funny as him. And that's how I started."
• Chris Spencer [13:11]: "I like to go up and do all new material sometimes. It's scary."
• Chris Spencer [31:06]: "It's called Black Comedy in America. It's an introspective look—10 episodes on 10 historical moments in black comedy."
• Chris Spencer [37:12]: "He's always ready. He's always ready."
• Chris Spencer [52:36]: "The next generation is Ryan Davis, who's my co-host on this show. He's fantastic."
• Chris Spencer [58:14]: "They are scientists. That's why these dudes do these hundred city tours and then do a special. They've perfected all that stuff."
• Chris Spencer [34:15]: "There's a Chappelle episode. I believe it's our last episode. I actually went to Yellow Springs and shot him in a farmhouse in Yellow where the cornfield is right there."
• Chris Spencer [57:00]: "It's a science. And most of us don't understand what you guys are doing up there. No idea that there's a whole science happening. And all we know is we're laughing."

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Final Thoughts

This episode of the Toure Show offers a rich tapestry of insights into the world of comedy through the lens of Chris Spencer. From his early inspirations to his innovative projects, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to excel in the comedy industry. Whether you're an aspiring comedian or a comedy aficionado, this episode is a treasure trove of wisdom and laughter.

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For more episodes, visit DCP Entertainment's Toure Show. New episodes air every Wednesday, with throwback episodes available on Sundays.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

I mean you.

[A]

Legendary. I am a fan of you, my brother.

[B]

Is there a joke of yours that you like that's like. It doesn't really work, but I know it's funny, so I, you know, maybe I stopped doing it, but like, I know it's funny.

[A]

All my jokes work.

[B]

It's not true.

[A]

They all work.

[B]

You gotta be.

[A]

You gotta be. They might not work tonight, but I don't know how to think. Not funny. All those comedians, you might see them not have a great show one night. But all that shit works somewhere or we stop doing it. Just like you see dudes hollering at girls, hey, ho, come here. That shit didn't work with her, but that shit has worked before or else he would stop saying it. All these motherfuckers on top of these buildings.

[B]

It worked.

[A]

It worked one time before, Beca. Hey, mommy.

[B]

Chris Spencer is an amazing comedian and an old friend. So I'm thrilled to have him on the show to talk about comedy and his new Vice TV show, the History of Black Comedy. Let's get into it. It's Chris Spencer on Torre.

[A]

Fris. That was that about time voice.

[B]

How you doing?

[A]

I'm superb.

[B]

How many freak offs did you go to?

[A]

Recorded? They never ever invite me to that stuff.

[B]

Everybody says that. No, somebody had to be there.

[A]

Well, you've seen the people that are there and you've heard about the people that are there. But for some reason, it's something about me.

[B]

It's not big enough. You know everybody.

[A]

I'm the kind of guy, when I go to a strip club, the girl comes over and says, oh, thanks. We take a quick break.

[B]

You don't think I want to dance and be chill? No, but that's a strategy, too. I'm just going to sit and hang out with you and be nice with you and be girlfriend y. And of course.

[A]

No, I'm talking about. There's something about my face that says he don't deserve what I do. You know what I mean? Like, she wants to actually take a 15 minute. This is half time for her, so she can recharge and go dance with somebody else. I've been to Diddy's parties. I've never. Yo, listen, I want to be one of those people. Like, when I'm watching other people say they didn't see nothing. Say that I've never seen.

[B]

I've never seen.

[A]

I ain't never been to nothing. I never been to the extravagant ones at the house. Most of the ones are at clubs.

[B]

Right, right, right. No, I got a lot of millennials in my life and online. You went to Diddy parties? Yes, I went to a lot of them. I went to his 40th birthday party at Cipriani. I went to White Party in the Hamptons. Like, I never saw anything at all. Anything weird. There was a period when he was the best promoter in the city, maybe in the country.

[A]

You know what it is too, right? I think they know me. And you will tell. We write. They go like, yeah, you know, he has podcasts and shows.

[B]

I'm in media. There's no way. There's no way. Yes, you're inviting media to the freak, but you're funny.

[A]

Yeah, that's even worse.

[B]

You're making nigga laugh. They'll be like, yo.

[A]

Like, yo, yo, what's all this, baby? Get this nigga out of here. You know what I mean? So it's probably. You can't really. I haven't seen too many funny people on the tapes. So maybe funny and orgy don't go together.

[B]

Funny is not getting invited.

[A]

Funny is.

[B]

So we hung out in LA once, and I was thinking back on it today, and you took me to this underground spot that you were promoting, a comedy night that you were running. And there was a couple of people who murdered. But there was a woman who was a veteran comedian, and you were like, yo, she going. And she bombed. She bombed as hard as I have ever seen anyone bomb. And, like, she, like, started getting mad at the audience.

[A]

Was it the comedy act theater I took you to?

[B]

I don't remember.

[A]

Robin Harris used to perform.

[B]

I don't remember. I don't remember that.

[A]

So here's the thing.

[B]

But bombing can be an extraordinary event. Like, I remember that set More vividly than the guy after who Killed. And I remember laughing and the imagery he created. But I'm like, he was hysterical. But her I remember vividly of, like.

[A]

Cause she was trying things, right? Sometimes you're in an environment where sometimes, you know, your act already works. Right? We've been doing this for 30 years. I know this joke's gonna kill, but I need to try something new. I have to grow. I wanna expand. I have new ideas. I have new. So I need to see if this works. You know what I mean? And when you're in LA or in these smaller spots in New York, that's the time to experiment. Then you take that to Tuscaloosa and Phoenix and Detroit when they're paying real money to see you to do a polished act. You know what I mean? And that doesn't necessarily mean you won't have a bad set, but you're coming with your A game if you're in town. Okay, I'm gonna sprinkle this. Let me try this. I did this last night at work. Let me see if I try another angle. Like, she probably wasn't affected, but you.

[B]

Got to know how to respond when you lose them.

[A]

Yeah, it depends on your mentality that evening. If I'm like, I'm about to go work on some stuff, whatever happens happens. Now if I'm trying my best and all of a sudden I'm, you know, I'm on a unicycle with torture dad and nothing's working, then it might be a long drive home. You know what I mean? Those hurt. That's when you see people quit. What happened? I thought you did comedy. Oh, no. You know, I'm a librarian now.

[B]

That's when you start thinking about quitting. I'm not good enough for this.

[A]

Because black audiences hurt.

[B]

Why?

[A]

Because when you do bad, you do bad.

[B]

Because they get mad because you wasted the money.

[A]

It just depends. Like, there's booze. Yeah, there is. Worst of the boo is, don't worry about it, man. You'll get them next time. You know what I mean? So. But they're also the best audiences.

[B]

But wait on. Youths are more forgiving.

[A]

Cause they've paid their money. They look. You know what? He's on the marquee, right? He's gotta be. He's a professional comedian. Look, it says it right here. Professional comedian.

[B]

He must know. But we are. You better show me Kevin Hart.

[A]

Dave Chappelle. Yeah, I seen the last special. What do you have? New? Yeah, we want new. We're the only Profession. I know music.

[B]

I know if you go see Drake.

[A]

Or Kendrick Lamar, you need to hear.

[B]

Doing a 30 year old record. I want to hear that song you made.

[A]

I want to hear All Night Long.

[B]

I want to hear that.

[A]

I want to hear September.

[B]

I love that song. In your first album, can you do.

[A]

Yes. Soon as you say as a musician. All right, here's a little something I'm working on. You'd be like, I gotta go pee.

[B]

You don't want to do new songs in concert at all, but you have to. No, no, no. You should avoid it. Cause I should encounter. As an audience member, I should encounter the song at home. Headphones, so I can clearly understand it and then see your performance.

[A]

Sometimes. But sometimes you've heard somebody do a new song and you go, I'd be.

[B]

Like, I don't understand it. I gotta go home. And now I understand it.

[A]

Right, right.

[B]

Okay, but no, but your point?

[A]

We always gotta come with something new.

[B]

You can't redo. Dude, that joke you did from five years ago, like, that never happens.

[A]

Some people can. Cosby could. With his audience. Like if you go see Cosby and he don't do the dentist, or if he didn't do Noah's Ark, if he.

[B]

Was doing stories, right? So it's like, grandpa, tell that story about the time that you and your brother, right?

[A]

And I mean, Eddie Murphy, you know, Goonie goo goo, was a story. I'm not sure if he could do it, you know, after the special came out. But, you know, but his audience has grown. Cosby's audience has grown with him for 60 years. So there's certain things they expected. Yes, I just said, cosby.

[B]

You crazy. Why do you do comedy?

[A]

I couldn't breathe if I didn't do comedy.

[B]

Really?

[A]

Oh, yeah. The writing, acting, producing, directing is fun.

[B]

Yeah, but.

[A]

And I just told somebody earlier, if we were in high school and there was tables set up. Cause I, you know, and it was Spike Lee, Malcolm Lee and F. Gary Gray at one table. And over here is all the writers. There's Kenya Barris and all the showrunners. And there's another one producer table with Will Packer and those type of people. And then over here is Mike Epps and Cedric and Tiffany Haddish. I'm sitting over here.

[B]

That's you.

[A]

That's your heart. I am. This is, this is why it's just in me. I've been an entertainer in some sort of fashion, making people laugh since I was a kid.

[B]

You were a funny kid.

[A]

I was a. The whole Family's funny. Mom, dad, Were you the funniest one?

[B]

Were you the funniest one?

[A]

My dad is the funniest one. Quick, quick. And it's so funny to marvel at him now. Cause people have always said, yeah, Woody, like your father. My parents are Jamaican. My family's Jamaican. So they're like, yeah, you're just like your father. And I'd be like, yeah. And I would see him in action. I'd be like, that's where I got it from. I don't know if I'm as quick as him, though. He's quick. He wasn't doing so well, right. Not too long ago, he was in the hospital and, you know, I'm visiting him. He's in the hospital. He's. First of all, he's dirty. He's a dirty old Jamaican man.

[B]

What do you mean he's dirty?

[A]

His jokes are nasty. Oh, dirty, not funky.

[B]

Got it.

[A]

He bathes.

[B]

Got it.

[A]

His jokes are always of a sexual nature.

[B]

Like, what?

[A]

Here's him. This is him in the bed. Barely can move, barely talking, barely eating. She's like, how you doing today? I'm all right. She goes, oh, your stomach. It's a bit hard. That's not the only thing that's hard. I'm like, all right, he's fixed. He said we could actually. You can check us out. He's good to go.

[B]

That's my father. He was the funniest one, but so sorry. So you were funny kid. Were you the kid who, like, would make the teacher laugh?

[A]

Yes. Class clown, but great grades at the same time. So she'd be like, I want to send you to the principal's office, but I need you to continue to entertain us.

[B]

Really?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So when did you start getting on stage?

[A]

College. Ucla. I transferred from Pasadena City College. I was a junior, and they had a summer program for transfer students. And I met Suli McCullough, who you've seen on the Jamie Foxx show. And he also played Crazy Legs in Don't Be a Menace in South Central while drinking juice in the hood. And some girls were talking and they're like, so, what do you want to do when you get out of here? He goes, well, I'm not going to wait till I get out of here. I want to do standup comedy. They're like, really? He's like, yeah, you know, I'm going to open mic at the Laugh Factory. I'm going to go do that. And all the girls went crazy. Oh, my God. I love stand up. I love Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor and, oh, my God, the Wayans family. What about you, Chris? I was like, stand up comedy. Literally, I saw the attention he got. I'm like, I'm just as funny as him. And that's how I started.

[B]

That's the idea that just like that.

[A]

When I saw the attention and I.

[B]

Was like, I'm gonna go do what he does.

[A]

I'm gonna do what he does.

[B]

And y'all went together.

[A]

We went together. First time was incredible. Second time I was like, maybe I should continue to fulfill this sociology degree requirement. It was easy. The first time I was like, oh, this is it. And then the second time. Second time was, okay. The third time I got my ass handed to me, and then it let me know this is going to be work. Because the first time I was like, this is easy.

[B]

So then you started to work at it.

[A]

Work at it hard.

[B]

Which means what?

[A]

Which means go to different clubs and work this little same five minutes over and over and over again, which I didn't do as much as I should have. Like, you young comedians out there, you should get your act and hone that act, and if stuff doesn't work, take it out. But if it's working, continue to do that and build your voice. I, because of my natural wit, and I have this thing where I like to go up and not know what's going to work. It's crazy.

[B]

What do you mean?

[A]

I like to go up and do all new material sometimes.

[B]

Okay, that's scary.

[A]

It's scary. That's scary. But sometimes it wouldn't work.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it probably impeded my progress as a comedian because I was all. People were like, why can't we do the thing about the Lakers? Like, oh, I didn't feel like doing it tonight. It works. I know, but did you see the thing I did about the ice cream? You're like, it didn't work. Yeah, but it's gonna work. I was addicted to that. I'm addicted to. And I think that's why I loved hosting rooms. Because, you know, when I hosted a comedy room, I couldn't do material from last week or the week before because a lot of these people are the same people. So I had to always be coming up with new stuff. And that's why, you know, there's a big thing now with crowd work. Right. I naturally did that already before it became a thing. And so I love not knowing I could look at somebody and do five minutes on them. Not necessarily Joaning or bagging or talking bad about them. But they'll say something that could trigger some possible new material.

[B]

I would feel a slight bit of terror walking to the mic in front of 100,000. Whatever. And not knowing what I was gonna say.

[A]

I don't know about 100,000.

[B]

I'm talking about 100 or 1,000.

[A]

Oh, yeah. No.

[B]

And like, not knowing what I was gonna say.

[A]

Yeah, No, I love that.

[B]

Mm.

[A]

Yeah. Never had crack, but I think that's what it feels like. I think. Way to eat a tea. You're listening to an app at PC Game Pass. Want new games on day one? Like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle? How about living out your SIMS Life with EA Play? We talking high quality PC games all for one low monthly price. We got you. Learn more at Xbox.com PCGame Pass or click the banner Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Available December 9, 2024. Game catalog varies by region and over time. Okay, that's the ad. You can go back to doing whatever you were doing now.

[B]

My dad works in B2B marketing.

[A]

He came by my school for career day and said he was a big roas man. Then he told everyone how much he.

[B]

Loved calculating his return on ad spend. My friends still laugh at me to this day.

[A]

Not everyone gets B2B, but with LinkedIn you'll be able to reach people who do. Get $100 credit on your next ad campaign. Go to LinkedIn.com campaign to claim your credit. That's LinkedIn.com campaign. Terms and conditions apply. LinkedIn, the place to be. To be.

[B]

So who taught you how to do this?

[A]

Taught? I don't know if anybody taught me, but early on I toured with Damon Wayans. And so I learned a lot from the Wayans family doing standup. I also toured with Jeff Foxworthy, which is two totally different people. But I toured with Jeff first. And I just noticed, I knew that this wasn't my audience. I mean, it sounds obvious, but I was like, they're not laughing the way we laugh. It was a nice applaud and they appreciated me. I needed us. You know what I mean? And I remember I started going out with Damon, but I started Alex Thomas and Daryl Heath, some dear friends of mine. They did more urban rooms than I did. And I started going out with them and they would always get their. When people said they loved them, it was, you stupid. You a fool. And they would say to me, nice set. Like, I don't want to. I don't want some crip from Long beach telling me I had a nice set. I want to be a Fool. I want to be stupid. I want to be ignorant. And I remember when I finally knew, I arrived with black audiences, because the same thing happened. They go to duro, you stupid Alex, you ignorant. And they said to me, you are so simple. I was like, me. Thank you very much. I've been trying to be simple my whole life, my whole comedy career. And that's when I knew that's the kind of laughs we like. You know what I mean? I didn't want to hear, nice set. Just sounded like it was too perfectly, neatly shaped in a box.

[B]

He's professional.

[A]

He's a professional comedian. Look at him.

[B]

No, but he's a fucking idiot. That, like, he says stupid shit.

[A]

Chris Rock told me, you know, he didn't like some of his earlier material or his early specials because he looked too much like a comedian. He said, think about your favorite comedians. You know what they do. You know what they do great. They're just up there talking shit. And that's the goal. Think about your fame. They're up there talking shit. Even Seinfeld, he might not cuss, but he's talking shit about the world. And his observational, the things that he observes, he's talking shit about him, and that's what makes him great.

[B]

As opposed to what? As opposed to, like, you're saying.

[A]

Did you hear the one about the.

[B]

Don'T look like a comedian, be a.

[A]

Comedian, be a comedian. Yeah.

[B]

I saw Damon when he was very young. I was 17. He came to a comedy club in Boston, and this must have been the first or second year of In Living Color, right? Cause I remember watching it when I was in high school, and that's the only way I would have known who Damon Wayan was. And I was like, yo, let's go. And me and a couple of my friends. And he's very young, and I remember he did part of the set. He did. He said, I don't do impressions. I do oppressions. And he said. And he's. What was one of them was a black man on his weekend. On the weekend, he's, like, holding the bar. He's like, when y'all gonna let me out? Black man working at IBM. And then he starts sweeping. And I thought it was really funny. And I was sitting on the edge where he would walk when they go off back from the stage. And I remember I said to him, like, yo, that was like. And he was like, thank you. And he seemed to really be, like, grateful of, like, genuinely, thank you so much. And I was like, wow, I didn't know this big star would really care that some kid was like, yo, that was good.

[A]

No, we appreciate that.

[B]

He loved that.

[A]

Yeah. You just want to hear it from some big old crip. You shouldn't even know what the word set means.

[B]

So who are the guys, women, whatever, who sort of taught you, as far as you watching, as far as, like, your influences, your parents?

[A]

There's the Richards, the Eddies. Damon.

[B]

Damon Wayans.

[A]

Damon. I used to want to be at Wayans. I used to walk around like this, so people thought I was one of them. Sean was an incredible writer. Marlowe was a great performer. Keenan was a hell of a writer. Kim, Kim. Kim didn't really do stand up. She would dabble every now and then. She's a hell of a storyteller and she could do characters very well, which was why she was so great on In Living Color.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Who else? Early on? Reggie McFadden I used to watch.

[B]

Interesting.

[A]

There's some names I'm going to say. You're going to be like, oh, I kind of remember him. Daryl Heath, like I said earlier. But in terms of our peers, Chris Rock, Dave. You know what I mean? Even Kevin's charm, his delivery, his storytelling skills. Mike Epps is great to watch. Cedric, they all have something to offer, you know what I mean? They all are professional comedians that could kill anytime they want to.

[B]

I have a theory that all comedians are either phone book people or material people. So, like, if you're a phone book person, you have a silly voice and a silly air about you, and you could read the phone book and make it funny. Right. And I think, like Bernie Mac.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

Chappelle, Katt Williams. Reading the phone book could be hysterical.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And then there are material people who, like, need the material to be meticulously right. And they will crush. And that's like a Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld. And there's no better or worse. It's just who you are.

[A]

Where do you put Dave Chappelle?

[B]

See, I think Dave is a little of both, which would happen when you're the fucking best or you're the fucking Tiger woods with old shit. But I think Rock is definitely more material. Eddie is probably a phone book guy. Like he. Right. Eddie and Richard Pryor. I mean, the material, of course.

[A]

Sure, sure.

[B]

Spectacular.

[A]

But they can also pick up the phone book and just. Right, it's funny.

[B]

What do you think about that?

[A]

I'm loving this. I've never heard this done. Now I'm trying to go through all these people and figure out who they Are. Yeah. Cause some people just have a funny. Sometimes it's unfair. Sometimes somebody just walk on stage and start laughing. They have an air about em. Yes.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

You know what I mean?

[B]

Yes. I mean, Mike, as soon as he.

[A]

Walks on stage and touches the mic, you're smiling, you know, he does something like this. He makes a face. Some people just have that.

[B]

Well, there's. Some people come out and they do something funny, and some people come out and grab the mic and say, thank you. Give it up for the other person, or. I'm so glad you're here, Sandy. And I'm like, you haven't started the show yet. And I'm like, why don't you just start the show, like, right at the beginning?

[A]

Oh, we don't have to.

[B]

I mean, you don't have to.

[A]

Yeah, but you definitely want to show love to the guy who opened up for you or thanked the building or the sponsors or whatever. That's confidence. I don't have to. I. I am the puppet master. I'll start this when I'm ready to start it. You know what I mean? And those are the comedians I love that don't have to come out and start doing cartwheels immediately. Like Damon Wayans said, you're never gonna be great until you can appreciate the silence. So the things that you. I used to find scary, I love now.

[B]

Wait, you found silence scary?

[A]

I used to, but now I love it.

[B]

What scared you about it before?

[A]

Cause you wanna hear laughter to let me know that everybody's enjoying me.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I want laughs instantaneously every time I say something.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But now I like to sit back and be like a quarterback and just, you know, dodge the defense. And he's open. Not yet. Not yet. And then I know when it's time, I can always rifle it in and give me a touchdown. Yeah, Chappelle's the greatest at that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Storytelling. You're like, where is he going? All of a sudden, he takes the pin out, the grenade. He's doing like this. And then goes. And he goes.

[B]

He had the one bit that murdered.

[A]

Me about Anthony Bourdain.

[B]

No, that. I'm so good at this.

[A]

I could take the punchline.

[B]

I could write the punchline. And then he said the punchline.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

And then he seemed to, like, forget about, like, forget. I said that Timmy's going over to the house for stuffing.

[A]

Genius.

[B]

And we don't have any stovetop. And so I kicked her in the pussy. And I'm like, oh, look. And then he's, like, walking around stage, like celebrating. Like I told you, I'm great at this. He's great, but like I told you, the punchline, and you still didn't see it coming.

[A]

It's a pro. He really enjoys this stage. Like, there's some people who are like, love 15,000, 20,000 people. Kevin Sebastian Maniscalco, you ever seen him? For sure. Some people love a big room. And there's some people like Dave, like 250, 500 is his sweet spot. He likes intimacy. And he'll go do six hours, right?

[B]

I know that's crazy. That's crazy. I remember many years ago when Dave was in the wilderness and Corey, his manager, told me, yo, he's going up tonight, cellar, probably 3:00am And I'm like, honey, I'm going to the cellar tonight. I'm not gonna be able to help you with the kids in the morning. Cause Dave's going on at 3. Who could get you out of bed? Like, I call you, you're in bed at midnight. Like, yo, so and so's going up at the spot in an hour. And you be like, throw on a jacket. Like, yo, I gotta see what he or she's gotta say.

[A]

Alive.

[B]

Probably alive.

[A]

Although if the real live, I've seen him already.

[B]

If the real answer is dead, then let's go with that.

[A]

It's dead. It's a young Richard or alive. Eddie Murphy. Eddie Murphy, right? Now, if he said, listen, Chris, I'm gonna be in Phoenix. Can you get a flight? Like I'm doing Touret. Yeah. End the Toure show a little early. I'd be like, toure. Anything else? We gotta go, we gotta go. Eddie Murphy could get me. I think he can get many people. Cause we haven't seen him in 30 years.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I would love to hear what he has to say.

[B]

I mean, he's special. You know, we talk about there's no prodigies in comedy, but he's like the exception.

[A]

There's one more to me.

[B]

Who?

[A]

Jamie Foxx. Jamie Foxx.

[B]

How old was he when he was really starting to kill?

[A]

20S. But here's a new special coming out.

[B]

But your man was a teenager.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Killing.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

National phenomenon. Right.

[A]

Okay, so that's when we saw him. I'm saying Jamie had that, but we didn't see it. You know what I mean? As a young teenager who couldn't sing, rap, dance in just one show, you know, he can piano his voice. So, you know, I just finished helping to produce his Netflix special, which comes out December 10th. Oh, wow, you're in you're in for some magic.

[B]

Wait, does he talk about Diddy in this?

[A]

I don't know if. I don't know if it's still there, but he had some masterful Diddy jokes that if it's not there, I'm gonna use them in my special.

[B]

Cause we heard he was gonna say yes. He's the reason why I went into a coma.

[A]

He joked about. About it.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And somebody said, I saw it. And he put it out online. Yes.

[B]

So we said.

[A]

He said he called the feds.

[B]

So are we asserting that?

[A]

I don't know. I haven't seen the finished cut, but if it's not there, it'll be in my special. And it's not stealing if you tell them you're taking it.

[B]

Is that words? Who would you be afraid to follow? Aside from the people we've discussed? Right? We've discussed, like, the upper. Like, okay, you gonna follow something Like.

[A]

I'm not afraid to follow anybody with my audience. You know what I mean? And when I say my audience, us.

[B]

Mm, mm, mm.

[A]

Have Jack and Jill gang bangers with both parents, right?

[B]

Wait, were you in Jack and Jill?

[A]

No.

[B]

Cause I was in Jack and Jill.

[A]

I know you were.

[B]

How do you know that? Look, I didn't want to do it.

[A]

Nobody wants to do it. But you were a little. You probably were a little knucklehead. And they're like, we gotta teach them how to use both force.

[B]

No, it was zero knucklehead. It was all ascensionism. We are moving up.

[A]

I'm talking. Not even. I'm talking about knucklehead in the street. I'm talking about a knucklehead at home.

[B]

No, we had.

[A]

I'm sure you had a mouth.

[B]

We had. Oh, for sure, for sure. We had an annual party in New York. So we were the Boston chapter and all the Tri State Boston all would, like, come together at the Copa. And it was Malcolm. Jamal Warner came, right? And I remember walking him walk onto the dance floor while Cosby's show was blazing hot. And he was like, walking on the dance floor, like, his arms up, like he just hit the three pointer. And all the girls were screaming and surrounding him. I'm like, my God, this motherfucker is murdering it. And Tempest Bledsoe is off in the corner, like, all quiet and shy and chilling. You know, I went up to her and asked her to dance. She was like, no, thank you.

[A]

You're like, I'm from the Alpha chapter in Boston of the Jack and Jillers.

[B]

Yeah, but Jack and Jillers like you.

[A]

Yeah, you just my audience.

[B]

You're articulate, adjacent. Not adjacent. Yes, finish the words.

[A]

Sometimes I need spell check in my con. But anyway, just. There's something like, if it's my audience, you know what I mean? Like, I gotta follow anybody. But if I'm in Tuscaloosa or, you know, deep in the heart of Memphis, I'm not going after Lavelle Crawford or Arnaz J or any of those people who do that.

[B]

Audience, the more chillin circuit audience, that's just not.

[A]

Just a little bit more. That's not an audience I normally do.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You know what I mean? I can do the. I don't do them enough. For example, I'm in Memphis, I'm at this club and I'm saying shit that you don't say to this crowd.

[B]

Like, what?

[A]

Where my vegans at?

[B]

And there's no vegans in Mississippi. They're like, what the fuck are you talking.

[A]

They put bacon on they ice cream. Okay?

[B]

Right.

[A]

I was like, oh, okay. Yo, how many people are tired of these private schools raising their prices, huh? You, sir, Anybody else? It's crazy, right? Anybody? That's for me not doing the country enough. That's me being in la, New York, Chicago.

[B]

Does that joke about private school work in.

[A]

Of course. Cause in la, I mean, listen, I do all rooms, so.

[B]

But if you're in la, maybe half the room is like word brother in Alabama, to me, it's funny because if only the comic is raising his hand.

[A]

There's nobody in Alabama raising their hand.

[B]

That's what I'm saying. If you're the only one, when you.

[A]

Go out of town and your kids are in private school, something's wrong with your kid.

[B]

What?

[A]

There's something wrong. He has an education. He has learning disabilities. Those are the kids that go to private schools. Other places, he gets in fights. We gotta send them to a private school in la. The public schools are so bad, you gotta send them to private school.

[B]

Right, Right.

[A]

You know what I mean? So it's different. So when I say private school, they're like, what's wrong with your baby?

[B]

You know what I mean?

[A]

I'm like, no, we have to. LAPD, LAPD, La Unified has 46 kids in a class, right? And they're sharing books that are from 3, 4, 15 years ago. So you have to go to private school in la?

[B]

You crazy? Tell us about your new show.

[A]

It's called Black Comedy in America. And it's an introspective Look. A look. 10 episodes on 10 historical moments in black comedy. Like the first episode we did, the Kings of Comedy, we brought Cedric, D.L. and Steve back.

[B]

Beautiful.

[A]

And they haven't really been back together like that since Bernie's funeral.

[B]

Beautiful.

[A]

And to hear these guys tell stories and see how much they love each other and then show their respect for Bernie. And to hear those stories, I was just like a child watching. Basically. These are three more of my heroes that you can add to that pile. And it was just, like, great to hear, like, the fun, the money, the drama of hearing these guys. So that was the first year, the.

[B]

First Comedy Jam episode that was number two.

[A]

And just to hear about Russell.

[B]

Comedy changed the world for black comics. It was a massive phenomenon.

[A]

Ain't nobody having a DJ at a.

[B]

Comedy show, but, like, nobody's having that much access to seeing black comics weekly.

[A]

And we gotta thank Bob Sumner. He's the one that scoured the countryside and found Chris Tucker and found Bernie Mac and found Bill Bellamy and found Adele Givens and found. You know what I mean? So that was his job.

[B]

They created vibes where it was like, we're doing. Don't think about hbo. Think about, we're at a comedy club in the hood and we're gonna, like, rip our weave off and that's gonna be a hysterical joke.

[A]

Exactly. Yeah. It wasn't the cookie cutter. Hi, I'm a standup. It was like jazz or hip hop.

[B]

You know, it was way blacker than Comic View.

[A]

I don't know about that, because I.

[B]

Think Comic View was very. It was quite often simplistic. It was quite often black people are like this and white people are like this. And I'm like, it's very white centric. Y'all keep talking about white people. We're at bet. Def Comedy Jam was being black. Like, the comedy. You were being like, you know, I ain't scared of you motherfuckers. You are being black. White people don't exist in that thought, you know, or when Adele takes off her wig because they're going to beat up a guy.

[A]

Adele didn't take off her. It simply marvelous. Took off her wig.

[B]

Excuse me, but they're going to beat up a guy who had messed up with the girl, the sister. Like, white people don't exist in that story and you don't.

[A]

Would you call that blacker?

[B]

Yes, yes. I mean, just the whole of Def Comedy Jam, to me, was blacker and more complex, and it was being black rather than performing blackness. Comic View was so fucking simple.

[A]

Well, not necessarily, because the same people that Did Comic View. Did Def Jam.

[B]

But they would. But they would crush and be iconic.

[A]

Sure. I mean, it would be the best of the comic book on Def Jam. So you.

[B]

Yeah, but Def Jam's had better curated, better people.

[A]

Sure, sure, sure. Yeah. It was a little harder to get on Def Jam. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So Stan Lathan, Russell Simmons and Bob Sumner did an incredible job.

[B]

And what else? There's an episode on Chappelle.

[A]

There's a Chappelle episode. I believe it's our last episode. I actually went to Yellow Springs and shot him in a farmhouse in Yellow where the cornfield is right there. I'm like, that's really cool.

[B]

What did we learn about Chappelle in this episode that we don't already know?

[A]

You want me to give it away?

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

His struggle, hearing it from. You know, we've heard. I think we heard it when he was on the Actors Studio, but that was so long ago. We heard it on Oprah when all that stuff first happened. But, like, he tells you about the Chappelle show struggle, but then the struggle of being Dave and carrying on this legacy since these specials. You know what I mean? He talks about a little bit about his family, which we don't usually hear about. He talks about how he was doing these shows in the cornfield and everybody from COVID shows. The COVID shows, yes. And, you know, he had. Everybody was there from Chris Rock to. To Louis CK To Bill Burr, Tiffany, Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, like the creme de la creme. Luenell, of course, Donell, Rollins, they all were there in the cornfield. He talks about the struggle with doing the show, the struggle with the city trying to shut him down. And I was just there. He's really. The mayor being with him there is almost like a Chappelle sketch. We're the only two black people driving to. Hey, Dave. Hey, how white man, like. And these are people he grew up with.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Who was that white lady? That was my fifth grade teacher.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You know what I mean? That girl right there. Yeah. She dated the point guard on the basketball team. And he knows everybody in the town. Yeah.

[B]

I mean, it's just such an extraordinary talent to crush on stage. To crush. Fearless sketch comedy.

[A]

Fearless.

[B]

You know, and the development of his skills from the young guy, you know, doing the crack selling baby, to where we are now with, like, OJ 846. I mean, like, he's. I mean, it's a brilliant, brilliant use of his platform and his mind and his. You know, I'm like, tiger, woods is the Dave Chappelle of comedy. Like, I mean, Tiger woods is the.

[A]

Dave Chappelle of golf, but it comes from. Yes, he has the skill for sure, but it's Malcolm Gladwell with the 10,000 hours. Like, Dave Chappelle probably has 1 million in 1400,000 million zillion hours on stage. And so that muscle is always ready. Yes. And that's what he says. That's one thing he said on the show. Like, most people, when it's time to go on stage, they have to get ready. He's always ready. He's always ready.

[B]

He see, feels. It feels like he doesn't, like, get psyched up. He just sort of comes out and just starts talking.

[A]

This is what he does. Yeah, that's more like what you said earlier. Sometimes you just go up and say, hey, can you believe? Like, oh, we started. You know what I mean?

[B]

Yeah, he's very mellow. Yeah, he does a lot. He used to do a lot with the cigarette.

[A]

He still hasn't, but there would be.

[B]

A lot of like. And Neil Brennan pointed out to me, like, no, that's an important part of it that I'm about to smoke it. But then he doesn't. And the putting it down is. I have something so important to say that I'm going to. So this is not an in. This is not like a throwaway part of it. Like, the cigarette, whole thing in and out is meant to direct you through the importance of what I'm doing.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, you're right. Yeah. I mean, he has it, but it's not like that, now that you mention it.

[B]

What do you mean?

[A]

He doesn't do the.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So much like you're saying.

[B]

Not anymore, but does.

[A]

Yeah, interesting.

[B]

He got a whole Kevin Hart episode.

[A]

Yeah. Fantastic. To hear him talk about his struggles at that level. Like, I'm like, oh, my God, like, they're still struggling. You know what I mean? Yeah. Every level there's struggle. So we do that. We do the Chitlin Circuit episode, which I keep forgetting the name of it. Basically, we go back to Mantan Moreland and Moms Mabley and talk about the importance of those doors being opened and the advent of blackface and how, you know, we weren't getting jobs because white people were painting their faces and getting these jobs and imitating us.

[B]

Right.

[A]

We do a rom com, which was. We think is the best rom com, which is the best man. So, you know, Tiffany actually goes on and interviews Malcolm Lee and talks about that process.

[B]

You know, I love the real husbands Of Hollywood.

[A]

Why, thank you.

[B]

That show. You're a producer, writer, founder, creator, creator, executive producer. You're so real.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I knew some of those guys and I was like, they're really kind of like being.

[A]

Well, they had no choice. They had no choice. Like, literally, if you've effed up, like, the next day it'd be in the script. They'd be like, oh, dude, come on, man. I just got this kidney.

[B]

But the way they would act, and I think that was the first time I really started to understand the genius of Kevin. I was like, oh, he's willing to be the butt of the joke.

[A]

Oh, that's why, Listen, people talk about the wrong things when they describe Kevin Hart. Now, because he's such a mogul, right? It's. Oh, he's such a great businessman. No, Kevin's funny and he puts it all on the table. He gets divorced before the ink is dry. It's on stage. He's talking about his dad being on crack. He talks about everything. He opens himself up to you, just like Richard did.

[B]

But there's, I think, with Richard into Eddie, into Rock and Chappelle, part of the gesture was an ego gesture. I am not a clown. I am brilliant. And I'm gonna spit my game and you're gonna fucking laugh your ass off. Right. And Kevin is a clown. And laugh at me, laugh at my pain. Right. And like, I will fall and appear to hurt myself or actually hurt myself, if that's what I need to do. Right.

[A]

Because most black comics don't self deprecate.

[B]

Right. Chappelle's not self. Right. Chris Rock is a public intellectual, self deprecating.

[A]

Right?

[B]

Right. Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy. Eddie Murphy, not in a leather suit.

[A]

You don't self deprecate Kevin Hart.

[B]

I'm like, I will pratfall for you. Right. Which is so It's a different lane.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. And people love it. That's why he sells out theaters and stadiums around the world. Yeah.

[B]

So who else.

[A]

Who else opens up like that?

[B]

No, who else deserves. Who else deserves a whole episode to themselves? I think you said 10.

[A]

Well, I could tell you who did. Eddie, Richard, Kevin and Dave in this first incarnation. We couldn't just do everybody else because, you know, there's people who will get second season, third season, who would get.

[B]

Their own episode in the second season.

[A]

Chris Rock's gotta get his own episode.

[B]

Right, of course.

[A]

You know what I mean? Whoopi. Whoopi Goldberg should have her own episode.

[B]

God, I remember that Smokey Fontaine special, man. Why Am I straight?

[A]

Why am I straight? Yeah, she's a comedic genius.

[B]

She's murdering. And when she was on stage talking about, I wish I had blonde hair.

[A]

Oh, my God, you could tell I was real.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And it was beautiful.

[B]

Right? See, like, y'all will, like, laugh, laugh, laugh. And then about three quarters in, you'd be like, I wanna get deep. I wanna talk about my pain. Your pain, too, probably. And then I'm like, God damn, it's been silent. I wanna cry. It's like I hear a pin drop.

[A]

Wait, do you see this? Jamie special half tissue.

[B]

I mean, if you talk about almost.

[A]

Dying, then, like, yeah, it's in rehearsals. We would cry at the same stuff that we cried about two weeks ago. Like, it's deep. It's deep. And he's. You know, he's got the skills to actually pull it off.

[B]

God, you. What did you do on the roasted Tom Brady?

[A]

I just wrote for Kevin. I used to have a list of the stuff that didn't make it. I had a lot of jokes.

[B]

Please.

[A]

I think I erased it.

[B]

Oh, God.

[A]

No, I'm not stupid enough to erase. I'm too vain to erase it. Hold on. I think I've been waiting for this interview.

[B]

Too vain to erase.

[A]

Hold on a second. I had some stuff that Kevin is too dark for Kevin.

[B]

Oh, I wanna hear. Too dark for Kevin.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

He does think of himself as a brand, right? And, like, wanting to be, like, smart, Disney, clean, like everybody. Right? Everything has to be like, everybody can like me.

[A]

Oh, God.

[B]

Oh, I think he found it.

[A]

They're mean.

[B]

Come on, tell me.

[A]

Um, let's see. So, you know the people around the dais, so, you know, we hit everybody on the dais for sure. These are my friends. I feel bad. Jeff Ross is here. He looks like Roseanne Barr with alopecia.

[B]

Okay, okay.

[A]

Nikki Glaser is built like Gronk's middle finger. Nikki, I hope you don't feel bad. Burt Kreischer has bigger titties than you.

[B]

Yeah, Burt would love that.

[A]

Burt should go on a TV show where they put him in the wilderness and call it in the wilderness. Naked and caught, Take two. Bert should be on a. Take three. Bert should go on a TV show where they put him in the wilderness with his shirt off. Called naked and scared all the animals away. This is too mean. I'll show you this after.

[B]

No, tell me.

[A]

Tom Brady once walked into the wrong house and didn't get shot. That's the true meaning of white privilege. Yeah, Tom Brady is the goat And Jeff Ross, you look like one.

[B]

Mm.

[A]

Every time I look at Gronk, I think of the movie the Green Mile, but white.

[B]

I know. Y'all are competitive, right? Comedians are competitive.

[A]

Gisele Bundchen is here. She was Antonio Brown's plus one.

[B]

Remember?

[A]

She was. There was rumors Giselle is donating half of her alimony to Black Lives Matter.

[B]

Wait, were you told no Gisele jokes, or you were.

[A]

No, I wrote everything. And then I found out later, like, you weren't supposed to do any Robert Kraft jokes. So let me show you some of Robert Kraft jokes, please, because I guess he got caught with the massage.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Robert Kraft traded you to Tampa Bay, but originally he wanted to trade you to Mia's House of cum. Robert Crowe traded you to Tampa Bay, but originally there were other of his favorite organizations that he wanted you to go to. Love you long time. No trouble for me. Tom Brady has the most. Tom Brady has the most unathletic body I've ever seen of a professional athlete. And the pro combines. I heard your 40 time was measured in minutes. This is too mean. I'll show you this one after. All right, hold on a second.

[B]

So no Kraft jokes?

[A]

Yeah. I heard later he couldn't do any.

[B]

Robert Kraft jokes, but afterwards, Tom was like, ooh, Giselle.

[A]

Do you remember when what's his name, Jeff Ross, did a Tom. A Robert Kraft joke? And Tom Brady goes, yes, Cut it out. Or whatever.

[B]

Well, I didn't know. Was that part of the bit? Like, it's. I couldn't tell. Is this part of the whole shtick of it all, or. I mean, that's not.

[A]

See, here's another. Here's the main one. You know, Sam J.

[B]

Is, of course.

[A]

Okay, but she lost so much weight.

[B]

She's been on the show, like, three times.

[A]

We couldn't do the joke. Cause she's so skinny now.

[B]

Okay, but.

[A]

Sam J. I don't know if I should. Sam J. I don't know if I should address you. I don't know if you should be addressed. Okay, typed wrong. I don't know if I address you as. Oh, I don't know if. Sam J. I don't know if I should address you as they. Because of LGBTQ or it's because your biggest three people. But she's, you know, she's all slumber, and that's not a bad joke. Yeah, but we couldn't do it.

[B]

It's not a bad joke.

[A]

And Kevin would never do a mean joke like that to her.

[B]

Mm.

[A]

Tom Segura And Bert Kreischer are here. They have a podcast together called We Got no Pussy Until We Were Famous. This is a roast. Those jokes gotta be mean.

[B]

That's fine.

[A]

Yeah, this was fun. I mean, I love doing roast for sure. That's one of my favorite things in the world.

[B]

But you guys are competitive comedians.

[A]

I'm not.

[B]

I mean, in general, comedians are competitive. Like, you look at a roast like that, and people think, oh, yes, somebody.

[A]

I gotta be funnier than you, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I mean, do. It's clear who won that roast.

[A]

Nikki Glaser.

[B]

Yeah, she freaking murdered. It was crazy.

[A]

Yeah, she's good at that.

[B]

Yeah. No, she loves the roast. Yeah, she's fucking funny as God. You were the host of Vibe.

[A]

Damn.

[B]

Do you remember that? Of course. Especially, you know, considering Quincy Jones, for sure. How long did that last, though?

[A]

For me, 11 weeks.

[B]

How could it last 11 weeks?

[A]

This is what they did. And it was so funny. Let me talk about it back then.

[B]

The amount of money that it takes to set up a TV show.

[A]

Oh, but they do that all the time.

[B]

But you got. You, like, the stop after 11 weeks.

[A]

Remember? It was just, get rid of me. And then they put in Sinbad.

[B]

I know.

[A]

So the reason that it was a setup from the beginning. I mean, they put me and Keenan on at the exact same time. There's this underserved audience we haven't heard from since Arsenio's gone. And then now let's give two black shows, they launch at the same day at the same time. And it was basically. It was almost like. It was almost like watching Django, like, put these two niggas in there and watch him fight. They're gonna kill themselves.

[B]

You fucked up, right, Jacob?

[A]

I could never say it back then, but it was the truth. That's why these two niggas wrestle in the mud.

[B]

Oh, my God. Wow. So why did it stop after 11 weeks?

[A]

Ratings. Ratings. So they figured Simba had a bigger name. They looked at the landscape of Late Night. It was Dave and Jay and Keenan, and they were all, I think, late 40s, almost. Late 40s, almost 50. And they figured they needed a host around that age. And I was 29 at the time. So they're like, this is what Late Night needs, an older person. And what they needed was just for one person to be by himself for a little bit and then bring on another one. But not announce at the same time. Yeah, you know.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. You're like the connector of all the comedian folks. Like, everybody knows Chris. Like, you're one degree of separation. How did that happen that Chris knows everyone, is friends with everyone? I mean, that's real, right? Like, more than anybody, you are the network connector of all the black comics.

[A]

It's because, A, I've always lived in LA. And so you grew up in LA. Grew up in LA. And then I had comedy rooms in LA, whether it be chocolate sundaes or trippin 02 that you were running or in Englewood. So they all came to my spots, right. I wrote for the award show. So now I'm writing material for you or we're sharing the material that you're going to actually go up there to run a room.

[B]

You're going to see a lot of people.

[A]

I'm going to see them all, everybody. And so there becomes this trust, you know what I mean? And, you know, like I tell some of these younger comedians, like, first of all, this younger generation is better than us because they really work together and aren't jealous of each other and will put on an iPhone and shoot a movie or do a sketch or do something on social media. Like, they really work together. And what they have to realize is somebody's going to blow up in your crew, right? And then they're going to get an opportunity like me. Jamie Foxx is going to host the ESPYs, and then they're going to hire some white people to write the ESPYs. And Jamie's gonna go, no, I need my writers to write for me. So you all you guys around here, you know, Country Wayne is gonna end up hosting the BET Awards, and he's gonna grab some of y'all. So y'all stay tight, but they're already kind of tight.

[B]

Who's the next generation? Who you love?

[A]

Comedians.

[B]

Yeah. Cause you're saying the next generation.

[A]

The next generation is Ryan Davis, who's my co host on this show. He's. He's fantastic. I'm gonna tell you who's he's. If this was high school and if I was a senior, he is not a freshman like these guys. But he went to. He went to continuation school, and now he's back and he's in the 10th grade. But he's amazing. Or he had to. He went away. He moved to Mississippi and came back this Hannibal. Ti.

[B]

Ti. Woo. TI is a standup comic.

[A]

Tip. I'm sorry. Ti's a rapper. Tip is a stando comedian.

[B]

Really?

[A]

And he's very good. We just did a show not too long ago at the City Winery here.

[B]

Really?

[A]

This dude is an incredible storytelling his confidence. He almost had too much too early, you know what I mean? Because he knew after I leave here, if the show wasn't bad, I got a big ass house, I got a big ass car. And I think that was to his detriment in the beginning. But it also became his strength because he wasn't afraid of the silence. And now there is no silence unless he wants it. Yeah, he's gonna surprise a lot of people.

[B]

No, we were talking about that before. The silence. If you are comfortable as the comedian in the silence, that communicates confidence. Yeah. How?

[A]

Just like when you're interviewing somebody and you go, what happened Thursday? You were there, weren't you? Like, I have to wait to figure out what you're going to say, when you're going to say it. You're moving me. I'm the puppet master. Damon's great at that, too. Yeah, there's some people with jokes, you know, that are great at that. But then there's some people like to sit in the pocket, wait for people to get open. And some people are. Michael Vick. I gotta get out of here.

[B]

Who's Michael Vick?

[A]

Mike Epps is Michael Vick. He's. Cat's Michael. Vicky, D.L. some people, there's. Then there's some people who like to just survey. I love Bill Burr.

[B]

Everybody loves Bill Burr.

[A]

Yeah, Bill Burr is a victim. Like, how? Like we would be saying Bill Burr was the greatest if there was no Dave Chappelle. Like, he's like Farrah Fawcett when Michael Jackson died. Like, they died on the. They died on the same day. But you do not remember Fairfax died, too. Oh, yeah, okay. Bill Barr is Bill Burr. I mean, and listen. And he still is one of the goats. But I think, you know, when we say the word Dave Chappelle so much in this time, because he's so great. Like, if you go watch Bill Burr's specials, you'll be like, God, this motherfucker's a genius. Genius. Yeah. Love watching him. You know who else I love? Who'd you say earlier? Hasan.

[B]

Hasan Minhaj. Really?

[A]

He's a very good storyteller. He loves the silence. And that's why, I guess a lot of people's favorites are people that are similar to them. You're talking to comedians, and those are the people you go, wow. Like, that's the kind of comedy I do. And, like, you know what I mean? Stuff a little different.

[B]

Is there a joke of yours that you like that's like, it doesn't really work, but I know it's funny. So maybe I stopped doing it. But, like, I know it's funny.

[A]

All my jokes work.

[B]

It's not true.

[A]

They all work.

[B]

You gotta be.

[A]

You gotta be. They might not work tonight, but I don't know how to think. Not funny. All those comedians, you might see them not have a great show one night, but all that shit works somewhere. Or we've stopped doing it. Just like you see dudes hollering at girls, hey, ho, come here. That shit didn't work with her. But that shit has worked before, or else he would stop saying it. All these motherfuckers on top of these buildings.

[B]

It worked.

[A]

It worked one time before. Hey, Mommy.

[B]

There's a trial period where you're like, yeah, I'm trying new shit. I tried this shit.

[A]

Sometimes I put stuff away and went and dug it up. Three years later, five years, 10 years later, like, I've had jokes not work. And I go, it's been working for three or four years. And then I put it away and bring it back.

[B]

Really?

[A]

It's weird. I'll give you an example. I just did this joke the other night, and I couldn't believe it. I was so happy it worked again. I used to say, this stopped working. I said, men and women have a communication problem. We say the same things, but it's always interpreted differently. Like, my wife would say, I haven't seen you in two days. And I'll be like, I just saw your ass two days ago. For a minute, it was like, what happened to that joke? And then now it's like, oh. And it could have been me saying it. Lazy, because I used to do it all the time. I didn't have that same energy to give it. You never know with comedy. It's like, on any given Sunday, you don't know what's gonna happen.

[B]

It's a science.

[A]

It's a science.

[B]

And most of us don't understand what you guys are doing up there. No idea that there's a whole science happening. And all we know is we're laughing.

[A]

For example, in the Richard Pryor episode, we think Richard Pryor is just up there bullshitting and just talking shit. And it's not planned, right? George Lopez tells a story about him being a young comedian, and he pulls up to the. He walks into the back of the Comedy Store, and he sees Richard Pryor in his yellow canary Rolls Royce, and he's about to go up and tap on the window. But Richard Pryor is listening to the little Mike, remember the little cassette tapes? Like he's studying himself. People used to say Richard Pryor would walk into the copistrom. Monday, bomb. Tuesday, bomb. Wednesday. Okay. Thursday, uh. Oh. Friday, standing ovation. Saturday, standing ovation. Like, these dudes are scientists. That's why these dudes do these hundred city tours and then do a special. They've perfected all that stuff. You know what I mean?

[B]

Mm, mm, mm.

[A]

Yeah. They just make it look like they're making it up. They make it look like they're just talking shit, right?

[B]

The art is to make it look like I'm saying all this for the first time. And I'm just saying this and. Oh, my God. Callback. You. Oh, my God. Callback on the callback. I do know what I'm saying. But I told you I didn't. But that's the art. God. I mean, but it is a little different, right? Like, if I go Friday and Saturday night, I'm gonna see a little bit of a different show in terms of you. If I go see you Friday night and Saturday night at the.

[A]

Well, some people like me, who. I'm not clinically adhd, but I love not knowing if something works. I can't. It's hard for me to even drive to the comedy club the same way. It has to be a little bit different. My sets. None of my sets are ever exactly alike. The only time it was close, when I was preparing for my special.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And I hated it. Cause I wanted to try some new stuff.

[B]

But you had to keep.

[A]

I had to keep. I gotta get this hour ready. So I had to stay on track. And my dear friend David Arnold, who passed away, as, you know, when. You know, when I would be working on something, and then he'd see me very. He'd be like, get back to the set. Like, sorry, material, Right? Because I'm dying doing this thing over. It's, you know, it has to become road. It has to be, you know, automatic.

[B]

Yeah, it is crazy to me. Like, I'll be remembering an hour straight of material. That's a lot.

[A]

Yeah, but it's easier when it's a story.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And that's why I encourage all these young comedians. Forget jokes, tell stories. And that's gonna make you unique. They can't steal. Well, there's still comedy thieves out there. But it's hard to steal your story about your stepfather who used to take you to the racetrack. No, your real father actually used to take you to the racetrack for Thanksgiving.

[B]

I mean, if you do a truly authentic routine, nobody else could do it.

[A]

I would love to believe that. That's why I kind of hesitated. People will figure out a way to make some, add some nuances, but it's harder. It's easier to tell. It's easy to steal my Diddy jokes and my R. Kelly jokes, because that's out there, and it's not gonna be specific.

[B]

When Ronny Chang did his hour was it Asian comedian destroys America.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Me and my kids listened to that eight, nine times. They loved it. We get it on a car ride, we listen to it again. Nobody else could do those stories. He's getting married in Malaysia in accordance with Chinese customs and culture. He's working at the Daily show like it was so his life, no one else. And that same year, we were also listening over and over to Michelle Wolf's hour. She had an incredible hour, and that was also, like, no one else could do that hour. That is her. You know.

[A]

She'S great. I like people like that. I like writers just like you. I like to be thought provoked a little bit. I got some friends who are professors and doctors and lawyers, and they go to a comedy show. They go. I don't want to think, well, you don't have to hit me over the head. I've been thinking all day at work, just give it to me.

[B]

I'm gonna destroy you. I'm gonna make you laugh. See, part of what you guys do, when I laugh hard, I lose some of the oxygen to my brain, Right? So I'm, like, not really fully there. Right. And then you make them laugh again. And now I'm, like, physically weak. Right. The audience. Right. Like, sometimes the audience is like, I am exhausted from laughing. Please stop. Right? Cause it's like, it has a huge physiological impact on you in a way that the other things, like singing.

[A]

And our goal is to actually kill you. When people say, I killed last night, they really hope somebody died. You know what I mean? We want people to be bellied over, tears, slapping each other. Yeah. That's our goal. Like, damn it, nobody died tonight.

[B]

Tomorrow, good luck with killing people.

[A]

I mean, I try to take them right before they die and resuscitate them.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

Thank you, brother.

[B]

Thanks so much to Chris for a great interview, and thanks to you for listening. Torre show gives you fuel to power your dreams, because you can use your dreams like a rocket ship to blast you into another life. You can make your dreams a reality. Maybe this show can help. You can find me on Twitter, at Toray, on Instagram, at Toray, show on Blue sky at Toray, and on TikTok at Toray Show. Toray show is written by me, Torre, and produced by Ashley Hobbs. Our editor is Ryan Woodhall. Our booker is Ray Holiday, and we're distributed by DCP Entertainment. And we will be back next Wednesday with more amazing guests because the man can't shut us down.