1 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:07,680 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samantha and welcome to Steph. 2 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 1: I never told your production of I Heart Radio. It 3 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: is time for another female first, which means we are 4 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:25,959 Speaker 1: once again joined by our good friend Eves High. Eves, Hello, 5 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: oh man. We're always excited to see you. I know 6 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:34,320 Speaker 1: I'm excited to It always felt like a celebration. It does. 7 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:36,839 Speaker 1: It does, And even though we're still you know, we 8 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 1: had our one brief cheesecake champagne moment from the studio 9 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:44,279 Speaker 1: in person. Other than that we're still coming from our 10 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: home studios, it does feel like, oh yeah, we get 11 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,200 Speaker 1: to see each other again, and it is a celebration. 12 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 1: I totally agree. And we just had a rousing discussion 13 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 1: about horror movies, which I'm very excited about because for 14 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: a while we were doing like horror movie reviews at 15 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 1: the beginning of these we stopped that pretty quick, but 16 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:10,840 Speaker 1: season so it's allowable now. I mean, I'm ready all 17 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:14,040 Speaker 1: the time. But yes, I suppose not everyone is into 18 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 1: not everyone's into Heart. That's cool. But uh, not to 19 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:20,959 Speaker 1: tease you listeners and then not tell you what we 20 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: were talking about. But I did want to ask you, Eves, 21 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 1: because we also a long time ago we talked about 22 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: like talent shows and kind of infamous talent shows in 23 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:37,400 Speaker 1: our lives, and you are an excellent writer and performer, Um, 24 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: do you still do you get nervous when you're performing 25 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: in front of people? And I mean, is that something 26 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: you've always been into from like childhood? Still get nervous? 27 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:53,280 Speaker 1: I usually moderate that by breathing, Like breathing has been 28 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: a thing that's really helped me. But I'm one percent 29 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: nervous and I was not. I don't, historically do not 30 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: like being in front of people. Like I'm a very 31 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 1: what people would think of as a like stereotypical writer. Um. 32 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 1: And that's like I wanted to be in the closet 33 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 1: all day long, which I guess is like in podcasting 34 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: we can be in closets now, so it kind of 35 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:19,680 Speaker 1: works out true. I don't like to be the center 36 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:22,080 Speaker 1: of attention at all. I don't like to be in 37 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 1: front of crowds. Crowds really freaked me out, So I guess, honestly, 38 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: like now that I'm thinking about it, that one talent 39 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:29,959 Speaker 1: show that I did when I was a kid was 40 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:32,960 Speaker 1: kind of me stepping out on a limb, because you know, 41 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 1: I was always into like the arts and forms of storytelling. 42 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: It was like in mild place, like nothing serious or anything. 43 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:42,320 Speaker 1: But I did do like performance things, but it was 44 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 1: never something that I was like, this is my time 45 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:46,919 Speaker 1: to shine. I'm in the spotlight. This is where I'm 46 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: meant to be. Like never that for sure. I like 47 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: that you wait for a pose in this in this telling. 48 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: I like that to embody that and that was not 49 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:05,480 Speaker 1: what I was. Yeah, I still get really nervous too. 50 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 1: I find this really interesting about performing for me is 51 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 1: I'm both very nervous and I also really love it. 52 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: But it's it's very It sounds silly to say, but 53 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: I love it. When it's going well. It's not going well, 54 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: I'm like, never again shall I do this thing? But 55 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 1: when you have that like synergy and vibe with an audience, 56 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 1: the nerves can kind of work in my favor, I think, 57 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 1: and I do really enjoy it. But it's something that 58 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 1: every time I ask myself, why am I doing this? 59 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: This is I'm so scared, I'm so miserable. Why am 60 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 1: I doing that? Yeah, I think in the same way, 61 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: it's that like the anticipation is what gets me, Like 62 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 1: I get sleepless the night before whenever, and knowing that 63 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 1: something is coming, and then I black out during often, 64 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 1: especially if it's like us giving speeches or having panels 65 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: and such anything like that, I black out like wait 66 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 1: did I did I do? Okay, what did I say? 67 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: What did I say? Can someone tell me? And I 68 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:15,000 Speaker 1: feel like during that time, I definitely respond to people's 69 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 1: reaction to me. So if I can get one or 70 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: two good responses, then I'll focus on that, which is 71 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:23,800 Speaker 1: why you plant people in the audience. That's my new discoveries. 72 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:25,880 Speaker 1: At least planting people like you have to laugh at 73 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:28,960 Speaker 1: some of the things that I said, please, or I 74 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:32,720 Speaker 1: might pass out the fact, you know, being like okay, 75 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:35,000 Speaker 1: I did it, and feel like I did something really huge, 76 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 1: as if I just ran a marathon. Because of that 77 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 1: will hide and then I'm like okay, I mean planting 78 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:45,159 Speaker 1: sounds so nefarious. It could also just be you have 79 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:51,120 Speaker 1: supporters for sure to be there. Yeah, I didn't threaten 80 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:56,799 Speaker 1: the life or promise drinks or something one of those things. 81 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:01,320 Speaker 1: The reward of the feedback and the gratification that comes 82 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:04,960 Speaker 1: from the audience response is definitely something that helps. But 83 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: um I it's not something that I would run towards, 84 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: you know, like it's like I can do it, and 85 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 1: it's great, and it's definitely rewarding. And I think one 86 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 1: of the things about it is to like, if it's 87 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:20,919 Speaker 1: something that I've like, if it's something that I've created, 88 00:05:21,279 --> 00:05:24,520 Speaker 1: it's really rewarding to share it with people and to 89 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:27,520 Speaker 1: be like, yeah, there's this thing that I did that 90 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 1: came from my own weird mind mills and from my 91 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 1: own hands. And there are other people that are getting 92 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 1: something out of this enough to be able to make 93 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:42,080 Speaker 1: voices or you know, look like they're enjoying themselves in 94 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:45,760 Speaker 1: some way. But being solo, like having someone else there, 95 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:51,279 Speaker 1: it's also very helpful being solo when all the lights, 96 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:53,680 Speaker 1: the glory and the pressure is just on me. That 97 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:59,480 Speaker 1: also definitely makes it a lot more difficult for some reason. 98 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:01,280 Speaker 1: You know, you have those memories that just come back 99 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:04,359 Speaker 1: and torment you and you're like why why. When I 100 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 1: was a kid, I used to give comedy shows to 101 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:11,560 Speaker 1: a very you know, unwilling audience of my family, and 102 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:14,120 Speaker 1: I remember I went through this phase where I told 103 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:17,360 Speaker 1: knock knock jokes, but I clearly didn't understand the setup 104 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: of knock knock jokes. And so one of the jokes 105 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:23,599 Speaker 1: I told was like, knock knock, who's their garbage truck? 106 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: Garbage truck? Qu oh, it smells like that was the joke. Um, 107 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:34,719 Speaker 1: And for some reason that joke caught me. It worked, 108 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:41,719 Speaker 1: It worked everything, and my older brother was like, that's 109 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:46,120 Speaker 1: not funny, and my mom was like, yeah, at least 110 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:49,160 Speaker 1: your mom was supportive. She was very, very very supportive. 111 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:53,000 Speaker 1: I have dabbled in like comedy and improv in that level, 112 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:55,440 Speaker 1: and I don't think. I think I just get so 113 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 1: nervous and timing is so key in comedy. But I 114 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:00,400 Speaker 1: did enjoy like that feeling of making people and like 115 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:03,480 Speaker 1: they were connecting to you. My bad knock knock jokes aside, 116 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:07,560 Speaker 1: But I wanted to bring this up because you brought 117 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 1: somebody that I actually have heard of and I'm very 118 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 1: excited to talk about. Yes, so who did you bring 119 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:17,200 Speaker 1: for us today? Eves? Today is Mom's maybe, which is 120 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:20,720 Speaker 1: not her real name. Her real name is Loretta Mary Aiken, 121 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 1: but she is famously known as Moms Mayblye And yeah, 122 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 1: so what was your what was y'all's if any I 123 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 1: don't know Samantha if you're familiar with her before but Annie, 124 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:37,120 Speaker 1: what was your relationship to Mom's. Maybe I had definitely 125 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:41,280 Speaker 1: seen some things that had her in it when I 126 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:44,360 Speaker 1: was growing up, and it was one of those things 127 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: where my dad he liked a lot of and this 128 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:50,320 Speaker 1: is also just when he grew up, but to me 129 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 1: old older things, so he would constantly be watching them, 130 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:59,920 Speaker 1: and I remember seeing and hearing some of moms maybe. However, 131 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:05,800 Speaker 1: here I'm not sure I would have recognized the name 132 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:09,320 Speaker 1: other than I had seen marvelous Mrs Mazel recently, and 133 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:11,360 Speaker 1: when I saw that, I was like, oh, yeah, I 134 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:13,920 Speaker 1: know who that is, and it just like brought al 135 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:16,080 Speaker 1: these things back. So it was from like a young age, 136 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 1: and then there was a long period where I hadn't 137 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:22,440 Speaker 1: seen anything or heard anything from her or about her. 138 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:25,920 Speaker 1: And then when I saw that Wanda Pyke says, mom, 139 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:29,760 Speaker 1: Maples on marvelous Mrs Mazel, that's a lot of him, 140 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:33,800 Speaker 1: it all kind of came back to me. So I'm 141 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:36,760 Speaker 1: very happy. I was happy to look more into her, 142 00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:38,960 Speaker 1: and I'm happy that we were talking about her today. 143 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: Did you have a history with her, Eves? No, I didn't, 144 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:47,360 Speaker 1: and I I think, and just backing up a little bit, 145 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:51,400 Speaker 1: like Mom's Mayblee is a she's a comedian, like, did 146 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:54,480 Speaker 1: a lot of work on stage and in the Vaultville circuit. 147 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:56,720 Speaker 1: She was also in films and appeared on television. Such, 148 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:59,840 Speaker 1: she had a huge, like rise to stardom, but you know, 149 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:04,400 Speaker 1: didn't necessarily garner a lot of recognition before that time 150 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:07,760 Speaker 1: when she was really popping and did mention of her 151 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:11,160 Speaker 1: and recognition of her and her legacy did kind of 152 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:14,719 Speaker 1: dwindle a little bit after she passed away. But no, 153 00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:18,160 Speaker 1: I didn't. I didn't have much of a relationship to 154 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:21,520 Speaker 1: mom's maybe, but I'm super glad that I learned a 155 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:24,640 Speaker 1: lot more about her because she had her hand in 156 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:28,199 Speaker 1: so many pots, Like she was a part of so 157 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:38,080 Speaker 1: many different fascinating cultural, musical, storytelling realms and clearly clearly 158 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:40,480 Speaker 1: has influence and had such a big hand and being 159 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:44,280 Speaker 1: a pioneer in comedy. Um, but it's not it's I 160 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:47,880 Speaker 1: didn't know a ton about her story, and I'm really 161 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:49,840 Speaker 1: grateful that I got to learn more about the history 162 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:52,640 Speaker 1: that she was in because it's so integral to things 163 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:54,960 Speaker 1: that I care about, like you know, the Harlem Renaissance 164 00:09:55,200 --> 00:10:01,319 Speaker 1: and storytelling and music. Um, so yeah, excited to talk 165 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:04,280 Speaker 1: about her today. Yeah, yeah, me too, Me too. And 166 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:06,160 Speaker 1: there's a lot to go over because, as you said, 167 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:08,880 Speaker 1: she had her hands in a lot of pots. She 168 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:13,760 Speaker 1: had quite the life and quite the impact. So why 169 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 1: don't we get started. Let's let's so first, I guess 170 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:20,920 Speaker 1: we'll talk about her first, which was that ninety nine 171 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:23,640 Speaker 1: she became the first female comedian to appear as a 172 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:27,200 Speaker 1: solo act at the Apollo Theater. It was in Harlem, 173 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 1: and it was really noted for all of the black 174 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:34,280 Speaker 1: performers who launched their careers there early on, and she 175 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:36,880 Speaker 1: did a lot of work in advocating for civil rights 176 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 1: through her comedy. Um really kind of merged social issues 177 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 1: and political issues with the comedy that she was doing. 178 00:10:44,960 --> 00:10:49,319 Speaker 1: First first was really catering to black audiences, and then 179 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:52,319 Speaker 1: later on moved on into white audiences, and that's kind 180 00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:55,320 Speaker 1: of where her mainstream I guess you would call it 181 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:58,040 Speaker 1: success came into play. And then the other big thing 182 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:02,959 Speaker 1: about her story was the speculation around her sexuality, around 183 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:07,640 Speaker 1: her queerness, around her like being gay. I think some 184 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:11,240 Speaker 1: people have called her the first out lesbian comedian, but 185 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:14,199 Speaker 1: it's reported that she had relationships with men and women, 186 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:17,280 Speaker 1: and she wasn't really open about her personal life a 187 00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:23,440 Speaker 1: ton and interviews, although she did reference sex a lot, 188 00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:27,959 Speaker 1: like sex and sexuality and her performances, and it's something 189 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:33,560 Speaker 1: that was really subversive in many ways. So that's one 190 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:36,680 Speaker 1: of those things in her story that has been speculated about. 191 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:38,079 Speaker 1: And I think it's really nice to try to put 192 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:41,280 Speaker 1: a label on things and and and make it, you know, 193 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:46,800 Speaker 1: something that is a standout in her biography. But I 194 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:50,200 Speaker 1: will note that on the subject of sexuality, just to 195 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 1: put a content warning here, because there is mention of 196 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:56,480 Speaker 1: sexual violence in today's episode, so um, just wanted to 197 00:11:56,480 --> 00:12:00,160 Speaker 1: make note of that up front. Yeah, and I I 198 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:02,360 Speaker 1: can't wait till we talk about because I'm always so 199 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:06,199 Speaker 1: fascinated when people are able to kind of have these 200 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:10,240 Speaker 1: juxtapositions that they embody and make into art. And you know, 201 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:14,240 Speaker 1: one of hers was she kind of like the as 202 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:17,040 Speaker 1: the name's moms might imply. She kind of presented this 203 00:12:17,280 --> 00:12:21,320 Speaker 1: very like what we would say is, you know, almost 204 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:29,760 Speaker 1: desexualized motherly figure, and she would be very sexual her 205 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:32,880 Speaker 1: in her performance, which yeah, I mean comedy I find 206 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 1: I find really fascinating and powerful in a lot of ways. 207 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:39,600 Speaker 1: In the commentary, it can make so Yeah, I'm excited. 208 00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:57,920 Speaker 1: I'm excited to dig into that. Yeah. So we'll start 209 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:00,840 Speaker 1: when she was born, which was some time between eighteen 210 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:04,359 Speaker 1: ninety four and eighteen nineties seven in Brevard, North Carolina. 211 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:07,240 Speaker 1: There's a year discrepancy because we don't know when she 212 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:10,840 Speaker 1: was exactly born, but she did say in an Ebony 213 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:13,400 Speaker 1: article that when it comes to her age, moms is 214 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:17,280 Speaker 1: as evasive as a hostile Watergate witness. Signs of the times. 215 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:18,760 Speaker 1: There are a lot of signs of the times in 216 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:22,160 Speaker 1: her performances, obviously because she was performing a specific time, 217 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:25,360 Speaker 1: but she was also talking about so much topical, so 218 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:27,920 Speaker 1: many topical things in her work that you know, it's 219 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:33,280 Speaker 1: often dated like that. But she she didn't tell specific 220 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:36,200 Speaker 1: details of her life to a lot of interviewers, and 221 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:39,280 Speaker 1: her parents died when she was really young. She was 222 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:44,080 Speaker 1: mostly raised by her grandmother, and she was raped by 223 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:46,880 Speaker 1: two men in her community, and by age fifteen she 224 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:50,400 Speaker 1: had given birth to children whom she placed for adoption, 225 00:13:50,880 --> 00:13:55,000 Speaker 1: and later in life she did have more children. So 226 00:13:55,559 --> 00:14:00,280 Speaker 1: she began her performance career at age fourteen. She was 227 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:03,560 Speaker 1: helping her family out. She joined a minstrel troupe which 228 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:05,840 Speaker 1: was that toured across the United States, which was a 229 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:09,080 Speaker 1: big thing at the time. Um she first started for 230 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:12,080 Speaker 1: black performers and what was available to them where they 231 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:14,800 Speaker 1: could actually go to perform and make money for it. 232 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:17,600 Speaker 1: Um was within these black spaces. So when she first 233 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:21,760 Speaker 1: started performing, she included singing and dancing in her ax 234 00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:26,320 Speaker 1: Um and she performed with people like blues singer Bessie 235 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:31,360 Speaker 1: Smith multiple times and growing up, she moved up the 236 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:34,960 Speaker 1: Eastern Coast and moved to Ohio. She met a performer 237 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:38,080 Speaker 1: there named Bonnie Bell Drew and she encouraged her to 238 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:41,200 Speaker 1: go into show business. She ended up going to Pittsburgh 239 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:43,920 Speaker 1: got a role in a traveling play called The Rich 240 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:46,120 Speaker 1: from Utah. It's kind of like the rest is history. 241 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:49,680 Speaker 1: She started her career and performance pretty early and just 242 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:54,720 Speaker 1: never stopped. Never Um and she had a really long career. 243 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:58,040 Speaker 1: Like that's another big part of her story. So she 244 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:01,160 Speaker 1: changed her name to Jackie Maybe when she went to 245 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:05,480 Speaker 1: show business. The story is that a family member didn't 246 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:08,560 Speaker 1: want the family name Akin to be attributed or associated 247 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 1: with show business, so that's why she changed her name 248 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:14,880 Speaker 1: to Jackie Mayblei. But obviously from there she later went 249 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:17,000 Speaker 1: on to be called Moms but there's a lot of 250 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,640 Speaker 1: her work that is from before that that is not 251 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:25,280 Speaker 1: within that persona to which she's attributed Jackie Babley. But um, yeah, 252 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:27,440 Speaker 1: that and that name is said to be attributed to 253 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 1: the performer Jack Maybley, who was an acquaintance of hers, 254 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:32,760 Speaker 1: and she once said about him, he took a lot 255 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:35,280 Speaker 1: off me. The least I could do was take the name, 256 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:39,440 Speaker 1: which that is time very funny. I'm gonna figure out 257 00:15:39,480 --> 00:15:42,680 Speaker 1: how how I can be repaid, and naming is so important, 258 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:45,160 Speaker 1: and I'm just like, well, that's that's actually very meaningful 259 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:48,880 Speaker 1: because her name is a big deal. That's true. And 260 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:51,240 Speaker 1: especially I mean at the time there wasn't like Google, 261 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:55,720 Speaker 1: but now he was Googling. You might help them boost theirselves, 262 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:03,800 Speaker 1: thinking like a true millennial. That's right, not a shame 263 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:10,480 Speaker 1: shouted the Google era, that's right. Um. She moved to 264 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:13,960 Speaker 1: New York in the early twenties and in the nineteen 265 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:17,040 Speaker 1: thirties and forties. This is when she was performing Voughtville 266 00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:21,160 Speaker 1: sketches and monologues on the Chipland Circuit, which was a 267 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:24,920 Speaker 1: group of performance venues where black entertainers were welcome to 268 00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:28,560 Speaker 1: perform in the gym curl era, so She was a 269 00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:33,000 Speaker 1: regular in black theater reviews in Harlem in the nineteen thirties, 270 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 1: and she was putting in work, so she opened for 271 00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:40,480 Speaker 1: orchestras at places like the Cotton Club and the savoy Um. 272 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:43,880 Speaker 1: She worked with is Ra'neil Harston on the nineteen thirty 273 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:46,960 Speaker 1: one Broadway show Fast and Furious, a colored review in 274 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:49,720 Speaker 1: thirty seven scenes. It would take forever if we just 275 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:51,480 Speaker 1: sit here and listed all the things that she did, 276 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:55,520 Speaker 1: But she did a lot of work in that right now. 277 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:59,160 Speaker 1: She was also featured in films, so the all black 278 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:01,600 Speaker 1: cast films really popular at the time that were kind 279 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:04,600 Speaker 1: of catered to black audiences. Some of those films were 280 00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:08,959 Speaker 1: the big timers, Boarding House Blues and Killer Diller. In 281 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:12,720 Speaker 1: the forties, and by that decade she was also performing 282 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:15,840 Speaker 1: stand up comedy, and like we said it talked about 283 00:17:15,840 --> 00:17:18,919 Speaker 1: the top like she really helped builds the genre. Like 284 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:22,640 Speaker 1: she was very integral and a pioneer in terms of 285 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:25,560 Speaker 1: the growth of the genre and the type of stand 286 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:28,000 Speaker 1: up that she was doing, where she had this social 287 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:32,200 Speaker 1: and political commentary. Under the guidance of the Vauteville team 288 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:36,040 Speaker 1: butter Beans and Susie, she developed Moms as a solo act, 289 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:39,639 Speaker 1: and this was the act that she's the most famous for. 290 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:43,359 Speaker 1: She became the only woman on the TOBA circuit, and 291 00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:47,200 Speaker 1: TOBA just stands for Theater Owners Booking Association. That was 292 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:49,560 Speaker 1: a vaulteville circuit that a lot of black performers went to. 293 00:17:50,359 --> 00:17:52,000 Speaker 1: So she was the only woman on the Toba circuit 294 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:56,680 Speaker 1: to perform comedy without a male counterpart. And as her 295 00:17:57,800 --> 00:18:01,680 Speaker 1: mom's act, she wore a house stress. This is this 296 00:18:01,760 --> 00:18:03,480 Speaker 1: is you. So you can see this in a lot 297 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:07,000 Speaker 1: of places. You'll see it on her album covers. You 298 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:09,960 Speaker 1: can go and listen to her work right now. It's 299 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:11,960 Speaker 1: on streaming, you can go watch it, you can watch 300 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:14,119 Speaker 1: her film. So a lot of the fortunate thing is 301 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:16,280 Speaker 1: that there's a lot of her worker is out there 302 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:19,399 Speaker 1: for us to like be witness to today, which is 303 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:22,560 Speaker 1: not always the case. So that's a big privilege. But 304 00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:27,800 Speaker 1: she wore a house dress, floppy shoes, nick cap as 305 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:31,200 Speaker 1: her persona that was mom's. And she once said about 306 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:34,320 Speaker 1: the name moms that I'm just a mom. A child 307 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:37,120 Speaker 1: is born and it ain't no good nowhere, no how 308 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:42,040 Speaker 1: without a mom. I'm that mom. People talked about how 309 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:44,399 Speaker 1: it's said that her the nickname Moms came from the 310 00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:48,280 Speaker 1: fact that she was super protective of the performers that 311 00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:50,880 Speaker 1: she was surrounded with, and so she kind of had 312 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:55,479 Speaker 1: that caring persona, which was just a persona. It was. 313 00:18:55,600 --> 00:19:00,880 Speaker 1: It was just that. And I know that you mentioned 314 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:05,480 Speaker 1: the Annie the kind of the discrepant fees are dichotomies 315 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:09,000 Speaker 1: between these roles that she was playing, just out of curiosity, 316 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:12,200 Speaker 1: like what did you think when you saw the role 317 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:15,280 Speaker 1: that she was playing and knowing I guess a little 318 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:17,879 Speaker 1: bit about how that wasn't It was completely a persona 319 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:19,840 Speaker 1: made up and it wasn't who she was necessarily in 320 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:23,399 Speaker 1: that moment. Right. So when I I my first memories 321 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:26,800 Speaker 1: of this, I was pretty young, and her acts, for 322 00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:29,920 Speaker 1: people who haven't listened to it, can get quite what's 323 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:32,840 Speaker 1: the word a lot of people use, ribald, Like I 324 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:36,520 Speaker 1: can get pretty. H I don't want to say scandalous, 325 00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:39,280 Speaker 1: but that is a word that people would use, is like, oh, 326 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:42,439 Speaker 1: this older woman, this older black woman is talking about 327 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:45,520 Speaker 1: like how she wants to have sex with younger men 328 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 1: or whatever. So I think a lot of that went 329 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:54,000 Speaker 1: over my head as a young person, but I remember 330 00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:59,240 Speaker 1: thinking that I I really loved there was something about 331 00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:05,399 Speaker 1: like this just willingness to embrace that and too, and 332 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:08,840 Speaker 1: people laughing at it, and me knowing like, this isn't 333 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:11,560 Speaker 1: like I haven't seen something like this, or this isn't 334 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:16,000 Speaker 1: quote unquote like regular lady like behavior, but she's going 335 00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:19,080 Speaker 1: against it and people think it's funny. And so for 336 00:20:19,160 --> 00:20:21,399 Speaker 1: that I found that That's one of the things, Like 337 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:25,280 Speaker 1: it's not like I remember particular act necessarily, but I 338 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:30,320 Speaker 1: just remember watching it and feeling like almost oliberated, almost 339 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:33,200 Speaker 1: like wow, this is somebody who's doing this and getting 340 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:38,199 Speaker 1: laughs and it's not what women usually do, and it 341 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:42,680 Speaker 1: felt I don't want to attribute this necessarily to her, 342 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:44,639 Speaker 1: but to me it felt like a really like brave 343 00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:47,360 Speaker 1: and kind of I don't know, like inspired. I don't 344 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:49,479 Speaker 1: know it was weird. I just remember watching it and 345 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:51,520 Speaker 1: thinking it was funny, even though I didn't get it 346 00:20:52,119 --> 00:20:56,159 Speaker 1: because because it felt so new to me. I guess 347 00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:59,000 Speaker 1: maybe I don't know if I'm explaining it well, but yeah, 348 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:02,119 Speaker 1: I follow you. Yeah, that's that's what I remember the most, 349 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:08,000 Speaker 1: is thinking like she shouldn't be talking about that she is, yes, 350 00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:11,840 Speaker 1: and it was disarming. She did go on later talk 351 00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:15,560 Speaker 1: about how much of her life she spent as this persona, 352 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:18,480 Speaker 1: so she started it before she was the age that 353 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:21,600 Speaker 1: she was portraying, which was on the more elderly side. 354 00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:25,280 Speaker 1: She was playing in her younger and middle aged years, 355 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:30,320 Speaker 1: and she later does talk about how she didn't regret 356 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:36,199 Speaker 1: how long she played it, like she was fulfilled by it, 357 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:38,320 Speaker 1: but it did feel a little weird when she all 358 00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:40,919 Speaker 1: actually got to the age that she was portraying and 359 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:44,520 Speaker 1: she was still doing act. But it was disarming to 360 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:47,560 Speaker 1: a lot of people. Initially it was she was performing 361 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:51,240 Speaker 1: as moms for black audiences and she was still challenging 362 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:54,520 Speaker 1: what was deemed appropriate for a black woman to say 363 00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:58,520 Speaker 1: in public and on stage. And you know this, it was, 364 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:01,680 Speaker 1: it was created. It was is a creative persona. Her 365 00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:06,560 Speaker 1: her comedy was often fictionalized, so the story she was 366 00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:12,480 Speaker 1: we're telling were stories and she made. She did satirical songs, 367 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:16,040 Speaker 1: so based on real songs, she would insert her own 368 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:20,560 Speaker 1: narratives about uh, you know, younger men a lot of 369 00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:24,480 Speaker 1: the time and not liking older men. Um these fictional 370 00:22:24,560 --> 00:22:29,600 Speaker 1: relationships that she had, fictional events and occurrences like dealings 371 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:32,040 Speaker 1: that she had with the White House. UM. So a 372 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:35,439 Speaker 1: lot of her stories as well that she was telling 373 00:22:35,920 --> 00:22:39,960 Speaker 1: on stage and her performances just were made up. She 374 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:43,919 Speaker 1: was never married, but the persona of Moms was in 375 00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:47,480 Speaker 1: her routines. Um. But she credited her sense of humor 376 00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:50,280 Speaker 1: to her grandmother on the nineteen sixty four album The 377 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:54,359 Speaker 1: Funny Sides of Moms Mablie. She did talk a lot 378 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:58,000 Speaker 1: about um, like she didn't after she began performing on 379 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:00,720 Speaker 1: the Toba circuit. She didn't live but low the Mason 380 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:04,879 Speaker 1: Dixon line again. Um. She would say things like she 381 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:07,359 Speaker 1: would refer to the South as that other country or 382 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:11,280 Speaker 1: a foreign country. Is clear and for obvious reasons. You 383 00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:14,560 Speaker 1: know why she would derive the region like that, after 384 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:17,720 Speaker 1: her background and what she went through herself, and knowing 385 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:22,000 Speaker 1: also being so conscious of the civil rights issues and 386 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:24,800 Speaker 1: clearly the type of person to take a very vocal 387 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:28,760 Speaker 1: stand against them, why she would have that kind of 388 00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:32,480 Speaker 1: portrayal of the South. Even in her work, and she 389 00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:34,480 Speaker 1: a lot of her work with satire, she would talk 390 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:38,760 Speaker 1: about gender and race and war. And she even said 391 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:41,760 Speaker 1: in one interview, the things I record, very few of 392 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:45,240 Speaker 1: them are jokes. And then what's funny though, like if 393 00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:48,000 Speaker 1: you go I still laugh at them today because you know, 394 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:53,320 Speaker 1: stuff can stuff can get dated, and you know, everybody 395 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:56,840 Speaker 1: since the humor isn't for every person. But I genuinely 396 00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:59,440 Speaker 1: find myself laughing out loud to a lot of her 397 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:03,880 Speaker 1: jokes and just thinking of how some of them were 398 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:06,679 Speaker 1: coded into where they were insular jokes. They were inside 399 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:08,520 Speaker 1: jokes for a lot of black people. But she was 400 00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:13,240 Speaker 1: also able to have such a widespread audience, like so 401 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:15,400 Speaker 1: many different type of people in her audience over time, 402 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:19,119 Speaker 1: and that that was, you know, a testament to the 403 00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:22,600 Speaker 1: work that she was doing. She her criticisms and her 404 00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:25,600 Speaker 1: challenges were really layered into her humor and her songs, 405 00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:29,240 Speaker 1: and a lot of them may have seemed really absurd 406 00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:32,480 Speaker 1: and ridiculous on their face, and also including her delivery. 407 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:35,280 Speaker 1: So I can't do her delivery right now for you, 408 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:38,560 Speaker 1: but like, after listening to this, you can go and 409 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:42,879 Speaker 1: check out some of her work and just you know, 410 00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:45,639 Speaker 1: see how her delivery was, what her vocal quality was. 411 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:49,119 Speaker 1: She had kind of this raspy voice on the deeper side, 412 00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:52,760 Speaker 1: but you know her, she had a very specific way 413 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:56,760 Speaker 1: of of delivering the messages, and her messages were often 414 00:24:56,800 --> 00:25:00,960 Speaker 1: ones of protest and yeah, so that was that was 415 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:16,399 Speaker 1: a through line in her work. She first appeared on 416 00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:18,960 Speaker 1: Final in the nineteen fifty six, Van Guard Records released 417 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:24,000 Speaker 1: A Night at the Apollo, and this was around the 418 00:25:24,040 --> 00:25:26,280 Speaker 1: time that she really blew up in the nineteen sixties. 419 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:29,800 Speaker 1: That was a time when comedy albums were also garnering 420 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:32,880 Speaker 1: a lot of steam, and she became a household name. 421 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:36,600 Speaker 1: So she signed with Chess Records and she released her 422 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:41,719 Speaker 1: first solo comedy album, Mom's. Mainly on stage, she was 423 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:46,080 Speaker 1: famous for her live shows and mostly northern U. S. Cities, 424 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:50,280 Speaker 1: and she appeared on a lot of TV shows like 425 00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:54,359 Speaker 1: The Smothers Brothers Comedy Our, The MERV Griffin Show, The 426 00:25:54,680 --> 00:25:59,800 Speaker 1: Sullivan Show, on ABC's Music Scene and and others. So 427 00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:04,200 Speaker 1: her audiences were becoming a lot more white, and her 428 00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:08,679 Speaker 1: non threatening persona as this matron lee person who was 429 00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:12,720 Speaker 1: dressed a certain way, who didn't appear to be sexualized, 430 00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:18,080 Speaker 1: um and you know, but was saying a lot of 431 00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:21,200 Speaker 1: sexual things. It was an approachable persona for a lot 432 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:27,000 Speaker 1: of people. So it was a way of easing a 433 00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:30,280 Speaker 1: lot of the messages that she was actually talking about. 434 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:36,119 Speaker 1: And it's like things like segregation and war, and she 435 00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:43,000 Speaker 1: was saying stuff that was so heavy and loaded and political, 436 00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:48,560 Speaker 1: and people were laughing like they were hysterical. They were 437 00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:51,480 Speaker 1: you know. Her audiences responded really well to the things 438 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:52,919 Speaker 1: that she was saying, and she got a lot of 439 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:55,120 Speaker 1: love and a lot of applause when she would come out. 440 00:26:55,800 --> 00:27:00,000 Speaker 1: And that's even though she did become more overtly political 441 00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:04,159 Speaker 1: in the later years of her career. She did speak 442 00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:08,159 Speaker 1: out about how little progress there have been for the 443 00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:13,880 Speaker 1: visibility of black comedians and black representation on television, so 444 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:16,120 Speaker 1: things that are still being talked about to this day. 445 00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:20,400 Speaker 1: She talked about the consciousness of that that so many 446 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:22,960 Speaker 1: of us black folks have in the US. Of that 447 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:28,000 Speaker 1: going back to that duplicity, that dichotomy of being both 448 00:27:28,080 --> 00:27:32,080 Speaker 1: like the the state of being desired and shunned at 449 00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:34,600 Speaker 1: the same time. Is a lot that went into it. 450 00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:37,679 Speaker 1: And she did say once a white man loves the 451 00:27:37,720 --> 00:27:41,760 Speaker 1: negro until he gets what he wants from him. But 452 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:46,760 Speaker 1: she was popular. She acknowledged how much heart, work and 453 00:27:46,840 --> 00:27:49,280 Speaker 1: practice that she put into it. It wasn't just about 454 00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:51,719 Speaker 1: her talent. She talked about how much training she had, 455 00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:56,200 Speaker 1: how many theaters she was in, how much she rehearsed. 456 00:27:56,600 --> 00:28:00,400 Speaker 1: You know, she acknowledged how much work that you put 457 00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:03,320 Speaker 1: into her getting to the place where she was, even 458 00:28:03,359 --> 00:28:05,119 Speaker 1: if some of the things that she may have wanted 459 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:07,679 Speaker 1: to happen didn't happen as soon as she wanted them to, 460 00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:11,920 Speaker 1: so she had She released a lot of albums over 461 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,679 Speaker 1: the course of her career. She did things like she 462 00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:19,920 Speaker 1: performed at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in nineteen seventy 463 00:28:20,119 --> 00:28:24,080 Speaker 1: and her last album was I Like Them Young, which 464 00:28:24,119 --> 00:28:28,040 Speaker 1: was released in nineteen seventy two. Her last TV appearance 465 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:31,159 Speaker 1: was as a prisoner at the nineteen seventy three Grammys, 466 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:34,920 Speaker 1: which was pretty funny. And there are, like I said earlier, 467 00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:37,159 Speaker 1: there are a bunch of recordings of her work that 468 00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:40,280 Speaker 1: are available today, so you can go watch her TV 469 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:44,960 Speaker 1: appearances and films and stand up and she was also 470 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:48,120 Speaker 1: on the cover of the January three, nineteen seventy four 471 00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:51,560 Speaker 1: issue of Jet magazine and a future called Mom's Maybe 472 00:28:51,880 --> 00:29:00,960 Speaker 1: Raps about old Women Young Love. And she was also 473 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:03,760 Speaker 1: in the film Amazing Grace in nineteen seventy four, which 474 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:07,400 Speaker 1: was very near the end of her life, but it 475 00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:11,200 Speaker 1: was her first starring role in a major film. She 476 00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:14,040 Speaker 1: had a heart attack while she was filming Amazing Grace, 477 00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:17,560 Speaker 1: and she got a pacemaker, and she returned to filming 478 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:20,640 Speaker 1: after having that during the course of filming, but it 479 00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:25,080 Speaker 1: did lead to her declining health. That said, she had 480 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:27,720 Speaker 1: no plans of slowing down, and she wanted to stay 481 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:31,680 Speaker 1: in show business. She died in nineteen seventy five in 482 00:29:31,760 --> 00:29:34,760 Speaker 1: her home and great plans New York and Dick Gregory 483 00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:39,440 Speaker 1: gave ulogy at her funeral. Was beloved like she people 484 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:42,520 Speaker 1: did recognize the work and her importance in the field, 485 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:46,240 Speaker 1: and she set the stage for future black feminist comics. 486 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:51,360 Speaker 1: Like she really emerged joy and resistance in her performance. 487 00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:53,920 Speaker 1: I think those were, like you said earlier, any like 488 00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:55,400 Speaker 1: perfect way to put it, Like there were so many 489 00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:59,320 Speaker 1: things that were that may have seemed antithetical that she 490 00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:02,800 Speaker 1: did in her work. There is a quote by the 491 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:05,600 Speaker 1: author Caitlyn hell Would in the book Cracking Up Black 492 00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:08,520 Speaker 1: Feminist Comedy in the twentieth and twenty first century United 493 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:12,400 Speaker 1: States that um I wanted to share. She said in 494 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:15,600 Speaker 1: the book, Moms was funny to audiences because she spoke 495 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:19,440 Speaker 1: the kinds of truths characteristic of older family and community members, 496 00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:22,320 Speaker 1: and because she strayed from the many other roles that 497 00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:25,440 Speaker 1: older women are expected to occupy. In white ages, in 498 00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:30,400 Speaker 1: hetero sexist frameworks. So she was she was really subversive 499 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:32,640 Speaker 1: in a lot of ways. But she was also a 500 00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:34,760 Speaker 1: lot of fun. You know, she was full of joy. 501 00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:37,440 Speaker 1: You can just tell in her interviews, the written ones, 502 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:40,160 Speaker 1: and in her work itself that she just had so 503 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:44,120 Speaker 1: much she was full of so much life, and that 504 00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:46,800 Speaker 1: she was having fun and doing what she was doing. 505 00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:49,240 Speaker 1: And of course that's a huge joy to watch and 506 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:51,520 Speaker 1: to listen to and to be able to bear witness 507 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:55,640 Speaker 1: to today. Yeah, long, long, very long career. Yeah, for sure. 508 00:30:55,920 --> 00:31:01,520 Speaker 1: And I I'm just so impressed whenever anybody can find 509 00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:08,040 Speaker 1: a way to to combine, like I really do think 510 00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:11,960 Speaker 1: comedy can be something very powerful in a way to 511 00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:14,840 Speaker 1: get people to listen more and to have these like 512 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:21,880 Speaker 1: deeper edgeyer conversations and and have like these forms of protests. 513 00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:24,719 Speaker 1: And the fact that she was able to make it 514 00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:26,920 Speaker 1: look easy, even though, as you said, she practiced a 515 00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:29,800 Speaker 1: lot and really put her time into it and had 516 00:31:29,840 --> 00:31:33,080 Speaker 1: fun doing it and then was making people laugh and 517 00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:38,080 Speaker 1: people were connecting with her, and that she had this 518 00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:42,880 Speaker 1: long lasting impact, I just think it's so impressive. I 519 00:31:43,040 --> 00:31:46,280 Speaker 1: really really think that's amazing. Yeah, she influenced a lot 520 00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:48,520 Speaker 1: of comedy. I was the first thing I thought of, 521 00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:50,480 Speaker 1: and it makes so much more sense to me. Is 522 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:54,120 Speaker 1: like the Carol Burnett Show and The Mama's Family Show, 523 00:31:54,160 --> 00:31:57,680 Speaker 1: which was based on a comedy a woman who was 524 00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:01,240 Speaker 1: fairly young dressing up as a grand mom majorn league 525 00:32:01,280 --> 00:32:05,360 Speaker 1: character and just being sassy essentially, and that's the whole thing. 526 00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:09,240 Speaker 1: And she started that. She began that. I can't imagine 527 00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:13,040 Speaker 1: her having to figure out the best persona for her 528 00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:15,320 Speaker 1: to fit, but at the same time, as you said, 529 00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:18,479 Speaker 1: kind of have that dichotomy in order to kind of 530 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:20,880 Speaker 1: shock and make it seem unassuming of what she's going 531 00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:22,600 Speaker 1: to talk about or what she's going to bring out, 532 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:25,600 Speaker 1: and then doing it as one of the first females, 533 00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:28,880 Speaker 1: first women to be in this industry, which is still 534 00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:31,120 Speaker 1: hard to break into. It's still hard to get any 535 00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:35,520 Speaker 1: respect that today, and doing that and breaking the mold 536 00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:38,120 Speaker 1: and being on all of these huge shows during a 537 00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:41,480 Speaker 1: time unfortunately, I hate to think what she would think 538 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:43,960 Speaker 1: of where we are today when we talk about women 539 00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:46,680 Speaker 1: in comedy, black women in comedy, the respect for black 540 00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:50,800 Speaker 1: people in general, and black lives altogether. I'm so sad 541 00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:53,640 Speaker 1: to think about that. But just in general breaking through 542 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:57,440 Speaker 1: in these huge shows that were for white audiences when 543 00:32:57,520 --> 00:33:01,240 Speaker 1: oftentimes black talent there but heal was being stolen at 544 00:33:01,240 --> 00:33:03,680 Speaker 1: that point and done and she was able to maintain 545 00:33:04,080 --> 00:33:07,920 Speaker 1: and make a name for herself. That's amazing. Yeah, yeah, 546 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:11,080 Speaker 1: she her legacy is definitely very apparent. There are so 547 00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:14,760 Speaker 1: many things that are still relevant to conversations today, like 548 00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:17,720 Speaker 1: when it comes to how black women are viewed and 549 00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:21,000 Speaker 1: how they speak about sex and women in general and 550 00:33:21,160 --> 00:33:23,680 Speaker 1: comedians and how we speak about sex and what we're 551 00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:26,000 Speaker 1: allowed to say, how explicit we're allowed to be. When 552 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:30,440 Speaker 1: we're explicit, we're not fitting within a mold of appropriateness 553 00:33:30,520 --> 00:33:35,120 Speaker 1: and what is expected of a woman. And yeah, it's 554 00:33:35,160 --> 00:33:39,400 Speaker 1: just and speaking out about social issues and it being 555 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:43,480 Speaker 1: something that maybe needs to be more tame, you know, 556 00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:46,600 Speaker 1: for audiences to be able to consume it. Um, there's 557 00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:49,640 Speaker 1: I mean always been issues like that that are at 558 00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:53,640 Speaker 1: the forefront with black comedians in general and are still 559 00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:58,040 Speaker 1: still present today. And and payment of people, like you said, Samantha, 560 00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:00,640 Speaker 1: like recognizing people for their work and then on top 561 00:34:00,680 --> 00:34:06,840 Speaker 1: of that paying them adequately. Yeah. So I am glad 562 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:10,359 Speaker 1: that she chose the career path that she did you know. 563 00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:12,560 Speaker 1: As with so many people we talked about in these 564 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:16,440 Speaker 1: first it's like who's to say, what where we be 565 00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:22,120 Speaker 1: now or what people would have, you know, launched their 566 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:25,960 Speaker 1: own careers if these people did not exist, And it 567 00:34:26,200 --> 00:34:28,440 Speaker 1: definitely seems that way from Moms maybely like she has 568 00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:35,480 Speaker 1: such a huge influence on comedy and theater and black 569 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:40,000 Speaker 1: performance and glad that we could talk about her today. Yeah, 570 00:34:40,280 --> 00:34:42,479 Speaker 1: I really want to go check out her sets now. 571 00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:48,920 Speaker 1: I need to. I need to find them. Yeah, fun homework, 572 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:54,040 Speaker 1: delve into that. Yes, yes, yes, I'm very glad that 573 00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:56,600 Speaker 1: that exists, but that that is still around and we 574 00:34:56,640 --> 00:35:01,359 Speaker 1: can still find it. Um Wow always Eaves. Thanks you 575 00:35:01,719 --> 00:35:05,120 Speaker 1: so much for being here. It's always a delight. Where 576 00:35:05,200 --> 00:35:08,080 Speaker 1: can the good listeners find you? So? You can find 577 00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:13,359 Speaker 1: me on Instagram at Not Apologizing, I'm on Twitter at 578 00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:17,520 Speaker 1: Eve's Jeff code Um on many many episodes of Female 579 00:35:17,560 --> 00:35:21,800 Speaker 1: First right here, on Stuff Mom Never Told You, and 580 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:27,040 Speaker 1: on the podcast Unpopular and episodes of This Day in 581 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:30,960 Speaker 1: History class talking about more people in history and more 582 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:34,400 Speaker 1: events in history, people that broke the mold, were subversive. 583 00:35:34,960 --> 00:35:37,440 Speaker 1: All of those things you can find if you're interested 584 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:41,040 Speaker 1: in more on those podcasts. Yes, and definitely go check 585 00:35:41,120 --> 00:35:44,919 Speaker 1: that out all of that. If you haven't already, Thank 586 00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:47,839 Speaker 1: you again, Eaves, you can't wait for the next installment, 587 00:35:49,239 --> 00:35:53,960 Speaker 1: and thank you listeners for listening. You can email us 588 00:35:53,960 --> 00:35:56,080 Speaker 1: at Stuff Media, mom Stuff at iHeart media dot com. 589 00:35:56,200 --> 00:35:58,560 Speaker 1: You can find us on Twitter at mom Stuff podcast 590 00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:00,439 Speaker 1: or on Instagram and Stuff I've Never Told You. Thanks 591 00:36:00,480 --> 00:36:03,799 Speaker 1: as always to our super producer Christina, Thank you, and 592 00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:06,840 Speaker 1: thanks to you again for listening. Stephone ever told you 593 00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:08,640 Speaker 1: his production of I Heart Radio. For more podcast on 594 00:36:08,680 --> 00:36:11,000 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the heart Radio app, Apple podcast, 595 00:36:11,080 --> 00:36:12,600 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.