Occupation: Comedian Birth: May 13, 1949
Evaluate every performance on: stage presence, concentration, delivery, material and lessons learned..
Walking back and forth also helps by creating the illusion that you are thinking of the routines on the spot, giving your performance a more spontane….
It's better to play to the host as though in a real conversation and let the audience listen in- which they are..
You must not be afraid of small bits of silence. To use it well is the height of confidence and skill for a comedian. It increases the tension in a g….
Taping yourself and making yourself listen to the tape of each performance no matter how bad is really important. There's always a nugget line or a ….
When you take a pause before delivering your punch line, you will be using silence as a creative entity in itself..
Be prepared to cut your little extra lines that come after a big punchline and move on to the next joke or routine to give your set more punch and cr….
Black people drink lots of beer. However, you won't see us skiing down a mountain for one, or see us diving for Frisbees on concrete for one..
Obviously the audience has veto power signified by whether they laugh or not, but you-not them-retain the ultimate power to decide what they're going….
On a good night, I'm just into the flow and seeing the pictures and words in my mind clearly before I say them. On a bad night, which to be honest a….
This whole urban rap thing needs to be pulled back some. The ghetto is being glorified, and there's nothing good about the ghetto except getting out ….
Don't try to give a funny opinion; give your opinion in a way that will be funny..
Being a professional comedian is doing it right and good, when you don't feel like it..
You can't wait forever for an audience to get the joke, but you should give them at least two seconds to join in before you go on to the next one..
I have no desire to be hip to the latest black slang and do the stereotypical black thing. I was a Richard Pryor fan, and I have used profanity in my….
If I'm crisp and economical in my delivery, have smooth transitions, movement and animation, and flights of fancy, that would get me an A..
Very few blacks will take up golf until the requirement for plaid pants is dropped..
I don't like the fact that most black people or black comedians have to present themselves in a flamboyant way. It's good if you can do that, but I d….
Originality is never embraced as quickly as the commonplace..
Bombing teaches you how badly you want to become a comedian. Because unless it's a burning desire, you'll quit when the consistent bombing becomes to….
I advise treating the studio audience like a nightclub audience because that's the reason you're doing television - to get them to come see you in a ….