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Speaker 1: Comedy Saved Me. Comedy is more than a punchline, It

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Speaker 1: is a survival tool. I'm Lynn Hoffman and welcome to

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Speaker 1: Comedy Saved Me, the podcast about the healing power of comedy,

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Speaker 1: and today I'm so lucky to be joined with stand

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Speaker 1: up comedian, writer, and prolific creator and that is not

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Speaker 1: an understatement Jammel Johnson. He's a Woodbridge, Virginia native who

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Speaker 1: spent over sixteen years building a career on turning sharp

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Speaker 1: observation into big laughs. From his early stand up days

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Speaker 1: on the DC comedy scene to his TV debut on

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Speaker 1: Kevin Hart Presents Heart of the City, to appearances on

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Speaker 1: Comedy Central including Coming to the Stage and stand up featuring,

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Speaker 1: and a spot on Vulture's list of comedians you should know.

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Speaker 1: Jammel has built a career defined by effortless wit, and originality.

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Speaker 1: Now he's also, I'm going to use this word again,

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Speaker 1: a prolific podcaster, co hosting show like air Buds and

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Speaker 1: Sorry We Love Football, and recently he released his new

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Speaker 1: comedy album, mid Range, which is streaming right this minute

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Speaker 1: on all major platforms. Get ready for a conversation about

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Speaker 1: the moments comedy carried him through and the laughs that

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Speaker 1: came out the other side right after this with the

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Speaker 1: one and only Jamel Johnson. Comedy saved me. Jamel, welcome

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Speaker 1: to Comedy Safety. It's nice to meet you real.

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Speaker 2: Thanks for having me. That intro was crazy. I almost

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Speaker 2: started clapping for yourself. You should yeah, one boint. I

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Speaker 2: almost got up and started clapping. Man, thank you.

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Speaker 1: Well, you know what I left out one thing when

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Speaker 1: I was talking about you in the open. Authentic. That's

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Speaker 1: that's another word that describes you.

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Speaker 2: To a t Hey, I'll take it, man. I mean

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Speaker 2: it is, you know, for better or worse.

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Speaker 1: True? Now take you know, because it's like a blessing

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Speaker 1: and a curse, isn't it?

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Speaker 2: For sure? And there's definitely times, especially come on, Hollywood,

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Speaker 2: you're not supposed to be authentic all the time.

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Speaker 1: Out of here, man, No, you are at all heavily edited.

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Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, will you take us back please to

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Speaker 1: the first memory that you have of like realizing that

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Speaker 1: comedy could be used as this great tool not just

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Speaker 1: for entertainment purposes.

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Speaker 2: Okay, the first time I'm I want to say, I'm

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Speaker 2: like six.

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Speaker 1: Wow.

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Speaker 2: It's one of the first memories I have period. It's

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Speaker 2: most of my mom's family and my dad all in

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Speaker 2: my great grandmother's living room, which was kind of technically

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Speaker 2: also the kitchen and the bedroom, and we're all watching

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Speaker 2: Comicview and it's just like it's the first time everybody's

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Speaker 2: kind of quietly watching something and it's kind of it

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Speaker 2: is vague, but it's for sure comic View. And it's

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Speaker 2: like six people all giving their undivided attention to Comic View.

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Speaker 2: And I don't know what any of the jokes mean,

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Speaker 2: but I hear the crowd laughing on the TV. I

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Speaker 2: hear people in the house laughing occasionally, but the attention

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Speaker 2: is there and everybody's really loving it. And that was

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Speaker 2: that was the moment I was like, man, this is

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Speaker 2: this is powerful. I didn't know how to describe it

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Speaker 2: as like a little kid, but I was like, this

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Speaker 2: is from that moment, I'm watching Comic View every week now,

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Speaker 2: whether the family wants to or not, Like I become

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Speaker 2: consumed by comedy.

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Speaker 1: Now, did you do skits for the family once you

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Speaker 1: realize that this is where you get the attention?

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Speaker 2: Nah? No, no, no. I definitely did not want the

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Speaker 2: I did not want the eyes like that.

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Speaker 1: Oh, so you just observed them.

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Speaker 2: I just quietly observed and was just building you know

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Speaker 2: what I'm saying. The cases not cases, but whatever. I'm

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Speaker 2: just putting information together and I'm taking it to school.

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Speaker 2: I'm doing these things at school, for sure, but definitely

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Speaker 2: not for the family.

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Speaker 1: Oh now, was it during class or was it you know?

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Speaker 1: Did you kept it?

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Speaker 2: No? I kept it to like in between periods in class.

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Speaker 2: I was not paying attention on my own, but I

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Speaker 2: was never disruptively not paying attention. Yeah, well, you know, lunchtime,

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Speaker 2: in between classes, anytime we're changing rooms, I'm trying to

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Speaker 2: get something off, We're on the bus, walk home from school,

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Speaker 2: walk to the bus, any of those in between times. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: I'm trying to I'm trying to be the star of those.

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Speaker 2: For sure.

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Speaker 1: I bet you had a lot of friends too, because

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Speaker 1: anyone who could make me laugh, I was just I

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Speaker 1: would follow them around like the pied piper.

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Speaker 2: I mean, I got not a lot, but we definitely. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: it was a crew. It was like a few crew.

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Speaker 2: I was all over the place. It wasn't like you

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Speaker 2: see a pie piper type situation. It was more like

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Speaker 2: I was visiting different groups of people to try to

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Speaker 2: get a laughing and people might. You might somebody might

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Speaker 2: call me over and be like, hey, Jamail, give us

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Speaker 2: one right here. But I'm like I was in band,

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Speaker 2: I played football. I was like I was attending every

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Speaker 2: meeting I could just to like just to have different

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Speaker 2: groups of people to just like like a freshman year,

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Speaker 2: I was signing up for college visits, which is like

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Speaker 2: for upperclassmen, but they, I realized pretty early on, they

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Speaker 2: weren't really checking to see what grade you in. It

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Speaker 2: was kind of an honor system, like either you're a

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Speaker 2: junior or a senior. Yeah, so you're this is like serious.

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Speaker 2: I'm not taking it serious. I'm just hanging out And

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Speaker 2: that's kind of this. That's me to a t bro,

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Speaker 2: just trying to like fit in, just get in and

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Speaker 2: see what everybody's up to. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: No, I can relate to that in that sense. But

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Speaker 1: I had friends in every group in school, like from

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Speaker 1: you know, the theater people and the jocks, and right from.

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Speaker 2: The I'm moving across different versions of nerds and different

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Speaker 2: versions of jocks. Like I played football. I was the

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Speaker 2: equipment manager for basketball. Wow, until my mom made me

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Speaker 2: quick why and well, because she's like, what are you doing?

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Speaker 2: Like you don't play basketball.

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Speaker 1: But you wanted to be there.

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Speaker 2: I'm like, I'm trying to I'm trying to see what's up. Truly,

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Speaker 2: I was trying to get a free sweatsuit because the team.

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Speaker 2: The team was sponsored by Nike, and I was trying

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Speaker 2: to get some Nike gear out of the deal. But

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Speaker 2: it wasn't like I wasn't It wasn't like I wasn't

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Speaker 2: taking it serious anyway. I did this, I'm throwing shotput,

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Speaker 2: but like I'm not good at it.

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Speaker 1: Wait, wait, hold on, you just threw that one right

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Speaker 1: over my head. You did shot put in high school? Yeah?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I was on the track and field, Like there

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Speaker 2: was a couple of guys from football, who, uh, we're

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Speaker 2: throwing shot put And.

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Speaker 1: I didn't even know they talked that and maybe I

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Speaker 1: just that was one of the groups I didn't hang

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Speaker 1: out with. I didn't even know it existed.

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Speaker 2: This I what you Your reaction was the one I

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Speaker 2: had junior year. I was like that you could do that. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: don't mean I'm in the I'm in the team yearbook photo,

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Speaker 2: not in a uniform. They didn't even have a uniform

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Speaker 2: for me.

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Speaker 1: You're standing there just with the with the heavy ball

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Speaker 1: in your hand.

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Speaker 2: Like holding a damn ball. But I was just hanging out,

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Speaker 2: hanging out of track.

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Speaker 1: Well, you we're gonna fast forward a little bit. You

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Speaker 1: got your start on the DC comedy scene. What was

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Speaker 1: the community like and how did it shape Jamel's voice

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Speaker 1: in comedy?

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Speaker 2: I mean it was that it was it was everything. Man,

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Speaker 2: Uh what what are we talking? Twenty ten? So it

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Speaker 2: felt to me like, uh, there was I guess what

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Speaker 2: I learned later was it was like an in between

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Speaker 2: period in the scenes, like there are a bunch of

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Speaker 2: people who kind of moved on. DC has this very

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Speaker 2: like stepping stone type thing about it where you're there

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Speaker 2: for a while, you get like you get to a

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Speaker 2: point of skill and notoriety where like you're kind of

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Speaker 2: headlining smaller shows, and then you get out, you go

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Speaker 2: to New York, you go to LA that's it. You

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Speaker 2: gotta pick one. So I think a bunch of people

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Speaker 2: had left and there was like not a ton of

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Speaker 2: stuff happening. Like the best open mic in the DC

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Speaker 2: area was in Woodbridge, Virginia.

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Speaker 1: Well, so now that leads me to your first paid gig. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: thirty minutes, fifty bucks, a nearly empty room, like how

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Speaker 1: did you First of all, how did you survive that?

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Speaker 1: And what did it teach you about your craft?

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Speaker 2: Oh? Yeah, what was that act? Some lounge ax, some

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Speaker 2: lounge actually in DC. So I've been doing the open mics,

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Speaker 2: and so to say open mics is a little bit

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Speaker 2: of a stretch, Like there wasn't enough medians, but there

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Speaker 2: was a big audience. So you would be like you'd

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Speaker 2: be performing out in a room they're calling in an

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Speaker 2: open mic, but you get they're letting you do like

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Speaker 2: five to seven. I mean, if you're really irresponsible, you

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Speaker 2: could get away with ten minutes of just tomfoolery in

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Speaker 2: front of like a packed audience. So I'm doing this

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Speaker 2: for like, you know, six seven, eight months, and one

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Speaker 2: of these guys was booking shows and the purposes, like

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Speaker 2: I got this thing in the city. So it was

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Speaker 2: actually like one of my first times like in the

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Speaker 2: actual city performing and you know what, honestly, I just

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Speaker 2: was like, don't stop talking, Like I don't know it

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Speaker 2: was I take you, I take a real athletes approach

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Speaker 2: to this as well.

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Speaker 1: To comedy to writing or just your performing writing.

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Speaker 2: To performing just like and like as soon as you

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Speaker 2: walk in, you're like Okay, there's five people here, all right,

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Speaker 2: there's not gonna be any energy to feed off, which

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Speaker 2: is obviously for me, that's like the easiest thing. But

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Speaker 2: like also it's like, hey, listen, just keep talking, man,

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Speaker 2: just keep talking. I'm also like, yeah, I'm like, what's

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Speaker 2: the what's the what's the word for not getting embarrassed off?

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Speaker 2: And shameless?

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Speaker 1: Oh is a good quality for a comedian.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, like I can just kind of just like

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Speaker 2: I could talk through some like like like some real

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Speaker 2: bad energy really, but and what happens it The only

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Speaker 2: thing that happens is I get real sweaty though, like

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Speaker 2: down my back. So I'm just like pouring sweat like

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Speaker 2: down my ass. But I could just keep going. Bro.

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Speaker 2: That's the football that like two a days, bro, Like

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Speaker 2: just like kind of just yeah, being programmed to accept uh,

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Speaker 2: terrible circumstances.

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Speaker 1: How let me ask you this, because Kevin Hard happens

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Speaker 1: to be one of my all time favorites of all time,

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Speaker 1: the heart of the city. He had that special and

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Speaker 1: had you on that How did that change your career?

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Speaker 1: Because that must have been an amazing milestone for you.

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Speaker 1: Why can't I talk today? My mouth's not working? I apologize.

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Speaker 2: Listen, I'm always I'm always dealing with the absurd. Mouth

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Speaker 2: dryness isn't yeah, mouth dryness or noises?

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Speaker 1: Sorry, wess.

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Speaker 2: Anyhow, it was you know what's funny man? That question?

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Speaker 2: He asked me that question in the show, and they

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Speaker 2: cut it from tape because I was like, He was like,

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Speaker 2: how do you think this is going to change your career?

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Speaker 2: In your life? And I was like, I don't think

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Speaker 2: it is, man. I think I think I got bills

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Speaker 2: that the check for this show is not going cover uh,

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Speaker 2: and I think life goes on. That was kind of

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Speaker 2: and I was doing that to be funny, but there

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Speaker 2: was also some truth behind it, and like.

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Speaker 1: Did he take it as far?

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Speaker 2: I mean, you know he got to laugh, He was like,

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Speaker 2: oh where he kind of like, oh for real?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I can't even imagine the look on his face.

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Speaker 2: Like it's funny to say that and to be here,

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Speaker 2: you know, all these years later? Did it? It did

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Speaker 2: change things for me. It changed my belief generally, honestly,

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Speaker 2: just like because it happened in d C. What was

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Speaker 2: even crazier about the timing was I was already planning

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Speaker 2: to move to Los Angeles, Like the deal was set.

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Speaker 2: You know what I'm saying, Like I had a flight,

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Speaker 2: you know what I'm saying, Like that bags are packed

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Speaker 2: where empty apartments. It's happening. And then I get the

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Speaker 2: call that I'm gonna get my first television credit in DC.

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Speaker 2: It kind of was. It was a bizarre moment because

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Speaker 2: I have such a strong connection with the town and

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Speaker 2: like not ever wanting to leave, you know what I'm saying,

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Speaker 2: and having this like the Cross Roades moment that a

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Speaker 2: bunch of people go through where it's like are you

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Speaker 2: gonna go to New York? Are you're gonna go to

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Speaker 2: LA And a couple of years of people telling me

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Speaker 2: you gotta leave, and then I get on TV and

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Speaker 2: I'm here and I'm like there's like the what are

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Speaker 2: you doing leaving? Feeling perhaps I shouldn't leave at all.

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Speaker 2: All of these things row through my head. But having

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Speaker 2: it happen did it solidified me here? It just it

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Speaker 2: gave me like a stripe that like this is for

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Speaker 2: the people who are like aspiring to take a jump.

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Speaker 2: I mean, like everybody knows the classic. It's like it's

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Speaker 2: not what you do is who you know? Everybody knows that.

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Speaker 2: But also like having that just a stripe on your name,

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Speaker 2: you know what I'm saying. Yeah, it makes it makes

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Speaker 2: meetings easier.

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Speaker 1: It's like a feather in your cap. Some people would say.

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Speaker 2: Literally, yeah, I equate it to like having a freaking

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Speaker 2: military like a bar like on your un compel like

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Speaker 2: eplet you got one up let on you know, and

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Speaker 2: that and end. As time has gone by, it's aged

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Speaker 2: really well. I don't think a lot of people watched it.

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Speaker 2: The other sick thing about that credit is it came

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Speaker 2: out two days after Trump got elected the first time.

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Speaker 2: Oh so okay, so twenty sixteen, November, Yeah, November twenty sixteen,

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Speaker 2: and it's like it's two days of like congratulations and

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Speaker 2: praise and then everybody online is just like immediately just pissed,

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Speaker 2: you know what I mean, like the energy shit, yes, yes,

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Speaker 2: whether you whether you wanted him to win or not.

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Speaker 2: There's people who are like pissed that he won and

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Speaker 2: that wanted him to win, and there's people who like

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Speaker 2: are pissed that he lost. Like everybody just became pissed.

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Speaker 1: And you still that on the internet.

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Speaker 2: That's it changed everything about the perception of that that

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Speaker 2: they like the show. I I mean, I know, he

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Speaker 2: went on to do another season, but it affected the

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Speaker 2: way the show went for sure. And but in recent years,

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Speaker 2: our man Kevin Hard it's on his YouTube now if

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Speaker 2: you want to watch this, I think it's on the

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Speaker 2: LOL network on YouTube.

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Speaker 1: Well that's what I was gonna say. It's so easy

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Speaker 1: now I forget. You know, in the old days, we

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Speaker 1: used to have to say where you can find us,

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Speaker 1: But now you just type in your name.

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Speaker 2: And it's right open, and it's right up in there.

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Speaker 1: Although there is another Jamel Johnson. Did you know that?

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Speaker 2: Yeah? I did. Man, he's and he does music too.

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Speaker 1: This is a news reporter, a local news reporter in

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Speaker 1: Connecticut on Fox sixty one.

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Speaker 2: What yes, Oh, I got to hit him up. It's

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Speaker 2: so cold. I'm gonna look that up later. Okay, Look,

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Speaker 2: but I'm talking about the guy who's on the streaming services.

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Speaker 2: So every time I put out an album, it's like

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Speaker 2: I gotta go through this whole thing to like make

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Speaker 2: sure everybody knows I'm not the guy who does jazz piano.

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Speaker 1: No, that's a thing. That is a thing, the algorithm.

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Speaker 1: I mean, you have to differentiate yourself. Otherwise.

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Speaker 2: When my first album came out, all of the pictures,

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Speaker 2: all of the art was like his art, Oh no,

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Speaker 2: I mean, you know, Spotify is doing a tough job

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Speaker 2: like whatever, whoever that's on whatever, we figured it out.

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Speaker 2: But yeah, there's just like there's a few months of

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Speaker 2: me telling people that. And also some of his titles

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Speaker 2: sound funny, like he has a song called Kenny Stinks.

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Speaker 1: You wouldn't put out something like that.

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Speaker 2: I would though.

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Speaker 1: I was being facetious. That doesn't even sound Is he

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Speaker 1: a comedian as well? No, he's a serious musician with

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Speaker 1: a song Kenny.

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Speaker 2: Stinks, with Kenny Stinks on his thing, And then people

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Speaker 2: are asking me if I made Kenny Stinks, and it's like,

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Speaker 2: not this time, I would.

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Speaker 1: Have thought it was you too. But you've had a

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Speaker 1: lot of accolades though getting started out and up until

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Speaker 1: this point, including that seal of approval by Comedy Central

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Speaker 1: which it was called Coming to the Stage and then

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Speaker 1: stand Up featuring I.

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Speaker 2: Believe Okay, so so so. Coming to the Stage is

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Speaker 2: a that's a the beloved entity Comedy Dynamics. Comedy Dynamics

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Speaker 2: does a lot of releases and stuff, and they had

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Speaker 2: a show on Hulu that did mad seasons called Coming

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Speaker 2: to the stage. We filmed it in an office breakroom

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Speaker 2: in Burbank, Okay, So like the stage is just like

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Speaker 2: the back of like a fake garage, and it's like

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Speaker 2: it's like fourteen people sitting in the office break room.

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Speaker 2: There's a refrigerator like just off camera.

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Speaker 1: It's like the office.

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Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, straight up like the office, man, but also

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Speaker 2: a great look man.

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Speaker 1: Yep, how did that grand things for you? As well,

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Speaker 1: like those that stand up featuring as well, you.

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Speaker 2: Know, just another there's none of them things you could

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Speaker 2: put on a resume. But also it was the first

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Speaker 2: time that anything I did was ever on like they

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Speaker 2: released it on streaming like it was and it was

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Speaker 2: on Hulu and stuff, so like a bunch of people

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Speaker 2: did and like, uh it ended up on serious Like

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Speaker 2: a lot of people have heard those jokes of mine

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Speaker 2: from coming to the stage, so kind of just like

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Speaker 2: I would say, the biggest thing that that one did

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Speaker 2: for me was just like like bringing in It's like advertisement, man,

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Speaker 2: It's like advertisement that you wish you got paid more for.

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Speaker 2: But also I did get paid for it. I got

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Speaker 2: two hundred dollars cash in an envelope and a bunch

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Speaker 2: of steak burritos from Poquito Moss. Everybody else on the

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Speaker 2: show was like acting like they didn't want the burritos. Also,

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Speaker 2: it was it was the first time I was, uh,

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Speaker 2: I was visiting. I'm like, I wasn't like living in

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Speaker 2: Los Angeles, but I'd like planning a trip around doing

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Speaker 2: this taping, so you know, it's just dope. But also

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Speaker 2: I'm like, you know, I'm trying to save money, so

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Speaker 2: like the rest of my trip, I like, I got

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Speaker 2: steak burritos. I threw the rest of them burritos in

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Speaker 2: the freezer before I was staying like four days and burritos.

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Speaker 1: Man, Oh my gosh, you you're so hilarious. Do you

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Speaker 1: want to One of the best things about you, especially

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Speaker 1: in doing my research and also being a voiceover person,

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Speaker 1: heard you have a quality in your voice that it

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Speaker 1: doesn't even matter what you're saying. It's just I could

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Speaker 1: listen to you talk all day. Has anyone ever told

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Speaker 1: you that before?

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Speaker 2: You know what they have? And I should have mentioned

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Speaker 2: this too. Another thing that makes thirty minutes with no

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Speaker 2: real crowd energy more not easy, but just like I'm

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Speaker 2: able to do it is heavy radio influence.

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Speaker 1: Really tell me more. I'm from radio where did you.

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Speaker 2: Well, just I just grew up with it. By we

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Speaker 2: I was commuting with my mom back and forth between towns.

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Speaker 2: So when I'm young, we're in Arlington, Virginia. My folks

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Speaker 2: by a place in Woodbridge, Virginia. They kind of like

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00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:08,160
Speaker 2: saw gentrification coming and they was like, hey, listen, it's coming, bro.

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Speaker 2: I don't know if we I don't think the four

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Speaker 2: of us can stop it. So I think we need

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Speaker 2: to make a play, and they do. And so, but

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Speaker 2: my mom is working at the Pentagon, and so I'm

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Speaker 2: going back and my folks, like most of my family,

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Speaker 2: like a good portion of my dad's relatives and my

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Speaker 2: mom's relatives are all in Arlington. Still there. These towns

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Speaker 2: are like thirty minutes apart at this time. Now that

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Speaker 2: is not true. Now they are an hour and fifteen

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Speaker 2: minutes apart somehow due to traffic. But at this time

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Speaker 2: it was thirty minutes apart. And so we just remained

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Speaker 2: in school in Arlington.

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Speaker 1: And you listen to the radio, like driving back to.

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Speaker 2: So Yes, so it's seven am every day, Monday through Friday.

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Speaker 2: We're listening to morning radio going into town. So it's

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Speaker 2: like an hour or in some change of radio going

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Speaker 2: into town and then it's like another hour. So I'm

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Speaker 2: always hearing like, uh, you know, the the five pm

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Speaker 2: traffic jam mix. Nothing better than a Friday DJ set

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Speaker 2: on the radio. They're so excited. They play so many

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Speaker 2: sound drops. And then but then like morning, like a

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Speaker 2: lot of like R and B like uh. In DC

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Speaker 2: Radio in particular, a lot of black voices. I mean

387
00:21:29,359 --> 00:21:33,639
Speaker 2: it's Howard University Radio and Magic one O two point

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00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:40,040
Speaker 2: three and WPGC, and they're gonna w kys Man and

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00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:43,800
Speaker 2: there's a couple more. Just like I'm listening to radio.

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Speaker 2: It's a part of my morning, is a part of

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Speaker 2: my evening. I'm at home, I'm listening to radio in

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Speaker 2: my room. I'm doing homework, listening to the radio, talk radio,

393
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Speaker 2: sports radio. I'm in band. I'm doing the band fundraiser

394
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Speaker 2: to bay a radio. I'm selling Virginia Diner peanuts to

395
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Speaker 2: get it sell enough peanuts to buy a Sony dream

396
00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:09,800
Speaker 2: Machine so I could listen to the radio in my

397
00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:13,000
Speaker 2: free time. It's just a lot of radio. And then

398
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Speaker 2: after school, I don't go to college. I convinced my

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Speaker 2: parents to back me up and go into the Connecticut

400
00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:22,440
Speaker 2: School of Broadcasting. I don't even think it exists anymore.

401
00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:26,639
Speaker 2: And my first the first draft of my plan for

402
00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:29,679
Speaker 2: success after high school was getting on the radio. I

403
00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:31,920
Speaker 2: thought I was gonna get on DC radio. I thought

404
00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:35,720
Speaker 2: I was going to be like, you know, the afternoon

405
00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:40,680
Speaker 2: drive radio guy man playing music talking about Washington football

406
00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:43,760
Speaker 2: team whatever it might have been named at the time. Like,

407
00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:45,960
Speaker 2: I just thought that was I thought that was the plan.

408
00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:49,320
Speaker 2: So I go in. I'm like, really earnestly trying to

409
00:22:49,359 --> 00:22:52,560
Speaker 2: be a DJ. They had a couple of well known

410
00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:58,080
Speaker 2: DJs from in the area who were the instructors. I

411
00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:02,920
Speaker 2: wish I paid more intention. They also offered like as

412
00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:04,959
Speaker 2: well as like radio stuff, which is the only thing

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00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:09,200
Speaker 2: I paid attention. They taught everybody how to edit video,

414
00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:14,040
Speaker 2: which is so important in comedy. Now. Oh my god,

415
00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:18,240
Speaker 2: I can't believe I just dropped the ball on free

416
00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:22,040
Speaker 2: video editing. I'm like, no, I'm gonna be the next

417
00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:24,160
Speaker 2: ALBD so stupid.

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Speaker 1: Wow, that's so cool. But you developed your voice because

419
00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:28,199
Speaker 1: of that.

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Speaker 2: This is where the voice comes from. Jesse, the hours

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Speaker 2: and hours of radio. I still to this day. I

422
00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:37,080
Speaker 2: got twelve presets in my car right now. I love

423
00:23:37,119 --> 00:23:42,440
Speaker 2: all versions of radio, but particularly listen black Radio, bro,

424
00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:44,480
Speaker 2: and at the top of that list would be the

425
00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:48,239
Speaker 2: Quiet Storm. So quiet Storm is there is that like

426
00:23:49,359 --> 00:23:54,600
Speaker 2: it's evening, it's ten PM to maybe one.

427
00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:58,760
Speaker 1: Yeah, we had a show in Boston called Lights Out Boston, Do.

428
00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:02,280
Speaker 2: You feel Me? The Quiet Storm? So ours was the

429
00:24:02,359 --> 00:24:05,520
Speaker 2: Quiet Storm always. It would always start with the freaking

430
00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:09,840
Speaker 2: Smokey Robinson song. And yeah, the host was just the

431
00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:12,399
Speaker 2: smoothest guy. So I tried to apply a little bit

432
00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:16,240
Speaker 2: to that, Like I'm definitely whackier than that, but just

433
00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:19,480
Speaker 2: you know, thirty years of listening to the Quiet Storm

434
00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:23,200
Speaker 2: has added a certain smoothness.

435
00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:27,119
Speaker 1: That's so cool. I have to say black radio is

436
00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:32,280
Speaker 1: where I like gave me my start. I gotta give

437
00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:35,840
Speaker 1: Ken Johnson, same last name. I wonder if you're related all.

438
00:24:37,359 --> 00:24:41,520
Speaker 1: He did a show on wi l D in Boston.

439
00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:45,200
Speaker 1: It was on the am, but it played music. Yes,

440
00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:49,200
Speaker 1: And I used to do traffic reports and I happened

441
00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:51,919
Speaker 1: to be doing the traffic report for that show and

442
00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:53,840
Speaker 1: one day Ken called me up and he was the

443
00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:57,840
Speaker 1: host and they had a whole cast of characters and

444
00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:00,800
Speaker 1: I was a traffic girl. So they're like, we're going

445
00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:04,080
Speaker 1: to New York to interview all the Grammy artists because

446
00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:06,360
Speaker 1: they were doing the tour and everything, and we want

447
00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:07,840
Speaker 1: you to come with us, and I'm like, what do

448
00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:09,520
Speaker 1: you mean, I'm just the traffic girl. I didn't even

449
00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:11,520
Speaker 1: work with them in the studio. I was at the

450
00:25:11,520 --> 00:25:12,400
Speaker 1: traffic department.

451
00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:15,080
Speaker 2: It is funny to bring the traffic girl though. Yeah,

452
00:25:15,119 --> 00:25:16,239
Speaker 2: that's funny, that's a funny bit.

453
00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:19,439
Speaker 1: It was awesome because it was the first time that

454
00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:23,159
Speaker 1: someone brought me into the creative group of people and

455
00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:26,240
Speaker 1: allowed me to just be me and then not just

456
00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:27,440
Speaker 1: the traffic girl.

457
00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:30,920
Speaker 2: Promotion. You're getting promoted.

458
00:25:31,119 --> 00:25:33,400
Speaker 1: It was huge. It was the biggest thing that ever happened.

459
00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:36,120
Speaker 2: Yeah, and deserve it. Come on, they knew they saw.

460
00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:38,680
Speaker 1: Oh thanks. I actually just talked to him not long

461
00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:42,800
Speaker 1: ago too. You released this is about You, mister Johnson.

462
00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:48,360
Speaker 1: You released a stand up special friend or Foe during

463
00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:50,679
Speaker 1: the pandemic, you know, and you didn't have a live

464
00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:54,680
Speaker 1: audience because we're talking about obviously going from one thing

465
00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:58,720
Speaker 1: to the other, but that's a completely different small audience

466
00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:01,119
Speaker 1: or shall I say, just lack of someone being in

467
00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:03,080
Speaker 1: the room. What did that teach you about connecting with

468
00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:05,920
Speaker 1: people through comedy, like even without the laughs.

469
00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:09,720
Speaker 2: Because well, well, listen, let me be honest with you.

470
00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:11,959
Speaker 2: That's some that's a little movie magic right there.

471
00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:13,720
Speaker 1: Editing, Now, there were.

472
00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:15,960
Speaker 2: There was some editing. There was people in the crowd,

473
00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:19,679
Speaker 2: all right. And what happened there was this was something

474
00:26:19,760 --> 00:26:26,440
Speaker 2: that I had taped before the world collapsed upon itself.

475
00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:30,000
Speaker 2: But and the issue was with it. So it was

476
00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:34,080
Speaker 2: my good friend he's he's like, listen, I'm gonna tape

477
00:26:34,119 --> 00:26:36,640
Speaker 2: this for you. We're gonna we're gonna try, We're gonna

478
00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:42,440
Speaker 2: make this happen. Man. And we forgot to mic the audience. Okay.

479
00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:47,480
Speaker 2: What it was just a completely independent project in which

480
00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:50,920
Speaker 2: the audience is not properly miked. So when you hear

481
00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:54,399
Speaker 2: the original, it just sounds like the show's going okay,

482
00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:57,520
Speaker 2: oh no, you know what I mean, because it's just me.

483
00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:02,240
Speaker 2: It's just the laughs coming through my mic. And so

484
00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:05,040
Speaker 2: then with COVID happened. So this tape is just sitting there,

485
00:27:05,080 --> 00:27:08,200
Speaker 2: the tape the video is from. It's from like twenty,

486
00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:11,400
Speaker 2: it might even be twenty. It might even be twenty eighteen.

487
00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:16,000
Speaker 2: Oh it might even be originally twenty eighteen, if not eighteen,

488
00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:19,520
Speaker 2: definitely nineteen. But if the video just existed and I

489
00:27:19,560 --> 00:27:23,880
Speaker 2: was never gonna put it out, and then with there

490
00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:29,119
Speaker 2: being no live performances, the bright idea comes upon me

491
00:27:29,359 --> 00:27:33,600
Speaker 2: to remove the laughs entirely. Let's just see if it

492
00:27:34,119 --> 00:27:36,560
Speaker 2: you know, hey whatever, let's just see how it feels.

493
00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:37,240
Speaker 1: Wow.

494
00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:40,520
Speaker 2: And yeah, I just put it out. And then like

495
00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:43,160
Speaker 2: you know, I like, like, I like I was paying

496
00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:44,960
Speaker 2: wall in it for a second. I think I ended

497
00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:48,240
Speaker 2: up donating the money to like a Minnesota bail fund

498
00:27:48,359 --> 00:27:52,080
Speaker 2: or something. But yeah, it was just I just wanted

499
00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:55,280
Speaker 2: to just see what if anything, because I was proud

500
00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:57,120
Speaker 2: of I, like, I love I like those jokes. Those

501
00:27:57,160 --> 00:27:59,560
Speaker 2: were like jokes from like so a lot a bunch

502
00:27:59,560 --> 00:28:03,280
Speaker 2: of stuff from my first album, and like, I just

503
00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:04,680
Speaker 2: believed in the materials so much.

504
00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:07,760
Speaker 1: I said, you didn't even need the laughter. I thought

505
00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:09,440
Speaker 1: you were going to tell me you put the cans

506
00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:11,399
Speaker 1: laughter in, like you know they used on all the

507
00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:13,760
Speaker 1: shows back in the day, you know, the same guy

508
00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:14,600
Speaker 1: without the scene.

509
00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:19,760
Speaker 2: Of course, I was like, hey, what about the exact opposite.

510
00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:23,680
Speaker 2: Let's see what happens, and you know, hey, whatever got

511
00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:28,440
Speaker 2: a decent response some people, So I am. I don't

512
00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:32,840
Speaker 2: know if I'm proud or or some other feeling. The

513
00:28:32,880 --> 00:28:35,840
Speaker 2: way I feel, well, yeah, the way people believe that

514
00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:39,040
Speaker 2: nobody was there, and it's like, I don't I don't

515
00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:43,680
Speaker 2: want to lie. But when people react like, man, nobody

516
00:28:43,760 --> 00:28:45,360
Speaker 2: was there? What was that like? I could I feel

517
00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:47,840
Speaker 2: like I'd be letting people down, Like I'm sorry, guys,

518
00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:48,800
Speaker 2: I was just playing.

519
00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:54,520
Speaker 3: You'll be right back with more of the Comedy Saving Podcast.

520
00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:02,600
Speaker 3: Welcome back to the Comedy Shafety Podcast.

521
00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:06,080
Speaker 1: Well, all right, before we get to mid range, because

522
00:29:06,320 --> 00:29:09,360
Speaker 1: I need to ask you. I ask almost everyone who

523
00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:11,760
Speaker 1: comes on the show. Do you do you feel that

524
00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:15,400
Speaker 1: it's and this is it's almost a redundant question, but

525
00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:17,440
Speaker 1: how important is it to laugh at yourself?

526
00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:21,440
Speaker 2: Oh? I mean I would say it's really important. I

527
00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:24,640
Speaker 2: definitely think I don't think it's important for everyone though,

528
00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:29,600
Speaker 2: but I get dependent on your your personality type, depending

529
00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:31,960
Speaker 2: on your DNA makeup. I think it's pretty important, man,

530
00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:35,960
Speaker 2: just something to like. I feel like it's a part

531
00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:37,280
Speaker 2: of the balance of living.

532
00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:41,120
Speaker 1: Right, absolutely. And also is it is healing for you

533
00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:43,280
Speaker 1: as it is for the audience?

534
00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:49,720
Speaker 2: Yeah? It is, honestly, Well just because it's like I'm

535
00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:55,000
Speaker 2: never I'm not often directly bringing myself to stage, but

536
00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:57,959
Speaker 2: there's a lot of like real life influence to stuff

537
00:29:58,560 --> 00:30:02,760
Speaker 2: and like, yeah, there's definitely been moments where it's just.

538
00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:04,000
Speaker 1: Like you needed that.

539
00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:09,560
Speaker 2: Yeah, the validation of the laughs.

540
00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:11,680
Speaker 1: What do you think it is? What do you think

541
00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:14,600
Speaker 1: it is about laughter that is so healing to people?

542
00:30:15,760 --> 00:30:18,520
Speaker 2: It's not something we fully control, I think is what

543
00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:21,160
Speaker 2: it is. Bro. It's like an actual like it's a

544
00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:24,560
Speaker 2: physical response that is like like right.

545
00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:28,360
Speaker 1: Now when you call it, bro, I love that so much.

546
00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:29,920
Speaker 1: One day my husband did that.

547
00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:33,440
Speaker 2: I was like, what, Bro, Yeah, my fault, and that's

548
00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:36,560
Speaker 2: another I don't love me. I'd be It's truly my

549
00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:38,920
Speaker 2: version of equality. I'm like, I would say bro to

550
00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:39,280
Speaker 2: my bro.

551
00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:41,360
Speaker 1: Yes, I love that so much.

552
00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:46,560
Speaker 2: I love it so bro. Anyway. Yeah, it's like I

553
00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:49,080
Speaker 2: was listening to so some NPR thing back in the

554
00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:53,280
Speaker 2: day that was getting into the history of laughter, and

555
00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:57,200
Speaker 2: they say, back in the day like the early primates,

556
00:30:57,280 --> 00:31:01,200
Speaker 2: like laughing was the first way that they let other

557
00:31:01,320 --> 00:31:05,320
Speaker 2: groups of primates know that they weren't showing up for

558
00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:05,840
Speaker 2: a fight.

559
00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:11,560
Speaker 1: Really, yeah, well I've never heard that before.

560
00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:14,520
Speaker 2: That was some deep NPR that was like some like

561
00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:17,800
Speaker 2: Saturday afternoon INPR. I don't even know what I was

562
00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:21,440
Speaker 2: doing in the car at the time, and they dropped

563
00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:23,200
Speaker 2: that one on me and I was like, oh, well,

564
00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:26,000
Speaker 2: I mean it immediately made sense, like of course, yeah,

565
00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:29,400
Speaker 2: this is like it's beyond language. You could laugh at

566
00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:32,480
Speaker 2: something and not even know. You could hear a conversation

567
00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:35,440
Speaker 2: in a language that you do not know, and you

568
00:31:35,480 --> 00:31:38,360
Speaker 2: can watch it and you can see when to laugh

569
00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:40,000
Speaker 2: and you will laugh. You know what I'm saying.

570
00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:42,360
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's built in, but you don't even realize it's

571
00:31:42,360 --> 00:31:43,600
Speaker 1: built in. It just happens.

572
00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:46,760
Speaker 2: It just happens. So I think that just it all

573
00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:51,840
Speaker 2: connects with just like some deeper in like the basis

574
00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:54,320
Speaker 2: of all of us. When something makes you and you

575
00:31:54,320 --> 00:31:57,280
Speaker 2: can also make someone laugh. You can take a person

576
00:31:57,880 --> 00:32:01,480
Speaker 2: who does not want to laugh and you can make

577
00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:04,640
Speaker 2: them laugh. That is like the power behind that.

578
00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:07,080
Speaker 1: It's like it's huge.

579
00:32:07,560 --> 00:32:10,880
Speaker 2: It's just yeah, I don't know, it's it's somewhere. Laughing

580
00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:16,880
Speaker 2: is somewhere between science and emotion, the cross of the two,

581
00:32:17,880 --> 00:32:19,479
Speaker 2: like disciplines or whatever.

582
00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:23,080
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's that's a great way of putting it. And

583
00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:26,400
Speaker 1: the fact that you do it so effortlessly it just

584
00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:29,680
Speaker 1: seems like you're just literally stream of conscious talking that

585
00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:35,320
Speaker 1: you haven't written this incredibly crafted material. It just seems

586
00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:37,120
Speaker 1: like it flows out of you as if you were

587
00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:40,440
Speaker 1: you just thought of it that moment, which is not

588
00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:41,480
Speaker 1: an easy skill.

589
00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:46,000
Speaker 2: Thank you. You know what it's it's the performance too.

590
00:32:46,360 --> 00:32:48,200
Speaker 2: I will say a lot of that is just like

591
00:32:49,120 --> 00:32:52,120
Speaker 2: I hate to say that I'm a good actor, but

592
00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:56,440
Speaker 2: it's connected to whatever. Whatever the skills in acting are.

593
00:32:56,720 --> 00:32:59,920
Speaker 2: I would say, yeah, yeah, is I low key hate acting,

594
00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:02,880
Speaker 2: But it's a part of get.

595
00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:05,480
Speaker 1: It well because then you have to you're being somebody else,

596
00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:09,440
Speaker 1: like you're acting for the show, but you're not not

597
00:33:09,560 --> 00:33:12,040
Speaker 1: being somebody other than Jim exactly.

598
00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:15,200
Speaker 2: I'm just I'm trying to show you. I'm trying to

599
00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:17,680
Speaker 2: have it feel like I just thought of it. To

600
00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:21,280
Speaker 2: make you connect with what I'm saying. It's like we

601
00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:24,400
Speaker 2: came up with this together, like I, yes, you know

602
00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:26,040
Speaker 2: what I'm saying. Yeah, that's even.

603
00:33:25,840 --> 00:33:28,520
Speaker 1: Bigger because you bring them in and they feel part

604
00:33:28,560 --> 00:33:28,840
Speaker 1: of it.

605
00:33:29,480 --> 00:33:32,440
Speaker 2: That's at least a goal a lot of times.

606
00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:35,200
Speaker 1: All right, So we started in the beginning, your family

607
00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:38,000
Speaker 1: was watching a TV show that made everybody laugh, and

608
00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:40,080
Speaker 1: you realize, Wow, this is what I want to do.

609
00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:42,880
Speaker 1: And now you're on the stages and you're making like

610
00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:45,880
Speaker 1: millions of people laugh even when you're just talking to me.

611
00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:48,040
Speaker 1: There are people laughing watching your stuff right now.

612
00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:51,280
Speaker 2: True, probably a couple of million over the course of time. Yeah,

613
00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:52,160
Speaker 2: I have a couple of.

614
00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:54,920
Speaker 1: What does that do for you? Knowing that?

615
00:33:56,280 --> 00:33:56,360
Speaker 2: What?

616
00:33:56,760 --> 00:34:00,640
Speaker 1: Actually? You know what? Let me rephrase that. Is it

617
00:34:00,680 --> 00:34:04,280
Speaker 1: important for you to do that? And why did you

618
00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:07,480
Speaker 1: want to do that outside of just for your own

619
00:34:07,520 --> 00:34:11,160
Speaker 1: career purposes? I mean, you're prolific when I said this

620
00:34:11,280 --> 00:34:13,400
Speaker 1: up front, Like you you don't just have your own shows.

621
00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:15,240
Speaker 1: You show up on other people, you're on my show,

622
00:34:16,320 --> 00:34:19,239
Speaker 1: You're all over. But you obviously want to do this

623
00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:21,840
Speaker 1: for a reason outside of just a paycheck. Because you

624
00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:24,560
Speaker 1: look like you're having a lot of fun, you know what.

625
00:34:24,640 --> 00:34:27,840
Speaker 2: That's fair. And the paychecks is not that big either.

626
00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:31,120
Speaker 1: Right, that's the big numb you know, misnomer of everything.

627
00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:31,400
Speaker 2: You know what I'm saying.

628
00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:34,600
Speaker 1: Yeah, but how many people like if you're on TV,

629
00:34:34,719 --> 00:34:35,880
Speaker 1: you must be rich.

630
00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:40,920
Speaker 2: Let me explain television to you. Somebody is rich. That

631
00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:47,960
Speaker 2: person is not me. It's I suppose it is a

632
00:34:48,080 --> 00:34:53,120
Speaker 2: sense of purpose and laughter, it is it is that

633
00:34:53,320 --> 00:34:56,880
Speaker 2: for me, Like that moment happened when I was in

634
00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:01,360
Speaker 2: like first grade, but I I don't actually try to

635
00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:06,440
Speaker 2: do stand up until after I graduate high school, just

636
00:35:06,520 --> 00:35:11,359
Speaker 2: not believing it's possible for a thousand different reasons. But

637
00:35:11,680 --> 00:35:15,120
Speaker 2: once it actually once, once I truly felt like I

638
00:35:15,160 --> 00:35:19,560
Speaker 2: had no other options in the world, then I'd go

639
00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:22,200
Speaker 2: to try to stand up And the first laugh I

640
00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:25,919
Speaker 2: heard on stage, it was immediately like, this is it.

641
00:35:26,120 --> 00:35:29,000
Speaker 2: I can't believe I was trying to do something else.

642
00:35:30,040 --> 00:35:32,560
Speaker 2: This is absolutely it. And it's just been and it's

643
00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:35,360
Speaker 2: been it ever since then. I don't think i've I

644
00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:38,920
Speaker 2: don't think it's been a month that I haven't performed

645
00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:41,040
Speaker 2: since that day, you know what I'm saying, Like that

646
00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:44,120
Speaker 2: might be a couple of weeks here and there, but

647
00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:46,359
Speaker 2: it's just it.

648
00:35:46,480 --> 00:35:49,480
Speaker 1: Just feels like yeah, exactly, yeah.

649
00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:53,239
Speaker 2: And it also like it puts so many things. It

650
00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:56,000
Speaker 2: puts so many other things into perspective for me, Like

651
00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:58,359
Speaker 2: I was struggling to hold a job because I'm just like,

652
00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:01,560
Speaker 2: what the hell is why would be working at radio

653
00:36:01,560 --> 00:36:05,200
Speaker 2: Shack even matter about anything at all? Dog, it's radio Shack.

654
00:36:05,239 --> 00:36:08,359
Speaker 2: It's two thousand and eight. What is up?

655
00:36:08,840 --> 00:36:11,240
Speaker 1: You were a geek for radio? You actually worked?

656
00:36:12,040 --> 00:36:12,080
Speaker 3: Was?

657
00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:14,480
Speaker 2: I kept trying to. I kept trying to get to

658
00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:18,680
Speaker 2: radio by all these different means, but like it just

659
00:36:18,960 --> 00:36:22,319
Speaker 2: I just couldn't connect all the pieces. And comedy was like,

660
00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:25,640
Speaker 2: oh right, you work a job that you hate, so

661
00:36:25,719 --> 00:36:29,200
Speaker 2: you could do this with peace of mind. Bro, Yes,

662
00:36:29,640 --> 00:36:33,319
Speaker 2: you know what I'm saying. And then suddenly, now my

663
00:36:33,400 --> 00:36:36,000
Speaker 2: bills are getting paid and I'm you know what I'm saying, like,

664
00:36:36,040 --> 00:36:38,560
Speaker 2: I'm getting my affairs in order.

665
00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:41,960
Speaker 1: So now, what would you say to somebody who is

666
00:36:42,040 --> 00:36:45,680
Speaker 1: being discouraged or having a moment where they don't think

667
00:36:46,840 --> 00:36:50,160
Speaker 1: they can continue? What would you give them for advice,

668
00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:52,160
Speaker 1: especially if they were trying to get into the world

669
00:36:52,160 --> 00:36:52,720
Speaker 1: of comedy?

670
00:36:53,840 --> 00:36:56,680
Speaker 2: And okay, so it's somebody who Okay, wait, now are

671
00:36:56,680 --> 00:37:01,279
Speaker 2: we talking to somebody who has it performed? Yet? Are

672
00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:03,960
Speaker 2: we talking to somebody who has? Because I got advice

673
00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:04,560
Speaker 2: for both of them?

674
00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:05,520
Speaker 1: All right, how about both?

675
00:37:06,080 --> 00:37:08,480
Speaker 2: So for the person who hasn't, you have to try it.

676
00:37:08,680 --> 00:37:10,520
Speaker 2: The person who has not, you have to try it.

677
00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:13,839
Speaker 2: You have to see what happens when you go up there.

678
00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:18,319
Speaker 2: It could go really bad. But the truth is like,

679
00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:21,400
Speaker 2: as bad as it could go, the odds of it

680
00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:25,640
Speaker 2: being the worst day of your life are so slim good.

681
00:37:25,719 --> 00:37:29,359
Speaker 2: It might feel bad in that moment, but at least

682
00:37:29,360 --> 00:37:35,000
Speaker 2: you will know, and having that knowledge, at least you'll

683
00:37:35,560 --> 00:37:39,600
Speaker 2: have the strength to do something else or you won't.

684
00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:42,560
Speaker 2: Just that you get out of being in that holding

685
00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:46,839
Speaker 2: pattern of like I'm wondering if you can do it.

686
00:37:47,200 --> 00:37:49,800
Speaker 2: You gotta just go see now for the person who's

687
00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:52,439
Speaker 2: been doing it and it's like, ah, man, this isn't

688
00:37:52,480 --> 00:37:59,359
Speaker 2: going well. Consider another place in the entertainment industry. I'm

689
00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:03,080
Speaker 2: not saying you gotta leave the industry. There's so many

690
00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:06,640
Speaker 2: other places. There's so many people behind the camera who

691
00:38:07,560 --> 00:38:11,040
Speaker 2: you need somebody with a sense of humor there, and

692
00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:16,040
Speaker 2: you can do like camera texts and like audio guys.

693
00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:20,400
Speaker 2: Like having a sense of humor can enhance these jobs.

694
00:38:20,880 --> 00:38:24,759
Speaker 2: And take that with you. But please do not continue

695
00:38:24,960 --> 00:38:29,960
Speaker 2: just bombing in these random places. Okay, don't keep doing

696
00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:35,080
Speaker 2: that to yourself. Take the wants and that sense of

697
00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:38,840
Speaker 2: humor that you have elsewhere. There are other places and

698
00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:44,080
Speaker 2: guess what else. Being funny don't really it doesn't really

699
00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:49,919
Speaker 2: always equate to success. All right, some of the funniest guys. Listen, dog,

700
00:38:50,040 --> 00:38:52,879
Speaker 2: I'm not gonna start getting into people's finances Okay. I'm

701
00:38:52,960 --> 00:38:57,640
Speaker 2: just saying that there's other ways to be a part

702
00:38:57,680 --> 00:39:00,680
Speaker 2: of entertainment, and I need you to that's the gate

703
00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:02,560
Speaker 2: those please, so.

704
00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:05,799
Speaker 1: Don't So don't be afraid to try it. And if

705
00:39:05,800 --> 00:39:10,279
Speaker 1: you're already doing it and you suck, go don't be.

706
00:39:10,280 --> 00:39:13,040
Speaker 2: Afraid to quit. Just look for a different Just just

707
00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:15,720
Speaker 2: look for a different place to put that sense of humor.

708
00:39:15,880 --> 00:39:18,319
Speaker 2: I'm not telling you that, I'm not even telling you

709
00:39:18,360 --> 00:39:20,640
Speaker 2: that you aren't funny, and I'm not telling you that

710
00:39:20,680 --> 00:39:23,640
Speaker 2: you shouldn't try to make people laugh. It's just clearly

711
00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:29,640
Speaker 2: whatever you're doing isn't working with crowds. Oh my gosh, okay,

712
00:39:29,800 --> 00:39:35,080
Speaker 2: Or just like, copy somebody else's routine. Man, Just copy

713
00:39:35,160 --> 00:39:36,760
Speaker 2: somebody else's routine.

714
00:39:36,480 --> 00:39:39,240
Speaker 1: All right, So don't be afraid get off the stage

715
00:39:39,280 --> 00:39:41,800
Speaker 1: if you suck or plagiarize.

716
00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:44,239
Speaker 2: Or just straight up copy somebody else's routine. I like it.

717
00:39:44,280 --> 00:39:46,160
Speaker 2: I like it. I think you'd be surprised how many

718
00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:49,040
Speaker 2: it happens every day. Brother, Just go do it.

719
00:39:49,160 --> 00:39:51,719
Speaker 1: There's so much out there to cipher through. By the

720
00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:54,680
Speaker 1: time they figure out that you've stolen their actually, you know,

721
00:39:54,719 --> 00:39:56,040
Speaker 1: they're probably already.

722
00:39:55,680 --> 00:40:00,560
Speaker 2: Dead up making a movie with them or don't know.

723
00:40:01,280 --> 00:40:04,040
Speaker 1: All right, mid Range is out now everywhere on all

724
00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:08,759
Speaker 1: major platforms. It was recorded live in New Orleans. I

725
00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:11,319
Speaker 1: hear that you did it in one take, which is

726
00:40:12,360 --> 00:40:16,120
Speaker 1: especially if you're taping something for something that you're going

727
00:40:16,200 --> 00:40:18,960
Speaker 1: to put on TV or some other platforms and stuff.

728
00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:23,319
Speaker 1: That's that's impressive because usually have to stop down, Okay,

729
00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:25,560
Speaker 1: we got to retake, You got to address the audience

730
00:40:25,640 --> 00:40:27,719
Speaker 1: and say, hey, this is for a show whatever. But

731
00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:32,200
Speaker 1: you just blew right through it. What made this the

732
00:40:32,280 --> 00:40:36,719
Speaker 1: right moment and the right room for the project, Well.

733
00:40:36,960 --> 00:40:42,000
Speaker 2: The guys at Sports Drink, the Comedy Club and Cafe

734
00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:46,160
Speaker 2: in New Orleans, they're good friends of mine. They also

735
00:40:46,520 --> 00:40:49,680
Speaker 2: they used to produce the aforementioned Sorry we Love Football

736
00:40:49,760 --> 00:40:53,160
Speaker 2: and get into the comedy space in New Orleans and

737
00:40:53,719 --> 00:40:57,440
Speaker 2: they these it just was there. They're having a good

738
00:40:57,440 --> 00:40:59,719
Speaker 2: time down there, a lot of success bringing in great

739
00:40:59,760 --> 00:41:03,680
Speaker 2: craft and they were putting on a festival and it

740
00:41:03,760 --> 00:41:06,759
Speaker 2: was my night as Jamel Johnson night at the festival,

741
00:41:06,840 --> 00:41:10,319
Speaker 2: you know, and it just I says, why not let

742
00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:12,840
Speaker 2: me just see what happens because with me, honestly, like

743
00:41:15,040 --> 00:41:20,799
Speaker 2: the steaks do something to my head, like where it's

744
00:41:20,840 --> 00:41:23,000
Speaker 2: not that I'm like, it's not that I suddenly like

745
00:41:23,320 --> 00:41:26,920
Speaker 2: forget what I'm doing or even the yips. It's just

746
00:41:27,040 --> 00:41:30,600
Speaker 2: not my best. Like I know now that what when

747
00:41:30,640 --> 00:41:34,240
Speaker 2: I'm at my best, it's when I'm not feeling the stakes.

748
00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:38,279
Speaker 2: Not that it's not big, it's just that if I

749
00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:41,000
Speaker 2: feel free, it will always come off.

750
00:41:41,760 --> 00:41:44,520
Speaker 1: If you feel like there's when you say steaks, like

751
00:41:44,560 --> 00:41:47,160
Speaker 1: the steaks are high and you've got to really knock

752
00:41:47,200 --> 00:41:47,960
Speaker 1: it out of the park.

753
00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:51,960
Speaker 2: Yeah, Like, And so The Heart of the City is

754
00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:56,399
Speaker 2: like the first example where it's like if you look

755
00:41:56,400 --> 00:42:01,600
Speaker 2: at me, I'm actually that's me, Like I'm looking stressed. Man,

756
00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:06,080
Speaker 2: I got kind of a weird haircut. It's a little unusual.

757
00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:10,840
Speaker 2: The room was like Kevin Hart is actively staring at me,

758
00:42:12,239 --> 00:42:17,000
Speaker 2: no pressure, and it's like the jokes hit, but it

759
00:42:17,280 --> 00:42:19,799
Speaker 2: just it's definitely wasn't the best version of any of

760
00:42:19,800 --> 00:42:22,680
Speaker 2: those jokes. There's just something that was something a little

761
00:42:22,680 --> 00:42:25,760
Speaker 2: different about my timing or I'm trying I'm thinking about

762
00:42:25,760 --> 00:42:28,680
Speaker 2: tripping up over words. I'm like trying to be extra

763
00:42:28,719 --> 00:42:31,799
Speaker 2: sure in my head that I'm nunciating stuff right. It's

764
00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:35,719
Speaker 2: just not this is not the purest at least in

765
00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:39,080
Speaker 2: my opinion. So when this thing came up, and this

766
00:42:39,160 --> 00:42:41,440
Speaker 2: is after a couple of attempts didn't go well for

767
00:42:41,640 --> 00:42:46,919
Speaker 2: multiple reasons, Like, but this is another attempt comes around,

768
00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:51,319
Speaker 2: and I'm like, listen, bro, let's just freaking go. Like

769
00:42:51,360 --> 00:42:53,400
Speaker 2: I tried to do it one take before, and I

770
00:42:53,520 --> 00:42:55,920
Speaker 2: scrapped the whole thing. So this is just a different

771
00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:56,600
Speaker 2: one take.

772
00:42:57,040 --> 00:42:58,800
Speaker 1: Oh you tried to do it in one take.

773
00:42:59,280 --> 00:43:02,080
Speaker 2: Yeah, a different show. I did a different show the

774
00:43:03,040 --> 00:43:07,080
Speaker 2: fall prior, and it just was bad, man, And it

775
00:43:07,160 --> 00:43:12,320
Speaker 2: was because of me, Bro, I just wasn't personal reasons. Okay,

776
00:43:12,480 --> 00:43:19,120
Speaker 2: it's like major family stress, like it's happening and I'm

777
00:43:19,160 --> 00:43:23,040
Speaker 2: trying to act as if everything's fine performing a comedy

778
00:43:23,080 --> 00:43:25,279
Speaker 2: show and it did not work out at all. And

779
00:43:25,320 --> 00:43:28,120
Speaker 2: then I had to go back to like I scrapped

780
00:43:28,120 --> 00:43:31,800
Speaker 2: most of the jokes and it did it all over wow,

781
00:43:32,160 --> 00:43:35,160
Speaker 2: And I'm fortunate it worked out. I'm fortunate it worked out.

782
00:43:35,280 --> 00:43:40,200
Speaker 1: Yeah you are. And and I used to look at

783
00:43:40,360 --> 00:43:43,359
Speaker 1: whatever I was doing as an escape from where you

784
00:43:43,360 --> 00:43:47,719
Speaker 1: were describing, you know, family or heavy situations, whatever it

785
00:43:47,760 --> 00:43:49,200
Speaker 1: may be going on in your life.

786
00:43:49,280 --> 00:43:51,880
Speaker 2: Heavy situations. That's the great, that's the better. Way to

787
00:43:51,880 --> 00:43:53,640
Speaker 2: put it's just heavy, bro. It's other than it was.

788
00:43:53,680 --> 00:43:54,839
Speaker 2: Anybody's fault, just.

789
00:43:55,040 --> 00:43:58,440
Speaker 1: Heavy h And you couldn't shake it right, Yeah, and

790
00:43:58,840 --> 00:44:03,839
Speaker 1: that's unfort Sometimes comedy can't fix everything. But you gave

791
00:44:03,880 --> 00:44:05,560
Speaker 1: it a try, which is more.

792
00:44:05,400 --> 00:44:08,880
Speaker 2: Than most, that's for sure. And also from that moment,

793
00:44:09,480 --> 00:44:12,720
Speaker 2: like like I said the first take to the label

794
00:44:12,880 --> 00:44:14,840
Speaker 2: and they were like, yo, this is ass.

795
00:44:14,600 --> 00:44:18,000
Speaker 1: Man And I was like, how did you take that?

796
00:44:18,520 --> 00:44:20,799
Speaker 2: I was like, honestly, guys, I thought half of it

797
00:44:20,840 --> 00:44:23,560
Speaker 2: was ass I saw so I thought the other half

798
00:44:24,239 --> 00:44:27,120
Speaker 2: and they was like listen. They sent me the offer.

799
00:44:27,160 --> 00:44:29,239
Speaker 2: They were like, listen, bro. I mean one take was

800
00:44:29,680 --> 00:44:32,440
Speaker 2: like you were aiming pretty high. Let's just figure out

801
00:44:32,440 --> 00:44:36,160
Speaker 2: something else. But once they were like, we want to

802
00:44:36,200 --> 00:44:39,400
Speaker 2: continue working with you. I was like okay. But it

803
00:44:39,440 --> 00:44:42,160
Speaker 2: was like a it was a big moment, and it

804
00:44:42,160 --> 00:44:44,279
Speaker 2: was an important moment because then I come up with

805
00:44:44,320 --> 00:44:49,920
Speaker 2: the title and the decision to like not like try

806
00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:53,200
Speaker 2: to keep anything from that previous thing and actually start

807
00:44:53,239 --> 00:44:57,000
Speaker 2: all over again. It was it was actually like, I

808
00:44:57,040 --> 00:44:59,360
Speaker 2: don't know, it was good to double down. It is

809
00:44:59,400 --> 00:45:01,000
Speaker 2: good on that, at least for me.

810
00:45:01,640 --> 00:45:06,719
Speaker 1: I'm looking at the description of the show and the

811
00:45:06,719 --> 00:45:12,200
Speaker 1: words are unfiltered, insightful, effortlessly funny. And I said to you,

812
00:45:12,200 --> 00:45:15,640
Speaker 1: you were it seems like you're effortless. And I'm not

813
00:45:15,680 --> 00:45:18,799
Speaker 1: the only one apparently who noticed that in your in

814
00:45:18,840 --> 00:45:19,920
Speaker 1: your routines and stuff.

815
00:45:19,960 --> 00:45:22,839
Speaker 2: So I'll take it. I was wearing sweatpants, so that.

816
00:45:22,880 --> 00:45:24,680
Speaker 1: Is that is effortless.

817
00:45:24,840 --> 00:45:25,879
Speaker 2: That is effortless.

818
00:45:26,320 --> 00:45:29,960
Speaker 1: You co host multiple podcasts when you just mentioned sorry,

819
00:45:30,000 --> 00:45:33,440
Speaker 1: we love football airbunds. What pulled you towards blending comedy

820
00:45:33,920 --> 00:45:35,120
Speaker 1: and sports comedy?

821
00:45:36,160 --> 00:45:40,120
Speaker 2: Uh? Well, I guess upbringing just like a past like

822
00:45:40,120 --> 00:45:44,520
Speaker 2: like in the same tracks as comedy and radio is sports,

823
00:45:44,560 --> 00:45:46,919
Speaker 2: like these are the things that are consuming my life

824
00:45:47,680 --> 00:45:51,160
Speaker 2: from a pretty early age and uh and like wanting

825
00:45:51,160 --> 00:45:53,160
Speaker 2: to be in radio at the forefront of this, like

826
00:45:53,239 --> 00:45:55,759
Speaker 2: moving to LA and uh like air buds was the

827
00:45:55,760 --> 00:45:59,120
Speaker 2: first thing I ever did when I moved out here, Like,

828
00:45:59,400 --> 00:46:04,440
Speaker 2: I hooked up with some guys who were producing live comedy,

829
00:46:04,719 --> 00:46:07,919
Speaker 2: and we all whenever we would be at a show,

830
00:46:08,280 --> 00:46:11,279
Speaker 2: we would be talking about basketball. And so somebody says, hey,

831
00:46:12,200 --> 00:46:13,920
Speaker 2: let's try podcast. You know what I'm saying. This is

832
00:46:13,960 --> 00:46:14,920
Speaker 2: like twenty twelve.

833
00:46:15,440 --> 00:46:17,479
Speaker 1: Wow, you were sort of ahead of your time.

834
00:46:17,960 --> 00:46:20,920
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I'm lying. It wasn't twenty twelve. It it

835
00:46:20,960 --> 00:46:24,000
Speaker 2: was twenty fifteen, twenty fifteen anyway. Yeah, but still early

836
00:46:24,080 --> 00:46:28,600
Speaker 2: on in the game. Yeah, just enjoying that and also

837
00:46:28,680 --> 00:46:33,000
Speaker 2: like because I still secretly want to be mister Radio.

838
00:46:33,200 --> 00:46:35,759
Speaker 2: Like I don't think there can be enough show. Like

839
00:46:36,480 --> 00:46:39,440
Speaker 2: a guy who hosts a radio show is doing a

840
00:46:39,520 --> 00:46:43,040
Speaker 2: three hour show Monday to Friday. So when people were

841
00:46:43,080 --> 00:46:47,680
Speaker 2: like shocked that I'm doing multiple podcasts, I'm like, well, really,

842
00:46:47,800 --> 00:46:51,120
Speaker 2: it's like it's like four hours of talk a week,

843
00:46:52,080 --> 00:46:54,240
Speaker 2: four and a half maybe six.

844
00:46:55,000 --> 00:46:55,560
Speaker 1: It's a lot.

845
00:46:55,600 --> 00:46:58,399
Speaker 2: Though it is a lot, but I mean, hey, if

846
00:46:58,440 --> 00:47:00,759
Speaker 2: I was Tom Joyner, that's true.

847
00:47:00,760 --> 00:47:03,600
Speaker 1: But Tom Joyner had like how many producers you got,

848
00:47:03,600 --> 00:47:04,880
Speaker 1: a studio he could drive to.

849
00:47:05,440 --> 00:47:07,759
Speaker 2: He also did have a lot of earth wind and

850
00:47:07,760 --> 00:47:09,319
Speaker 2: fire songs that he.

851
00:47:09,239 --> 00:47:11,719
Speaker 1: Could play, yes when he had to go to the bathroom.

852
00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:14,600
Speaker 2: He did have that option that I might not have.

853
00:47:15,239 --> 00:47:18,279
Speaker 2: But I don't know, I'm still I still see it

854
00:47:18,320 --> 00:47:20,799
Speaker 2: in that frame where I'm like, guys used to do

855
00:47:21,800 --> 00:47:23,560
Speaker 2: like fifteen hours of this.

856
00:47:24,160 --> 00:47:27,239
Speaker 1: I did morning radio for RO. I don't even know

857
00:47:27,239 --> 00:47:31,080
Speaker 1: how many years between traffic and a morning show. A

858
00:47:31,160 --> 00:47:33,879
Speaker 1: couple of morning shows. And that's five days a week,

859
00:47:34,040 --> 00:47:36,640
Speaker 1: four hours a day on air. But then after you

860
00:47:36,640 --> 00:47:38,160
Speaker 1: get off air, you got to do all the prep

861
00:47:38,200 --> 00:47:40,640
Speaker 1: for the next day's show, right See. So it's all

862
00:47:40,719 --> 00:47:41,840
Speaker 1: day every day.

863
00:47:42,000 --> 00:47:44,600
Speaker 2: It's all day every day. And I'm just I guess

864
00:47:44,640 --> 00:47:48,560
Speaker 2: I'm just keeping that that spirit in my head. Yeah

865
00:47:48,600 --> 00:47:51,280
Speaker 2: that I am mister radio, and I'm just like, okay,

866
00:47:52,280 --> 00:47:53,720
Speaker 2: I need to keep it on that pace.

867
00:47:54,120 --> 00:47:56,920
Speaker 1: Thank you for that so much, because I know anyone

868
00:47:57,080 --> 00:48:00,960
Speaker 1: in the radio community listening right now feeling like freaked

869
00:48:00,960 --> 00:48:04,600
Speaker 1: out because literally stations are like closing the lights, shutting

870
00:48:04,600 --> 00:48:06,200
Speaker 1: the doors and going away.

871
00:48:06,800 --> 00:48:09,280
Speaker 2: Man, I'm thinking about buying a radio tower.

872
00:48:09,840 --> 00:48:10,640
Speaker 1: Are you serious?

873
00:48:11,239 --> 00:48:15,080
Speaker 2: I would let man. Obviously, being in LA I got

874
00:48:15,080 --> 00:48:16,600
Speaker 2: a lot of balls up in the air. If any

875
00:48:16,680 --> 00:48:19,640
Speaker 2: of these things sell. Oh my god, I'm buying a

876
00:48:19,760 --> 00:48:21,120
Speaker 2: radio tower. Are you kidding me?

877
00:48:21,600 --> 00:48:23,160
Speaker 1: You could do the show from the tower.

878
00:48:24,280 --> 00:48:26,920
Speaker 2: That sounds so fun. Man, I just got to figure

879
00:48:26,920 --> 00:48:30,520
Speaker 2: out every aspect of the business first, But I'm gonna

880
00:48:30,520 --> 00:48:32,840
Speaker 2: buy that radio tower. Wow.

881
00:48:33,040 --> 00:48:35,360
Speaker 1: Wow. I used to know a guy that owned towers.

882
00:48:35,360 --> 00:48:38,640
Speaker 1: I worked for a man who owned American Tower actually

883
00:48:38,800 --> 00:48:41,839
Speaker 1: that he bought. He started in banks, then he went

884
00:48:41,880 --> 00:48:45,920
Speaker 1: into cable television and then bought radio stations and then

885
00:48:45,960 --> 00:48:48,200
Speaker 1: sold the CBS that became CBS Radio.

886
00:48:48,680 --> 00:48:52,879
Speaker 2: What yeah, yeah, see man, this is type of I'm

887
00:48:52,880 --> 00:48:54,279
Speaker 2: on this.

888
00:48:54,440 --> 00:48:56,520
Speaker 1: But now towers are like old. Now you want to

889
00:48:56,520 --> 00:48:57,440
Speaker 1: go into satellites.

890
00:48:57,920 --> 00:49:00,840
Speaker 2: Okay, I gotta give me a satellite. So I'm hoping

891
00:49:00,880 --> 00:49:03,160
Speaker 2: I got a bunch of CDs. So if I got

892
00:49:03,280 --> 00:49:05,759
Speaker 2: if I have a bunch of CDs already, and like

893
00:49:05,840 --> 00:49:09,640
Speaker 2: some cassettes and maybe some music, but like a few

894
00:49:09,680 --> 00:49:13,200
Speaker 2: gigs and music downloaded on an iPhone four, could I

895
00:49:13,320 --> 00:49:15,160
Speaker 2: run a radio station off of that stuff?

896
00:49:15,440 --> 00:49:17,799
Speaker 1: You might be able to You might be able to

897
00:49:17,800 --> 00:49:21,360
Speaker 1: do that. I know. People, we can talk after the show, Yes,

898
00:49:22,520 --> 00:49:25,560
Speaker 1: all right? If you had to describe comedy and how

899
00:49:25,560 --> 00:49:28,399
Speaker 1: it saved you, because that, of course is the name

900
00:49:28,440 --> 00:49:32,560
Speaker 1: of the show. What would be one story that you

901
00:49:32,600 --> 00:49:34,120
Speaker 1: could tell M.

902
00:49:35,840 --> 00:49:43,400
Speaker 2: To describe how comedy saved me? Comedy saved Jameel Johnson.

903
00:49:44,040 --> 00:49:46,920
Speaker 1: Hmmm, I want to come back to that.

904
00:49:47,160 --> 00:49:49,040
Speaker 2: No, no, no, okay, okay, I mean this is a

905
00:49:49,040 --> 00:49:52,040
Speaker 2: classic of mine. It's no, no, it's it's the one.

906
00:49:52,080 --> 00:49:56,759
Speaker 2: It's the one story I always freaking tell. It's well,

907
00:49:56,800 --> 00:49:59,640
Speaker 2: the thing about comedy is it's it gave me a

908
00:49:59,680 --> 00:50:04,239
Speaker 2: sense of purpose, and it's also been perpetually humbling, which

909
00:50:04,360 --> 00:50:07,120
Speaker 2: is just been it just I guess it keeps the

910
00:50:07,160 --> 00:50:09,880
Speaker 2: focus renewed every time I have one of these moments,

911
00:50:09,880 --> 00:50:12,879
Speaker 2: and it's about it's annually. It's like every every year

912
00:50:12,920 --> 00:50:15,239
Speaker 2: and a half or so, there's a moment where it's like, hey, bro,

913
00:50:15,400 --> 00:50:17,920
Speaker 2: you think you're the funniest guy of all time, and

914
00:50:17,960 --> 00:50:19,880
Speaker 2: now I'm going to show you why you're not. My

915
00:50:19,960 --> 00:50:24,280
Speaker 2: little brother convinced me to do a show at Virginia

916
00:50:24,320 --> 00:50:28,279
Speaker 2: State University. I'm thinking I'm getting booked. I've been doing

917
00:50:28,360 --> 00:50:31,839
Speaker 2: stand up for maybe three years. I'm thinking I'm the guy.

918
00:50:32,880 --> 00:50:35,160
Speaker 2: I had also just I had submitted to perform a

919
00:50:35,239 --> 00:50:37,439
Speaker 2: DC improv. So at this time, when I was talking

920
00:50:37,440 --> 00:50:40,839
Speaker 2: about how DC is, like was at this like in

921
00:50:40,920 --> 00:50:45,160
Speaker 2: between phase of like nobody really sure what's going on?

922
00:50:45,680 --> 00:50:48,440
Speaker 2: The club was also like like there just wasn't a

923
00:50:48,480 --> 00:50:50,600
Speaker 2: lot of attention on local acts because I don't think

924
00:50:50,600 --> 00:50:53,160
Speaker 2: there were a lot of local acts. I mean, just

925
00:50:53,200 --> 00:50:56,359
Speaker 2: the numbers weren't there, I guess, which probably isn't true,

926
00:50:56,360 --> 00:50:59,759
Speaker 2: but any point is there was no open mic at

927
00:50:59,800 --> 00:51:02,320
Speaker 2: the improv at this time. You had to submit a tape,

928
00:51:02,719 --> 00:51:08,160
Speaker 2: and they only took like new potential comedians in like

929
00:51:08,400 --> 00:51:10,520
Speaker 2: uh it was like once a year. So I had

930
00:51:10,560 --> 00:51:13,600
Speaker 2: submitted my tape. I'm feeling like I'm the man, right.

931
00:51:14,200 --> 00:51:16,799
Speaker 2: I had had a crazy moment earlier in the year

932
00:51:16,880 --> 00:51:20,600
Speaker 2: where the headliner of the show. I'm the opener on

933
00:51:20,640 --> 00:51:24,280
Speaker 2: a show, and the headliner asked me to like perform

934
00:51:24,440 --> 00:51:28,200
Speaker 2: longer because stretch. It's just stretch, because because he didn't

935
00:51:28,239 --> 00:51:30,360
Speaker 2: have enough time, Like he was just straight up like,

936
00:51:30,640 --> 00:51:32,920
Speaker 2: I don't have enough jokes. Do you have the jokes?

937
00:51:32,960 --> 00:51:34,880
Speaker 2: And I'm like I have the jokes. So I'm just

938
00:51:34,880 --> 00:51:39,680
Speaker 2: feeling all powerful my little brother. Then he says he

939
00:51:39,719 --> 00:51:42,160
Speaker 2: has a gig for me at Virginia State University, and

940
00:51:42,200 --> 00:51:45,239
Speaker 2: I'm like, oh yeah, I'm the freaking man. I get

941
00:51:45,280 --> 00:51:48,560
Speaker 2: down there. It's a comedy competition. It's like homecoming weekend

942
00:51:48,600 --> 00:51:52,880
Speaker 2: at Virginia State. It's a competition. So basically he's asked

943
00:51:52,880 --> 00:51:57,280
Speaker 2: me to perform at showtime at the Apollo. Okay, shit,

944
00:51:57,840 --> 00:52:01,360
Speaker 2: I get booed off stage, all right, I don't handle

945
00:52:01,400 --> 00:52:05,080
Speaker 2: the situation. Well. I go in almost it's like the

946
00:52:05,120 --> 00:52:08,840
Speaker 2: fear turn the fear presented itself as over confidence to

947
00:52:08,920 --> 00:52:12,600
Speaker 2: the audience. Long story short, I get booed off stage.

948
00:52:12,920 --> 00:52:17,080
Speaker 2: It's a disaster. The comical winds feels bad for me,

949
00:52:17,200 --> 00:52:19,640
Speaker 2: gives me a ride back to Richmond. Also, the show

950
00:52:19,760 --> 00:52:23,319
Speaker 2: is like way further from where I thought it was.

951
00:52:23,360 --> 00:52:25,879
Speaker 2: Off the train, I had a whole box car kid

952
00:52:25,960 --> 00:52:29,799
Speaker 2: thing happening where I knew one of the conductors at Amtrak.

953
00:52:30,440 --> 00:52:33,040
Speaker 2: So I'm getting I'm on a free train. I'm like

954
00:52:33,120 --> 00:52:37,120
Speaker 2: a stowaway on an am track in the middle of nowhere,

955
00:52:37,200 --> 00:52:38,840
Speaker 2: trying to figure out how I'm gonna get back to

956
00:52:38,920 --> 00:52:43,080
Speaker 2: this train. The guy who wins the competition holds me down.

957
00:52:43,280 --> 00:52:46,560
Speaker 2: I like, I go watch another show. I'm about to cry.

958
00:52:47,800 --> 00:52:51,480
Speaker 2: And then as soon as I get back home, I

959
00:52:51,560 --> 00:52:55,239
Speaker 2: get the email that I am being asked to officially

960
00:52:55,280 --> 00:52:58,640
Speaker 2: auditioned for the DC Improv Club. And it was then

961
00:52:58,840 --> 00:53:01,560
Speaker 2: the best. It was the best show I have done

962
00:53:01,560 --> 00:53:05,400
Speaker 2: to date, the best seven minutes of my life. I

963
00:53:05,440 --> 00:53:08,160
Speaker 2: can do no wrong, but I guess I say all

964
00:53:08,200 --> 00:53:12,960
Speaker 2: this to say the way comedy saved me was once

965
00:53:13,040 --> 00:53:16,280
Speaker 2: I once from the moment I ever touched the stage,

966
00:53:16,320 --> 00:53:18,720
Speaker 2: I knew I couldn't stop doing it. So me getting

967
00:53:18,719 --> 00:53:21,560
Speaker 2: booed off stage, even though it was devastating and I

968
00:53:21,760 --> 00:53:24,360
Speaker 2: was about to cry, Like, there was at no moment

969
00:53:24,400 --> 00:53:28,239
Speaker 2: where I was like like I'm not gonna stop, man'.

970
00:53:28,400 --> 00:53:29,920
Speaker 2: If there's a tape of this, I'm gonna try to

971
00:53:29,920 --> 00:53:33,160
Speaker 2: get it deleted for the internet. I'm gonna keep doing

972
00:53:33,200 --> 00:53:35,319
Speaker 2: this until I die. I don't care what any of

973
00:53:35,320 --> 00:53:38,319
Speaker 2: them kids, what any of them future doctors thought of

974
00:53:38,360 --> 00:53:42,680
Speaker 2: my comedy performance. I don't care. And I had to

975
00:53:42,719 --> 00:53:47,160
Speaker 2: immediately prove that I didn't care. And luckily the cards

976
00:53:47,200 --> 00:53:47,959
Speaker 2: came up my way.

977
00:53:48,280 --> 00:53:50,680
Speaker 1: That's amazing. So you had like the the that was

978
00:53:50,719 --> 00:53:53,600
Speaker 1: another crossroads moment for you that you didn't even see

979
00:53:53,640 --> 00:53:55,440
Speaker 1: coming right It.

980
00:53:55,480 --> 00:53:57,840
Speaker 2: Was just like real time, like well what are you

981
00:53:57,920 --> 00:54:00,799
Speaker 2: gonna do? Like fuck you think I'm gonna cheap doing this.

982
00:54:01,560 --> 00:54:03,880
Speaker 1: I'm so glad you told that story for us because

983
00:54:04,200 --> 00:54:06,760
Speaker 1: I know somebody listening right now is like, that's it

984
00:54:06,800 --> 00:54:09,000
Speaker 1: because he said that, I'm going to go do it,

985
00:54:09,080 --> 00:54:12,120
Speaker 1: come on because I'm and I love that. That's That's

986
00:54:12,160 --> 00:54:15,560
Speaker 1: my favorite part about doing this show is yes, we

987
00:54:15,760 --> 00:54:18,680
Speaker 1: like to meet new people and introduce you to new things,

988
00:54:18,760 --> 00:54:22,960
Speaker 1: and obviously you having you on the show, but having

989
00:54:23,000 --> 00:54:26,480
Speaker 1: you talk about this so that others can learn from

990
00:54:26,640 --> 00:54:31,960
Speaker 1: your path is huge and so I appreciate that so

991
00:54:32,080 --> 00:54:33,680
Speaker 1: much that you would come on and talk to us

992
00:54:33,719 --> 00:54:34,480
Speaker 1: about that stuff.

993
00:54:34,840 --> 00:54:37,040
Speaker 2: Man, well, thank you for having me. And the thought

994
00:54:37,080 --> 00:54:41,879
Speaker 2: of anybody having that reaction is definitely like, well, first off,

995
00:54:41,920 --> 00:54:42,720
Speaker 2: it's still shocking.

996
00:54:43,120 --> 00:54:44,560
Speaker 1: I bet, like.

997
00:54:46,239 --> 00:54:50,239
Speaker 2: Man, I would be eternally honored if that was to

998
00:54:50,280 --> 00:54:52,920
Speaker 2: be the case. So hey, don't be shy. Hit me up.

999
00:54:52,960 --> 00:54:56,279
Speaker 2: It's Brocoli House on Instagram. If you're if you if

1000
00:54:56,280 --> 00:54:58,879
Speaker 2: you end up becoming a comedy star because it is,

1001
00:54:59,560 --> 00:54:59,920
Speaker 2: Oh my.

1002
00:54:59,840 --> 00:55:02,360
Speaker 1: God, could you imagine? I would love Can we have

1003
00:55:02,400 --> 00:55:03,919
Speaker 1: a follow up back on this show?

1004
00:55:03,920 --> 00:55:06,480
Speaker 2: It'll be crazy yo, for sure? Oh my god. Man,

1005
00:55:06,760 --> 00:55:09,880
Speaker 2: it's like that's like real, like Jenny Jones type energy.

1006
00:55:10,400 --> 00:55:12,520
Speaker 1: You mean, turning it back around and bringing.

1007
00:55:12,200 --> 00:55:15,600
Speaker 2: It just the follow ups. Remember, man, daytime talk shows

1008
00:55:15,680 --> 00:55:18,480
Speaker 2: used to be really good at the follow ups.

1009
00:55:18,920 --> 00:55:20,439
Speaker 1: Yes, like where are they now?

1010
00:55:20,760 --> 00:55:21,240
Speaker 2: Yeah?

1011
00:55:21,360 --> 00:55:22,880
Speaker 1: Or what happened after the show?

1012
00:55:23,280 --> 00:55:25,759
Speaker 2: Touch and such? Remember when he did the cartwheel with

1013
00:55:26,480 --> 00:55:28,759
Speaker 2: he found out it wasn't his kid and then we

1014
00:55:28,880 --> 00:55:32,120
Speaker 2: said that actually our DNA got messed up and it

1015
00:55:32,280 --> 00:55:34,799
Speaker 2: was his kid. Remember how upset he was let's go

1016
00:55:34,880 --> 00:55:36,800
Speaker 2: check back in with him and his family.

1017
00:55:38,080 --> 00:55:40,080
Speaker 1: The guy who used to like to who married the

1018
00:55:40,120 --> 00:55:42,719
Speaker 1: horse or ride? Let's check in with him.

1019
00:55:43,120 --> 00:55:46,040
Speaker 2: Man, they used to have some good ass check ins

1020
00:55:46,360 --> 00:55:46,839
Speaker 2: they did.

1021
00:55:47,719 --> 00:55:50,600
Speaker 1: Oh, Jamel Johnson, It's such a pleasure to talk to you.

1022
00:55:50,680 --> 00:55:52,200
Speaker 1: I could listen to you talk all day. In fact,

1023
00:55:52,239 --> 00:55:54,640
Speaker 1: I may talk you into doing my outgoing voicemail on

1024
00:55:54,800 --> 00:55:58,439
Speaker 1: my How you've reached Lynn Hoffman? No this is not Linn,

1025
00:55:58,480 --> 00:56:00,600
Speaker 1: but please leave a message? Would you do for me?

1026
00:56:01,200 --> 00:56:04,200
Speaker 2: I'm available. You don't have to contact the management, but

1027
00:56:04,760 --> 00:56:06,000
Speaker 2: you can work it out. All right.

1028
00:56:06,000 --> 00:56:07,799
Speaker 1: Well, we need to talk about radio after this, but

1029
00:56:08,360 --> 00:56:12,000
Speaker 1: I want to let everyone know again the newest album

1030
00:56:12,920 --> 00:56:17,160
Speaker 1: Jamel Johnson is called mid Range. It's everywhere. Check him out.

1031
00:56:17,239 --> 00:56:20,160
Speaker 1: He is He's hilarious. It was hard to do research

1032
00:56:20,200 --> 00:56:22,680
Speaker 1: on you because I kept bouncing from all the podcasts

1033
00:56:22,760 --> 00:56:25,759
Speaker 1: you are on to some of your shows, and and

1034
00:56:25,880 --> 00:56:27,960
Speaker 1: I just it's laugh out loud. It really is nice.

1035
00:56:28,160 --> 00:56:30,279
Speaker 2: Thanks man. That's also by design. I kind of want

1036
00:56:30,320 --> 00:56:33,799
Speaker 2: to make it not so not necessarily hard to find me,

1037
00:56:33,880 --> 00:56:37,160
Speaker 2: but I do want people to become distracted when looking

1038
00:56:37,239 --> 00:56:41,200
Speaker 2: for me, like for real, like actually, like I'm kind

1039
00:56:41,200 --> 00:56:43,440
Speaker 2: of like trying to like always kind of like be

1040
00:56:43,760 --> 00:56:48,800
Speaker 2: like something a little?

1041
00:56:50,000 --> 00:56:50,840
Speaker 1: Is that even a word?

1042
00:56:51,160 --> 00:56:51,880
Speaker 2: It's about to be?

1043
00:56:53,440 --> 00:56:54,239
Speaker 1: I love it.

1044
00:56:54,400 --> 00:56:54,880
Speaker 2: I love you.

1045
00:56:55,000 --> 00:56:58,239
Speaker 1: Thank you, Jamel Johnson. Keep doing what you're doing, and

1046
00:56:58,600 --> 00:57:00,080
Speaker 1: please come back on again so we can do the

1047
00:57:00,120 --> 00:57:02,479
Speaker 1: Jenny Jones follow up. I would love that. I would

1048
00:57:02,520 --> 00:57:05,320
Speaker 1: if someone contacts you. It's called what's it called broccoli

1049
00:57:05,760 --> 00:57:10,359
Speaker 1: Broccoli House on Brockley House on Instagram. Okay, thank you

1050
00:57:10,440 --> 00:57:11,080
Speaker 1: so much.

1051
00:57:13,160 --> 00:57:16,600
Speaker 2: I'm buzz night and thanks for listening to Comedy Save

1052
00:57:16,720 --> 00:57:20,960
Speaker 2: Me with Lynn Hoffmann, and do check out our other podcast,

1053
00:57:21,240 --> 00:57:26,680
Speaker 2: Lynn Hoffman's Music Save Me podcast. Also Sarah Harrelson and

1054
00:57:26,800 --> 00:57:31,120
Speaker 2: Taking a Walk Nashville and Don't Forget also about taking

1055
00:57:31,160 --> 00:57:35,360
Speaker 2: a Walk, hosted by Yours Truly. All shows are available

1056
00:57:35,360 --> 00:57:39,200
Speaker 2: on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and are part of the iHeart

1057
00:57:39,240 --> 00:57:40,320
Speaker 2: podcast network