BUT, HE'S A GOOD FRIEND OF
MINE AND YOU ALL KNOW AND LOVE
HIM, CHICAGO'S NUMBER ONE
COMEDIAN MR. GEORGE WILLBORN.
CHICAGO'S NUMBER ONE COMEDIAN
MR. GEORGE WILLBORN!
WHAT'S UP Y'ALL.
YES INDEED.
I'M A GET RIGHT TO IT 'CAUSE
UM, I KNOW THAT'S WHAT YOU ALL
BEEN WANTING TO KNOW.
EVER HAVE YOU NOTICED THA WHEN IT COMES TO BOMBS BLACK
FOLKS AIN'T NEVER INVOLVED.
WHENEVER THEY CART SOMEBODY
AWAY FOR BLOWING SOMETHING
UP IT AIN'T NEVER NO BLACK
PERSON. YOU KNOW
WHY DON'T YOU?
YOU HAVE TO BE ON TIME TO
MESS WITH BOMBS.
CAN YOU IMAGINE A BLACK PERSON
TRYING TO DELIVER A BOMB?
THEY'RE LIKE - OH NO!
(SFX: CLOCK TICKING)
OH NO... OHHHH! I AIN'T GONNA
MAKE IT! UH-OH! BOOM!
(SFX: EXPLOSION)
I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY MAN,
TODAY, THAT'S STILL DOING IT,
WHO HAS A LONG CAREER THA DIDN'T GO TO ALL JOKES ASIDE.
ALL JOKES DURING THAT PERIOD
WAS THIS GREAT INCUBATION OF
SOME OF THE GREATER COMICS
WE HAVE.
IF YOU WENT OVER THE ROSTER OF
COMICS THAT PLAYED ALL JOKES
ASIDE IT WOULD BE A WHO'S WHO
OF COMEDY.
JAMIE FOXX...DAVE CHAPPELLE...
STEVE HARVEY...CHRIS ROCK...
BILL BELLAMY,,,EARTHQUAKE...
TOMMY DAVIDSON...MO'NIQUE...
ADELE GIVENS...ARIES SPEARS...
BERNIE MAC...D.L. HUGHLEY...
LAURA HAYES...T.K. KIRKLAND...
SHERYL UNDERWOOD...
DON D.C. CURRY...
A.J. JAMAL...MIKE EPPS...DAMON
WILLIAMS...CARLOS MENCIA...
CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER...
MELANIE COMARCHO...DEON COLE...
ANDRE KELLEY...J. ANTHONY
BROWN...MIKE BONNER...
GEORGE WILLBORN...ALI LEROI...
RODNEY WINFIELD...JONATHAN
SLOCUMB...CRAIG ROBINSON...
HONEST JOHN...TONY SCULFIELD...
GEORGE WALLACE...JB SMOOVE...
LAVELL CRAWFORD...
THE ORIGINAL KINGS &
QUEENS OF COMEDY,
HEY MUTHAFUKA, DON'T
COME BACK HERE...
I DID A SHOW AT ALL JOKES
ASIDE, AND I GOT ABOUT FOUR
STANDING OVATIONS,
ABOUT THE BEST SHOW I'VE
HAD AT THE PARTICULAR
TIME IN MY CAREER.
WHENEVER ANYONE ASKS ME HOW I
GOT MY START I DON'T HESITAN TO MENTION ALL JOKES.
ALL JOKES WAS A COMEDY CLUB,
SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, THREE
SIXTY-FIVE A YEAR.
OH, YEA!
NOT ONLY WAS THE CLUB A GREA BLACK COMEDY CLUB, IT WAS A
GREAT COMEDY CLUB PERIOD.
YOU KNOW WHY THEY DON'T TAKE
BLACK HOSTAGES, DON'T YOU?
'CAUSE WE'RE BAD
BARGAINING CHIPS.
WHAT ALL JOKES ASIDE MEANT TO
THE BLACK COMEDIAN WAS
SOMETHING THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE,
WHICH WAS OPPORTUNITY.
YOU COULDN'T JUST BE BLACK,
YOU HAD TO BE BLACK AND FUNNY
AND GOOD AT ALL JOKES.
TO SEE A BLACK CLUB THA ALLOWED US TO SAY WHAT WE
FELT, UNCENSORED, I THOUGHT I
WAS IN HEAVEN.
YEAH, DIVORCE IS ROUGH, BU THAT'S ONE THING I GOTTA GIVE
CREDIT 'BOUT WHITE MEN.
WHITE MEN DON'T GET NO
DIVORCE, THEY KILL THEIR
WOMEN.
ALL JOKES ASIDE WAS THE FIRS FIVE-STAR BLACK COMEDY CLUB,
PERIOD.
ALL JOKES ASIDE OPENED ITS
DOORS IN CHICAGO'S SOUTH LOOP
IN 1991.
SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTAN COMEDIANS IN AMERICA GOT THEIR
START...
MISS ADELE GIVENS Y'ALL, GIVE
IT UP FOR HER.
POLISHED THEIR ACT...
MR. JAMIE FOXX Y'ALL, GIVE I UP FOR HIM.
OR MADE A NAME FOR
THEMSELVES...
MR. STEVE HARVEY Y'ALL.
AT ALL JOKES ASIDE.
WHEN THEY CLOSED, OH GOD, I WAS LIKE, OUCH!
UNTIL IT'S UNFORTUNATE AND
AVOIDABLE DEMISE IN 2000...
WHEN THE CLUB CLOSED DOWN MAN,
I WAS LIKE, GODDAMN!
IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST AND
MOST SUCCESSFUL BLACK-OWNED
COMEDY CLUBS IN THE COUNTRY.
CAUSE EVERYBODY WHO TOUCHED
THAT STAGE GOT BETTER BY
TOUCHING THAT STAGE.
THESE COMEDIANS WOULD GO ON TO
CHANGE TELEVISION, THE MOVIES,
AND POP CULTURE.
TOGETHER, THEY RODE THE LAS WAVE OF THE STAND-UP TSUNAMI,
AND MADE ALL JOKES ASIDE AN
IMPORTANT STOP ON THEIR ROAD
TO STARDOM.
WHY?
BECAUSE FOUNDER RAYMOND
LAMBERT AND HIS PARTNER JAMES
ALEXANDER, PROVIDED THEM WITH
A ONE-OF-A-KIND CLUB,
WHERE THEY WOULD
BE TREATED WELL..
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I FEL LIKE A PROFESSIONAL.
PAID WELL...
ALL JOKES ASIDE HAD CHECKS.
AND RECEIVED WELL...
WHEN THEY LOVED YOU IT WAS
RIDICULOUS.
IF THEY TOOK THEIR COMEDY, THE
AUDIENCE, AND RAYMOND LAMBER SERIOUSLY.
YOU SEE, RAY RAN ALL JOKES
ASIDE LIKE A BUSINESS...A
FUNNY BUSINESS.
MUSIC
MUSIC
MUSIC
TO UNDERSTAND THE ORIGINS OF
ALL JOKES ASIDE, YOU NEED TO
KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT RAY
LAMBERT, AND ABOUT CHICAGO.
LET'S START WITH RAY.
HE WAS BORN IN 1961 AND GREW
UP IN WILMINGTON DELAWARE.
HE LIVED IN A WORKING CLASS
NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WAS
NINETY-NINE PERCENT BLACK.
HE WENT TO A CATHOLIC PREP
SCHOOL THAT WAS NINETY-NINE
PERCENT WHITE.
HE WASN'T A GREAT STUDENT, BU HE WAS A GOOD BASKETBALL
PLAYER, SO NATURALLY, HE
GRADUATED.
(TOGA! TOGA! TOGA!)
AFTER TOTAL IMMERSION IN WHITE
CULTURE DURING HIGH SCHOOL,
RAY CHOSE HISTORICALLY BLACK
MOREHOUSE FOR COLLEGE.
HIS REASONING?
IF IT WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR
DOCTOR KING, JULIAN BOND &
SPIKE LEE, WHY NOT RAY
LAMBERT?
HE GRADUATED IN 1983, THE TOP
STUDENT IN MARKETING AND ARMED
WITH HIS NEW DEGREE,
AND HIS NEW EGO, HE GOT HIS
FIRST JOB IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA.
(SFX: CROW)
HE QUICKLY LEFT THE "CORN
HUSKER STATE" AND GOT HIS MBA
AT VIRGINIA'S DARDEN SCHOOL.
SAME REASONING, IF VIRGINIA
WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR FOUNDER
THOMAS JEFFERSON...
EHH, YOU GET IT.
AFTER GRADUATION RAY LANDED ON
WALL STREET.
SOON AFTER, HE WAS OFFERED A
GREAT GIG IN CHICAGO.
ALL RAY KNEW ABOUT THE "WINDY
CITY" WAS WHAT HE'D SEEN ON
TV.
YOU KNOW, MOBSTERS, CROOKED
POLITICIANS, AND THE MOS SEGREGATED BIG CITY IN
AMERICA.
BUT HE WAS TOLD WITH NEW MAYOR
DALEY AND GOVERNOR "BIG JIM"
THOMPSON AT THE HELM, THOSE
DAYS WERE OVER.
BY THE WAY, THOMPSON WAS
GREAT, BECAUSE HE'S AN
ILLINOIS GOVERNOR WHO DIDN' GO TO JAIL.
THE MAYOR AND I ARE OBVIOUSLY
DELIGHTED BY THIS...
WELL, UNDER THESE GUYS,
CORRUPTION MAY HAVE BEEN
SLIGHTLY REDUCED, BU SEGREGATION WAS STILL AN
ISSUE, BECAUSE CHICAGO WAS,
AND ACCORDING TO THE CHICAGO
TRIBUNE, STILL IS, THE MOS RACIALLY SEGREGATED BIG CITY
IN AMERICA.
Y'ALL MY PEOPLE. NOW LET ME
HEAR THE PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE.
INITIALLY, SEGREGATION TURNED
OUT TO BE A GOOD THING FOR
RAY'S COMEDY CLUB.
BUT LATER IN OUR STORY...
SFX: SCREECHING TRAIN
NOT SO GOOD.
BUT LET'S GET BACK TO RAY'S
NEW GIG IN CHI-TOWN.
IT WAS WITH LEGENDARY
INVESTMENT BANKER CHRIS
GARDNER, OF GARDNER RICH &
COMPANY.
DO NOT CONFUSE YOUR NET WORTH
WITH YOUR SELF WORTH.
YEAH, THAT CHRIS GARDNER.
OUR NEXT GUEST HAS A
REMARKABLE RAGS TO RICHES
STORY, HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY, "THE
PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS" IS OU IN HARDBACK AND THE MOVIE
VERSION OF HIS LIFE STORY
STARRING WILL SMITH IS
SUPPOSED TO BE RELEASED LATER
THIS YEAR.
CHRIS GARDNER CAME TO CHICAGO
TO START HIS OWN COMPANY,
WHICH IS NOW A MULTI-MILLION
DOLLAR VENTURE.
IF YOU LOOK A AFRICAN-AMERICANS WHO'VE DONE
EXTREMELY WELL IN AMERICA, A
DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER OF
THEM MADE IT HAPPEN IN
CHICAGO.
SO WASN'T NOTHING USUALLY
ABOUT A YOUNG AFRICAN-AMERICAN
COMING TO CHICAGO WITH A
VISION AND A DREAM.
CHRIS IS THE CONSUMMATE
ENTREPRENEUR, AND IF YOU'RE
NOT INSPIRED BY CHRIS, THERE'S
SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH YOU.
RAY LAMBERT WAS A VERY BRIGHT,
AMBITIOUS, BUTTON DOWN
MOREHOUSE MAN.
AND LET ME SAY THIS, I
WOULDN'T HIRE ANOTHER BROTHER
FROM MOREHOUSE RIGHT NOW IF I WAS MARTIN LUTHER KING.
CHRIS LOVED ME AT GARDNER RICH
AND I QUICKLY BECAME CHRIS'
RIGHT HAND MAN AND I WAS
MAKING MORE MONEY THAN MY
FATHER, A SHOP FOREMAN, EVER
DREAMED OF MAKING, BU SOMETHING WAS MISSING.
AND THEN IT HAPPENED...
SFX: DRUM ROLL
THE INCITING INCIDENT.
IN 1990 RAY MADE A TRIP TO
HOLLYWOOD...
AND STUMBLED INTO BUDD
FRIEDMAN'S WORLD FAMOUS IMPROV
COMEDY CLUB.
IT WAS "MO BETTA MONDAY", THE
ONCE A WEEK BLACK SHOWCASE AND
D.L. HUGHLEY WAS ON STAGE.
I SAW THE DUMBEST SIGN IN THE
WORLD IN LOS ANGELES TODAY.
A SIGN THAT SAID, "DON'T DO
DRUGS, CALL A FRIEND."
WHO IS THIS SIGN FOR,'CAUSE
BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK
TOGETHER.
CAN YOU IMAGINE ONE OF THESE
GUYS CALLING THEIR FRIENDS?
HEY MAN, I'M IN TROUBLE.
I'M ABOUT TO HIT THE PIPE.
DON'T DO ANYTHING UNTIL WE GE THERE.
COME ON POOKIE IT'S A PARTY
OVER AT MADMAN'S HOUSE, LET'S
GO.
THAT NIGHT RAY SAW A LOT OF
GREAT COMEDIANS...
I'M SWEATIN' LIKE A BLACK MAN
ON JEOPARDY.
THEY SEEMED LIKE REALLY NICE
PEOPLE...
I HATE MY KIDS!
AND NO DOUBT EASY TO WORK
WITH.
THAT'S WHEN I BECAME AWARE OF
BUDD FRIEDMAN AND I THOUGHT,
MAYBE I COULD OWN COMEDY
CLUBS, BUT TARGETING THE BLACK
AUDIENCE.
SO HOW DO YOU TELL YOUR
MENTOR, CHRIS GARDNER, YOU'RE
THINKING ABOUT LEAVING HIM,
AND BECOMING A COMEDY CLUB
OWNER LIKE BUDD FRIEDMAN?
RETURNING TO CHICAGO, RAY DID
A LOT OF SOUL SEARCHING, AND A
LOT OF RESEARCHING AND HE
DISCOVERED THERE WERE COMEDY
CLUBS EVERYWHERE.
THE COUNTRY HAD A NEED TO
LAUGH WE'D BEEN THROUGH A LO OF TROUBLES AND SUDDENLY THIS
THING CALLED STAND-UP BECAME
HOT.
AND IT GOT HOTTER AND HOTTER
AND HOTTER.
THE BOOM WAS HAPPENING IN
STAND-UP.
AH, IT WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE.
YOU KNOW, PRIOR TO THAT YOU
HAD SECOND CITY, YOU HAD
ZANIES, THAT WAS ABOUT IT.
SO IN CAME...
THE LAUGH FACTORY
CATCH A RISING STAR
THE IMPROV
THE FUNNY FIRM
I CAN'T EVEN NAME ALL THE
CLUBS THAT STARTED POPPING UP
AROUND TOWN.
THEY WEREN'T HIRING THE BLACK
COMEDIANS BACK THEN.
THERE WERE NO COMEDY CLUBS
THAT CATERED TO BLACK
COMEDIANS.
WE DID USE BLACK COMEDIANS BU THEY TENDED TO BE BLACK
COMEDIANS THAT WERE MORE
MAINSTREAM.
THE ONLY COMICS WHO WOULD GE IN A PLACE LIKE THAT WAS
SOMEONE LIKE...
I DON'T WANNA.
MICHAEL WINSLOW, THE COMEDIAN
FROM "POLICE ACADEMY."
SFX: ENGINE REVVING
BEING IN THE MAINSTREAM, QUOTE
END QUOTE, WHITE CLUBS IT WAS
A FRATERNITY, YOU HAD TO JUMP
OVER PITS OF FIRE.
IF A COMEDIAN TENDED TO WORK
JUST TO THE BLACK COMMUNITY,
THEN THEY DIDN'T APPEAL TO THE
GENERAL AUDIENCE, AND SO THEY
WEREN'T THE BEST SUIT FOR OUR
CLUB.
IN THE MAINSTREAM CLUBS THEY
ALWAYS HAD JUST A BLACK NIGHT,
WHICH SUCKED.
CHOCOLATE SUNDAYS, HO CHOCOLATE, TOO FUNNY
CHOCOLATE.
JUST CALL IT WHAT IT IS, THE
NIGHT WHEN A LOT OF BLACK
PEOPLE GONNA BE THERE.
IT WAS NEVER NO BLACK CLUBS
THAT WAS CLASSY, IT WAS MORE
BARS AND LOUNGES, AND
NIGHCLUBS.
WE WOULD HAVE TO TRY AND GO TO
LARRY'S BAR GRILL AND GE LARRY LET YOU HOOK UP A MIC
AND ENTERTAIN DRUNK CUSTOMERS.
AT ONE ONE-THIRTY IN THE
MORNING THEY HAD TO CLEAN THE
DRINKS FROM ONE-THIRTY TO
TWO-O'CLOCK. AND SO YOU GOT TO
TELL JOKES AND THEY WOULD GIVE
YOU FIFTY DOLLARS.
I CAN'T IMAGINE PEOPLE WHO,
WHO LOVE ARTS AND LOVE TO DO
COMEDY NOT HAVING AN IMPROV.
NOT HAVING A ZANIES.
NOT HAVING A HOME.
WE GOT ALL THESE COMEDIANS OF
COLOR AND NOWHERE TO REALLY
PUT THEM.
RAYMOND LAMBERT ALSO
RECOGNIZED THE GAP IN THIS
MARKET, AND ALL JOKES ASIDE
WAS BORN.
SFX: ELECTRICITY
RAYMOND WAS ABLE TO SAY, HEY
THERE'S A BLACK COMMUNITY HERE
THAT WANTS ITS OWN.
HE SAW THE NEED AND HE MET IT.
RAY WAS AHEAD OF HIS TIME, AND
HE WAS SERVING A NICHE IN
CHICAGO THAT NOBODY TOUCHED.
THE FACT THAT RAY HAD NEVER
OWNED A BUSINESS, HAD NO
ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE, NO
COMEDY EXPERIENCE, AND NO CLUB
EXPERIENCE WAS APPARENTLY NO
PROBLEM.
NOW ALL HE NEEDED WAS A
PARTNER, AND HIS BUDDY JAMES
ALEXANDER WAS PERFECT.
I HAD BEEN A WAITER IN COLLEGE
IN THE RESTAURANT SO I FEL CONFIDENT...
HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL
HE WAS DOING EITHER.
BUT LIKE RAY, HE HAD AN MBA,
AND FROM THE KELLOGG SCHOOL NO
LESS.
THE WAY THAT I BECOME FAMILIAR
WITH ALL JOKES ASIDE IS, I AM
THE DIRECTOR OF THE LEVY
ENTREPRENEURIAL INSTITUTE A THE KELLOGG GRADUATE SCHOOL OF
MANAGEMENT - NORTHWESTERN
UNIVERSITY.
THAT WAS THE THING THAT I
LOVED ABOUT WHAT THEY DID, AND
THAT IS, THEY TOOK THEIR
BUSINESS ACUMEN AND BUSINESS
SKILLS AND APPLIED IT TO AN
UNDERSERVED MARKET THA HAPPENED TO BE COMEDY.
EVEN THOUGH, WE HAD NEVER DONE
ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE, WE
THOUGHT WE COULD PULL OFF A
COMEDY CLUB, BUT FIRST THINGS
FIRST WE NEEDED A NAME.
RAYMOND WILL DISAGREE WITH
THIS BECAUSE IT WAS A
CONVERSATION WE WERE HAVING.
I HEARD JAMES USE THE
EXPRESSION, ALL JOKES ASIDE.
WHEN I SAID ALL JOKES ASIDE HE
SAID, THAT'S THE NAME.
YEAH HE'S RIGHT; I DID SAY
THAT'S THE NAME.
TO THIS DAY I SAY THAT I NAMED
IT, AND HE SAID THAT HE NAMED
IT.
SO IN MY MIND, I NAMED THE
CLUB...
OKAY, ONE OF THEM NAMED THE
CLUB.
BUT RAYMOND AND JAMES WEREN' READY TO COMMIT TO A PERMANEN LOCATION, SO THEY RENTED AN
ART GALLERY, TURNING IT INTO A
COMEDY CLUB AT NIGHT.
OUR STAGE WAS, BLACK CURTAIN
ON SOME KIND OF A ROLLER.
IT WASN'T QUITE A HAND WRITTEN
SIGN, BUT YOU KNOW IT WAS
INEXPENSIVE PRINTING.
COMEDIANS COMPLAINED AND JOKED
ABOUT THE STAGE.
COULD THEY SPENT SOME MONEY ON
A REAL STAGE?
SO JAMES TURNED TO HIS SISTER
LORI, AND HER BOYFRIEND JOEY.
WE SPENT ALL DAY FRIDAY
CALLING EVERY THEATRICAL
SUPPLY COMPANY WE COULD FIND.
I MEAN, JUST GOING THROUGH THE
YELLOW PAGES.
HAD A STAGE DELIVERED IN A
DAY, AND IT'S LIKE WHY DIDN' WE KNOW THIS?
WE JUST DIDN'T KNOW.
WE DIDN'T HAVE A LIGHTING
BOARD SO WHEN IT WAS TIME TO
START THE SHOW I WAS ON ONE
SIDE WITH ONE PLUG, MY
BOYFRIEND IS ON THE OTHER SIDE
WITH HIS PLUG AND WE KINDA
LOOKED, ONE, TWO, THREE, GO!
SFX: ELECTRICITY
WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME YOU ALL
OUT TO ALL JOKES ASIDE,
CHICAGO'S ALL NEW BLACK COMEDY
SHOWCASE.
THERE WAS NO ALCOHOL.
THEY DIDN'T HAVE A LIQUOR
LICENSE, AND THEY WEREN' FRONTING THAT THEY HAD ONE.
JAMIE FOX IS HERE WITH US
TONIGHT...
THE FIRST DAY, THE FIRS COMEDIAN TO STEP ON THA STAGE, I KNEW IT WAS A VERY
SPECIAL THING HAPPENING.
ACTUALLY WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR,
UHHH...
ACTUALLY WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR
IS A NICE YOUNG LADY WITH
HO-LIKE QUALITIES.
WE OBVIOUSLY FELT LIKE I COULD BE SUCCESSFUL, BUT SIX
MONTHS INTO OUR PART TIME
VENTURE, THE CASH WAS NO FLOWING.
IN ANY ENTREPRENEURIAL
ENDEAVOR CASH FLOW ISSUES WILL
ALWAYS SURFACE.
BUT IT WASN'T JUST CASH FLOW
PROBLEMS.
SFX: METAL DOOR SLAM
THEIR CREDIT CARDS WERE
MAXED...
THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS
OVERDRAWN...
VENDORS WERE DEMANDING CASH...
AND EVEN THE COMICS WERE
FEELING THE PINCH.
WE BOOKED STEVE HARVEY, AND SO
WE'RE HALF WAY DOWNTOWN.
I SAID UH, WELL, WE DON'T HAVE
A HOTEL FOR YOU.
YOU'RE GONNA STAY WITH ME THIS
WEEKEND.
WHATCHU MEAN WE DON'T HAVE A
ROOM?
WE DON'T.
WE DON'T HAVE A HOTEL ROOM?
THIS IS CHICAGO.
HE SAID, WHOA, WHOA, WHOA,
WHOA, WHOA, PULL THIS CAR
OVER.
YOU DON'T WANNA PAY FOR THE
ROOM.
LET'S JUST GO THERE.
THEY GOT A ROOM.
HE SAID IF YOU, IF YOU GUYS
WEREN'T BLACK I'D TELL YOU TO
TAKE ME RIGHT BACK TO O'HARE
RIGHT NOW.
I WAS WILLING IN THEM DAYS TO
DO WHATEVER I HAD TO DO.
WE COULDN'T AFFORD A HOTEL
ROOM FOR JAMIE FOXX EITHER,
BUT WHEN YOU GOT CATS LIKE
STEVE AND JAMIE WILLING TO
SLEEP ON THE COUCH, YOU BEGIN
TO THINK, WE MAY BE ONTO
SOMETHING.
I MEAN, IT WAS UNINTENTIONAL,
BUT EVEN MY BOSS WAS HELPING
OUT.
I WAS THE ORIGINAL INVESTOR IN
ALL JOKES ASIDE, AND I DIDN' EVEN KNOW IT.
RAY LAMBERT WOULD BE SITTIN'
AT HIS DESK CRYING CAUSE HE
WAS LAUGHING SO HARD.
I DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS ON THE
PHONE WITH STEVE HARVEY, D.L.
HUGHLEY, CEDRIC THE
ENTERTAINER WHILE I WAS PAYING
HIM.
THAT SHIT FUNNY NOW, BUT I WASN'T FUNNY AT THE TIME.
WORKING FULL DAYS IN THE WORLD
OF FINANCE, AND THEN MANNING
THE NIGHT SHIFT AT THE COMEDY
CLUB, WAS TAKING A TOLL ON THE
YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS.
SO THE SELF-PROFESSED BRAINS
OF THE OPERATION NEEDED SOME
BRAUN.
ENTER MARY LINDSEY TO HANDLE
THE COMEDIANS.
I WAS THE ENFORCER.
CAUSE I AM TRULY A BAD GUY.
I WOULD BE THE PERSON THEY'D
SEE, NOT NECESSARILY RAY.
MARY'S LIKE, DON'T BOTHER
RAYMOND; I'LL TAKE CARE OF IT.
COME TO MAMA, YOU KNOW, LET'S
GO SIT DOWN AND DO THE
PAPERWORK.
MARY WAS AWFUL.
I MEAN SHE WAS HARDER ON ME
THAN AN EX-WIFE.
I GUESS I LOOK LIKE THE MAN
THAT DID HERE WRONG.
I DON'T KNOW.
SHE WORKS AT A COMEDY CLUB AND
SHE'S SERIOUS AS A FUNERAL.
WE'VE HAD TWO SHOWS THUS FAR,
UM, THEY'VE, THERE ARE PROVING
TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
MARY GAVE YOU THE IMPRESSION
THAT SHE DIDN'T TAKE NO SHIT,
WHICH I LIKE.
IF YOU WERE TO GO GOOD COP,
BAD COP.
RAYMOND WAS GOOD COP, AND MARY
WAS BAD COP.
SHE'S LIKE HERE'S YOUR CHECK
BABY, THANK YOU!
NEXT!
YOU OUT THE GAME.
IT WAS GREAT TO HAVE MARY DEAL
WITH THE COMEDIANS.
IT GAVE ME TIME TO DEAL WITH
THE MANAGERS, AGENTS, AND
LAWYERS WHO CAN SUCK ALL THE
FUN OUT OF WHAT I THOUGHT WAS
GONNA BE A FUN BUSINESS.
WITH THIS UNLIKELY TEAM IN
PLACE, AND THE COMEDY THING
BEGINNING TO GEL, THEY WERE
ONLY THREE STEPS AWAY FROM
LEAVING THE ART GALLERY AND
OPENING A REAL COMEDY CLUB.
STEP ONE; GET A BIG TIME
INVESTOR.
SFX: DRUM ROLL
I KNEW MY MOTHER HAD SOME CASH
AND I EXPLAINED TO HER WE
NEEDED A HUNDRED THOUSAND
DOLLARS.
SFX: CASH REGISTER
STEP TWO WOULD BE A LITTLE
TOUGHER.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEIR DAY
JOBS?
RAY LAMBERT LEAVING MY FIRM TO
GO OUT ON HIS OWN...
DUDE, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?
WHAT WAS RAYMOND THINKING?
WELL, HE WAS THINKING, THA LIKE CHRIS GARDNER, HE WANTED
TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR.
I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IT, BU THAT'S OKAY
THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS,
ENTREPRENEURS OFTEN SEE THINGS
THAT NO ONE ELSE SEE.
ALRIGHT, MY MAMA USE TO CALL
IT SEEIN GHOST.
BOY, YOU SEEIN THINGS THA NOBODY ELSE IS SEEIN AGAIN
AREN'T YOU.
I AM SO GLAD THAT CHRIS CAN
SEES IT THAT WAY NOW, BUT BACK
THEN HE DIDN'T SPEAK TO ME FOR
TWO YEARS, BUT TO SEE MY
VISION THROUGH, I HAD TO GO
FULL TIME.
HAD HE STAYED I PROBABLY WOULD
HAVE TO WIND UP FIRING HIS ASS
ANYWAY.
FOR JAMES AND MARY, LEAVING
THEIR FULL TIME JOBS WAS A
DIFFERENT STORY.
BACK THEN I WAS A SUCCESSFUL
FULL-TIME BANKER A CONTINENTAL BANK.
I NEVER LEFT MY DAY JOB, SO I
WAS A PART-TIME PARTNER.
I WAS WORKING FOR CHICAGO
BOARD OPTIONS EXCHANGE AND I
WAS LIKE, OKAY I'M NO QUITTING MY DAY JOB, BUT WE
CAN DO THIS.
I'LL HELP YOU.
AND STEP THREE...
GET A PERMANENT LOCATION.
OUR AUDIENCE LOVED OUR
TEMPORARY SPACE SO FINDING OUR
PERMANENT LOCATION RIGHT NEX DOOR WAS A STROKE OF LUCK.
EVERYTHING WAS FALLING INTO
PLACE AND ANOTHER IMPRESSIVE
MOVE WAS CASTING CHICAGO
COMEDIAN GEORGE "THE STRESS
RELIEVER" WILLBORN AS HOUSE
M.C.
I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF ME BEING THE
HOUSE MC.
THAT WASN'T A FORMAT THAT THE
WHITE CLUBS, THE MAINSTREAM
CLUBS USED WAS LIKE THE HOUSE
MC.
I WAS THE RINGMASTER OF THIS
REALLY, REALLY HOT AND
INCREDIBLE CLUB.
GEORGE WOULD JUST COME OU HE'D DO HIS SPOT, VERY FUNNY,
HE INTRODUCED THE COMEDIANS,
HE GOT YOUR CREDITS RIGHT.
HE WAS A REALLY GRACIOUS HOST,
HE WAS FUNNY HE SET THE ROOM
UP NICELY FOR YOU.
HE WAS LOVED SO MUCH PEOPLE
DIDN'T CARE WHO THE ACT WAS
THEY WOULD JUST COME SEE
GEORGE.
AND THEN PEOPLE STARTING
RUMORS ABOUT ME, THERE'S A
BUNCH OF RUMORS ABOUT GEORGE
WILLBORN. GEORGE WILLBORN USE
TO BE A THUG, ALL KIND OF
RUMORS.
GEOGE WILLBORN USE TO DEAL
DRUGS.
GEORGE WILLBORN USE TO BE A
GANGSTER, HAVE PEOPLE BEAT UP.
GEORGE WILLBORN USE TO DO THIS
AND THAT.
LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, ALL
THAT STUFF, ALL THAT'S TRUE.
ALL THAT'S TRUE.
I REMEMBER GEORGE AS A THIN,
VERY ATTRACTIVE, SUAVE,
DARK-SKINNED MAN.
UH, WE HAD A LITTLE MOMENT,
GEORGE.
AND REMEMBER HOW HE USE TO DO
THIS ALL THE TIME.
GEORGE WILLBURN HAD HALF OF
CHICAGO DOING THIS RIGHT HERE.
THIS RIGHT HERE.
GEORGE WILLBORN COME UP THERE,
BE HITTIN' THAT SHIT RIGH THERE, EVERYBODY GOING CRAZY.
I WAS BLOWED MAN.
TALKING ABOUT, THIS IS WAS WAY
THAT THEY DO IT THE PARADES.
INSTEAD OF THIS, IT'S THIS.
GEORGE WILLBORN BECAME A LOCAL
CELEBRITY FROM PERFORMING A ALL JOKES ASIDE.
GEORGE WILLBORN, THE HOST OF
ALL JOKES ASIDE, HE SHOT HIS
SELF.
AT THE TIME I CARRIED A GUN
ALL THE TIME.
I WAS ACTUALLY ON THE PHONE
WITH GEORGE AND YOU HEAR, POW!
I GOT TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL.
THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
THEY WOULD ALLOW ME TO BRING
MY GUN IN.
THAT'S A FUNNY GEORGE STORY
BUT THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN AT ALL
JOKES ASIDE.
WE DIDN'T ALLOW GUNS.
I DONE DID SOME THINGS THAT I
AIN'T PROUD OF OKAY?
BUT NOW THE NEWEST RUMOR OUT,
GEORGE WILLBORN LIVE DOWNTOWN
WITH A WHITE WOMEN.
NOW HOLD ON NOW.
NOW, YOU GOT TO HOLD ON!
NOW I AIN'T TRYING TO FINGER
NOBODY OUT THERE BUT GEORGE
WILLBURN LIVING DOWNTOWN WITH
A WHITE WOMEN.
HUH, LET ME TELL YOU FROM MY
MOUTH.
YOU WILL NEVER EVER CATCH
GEORGE WILLBURN LIVING
DOWNTOWN.
WHILE LOCAL MC GEORGE WILLBORN
KEPT THEM LAUGHING, IT WOULD
BE NATIONAL ACTS LIKE STEVE
HARVEY WHO WOULD SERIOUSLY
IMPACT THE GROWTH OF THE CLUB.
COUNTRY MUSIC IS BASIC MUSIC
JUST LIKE SOUL MUSIC.
'CAUSE COUNTRY PEOPLE AIN' TRYING TO TRIP YOU UP OR
NOTHING.
IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND A
COUNTRY SONG, YOU RETARDED.
WHEN WE BOOKED STEVE HARVEY ON
WGCI RADIO, TO PROMOTE OUR
CLUB, WE HAD NO IDEA THA WOULD BE ONE OF THE SMARTES MOVES WE'D EVER MAKE.
RAY CAME BY MY OFFICE AT WGCI
AND TOLD ME ABOUT ALL JOKES
ASIDE AND HOW HE WAS REALLY
TRYING TO MAKE IT BIG.
MARV DYSON IS AN URBAN RADIO
PIONEER.
IF YOU WANTED TO REACH BLACK
CHICAGO, YOU NEEDED MARV
DYSON.
I HAD WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A
GREAT IDEA FOR BOTH OF US.
I'D BRING MY COMEDIANS UP TO
THE RADIO STATION; PUT THEM ON
HIS MORNING SHOW.
HE'D GET A FUNNIER SHOW.
I'D GET FREE PROMOTION.
IT WOULD BE A GREAT DEAL FOR
THE BOTH OF US.
BUT MARV SAW IT A LITTLE BI DIFFERENTLY.
WHY SHOULD WE GIVE YOU FREE
EXPOSURE ON THE RADIO?
AND AT THAT POINT I TOLD HIM
YOU CAN HAVE YOUR COMEDIANS
COME UP HERE AND GO ON, BU IT'S GOING TO COST YOU FIVE
HUNDRED DOLLARS.
SFX: CASH REGISTER
FIVE HUNDRED!
BUT THEN I THOUGHT, WGCI IS
THE NUMBER ONE RADIO STATION
IN THE MARKET.
IT'S A NO BRAINER.
SO A FEW WEEKS LATER I TAKE
STEVE HARVEY OVER TO THE DOUG
BANKS MORNING SHOW ON WGCI AND
STEVE KILLS.
AND THE GREAT THING ABOU STEVE WAS HE WOULD GO AHEAD
AND GIVE ALL THE PLUGS ABOU COMING TO ALL JOKES AND HE
WOULD BE FUNNY AS COULD BE,
BUT HE WOULD ALSO SIT BACK AND
HE WOULD OBSERVE.
SO AFTER OUR FIVE MINUTES ARE
UP DOUG SAYS, "THANK YOU GUYS
FOR COMING OUT" AND I THOUGH IT WAS OVER, BUT IT WASN' OVER FOR STEVE.
WAIT A MINUTE MAN.
I DONE GOT UP, FOUR THIRTY IN
THE MORNING; PRESSED MY
CLOTHES OUT.
I DONE SLEPT ON THE COUCH ALL
NIGHT LONG.
AND YOU GONNA BRING ME HERE TO
DO TWO SEGMENTS MAN.
Y'ALL MIGHT NOT KNOW WHO I AM,
BUT I GOT A REAL GOOD PICTURE
OF WHO THE HELL I AM.
Y'ALL NEED TO HOLD UP.
YOU HAVE NO ONE IN THIS BOTH
FUNNIER THAN ME.
YOU AIN'T FINA BRING NOBODY IN
HERE FUNNIER THAN ME.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT JOKES YOU
TELLING MISTER DJ, BUT THEY
NOT THIS MATERIAL RIGHT HERE.
HE WAS IN THERE FOR HOURS.
STEVE TOOK OVER THE SHOW.
I THOUGHT FOR SURE WE'RE NEVER
GONNA BE INVITED BACK, BUT BY
THE TIME WE GOT BACK TO THE
CLUB, THE PHONE WAS RINGING
OFF THE HOOK.
AND STEVE JUST JUMPED IN AND
STARTED TAKING CALLS.
YEAH ALL JOKES ASIDE, YEAH I'M
TRYING...
WHO IS THIS, NO WHO IS THIS?
I SAID, HEY MAN THIS IS STEVE
HARVEY.
THE DUDE ON THE RADIO?
YEAH MAN.
I WOULD TAKE RESERVATIONS FOR
ALL JOKES ASIDE.
STEVE WAS SPEAKING TO AN
AUDIENCE WHILE HE WAS ON, AN
AVERAGE OF FIFTY TO SIXTY
THOUSAND PEOPLE.
SFX: CASH REGISTER
ALL YOU NEEDED WAS EITHER ONE
PERCENT OR TWO PERCENT OF THA AUDIENCE TO RESPOND AND THEY
DID.
BECAUSE OF THAT DAY RIGH THERE, THEY INVITED ME BACK
SEVERAL TIMES TO SIT IN FOR
DOUG BANKS. HEY THIS IS STEVE
HARVEY AT WGCI'S CLUB THROW
DOWN.
THEY GAVE ME A JOB AS THE
MORNING DRIVE GUY, WHICH
STARTED MY WHOLE RADIO CAREER.
STEVE HARVEY HAD LIT THE FUSE
AND ALL JOKES ASIDE WAS
STARTING TO BLOW UP.
RAYMOND HAD INVITED ME TO COME
TO THE CLUB JUST TO SEE WHA IT WAS LIKE.
I WAS BLOWN AWAY.
IT WAS TOTALLY DIFFERENT THAN
WHAT I EXPERIENCED AT OTHER
COMEDY CLUBS
THEY WERE SERVING A NICHE THA HADN'T REALLY BEEN SERVED.
THIS WAS GOING TO BE THE
PREDOMINANT AFRICAN-AMERICAN
CLUB.
I GUESS YOU COULD SAY THAT TO
A CERTAIN DEGREE IT SERVES
THAT NICHE.
YOU GO TO A CHINESE RESTAURAN FOR CHINESE FOOD.
YOU GO TO A SOUL FOOD
RESTAURANT FOR SOUL FOOD.
THAT'S HOW WE LOOK AT IT.
RAYMOND AND HIS GROUP WERE
REALLY TRYING TO LET BLACK
PEOPLE KNOW THAT THIS IS HOW
YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TREATED.
WE DID HAVE A SOCIAL
CONSCIENCE, BUT TREATING OUR
CUSTOMERS WELL, THAT'S JUS GOOD FOR BUSINESS.
ALL JOKES ASIDE WAS THE TYPE
OF CLUB THAT LET YOU KNOW WHEN
YOU WALKED IN YOU WERE GOING
TO BE TREATED LIKE YOU WERE
OUT ON THE TOWN.
IT WAS NOT LIKE YOU WOULD
EXPECT A BLACK CLUB TO BE YOU
KNOW.
IT WASN'T GHETTO.
BECAUSE ANYTIME ANYTHING BLACK
EXISTS, EVEN AS A BLACK
PERSON, YOU TEND TO THINK THE
STEREOTYPE.
IT'S NOT GOING TO BE WELL RUN,
YOU KNOW.
IT'S GOING TO BE HALF ASS.
I USED TO DO A BIT THA ADDRESSED BLACK BUSINESS.
WHY IS THE CEILING FAN ON AND
NO BLADES ARE ON THE CEILING
FAN?
YOU ALWAYS HAD TO CUT THROUGH
THE KITCHEN TO GET TO THE
BATHROOM, AND THEN THE STAFF
ARGUING AMONGST THEMSELVES.
I HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME!
BUT BELIEVE ME, THAT WAS NO THE CASE AT ALL JOKES ASIDE.
THIS WAS LIKE QUALITY MAN.
I MEAN EVERYBODY WORE THE SAME
OUTFITS.
THEY HAD THE LOGOS.
OH YES, WE HAD UNIFORMS. I HAD TO BE NEAT AND CLEAN AND
PRESSED.
RAYMOND WAS A REAL NEAT FREAK.
I ADMIT I'M A LITTLE O.C.D.
BUT NO MORE THAN NORMAL, IT'S
NOT LIKE I'M HOWARD HUGHES OR
SOMETHING.
I DON'T THINK.
WE EVEN HAD NAIL INSPECTIONS,
AND I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW
THESE WOULD NOT HAVE PASSED
RAYMOND'S INSPECTION.
MATTER FACT IT WAS ONE OF THE
CLEANEST PLACES YOU COULD GO,
TO HEAR AND DO COMEDY, AND THE
SAFEST.
IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE CLUB
WE ACTUALLY HAD A BATHROOM
ATTENDANT.
THERE'S A GUY THAT WORKED IN
THE BATHROOM MAN; THE GUY HAD
ALL THE GOOD STUFF, MAN.
HE HAD LIP BALMS.
HE HAD LOTIONS FOR YOUR DRY
HANDS.
THE GUY HAD IT ALL, POTATO
CHIPS.
OH, MAN I LOVE A CLEAN
BATHROOM MAN.
THEY SET IT UP NICE.
THEY HAD THE PICTURE ON THE
WALL, THE PAINTINGS ON THE
WALL.
IT MADE IT, IT LOOK LIKE A
COMEDY MUSEUM.
IT WAS KINDA LIKE A COUNTRY
CLUB FOR COMEDY.
IT WAS ALMOST LIKE IT WAS THE
MOTOWN OF COMEDY.
IT ACTUALLY WAS MORE OF A
THROWBACK TO WHAT THE COTTON
CLUB MY HAVE BEEN.
IT WAS A VERY CLASSY
ESTABLISHMENT.
AND THE AUDIENCE RESPONDED TO
THE CLASSY ENVIRONMENT BY
SHOWING UP "SUITED & BOOTED".
THAT'S THE ONE THING ABOUT A
CHICAGO AUDIENCE.
THEY DRESS TO IMPRESS.
BLACK PEOPLE HONEY, THEY DRESS
UP.
THEY SHINE WHEN THEY GO OUT.
YOU IN CHI-TOWN.
THIS IS WHERE THE BROTHERS
MUCH HIS GREEN GATORS WITH HIS
GREEN SUIT.
IT WAS A COMBINATION OF FOLKS.
IT WAS THOSE WHO WERE KIND OF
CONSERVATIVE STYLE WHO WORKED
DOWNTOWN AND THEN IT WAS THE
CHICAGOANS, YOU KNOW, WITH THE
BIG PLAID WINDOW PANE SUITS,
BUT SHARP!
I MEAN I REMEMBER WALKING
THROUGH THE LINE GOING, DAMN I
BETTER BE REALLY FUNNY, THESE
PEOPLE LIKE GOT THEIR HAIR
DONE!
IF YOU CAN AFFORD A MINK COA YOU'RE GONNA WHERE IT ALL YEAR
LONG IF YOU CAN.
YOU SEE CHINCHILLAS, YOU SEE
SOME BEAVERS, YOU SEE SOME
FOXES.
YOU THINK YOU'RE ON ANIMAL
PLANET.
IF THINK THAT WHEN A COMEDIAN
COMES INTO A CLUB AND HE LOOKS
OUT INTO THE AUDIENCE THAT HE
HAS AND HE DOESN'T SEE BLUE
JEANS AND EVERYBODY IS JUS LIKE SHINNING, IT SORT OF
MAKES THE COMEDIAN FEEL LIKE
HE NEEDS TO SET HIS GAME UP A
LITTLE BIT.
SOME OF THE COMEDIANS THAT I
DESIGNED CLOTHES FOR WERE
CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER, STEVE
HARVEY, BERNIE MAC, JONATHAN
SLOCUMB.
THAT'S A TESTAMENT TO THE
LEVEL OF QUALITY THAT ALL
JOKES ASIDE HAD, BECAUSE IF I WAS A BULLSHIT CLUB PEOPLE
WOULD OF WORE BULLSHI CLOTHES.
BLACK AUDIENCES CAN BE VERY
DEMANDING, JUST ASK THE
COMICS.
BLACK AUDIENCES ARE THE
TOUGHEST AUDIENCES 'CAUSE
WHITE AUDIENCES APPLAUD
EFFORT. WOOOOO!
BLACK PEOPLE DON'T GIVE A DAMN
ABOUT EFFORT.
WE MAD WE PAID TO GET IN YOU
FORCED US TO BUY TWO DRINKS,
DUDE JUST BOUGHT SOME HO WINGS. HE FOUND OUT TWENTY
MINUTES INTO THE SHOW THA THIS DATE HE'S WITH AIN' GONNA GIVE HIM NONE. SO HE'S
MAD, AND NOW IT'S ON YOU.
AND IF YOU WERE LOOKING FOR
DRAMA, JUST SIT IN THE FRON ROW OF ALL JOKES ASIDE.
IF YOU SAT IN THE FRONT ROW
YOU BETTER BE READY TO BE
LAUGHED AT, TO BE PICKED ON,
TO BE PICKED AT.
'CAUSE BOY IF YOU SAT YOUR ASS
IN THE FRONT WITH A BIG OLE
PURPLE SUIT ON, BARNEY LADIES
AND GENTLEMEN, BARNEY.
GIVE IT UP!
HE'S HERE TONIGHT, THANK YOU.
A CAT LIKE A D.L. HUGHLEY OR
STEVE HARVEY, THEM CATS WOULD
MAKE YOU PART OF THE SHOW.
HOW YOU DOIN GIRL?
SAY YOU GOT ON WHITE PUMPS
HUH?
PAYLESS PUMPS?
YOU COULD PAY MORE, BUT WHY?
THE CLUB WAS BECOMING A MECCA
FOR BLACK CHICAGO AND ALL
KINDS OF FOLKS WERE GETTIN'
THEIR LAUGH ON AT ALL JOKES.
TYRONE WAS UP IN THERE,
POOKIE, RAY RAY.
POINT DEXTER CAME.
YOU KNOW POINT DEXTER WENT TO
MOREHOUSE TOO.
IF IT'S A BLACK PERSON WHO WAS
A CELEBRITY, THEY MADE I THROUGH ALL JOKES.
SO YOU WOULD SEE MICHAEL
JORDAN THERE, YOU'D SEE HIS
WIFE, THIS IS DURING THE
PERIOD WHERE THE BULLS WERE
LIKE THE BEATLES OF SPORTS.
THE BEARS SHOWED UP, YOU KNOW,
RIGHT AFTER THE SUPER BOWL
SHUFFLE DANCE, WILLIE GAULT,
RICHARD DENT.
MIKE SINGLETARY, YOU KNOW,
WILBER MARSHALL, YOU KNOW, A
BUNCH OF US.
YOU KNOW, WE ENJOYED COMEDY.
SITTIN' THERE WATCHING CEDRIC
AND BERNIE MAC AND STEVE
HARVEY AND A LOT OF OTHER
GREAT INDIVIDUALS, HOW WE SAY,
YOUR FACE JUST HURT FROM JUS LAUGHING.
I LOVED HAVING CELEBRITIES
COME BY THE CLUB, BUT NOT THE
ONES WHO WANTED TO BE COMPED.
I HAD A POLICY, SUPPORT BLACK
BUSINESS, NO COMPS.
WE SPOKE WITH FORMER
SECURITIES PERSONALS MARY
LINDSEY AND RAYMOND LAMBERT OF
ALL JOKES ASIDE.
THEY HAVE BEEN LITERALLY
LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE
BANK.
WE HAVE MODELED OURSELVES
AFTER PEOPLE LIKE BUDD
FRIEDMAN OF THE IMPROV BECAUSE
THEY TO US ARE THE COMEDY CLUB
CHAIN IN THE COUNTRY.
COMEDIANS LIKE WORKING FOR A
BLACK OWNED, BLACK RUN
ESTABLISHMENT WHEN THEY TAKE
CARE OF BUSINESS.
AND WHEN MBA'S RUN A COMEDY
CLUB, YOU GET POLICIES AND
PROCEDURES, EMPLOYEE
HANDBOOKS, AND STAFF MEETINGS.
ALL JOKES ASIDE WAS A LITTLE
MORE CORPORATE THAN THE OTHER
CLUBS THAT I HAD WORKED AT.
I'VE GONE TO STAFF MEETINGS,
BUT I NEVER WENT TO STAFF
MEETINGS AT THE HYATT.
RAYMOND, HE COME FROM
CORPORATE AMERICA AND SO HE
BROUGHT CORPORATE AMERICA TO A
HOODLUM ENVIRONMENT.
ALL JOKES ASIDE WAS THE ONLY
COMEDY CLUB THAT I ACTUALLY
WORKED AT WHERE WE HAD A
QUARTERLY BUSINESS REVIEW.
EVERY MONDAY MORNING I HAD TO
PROVIDE RAYMOND WITH A
DETAILED REPORT OF DRINK
SALES, TICKET SALES, AND
INVENTORY.
NUMBERS TELL THE STORY.
I LOVE NUMBERS.
I CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH
NUMBERS.
WITH CASH BUSINESSES WHA HAPPENED; PEOPLE STEAL
YOUR MONEY.
AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY
EXPERIENCE WITH KNOWING HOW
TO MANAGE CASH, THEN YOU'LL
GET ROBBED.
I HAD TO RUN A TIGHT SHIP AND
KEEP MY EYE ON CASHIERS,
SERVERS, BARTENDERS,
EVERYBODY.
BUT I WASN'T ALL BUSINESS ALL
THE TIME.
AND I ENCOURAGED OUR STAFF TO
HAVE A LITTLE FUN TOO, GET TO
KNOW THE CUSTOMER, BUT ALWAYS
TREAT THE CUSTOMER WITH
RESPECT.
FOR RAYMOND, THE CUSTOMER'S
ALWAYS PARAMOUNT.
THE CUSTOMER WAS ALWAYS RIGHT.
THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS NUMBER
ONE.
RAY TOLD THE STAFF THEY COULD
BE FRIENDLY TO THE COMEDIANS,
BUT NOT TOO FRIENDLY.
NEVER GOT TO SLEEP WITH NONE
OF THE WAITRESS' SO I WAS VERY
DISAPPOINTED IN THAT.
YOU USUALLY COULD HIT ONE OF
'EM, THERE'S ONE OF THEM
THERE'S THAT'S FREAKY.
I COULD NEVER FIND THE FREAK.
RAYMOND DID NOT ALLOW US TO
FRATERNIZE WITH ANY OF THE
COMEDIANS, BUT SOME OF THE
COMEDIANS TRIED TO FRATERNIZE
WITH US.
SFX: FOX CALL
GEORGE WILLBORN WOULD ALWAYS
CRACK ON ME, EITHER IT WAS ON
MY HAIR OR ON MY BREAST IN
PARTICULAR.
RUMOR HAD IT THAT I WAS DOING
SOMETHING TO HER.
I WAS DOING SOMETHING TO ALL
OF THEM THOUGH.
FROM THE WAIT STAFF RIGHT DOWN
EVERYBODY WHO WAS THERE, I WAS JUST A FAMILY FEEL TO IT.
EVERYBODY HAD A GOOD TIME,
EVERYBODY KNEW EVERYBODY ON A
FIRST NAME BASIS.
NOW WITH THE BUSINESS PART OF
SHOW BUSINESS UNDER CONTROL,
IT WAS TIME TO FOCUS ON THE
SHOW PART, SPECIFICALLY THE
COMEDIANS.
I NAIVELY THOUGHT THA COMEDIANS WERE EASY TO WORK
WITH, THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE
DIFFICULT BUT IT HELPS IF YOU
KNOW THEIR ACT.
RAY LEARNED FAST HOW TO DEAL
WITH COMICS AND DEAL WITH
COMICS' EGOS.
BEFORE I BOOKED ANYONE I
STUDIED THEIR REEL.
HOURS AND HOURS OF REELS.
I WAS TRYING TO LEARN WHA MADE EACH COMEDIAN UNIQUE.
OBVIOUSLY THEY HAD TO BE
FUNNY, BUT DID THEY HAVE A
POINT OF VIEW?
TAKE LAVELL CRAWFORD OUT OF
ST. LOUIS FOR EXAMPLE, I
OBSERVED THAT A LOT OF HIS
COMEDY IS ROOTED IN HIS
RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS MOTHER.
I LOVE THAT BIT ABOUT HIS MOM
TAKING HIM SHOPPING.
WHEN WE GET IN THIS STORE I
DON'T WANT YOU TOUCHING SHIT.
I DON'T WANT YOU ASKING FOR
SHIT.
MATTER FACT I WANT YOUR EYES
CLOSED, 'CAUSE I DON'T EVEN
WANT YOU LOOKING AT SHIT.
AND LET ME TELL YOU ONE MORE
THING LAVELL MAURICE CRAWFORD.
IF YOU GET UP IN THIS STORE
AND ACT ANY KIND OF FOOL.
AND I DO MEAN ANY KIND OF
FOOL.
I'M GON KILL ALL THREE OF
Y'ALL.
STEVE HARVEY TURNED ME ON TO
A.J. JAMAL.
HE WAS MY INTRODUCTION TO
PHYSICAL COMEDY.
THE WAY I EVOLVED FROM MY AC BACK THEN, I WAS HIGH ENERGY,
I WAS ALL OVER THE STAGE.
WHEN I FIRST STARTED I'D DO
THIS PRINCE, MICHAEL JACKSON,
JAMES BROWN.
I'D TURN AROUND I'D DO THE
SPLIT AND JUST SHOOT RIGH BACK UP.
AND THEN OVER THE YEARS, I
SORT OF CREEPED BACK UP.
THEN I WOULD JUST DO THE SPLI AND NEVER GET BACK UP.
I'D ROLL OVER AND MAKE IT INTO
ANOTHER BIT, AND THEN I
COULDN'T EVEN GO DOWN.
AND SO OVER THE YEARS MY
PRINCE JUST BECAME A LITTLE
YOU KNOW, JUST "UHAH!"
AND THAT WAS IT.
I KNOW A REAL PLAYER WHEN I
SEE ONE AND THE YOUNG BILL
BELLAMY'S COMEDY REFLECTED HIS
PLAYBOY STATUS AND I THOUGH HE COULD BE A REAL HIT WITH
THE LADIES.
WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH SOME
OF MY FRIENDS WERE GETTING
MARRIED WHICH WAS CRAZY TO ME
CAUSE I'M ON MTV, I'M LIKE YOU
DON'T GET MARRIED RIGHT NOW.
YOU BALL OUT 'TILL YOU FALL
OUT.
YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING?
I'VE BEEN TO ABOUT FOUR
WEDDINGS THIS YEAR AND IT'S
FUNNY TO SEE YOUR FRIENDS GE MARRIED CAUSE GUYS START TO
GET REAL NERVOUS THE DAY OF
THE WEDDING.
THEY START TALKING TO YOU REAL
FUNNY SAYING STUFF LIKE, OH
MAN, CAN I?
CAN I TALK TO YOU FOR A
MINUTE?
YOU LIKE, WHAT'S WRONG?
I AIN'T GONNA SEE YOU NO MORE,
MAN.
AND YOU THINK THEY'RE PLAYING.
MAN, THIS IS IT MAN, IT'S ALL
OVER.
NAW MAN, WE'LL HANG OUT.
SHE SAID, NO WE AIN'T.
BELLAMY GAVE ME THE TAPE OF A
YOUNG ARIES SPEARS.
AND THAT WAS MY FIRST EXPOSURE
TO AN IMPRESSIONIST.
I HAD ALREADY STARTED COMEDY
WHEN I WAS FOURTEEN.
EDDIE MURPHY ON SNL WAS KING
TO ME.
I WAS SO BLOWN AWAY BY HIS
ABILITY TO DO IMPRESSIONS.
PICTURE ELMER FUDD FUCKIN'.
ELMER FUDD WOULD HAVE GOOD
TIME CAUSE ELMER FUDD BE LIKE,
OH, THIS IS WUOVELY, OH, OH
WUOWER, TO THE WUEFT TO THE
AH-AH-AH-AH-AH!
ANOTHER THING RAY HAD TO LEARN
WAS WHICH HOLLYWOOD TALEN MANAGERS TO TRUST.
WORTHY PATTERSON WAS A MANAGER
HE DID TRUST.
WORKING WITH RAY WAS REALLY A
FIRST FOR ME.
HAVING BEEN A BLACK MANAGER I
NEVER REALLY TALKED TO ANY
BLACK COMEDY CLUB OWNERS.
WORTHY PUSHED ME HARD TO BOOK
CARLOS MENCIA, A LATINO
COMEDIAN FROM LOS ANGELES, I'M
SO GLAD HE DID.
I SAID, RAY IF YOU DON'T BOOK
CARLOS I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE
YOU ANY OTHER ACT.
I SAID, TRUST ME THIS GUY WILL
DELIVER.
SEE I WAS BORN IN HONDURAS;
I'M NOT EVEN ACTUALLY MEXICAN.
I GREW UP THERE IN EAST L.A.
BUT I'M NOT MEXICAN, NOT THA IT REALLY MATTERS ESPECIALLY
LIKE PLACES HERE.
I'M MEXICAN.
I LIVE IN L.A.
WHAT ARE YOU?
HONDURAN.
OH, YOU'RE MEXICAN.
AH, I GO TO MIAMI.
I'M CUBAN.
SEE, WHAT AM I IN NEW YORK?
PUERTO RICAN.
SEE YOU KNOW ME SHUT UP.
PUERTO RICAN, SHUT UP!
THAT WAS ONE OF THOSE JOKES
THAT LEAD BLACK PEOPLE TO GO,
WOW, WE DON'T HAVE THAT.
HE'S GOT TO DEAL WITH THAT,
THAT'S NOT, WOW.
ONE DAY A TAPE ARRIVED AT THE
CLUB FROM A COMEDIAN NAMED
HONEST JOHN.
HE WAS NOT AT ALL WHAT I
EXPECTED.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ALWAYS
WORKED FOR ME IS, I WOULD GE UP, I WOULD SAY WELL, THANK
YOU FOR COMING OUT AND
SUPPORTIN' BLACK COMEDY, AND
THE AUDIENCE WOULD GET A KICK
OUT OF THAT.
HONEST JOHN...HE CAN BE A
LITTLE TOO HONEST.
I'M A WEED SMOKER.
BLACK PEOPLE AND WHITE PEOPLE
SMOKE WEED DIFFERENT.
WHITE FOLKS TAKE A HIT PASS I ON.
BROTHER WILL HOLD ON TO THA SHIT TILL TUESDAY.
MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN THE
AUDIENCE THAT CAME OUT WERE
JUST COMING TO ALL JOKES, AND
NOT COMING TO SEE ME, AND I
SURPRISED THE HELL OUT OF
THEM.
ANDRE KELLEY WAS ANOTHER
COMEDIAN WHO SURPRISED ME.
I'M FROM A SMALL TOWN IN
KANSAS.
WHEN I GOT HERE I THOUGHT YOU
GUYS WERE THE RUDEST FOLKS I
EVER MET IN MY LIFE.
MY FIRST DAY HERE I WAS TRYING
TO BREAK A TWENTY DOLLAR BILL
AT THIS CRACKHOUSE AND UM...
I FIGURED THEY HAD MONEY YOU
KNOW.
THEY WOULDN'T EVEN LET ME IN
THE DOOR, THEY ASKED ME FOR
I.D., DISRESPECTFUL, RUDE, AND
NASTY, THEN I REALIZED I WASN'T A CRACKHOUSE IT WAS
JUST DENNY'S.
MARY LINDSEY PULLED ME TO THE
SIDE BASICALLY ASKED ME TO DO
GAY MATERIAL THE SECOND NIGHT,
AND I HAD NEVER TALKED ABOU THIS WITH ANYBODY AT THE CLUB.
I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW SHE KNEW.
AND SHE SAID, YOU UNDERSTAND
WHAT I'M ASKING YOU?
I'M LIKE UH, YEAH.
ALL JOKES ASIDE WAS THE ONLY
STAGE THAT I CAME OUT AS A
BLACK GAY MAN IN CHICAGO.
SCREENING TAPES WAS A GOOD WAY
TO LEARN ABOUT TALENT FROM
AROUND THE COUNTRY, BUT FOR
LOCAL ACTS, RAYMOND DEVELOPED
OTHER METHODS.
I STARTED HAVING LOCAL
COMEDIANS DO GUEST SPOTS AND
OPEN MIC NIGHTS AT THE CLUB.
I FOUND A LOT OF NEW TALEN THAT WAY.
DAMON WILLIAMS AND DEON COLE
WERE AMONG THE BEST.
TV BE RACIST AND EVEN WITH THE
POWER RANGERS, YOU KNOW WHA I'M SAYING?
IT'S FIVE OF THEM.
WHAT THE BLACK GUY GOT ON?
BLACK.
AND EVERYBODY KICKING THE ALL
MONSTER'S BUTTS.
AAAH-HAH, AAH-HAH.
BUT THEN WHEN IT COMES TO THE
BLACK PERSON, WHY THEY GOTTA
LIKE BUST A SNAKE BEFORE THEY
KICK SOMEBODY TEETH OUT?
I ACTUALLY MET RAY LAMBER BEFORE I EVEN KNEW HE WAS A
COMEDY CLUB OWNER.
I USE TO WORK AT THE BOARD OF
TRADE.
I USE TO SEE RAY IN THE
BUILDING ALL THE TIME.
I THINK TONY AND I WERE BOTH
SHOCKED TO SEE EACH OTHER A MY OPEN MIKE NIGHT, BUT I WAS
CURIOUS ABOUT HIS MATERIAL,
BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS A
COMEDIAN.
AND DON'T GET ME WRONG I DON' REALLY HATE MY KIDS ENOUGH TO
LIKE PUT THEM IN A CAR AND
DRIVE THEM TO THE LAKE.
LIKE THAT OLE CRAZY WHITE LADY
DID.
'CAUSE SEE THAT'S THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BLACK
PEOPLE AND WHITE PEOPLE.
BLACK PEOPLE, WE JUST THREATEN
TO KILL OUR KIDS, FIVE OR SIX
TIMES A DAY.
WE BE WANTING TO TAKE THEM TO
THE LAKE, BUT OUR CAR MIGH NOT MAKE IT.
WE BE IN THE DRIVEWAY LIKE
THIS, COME Y'ALL WE BE GETTING
READY TO GO, COME ON Y'ALL.
GGGGGGUUHHHHGGGGGGGGGUH...
DAMN!
RAY'S CRASH COURSE IN COMEDY
AND COMEDIANS SEEMED TO BE
PAYING OFF FOR THE CLUB.
ACCORDING TO SOME, HE HAD
GREAT COMEDY INSTINCTS.
BUT OTHERS FELT HE WAS GETTING
TOO SELECTIVE.
SOME OF US COULDN'T GET IN IN
THE BEGINNING BECAUSE THERE
WERE CERTAIN TYPES OF COMICS
THAT IT APPEARED THAT THEY
WERE SELECTING.
I WOULD CALL RAYMOND AND BE
LIKE YOU GOT SOMETHING FOR ME
THIS WEEK, HE'S LIKE NAW, NO THIS WEEK MIKE.
BUT NEXT WEEK.
I WAS TRYING TO GET IN ALL
JOKES FOR A LONG TIME LIKE A
SLAVE TRYING TO GET FREEDOM.
EVERYBODY WANTED IT, AND
EVERYBODY DIDN'T GET INTO ALL
JOKES.
IF YOU CAN GET BOOKED HERE, BE
A HEADLINER AT ALL JOKES
ASIDE, YOU KNEW THAT, YOU
KNOW, YOU WERE CONSIDERED IN
THE UPPER ECHELON OF COMEDIANS
WORKING AT THAT TIME.
RAY LAMBERT HAD STRONG ACTS
OPENING FOR STRONG ACTS SO IF
YOU WERE CLOSING THE SHOW YOU
HAD BETTER BE KINDA OF
AMAZING.
OVER TIME I GOT REALLY GOOD A PROGRAMMING A NIGHT OF COMEDY.
FOR EXAMPLE, SHOULD I PUT A
PHYSICAL COMEDIAN WITH AN
IMPRESSIONIST OR MAYBE A
STORYTELLER? BUT I MADE MY
SHARE OF MISTAKES.
I REMEMBER ONE TIME I BOOKED
HONEST JOHN AND DEON COLE ON
THE SAME NIGHT.
ONE TIME I CAME IN TO ALL
JOKES ASIDE AND UH DEON COLE
WAS ON THE SHOW WITH ME.
HONEST JOHN COMES IN AND HE'S
LIKE YOU SMOKE WEED AND I'M
LIKE YEAH.
WELL COME, COME ON LET'S, YOU
KNOW, I'LL SHOW, I'LL, I'LL
GIVE YOU SOME OF MY CALIFORNIA
WEED.
AND HE ROLLS THIS WEED I HAVE
NEVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.
AT THAT TIME CHICAGO WEED
COULD NOT COMPARE TO
CALIFORNIA WEED.
HE WAS JUST LIKE DON'T, DON' TAKE A LOT OF HITS ON THIS.
I TOLD HIM, JUST TAKE A COUPLE
HITS.
I'M A WEED CONNOISSEUR, I'M
LIKE HOW DARE YOU TELL ME HOW
TO SMOKE?
IS YOU NUTS?
I'M SMOKIN' AND SMOKIN'.
MAN, BOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES
LATER DUDE I JUST LIKE, MY
VISION, LIKE, WHAT IS THIS
CALLED, PERIPHERAL? IT WAS
GONE.
MY HEART WAS BEATING.
ONLY THING I COULD SEE WAS
STRAIGHT AHEAD AND IT WAS
GETTING NARROWER AND NARROWER.
I'M JUST LIKE OH MY GOD, LIKE,
I PROMISE, I PROMISE I WILL
NOT SMOKE EVER AGAIN IF YOU
JUST LET ME LIVE.
I WAS LIKE, I STOPPED
BREATHING OR SOMETHING.
LIKE, LIKE YOU SHOULDN'T PAY
ATTENTION TO BREATHING, LIKE
THAT'S SUPPOSED TO JUST COME.
I'M THE REASON HE GAVE UP
SMOKING WEED.
HAVEN'T SMOKED SINCE.
SMOKED ONE TIME, BUT I WAS IN
AMSTERDAM, BUT IT'S AMSTERDAM
RIGHT?
RAY HAD WORKED HARD TO
UNDERSTAND AND RESPEC COMEDIANS.
AND HE WANTED JUST A LITTLE
BIT OF RESPECT BACK.
SO HE THOUGHT IMPOSING A FEW
SIMPLE RULES ON THEM WOULD BE
NO BIG DEAL...RIGHT?
YEAH RAYMOND HAD RULES BUT,
YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS FOLLOWED
THE RULES ANYWAY BEING FROM AN
IBM BACKGROUND.
HE HAD IBM TYPE RULES.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THESE RULES
WERE, BUT I COULDN'T ABIDE BY
'EM.
YEAH, RAYMOND HAD HIS RULES I
SAID LOOK HERE MAN.
I GOT OUT THE MILITARY.
I DON'T HAVE A SERGEANT NO
MORE.
RAYMOND LAMBERT HAD A LIST OF
RULES, BUT ONE THAT I REMEMBER
MOST WAS STICKING WITHIN YOUR
TIME.
SFX: TICKING CLOCK
RAYMOND INSTRUCTED COMEDIANS
TO KEEP THEIR ACT WITHIN A
CERTAIN TIME FRAME.
A FLASHING LIGHT AND CLOCK
WERE GENTLE REMINDERS.
WHEN THAT LIGHT FLASHES YOU
BETTER GET YOUR ASS UP OFF
THAT STAGE OR WHAT'S YOUR
GONNA HAPPEN IS THAT YOUR NO GOING TO GET BOOKED ANYMORE.
SFX: METAL HI MARY AND RAY ARE TIME TITANS.
DO YOUR TIME GET THE HELL OFF.
AM I RIGHT?
FIRST TIME I FEATURED AT ALL
JOKES, MARY WAS LIKE, YOU WEN FOUR MINUTES OVER.
I'M GONNA START CUTTING YOU
MOTHERFUCKERS CHECKS.
I WAS JUST LIKE, WHAT?
YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE YOU... I'M
SORRY.
HOWEVER YOU WANT TO WORK IT,
IT'S A MONETARY FINE IF YOU
DON'T RESPECT THE TIME.
THAT'S WHEN THEY'D BE LIKE, SO
RAYMOND?
AND I WAS LIKE, YOU'LL SEE HIM
TOMORROW.
IN A COMEDY CLUB EVERYTHING IS
BASED ON MANAGING TIME:
SEATING CUSTOMERS, SERVING
DRINKS, THREE COMEDIANS PER
SHOW, THREE SHOWS PER NIGHT.
IF ONE COMEDIAN GOES OVER
THEIR TIME THE WHOLE NIGH COULD BE RUINED.
SFX: EXPLOSION
D.L. HUGHLEY AND I DID A SHOW
AND I THINK D.L. WENT OVER
SLIGHTLY AND RAYMOND ACTUALLY
IMPOSED A FINE.
UNDER OUR BREATH WE WAS
SAYING, YOU KNOW, THIS GUY IS
CRAZY.
OH, AND IT DIDN'T END WITH
TIME.
RAYMOND'S RULES EXTENDED WELL
BEYOND THAT DIMENSION.
THEY HAD A LANGUAGE CODE; THEY
HAD A DRESS CODE FOR THE
COMICS.
IF YOU WERE GONNA BE THE
HEADLINER YOU'RE EXPECTED TO
DRESS NICELY.
YEAH, DRESS THE PART.
THE OLDER CATS GOT IT.
THE YOUNGER CATS, NOT SO MUCH.
I HAD SOME GYM SHOES ON AND I
WAS TRYING TO GET IN THE CLUB.
AND WE HAD TO GO ALL THE WAY
TO GEORGE HOUSE TO GET SOME
DRESS SHOES.
I REMEMBER CHECKING INTO THE
HOTEL AND THEM TELLING ME THA YOU HAD TO WEAR A DRESS SHIRT.
YOU TALKING ABOUT THE T-SHIR ERA.
YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO WEAR A
DRESS SHIRT TO COMEDY CLUBS.
YOU CAN'T JUST COME HERE WITH
YOUR TIMS FLOPPING AND YOUR
BIG PANTS.
THEY HAD MADE ME GO GET A SUI COAT AND A TIE TO PERFORM.
A TIE TO PERFORM?
I EVENTUALLY RELAXED THE DRESS
CODE, BUT IT I THINK IT SERVED
A PURPOSE.
IT DEVELOPED A DISCIPLINE IN
THOSE OF US THAT WERE THERE
THAT YOU CARRIED WITH YOU
THROUGH THE REST OF YOUR
CAREER.
I THINK THAT CLUB MADE A LO OF COMEDIANS GROW UP AND
BECOME PROFESSIONAL COMEDIANS.
IN A CLUB LIKE THAT WHERE
YOU'RE REALLY TRYING HARD TO
MAKE A CLEAR IMPRESSION ABOU HOW YOU WANT TO DO BUSINESS.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO RAISE THE
STANDARDS FROM TIME TO TIME.
ALL JOKES ASIDE IS A COMEDY
CLUB THAT MEANS IT IS A
WORKPLACE FOR COMEDIANS.
IT'S A PROFESSION.
TREAT IT LIKE A PROFESSION.
RAYMOND ALSO HAD ANOTHER RULE
REGARDING HECKLERS.
PART ONE APPLIED TO COMEDIANS.
PART TWO, TO THE AUDIENCE.
THIS IS GREAT THAT YOU GUYS
ARE PART OF IT.
THIS IS GREAT THAT YOU WANNA
YELL STUFF OUT.
WE LOVE THAT, BUT AS SOON AS
IT INTERRUPTS THE FLOW OF WHA THE COMICS DOING, YOU GOT TO
BE QUIET.
THERE WAS A RULE THAT YOU
COULDN'T REALLY ATTACK
HECKLERS.
SOMEBODY MESSES WITH YOU HI HIM A COUPLE OF TIMES AND MOVE
ON.
HECKLERS ARE THE LOWEST FORM
OF LIFE. THEY ARE ONE STEP
EVOLVED FROM THE AMOEBA.
HECKLERS THINK THEY'RE HELPING
YOU, BUT YOU'RE NOT HELPING
ME.
IT'S LIKE BEING IN BED WITH A
MAN, AND HERE'S SOME OTHER
GIRL WALKING UP GOIN', I'M
HERE TO HELP YOU.
IT, IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY.
I'M READY FOR A HECKLER, IF
YOU MESS WITH ME I'LL EMBRASS
YOU, AND WHEN ALL FAILS...
SECURITY!
AT FIRST I WOULD KIND OF
APPEAL TO THEM, HEY LOOK
BROTHER I'M JUST A SISTER
TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, DO MY
JOB.
THEN I MIGHT GIVE THEM A
WARNING.
OKAY, YOU GOT ONE MORE TIME
BEFORE I START TO TALK ABOU YOU AND BEFORE I TALK ABOU YOU, I'M GOIN' START WITH YOUR
MAMA.
WOMEN ARE THE WORST. WOMEN ARE
THE WORST.
ONE WOMAN SAID, YOU GOT BIGGER
TITTIES THAN ME.
I SAID, WELL YOU KNOW WHAT?
THESE ARE NATURAL MA'AM.
I SAID THE LAST TIME YOU GO YOUR TITTIES SUCKED THOSE
PUPPY DOGS DIED, DIED OF
BOTULISM.
SO I ALWAYS CARRY A TOWEL TO
WIPE MY FACE.
A GUY YELLED OUT, HEY MAN
WHAT'S THE TOWEL FOR?
AND I'M LIKE, I'M IN THE
MIDDLE OF A BIT AND I HAVE TO
STOP TO ADDRESS, AND HE SAID
YEAH MAN WHAT'S THE TOWEL FOR?
I SAID, TO WIPE THE CUM OFF
YOUR MAMA'S BACK.
AND THE AUDIENCE LOST IT.
HE NEVER SAID ANYTHING AGAIN
AND I, AND AS SOON AS I SAID
IT, AND I LET THE CROWD DIE
DOWN, I SAID, YOUR TURN.
NO, NO USUALLY A HECKLER GOES
AFTER PEOPLE WHO ARE NO FUNNY.
NO, ALL Y'ALL WHO HAD GOOD
STORIES ABOUT HECKLERS, THERE
YOU GO.
I NEVER HAD A HECKLER, CAUSE
I'M FUNNY.
AN ONGOING CONCERN FOR ALL
COMEDIANS IS MONEY.
AM I GOING TO GET PAID?
WHEN?
AND HOW MUCH?
WHEN YOU SHAKE THE HAND OF A
CLUB OWNER, GENERALLY YOU NEED
TO WASH YOUR HANDS RIGH BEHIND IT.
HEY MY BROTHER, UH, CAN WE
TALK TO YOU FOR A MINUTE?
I KNOW ITS FIVE HUNDRED PEOPLE
IN HERE RIGHT, I UNDERSTAND
THAT.
TICKETS DIDN'T SELL THE WAY WE
THOUGHT THEY WOULD.
BUT I TOOK A LOSS CAUSE HALF
OF THEM WAS COMP TICKETS.
UH, SO YOU KNOW WE DON'T HAVE
NO MONEY.
HEY LOOK MAN, I'M A GIVE YOU
MY WATCH AND LIKE, WHAT?
AT ALL JOKES, GETTING PAID WAS
NEVER AN ISSUE.
WHEN ALL JOKES ASIDE CALLED,
YOU KNEW THAT MONEY WAS
GUARANTEED.
SO EVEN IF THEY HAD TWO PEOPLE
OR A THOUSAND PEOPLE, YOU
STILL GOT PAID WHAT THEY SAID
THEY WERE GOING TO PAY YOU.
I NEVER HAD TO THREATEN THEM
ABOUT MY MONEY.
I NEVER HAD A CHECK BOUNCE.
I'D HAD A CAREER OF NO GETTING MY MONEY, BEING LEF AT THE AIRPORT, BUT THE DAY
THAT I GOT THERE, FIRST THING
RAYMOND SAID, THIS IS TOTALLY
DIFFERENT.
YOU NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOU THAT.
AND I DIDN'T.
WORD ABOUT RAY'S THRIVING CLUB
WAS BEGINNING TO SPREAD.
IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME
BEFORE TV CAME SNIFFING
AROUND.
HEY, HOW YOU DOING?
JUST FINE HOW ARE YOU?
WELCOME TO ALL JOKES ASIDE.
THANK YOU.
YOUR NAME?
RAYMOND LAMBERT.
ARE YOU A COMEDIAN?
NOT A COMEDIAN, BUT I KNOW A
GOOD ONE WHEN I SEE ONE.
YEAH, I DID SOME LOCAL SHOWS
LIKE "BEN LOVES CHICAGO" WITH
BEN HOLLIS AND "MINORITY
BUSINESS REPORT", BU EVENTUALLY COMEDY CENTRAL, A
NATIONAL NETWORK, COMMITTED TO
A SERIES TAPED FROM OUR CLUB.
WELCOME TO COMIC JUSTICE I'M
YOUR HOST A.J. JAMAL YOUR
LOOKING GOOD, GIVE YOURSELF A
HAND. AND ABOUT THAT SOMALIA
DEAL. WHY ARE WE GIVING THEM
RICE AND GRAIN?
KICK SOME GRAIN OUT OF THE
AIRPLANE JUST "BHHHHHH".
YOU HUNGRY, YOU WANT A
SANDWICH, SOME LARGE FRIES,
SOMETHING TO DRINK, A SHAKE.
KICK ME OUT A HAPPY MEAL!
WE GOT A FULL SEASON OUT OF
COMIC JUSTICE AND THAT REALLY
HELPED SOLIDIFY OUR NATIONAL
REPUTATION.
B.E.T. ALSO CAME TO OUR CLUB
TO FILM TALENT FOR THEIR
SERIES COMIC VIEW.
DON D.C. CURRY WAS ONE OF OUR
REGULARS THAT APPEARED ON THA SHOW.
SO THAT'S WHAT BOTHERED ME
ABOUT THE CONTROVERSY WITH THE
MISS AMERICA PAGEANT.
A LOT OF THE CONTESTANTS GO TOGETHER, THEY WERE RAISING
HELL.
SAYING IT OUGHT TO BE BASED ON
THE INTELLECT. IT'S BEAUTY
CONTEST!
NOBODY GIVES A DAMN ABOUT HOW
SMART YOU ARE!
THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS OF DEF
COMEDY JAM: RUSSELL SIMMONS,
STAN LATHAN, AND SANDY
WERNICK, THEY KEPT A CLOSE EYE
ON OUR CLUB.
THEY HAD BOB SUMNER AND WORTHY
PATTERSON BOOK A LOT OF TALEN FROM ALL JOKES.
HALF OF THE CLIENTS WE BOOKED
ON DEF JAM HAD PERFORMED A ALL JOKES ASIDE.
IT WAS GREAT TO SEE OUR
REGULARS LIKE MIKE EPPS
DESTROY ON DEF COMEDY JAM.
AIN'T NOTHING LIKE BEING IN A
FINANCIAL CRUNCH AND HAVING A
WHITE FRIEND IN YOUR LIFE.
HAVE A NIGGA FRIEND IN YOUR
LIFE AND BE IN A FINANCIAL
CRUNCH, YOUR BLACK ASS JUST BE
IN A CRUNCH.
DAMN I'M BROKE NIGGA!
YEAH, YOU'LL BORROW MONEY FROM
A WHITEBOY AND YOU DON'T NEVER
GIVE IT BACK.
BILLY RAY YOU GOT TWENTY
DOLLARS I CAN BORROW?
GODDAMN IT!
YOU ALREADY OWE ME EIGHTY, BU HERE ,SHIT.
EVENTUALLY RAY GOT TIRED OF
HELPING EVERYBODY ELSE MAKE
THEIR TV SHOWS, AND DECIDED I WAS TIME TO FUND A SPECIAL OF
HIS OWN.
IT RAN ON THE LOCAL NBC
AFFILIATE.
FROM ALL JOKES ASIDE COMEDY
CLUB IN DOWNTOWN CHICAGO YOUR
HOST GEORGE WALLACE!
SFX: TAPE WARPING
IT WAS A FINANCIAL
DISASTER....AND THAT'S THE
LAST TIME I'M EVER GONNA SELF
FINANCE A TV SHOW.
AND THEN IT HAPPENED.
SFX: SCREECHING TRAIN
IN PRISON, I BECAME ANGRY,
BITTER, HARDCORE.
I'M JUST KIDDING.
I'VE NEVER BEEN TO PRISON.
I WASN'T ARRESTED, BUT I WAS
VISITED.
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS.
WHEN YOU OPERATE A NIGHTCLUB
IN CHICAGO, YOU GET "VISITED"
BY ALL KINDS OF UNSAVORY
CHARACTERS.
NOW RAY'S NOT TALKING ABOU THE AL CAPONES OF THE WORLD.
HE'S TALKING ABOUT A FAR MORE
CUNNING GROUP OF SHAKEDOWN
ARTISTS KNOWN AS THE THREE
P'S.
NO COMMENT AND ON NONE OF
THEM.
DON'T ASK ME NO QUESTIONS
ABOUT NO PIMPS, POLITICIANS,
OR PREACHERS.
YA SEE, PIMPS, POLITICIANS AND
PREACHERS ARE ALL LOOKING FOR
A HANDOUT.
THAT'S JUST THE PRICE OF DOING
BUSINESS IN THE "WINDY CITY".
YA GOTTA SPREAD A LITTLE CASH
AROUND.
I DIDN'T LIKE IT AND I DIDN' DO IT UNLESS YOU WERE A COP OR
SOMETHING.
I NEEDED SOME PROTECTION.
BUT OVERALL, I LOVE CHICAGO
AND OUR COMEDIANS LOVED I TOO.
I DON'T THINK ALL JOKES ASIDE
COULD HAVE HAPPENED IN ANY
OTHER CITY.
HELLO CHICAGO!
HEY!
HELLO CHICAGO!
HEY!
I LOVE THIS TOWN.
THIS IS THE NUMBER ONE TOWN TO
DO COMEDY IN, YOU KNOW THAT?
AND I'M GOING TO CLEVELAND
TOMORROW NIGHT AND I'M GOING
TO SAY THE SAME THING WHEN I
GET TO CLEVELAND.
CHICAGO'S THE BEST CITY IN
AMERICA.
YOU NEED TO KNOW CHICAGO IF
YOU LIVING IN AMERICA.
WHETHER IT WAS HER
NEIGHBORHOODS, HER FOOD, HER
WEATHER, HER WOMEN OR HER
POLITICS, ALL JOKES COMEDIANS
WERE ENDLESSLY INSPIRED BY
CHICAGO.
YOU GO TO CHICAGO YOU JUST RUN
UP INTO SOME OF THE GREA STUFF ABOUT IT LIKE GOOSE
ISLAND SHRIMP MAN.
YOU MAKE THAT A GOTTA GO TO.
HAROLD'S CHICKEN, YOU KNOW,
YOU GOTTA GO TO.
LEM'S BARBEQUE AND CHICAGO IS
KNOWN FOR ITS PIZZA.
I WAS WONDERING WHY THEY NEVER
COMBINED GARRETT'S POPCORN AND
GIORDANO'S PIZZA, MAN. WHY
DIDN'T THEY JUST TAKE THE TOP
OFF THE PIZZA AND PUT POPCORN
INSIDE OF IT, YOU KNOW WHAT I
MEAN?
AND COMBINE THEIR FORCES, YOU
KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT?
I WOULD MOVE HERE BUT GOD DAMN
IT, IT'S COLD AS FUCK. I REALLY IS MAN, I CAN'T TAKE
THE...I CAN'T TAKE THE COLD.
I WOULD GET OFF THE PLANE AND
MY BALLS WOULD JUST SHRIVEL
UP.
I WOKE UP ONE MORNING THEY
SAID IT WAS TWO.
I SAY TWO?
WHY EVEN TELL ME, JUST SAY PU ON EVERYTHING YOU GOT.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW ANYBODY
LIVE IN CHICAGO IN THE WINTER
TIME.
THAT OUGHT TO BE AGAINST THE
LAW.
NO, I WAS HIDING FROM THE COLD
LIKE IT WAS THE POLICE.
I WALK OUTSIDE, DAMN ITS STILL
OUT THERE.
I AIN'T SEEN THE SUN IN A
MONTH.
WHO LIVES IN A CITY THAT DON' HAVE A SUN?
IT'S SO COLD IN CHICAGO I MAKE ILLEGAL ALIENS TURN THEY
SELF INTO IMMIGRATION.
I KNOW MY RIGHTS.
YOU S'POSED TO DEPORT ME.
ALL MY FRUITS ARE FROZEN.
FIRST OF ALL, WHEN YOU GO TO
CHICAGO NOT ONLY IS THE
LIFESTYLE HOT, BUT THE WOMEN
ARE INCREDIBLE.
GIRLS GALORE.
WOMEN, JUST LOVELY AS EVER.
YOU'RE SEEING SISTERS THA DRESS TO THE NINES, YOU KNOW
WHAT I'M SAYING.
THE NICE HEELS, HAIR DONE.
NOT JUST REGULAR GIRLS, BU GIRLS THAT ARE DOING THINGS.
PROGRESSIVE PEOPLE THAT GO REALLY COOL JOBS, YOU KNOW
THEIR OWN MONEY.
THEY DON'T REALLY NEED STUFF.
I DO REMEMBER IN CHICAGO WHERE
YOU COULD GO AND GET STUFF
THAT REALLY HAD NO BUSINESS
BEING FOR SALE.
VHAT DO YOU VANT?
THERE'S THIS GUY OUT FRONT AND
HE'S SELLING A TABLE LEG.
OKAY?
WHO THE HELL NEEDS A TABLE
LEG?
AND WHY, WHY WOULD YOU WANT A
TABLE LEG?
BUT THEN I THOUGHT ABOUT IT,
HELL WE HAD A FEW TABLES THA DIDN'T HAVE BUT THREE LEGS ON
IN.
SO WHAT IT DON'T LOOK LIKE THE
OTHER LEGS.
IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU'RE
VISITING, LIVING OR WORKING IN
CHICAGO.
YOU CANNOT COME HERE AND NO BE AFFECTED BY POLITICS.
RAYMOND WOULD LEARN THAT THE
HARD WAY AND SO DID A YOUNG
BARACK OBAMA.
BUT FOR COMEDIANS, POLITICS
EQUALS MATERIAL.
ALL JOKES ASIDE CHICAGO IT IS
PROBABLY WHERE I SHAPED MY
POLITICAL VOICE KNOWING THAT I
WAS A BLUE DOG DEMOCRAT A THAT TIME AND THEN WOULD GO ON
TO BE A FULL-FLEDGED
REPUBLICAN.
MCCAIN WAS HORRIBLE ON THE
DEBATE.
WASN'T HE HORRIBLE ON THE
DEBATE?
CAUSE HE, THIS IS WHAT HE WAS
DOING.
HE WAS OUT BACK BEHIND THE
CHAIR TELLING JOKES TO HIS
SELF LIKE "RAINMAN" YOU KNOW,
STANDING BACK HER.
OH, HE WAS IGNENT.
I WAS SO HUMILIATED AS A
REPUBLICAN, YOU KNOW.
SO HE BACK THERE LOOKING CRAZY
RIGHT, SO THEN THIS IS HOW
COLD BLOODED AND SEXY BARACK
OBAMA WAS.
WHEN THEY ASK BARACK WHAT DO
YOU HAVE TO SAY, I SWEAR FOR
GOD WHEN THIS NEGRO STOOD UP
VIOLINS STARTED PLAYING, DOVES
FLEW OUT.
HE LICKED HIS LIPS LIKE LL
COOL J.
AND HE SAY, THIS GO OUT TO ALL
THE LADIES IN THE HOUSE.
OH HE FINE, HE FINE, HE FINE.
I THOUGHT I KNEW EVERYTHING,
EVERYTHING ABOUT CHICAGO
COMEDY.
I WORKED ON STAGE AT SECOND
CITY FOR YEARS WITH SOME OF
THE TOP NAMES IN COMEDY.
AND YET HERE I AM TOTALLY,
TOTALLY UNAWARE THAT TWO MILES
AWAY ON THE SOUTH SIDE THERE'S
THIS OTHER CLUB CRANKING OU MAJOR COMEDY STARS.
TWO CHICAGO'S MAN, EBONY AND
IVORY.
FOR HALF OF CHICAGO, ALL JOKES
ASIDE WAS DESTINED TO REMAIN
THE BEST COMEDY CLUB THEY
NEVER HEARD OF, BUT THAT HAD
ZERO IMPACT ON THE COMEDIANS
WHO JUST KEPT POLISHING THEIR
ACTS.
WITHOUT A DOUBT I'M GONNA TELL
YOU RIGHT NOW, ALL JOKES ASIDE
WAS THE LABORATORY.
WHERE ALL THESE COMEDIANS, THE
KINGS AND THE QUEENS OF COMEDY
HONED THEIR SKILLS MAN.
THE KINGS AND QUEENS OF COMEDY
WOULD DO TWO OF THE MOS SUCCESSFUL CONCERT TOURS OF
ALL TIMES.
AND THE FILMS OF THOSE TOURS
WERE SUCCESSES TOO.
THE SEEDS WERE PLANTED AT ALL
JOKES.
THERE WAS A STOCK JOKE THAT I,
I BELIEVE I WAS AT ALL JOKES
ASIDE WHEN I WROTE IT.
AND IT WAS QUITE BY ACCIDEN SOMEBODY YELLING OUT IN THE
AUDIENCE ABOUT MY LIPS AND HOW
BIG THEY WERE.
I KNOW BY NOW Y'ALL NOTICED
I'VE GOT SOME BIG ASS LIPS.
YEAH, I KNOW THEY SOME BIG
MOTHERFUCKERS.
SEE, EH, I KNOW THEY SOME BIG
MOTHERFUCKERS.
YEAH, ALL MY LIPS ARE BIG
MOTHERFUCKER.
THAT'S RIGHT.
SEE, SEE HERE'S THE KIND OF
MOTHERFUCKER HOLLERING ABOU BLOWJOB, AND HE WEARING ABOU A SIZE FOUR.
LITTLE OLE FEET.
SO YOU KNOW HIS DICK SMALL.
I COULDN'T GIVE HIM NO
BLOWJOB.
MY BIG ASS LIPS, HIS LITTLE
OLD DICK, IT WOULD WORK.
THAT'D BE LIKE TRYING TO GIVE
A WHALE A TIC TAC
MOTHERFUCKER.
THAT SHIT WOULDN'T WORK.
IT WOULDN'T WORK. CLASSIC
JOKE.
I THINK IT JUST PUT ME ON THE
MAP AS THE COMEDIAN
NATIONALLY.
LAURA HAYES, ANOTHER QUEEN OF
COMEDY, A GREAT STAND UP AND
AN ACCOMPLISHED ACTRESS. HER
ACT PLAYS LIKE A ONE WOMEN
SHOW ON BROADWAY.
WHEN THERE'S A PROBLEM MY
MOTHER'S THE DISPATCHER.
SHE'LL DISPATCH US OU WHENEVER THERE'S A PROBLEM.
SHE'LL GET RIGHT ON THE PHONE,
LAURA, BERTHA, JULIE RUTHIE
GET ON OVER TO ALICE'S HOUSE
THAT NIGGA DONE READ "A BLACK
MAN'S GUIDE".
SO WE JUMP IN THE CAR AND WE
ROLLING.
AND I GOT A THOUSAND POUNDS
RIDING WITH ME GODDAMN IT.
WE SLAPPING FIVE OVER THE SEA AND SHIT.
GET TO MY BABY SISTER'S HOUSE
AND THIS NIGGA IS JUST ABOU TO SWING.
I GO, OH NO MOTHERFUCKER, NO TODAY GODDAMMIT, FUCK THAT!
ALL JOKES ASIDE WAS THE ONE
CLUB WHERE YOU DIDN'T FEEL
THAT, THAT SEXISM.
I EXPERIENCED EQUALITY WITH MY
FELLOW MALE COMEDIANS.
MO'NIQUE, WHAT A TALENT.
SHE WAS A REGULAR AT ALL JOKES
ASIDE TOO, BUT DID YOU KNOW
THERE WAS A FIFTH QUEEN OF
COMEDY?
WE HAD HER TOO.
I STARTED WITH THE QUEENS OF
COMEDY I WAS THE ORIGINAL HOS AT THE BEGINNING I THINK WE
DID ABOUT THREE SHOWS BEFORE
THEY BROUGHT LAURA IN AND TOOK
ME OUT.
A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T EVEN
KNOW WHEN THEY IN A
RELATIONSHIP, THEY ARE SO
STUPID.
MEN, OH MY GOD.
THEY DON'T KNOW WHEN THEY IN A
RELATIONSHIP.
I CAN'T SPEAK FOR ALL THE
WOMEN IN HERE, BUT IF YOU HI THIS TWICE WE GO TOGETHER.
WE'S A COUPLE NOW, BOO.
BEING A BLACK WOMEN IN COMEDY
IS THE HARDEST THING ON EARTH,
CAUSE WE ARE HARDER ON ARE
WOMEN THAN CHINESE PEOPLE ARE
ON DOGS.
OH GOD, IT IS ONE OF THE
HARDEST JOBS IN THE WORLD IS
BEING A BLACK FEMALE COMEDIAN.
YOU KNOW WHEN THEY SAY WOMEN
AREN'T FUNNY, I THINK THEY
MEAN MOST WHITE WOMEN AREN' FUNNY.
YOU KNOW WHY?
'CAUSE GUESS WHAT MAN, WHITE
WOMEN JUST DON'T HAVE IT THA HARD.
STEVE HARVEY HAS ALWAYS KNOWN
HE WAS A PART OF SOMETHING
VERY SPECIAL AND THE ALL JOKES
AUDIENCE WITNESSED THE
BEGINNING.
THE GREATEST RUN EVER WAS ME,
THE GORILLA BERNIE MAC, DL,
AND CED THE ENTERTAINER.
SO I THOUGHT I'D MAKE ME A
SANDWICH, HA-HA.
WENT TO THE REFRIGERATOR,
HA-HA.
GOT ME OUT SOME BREAD, HA HA.
PUT ON SOME SALAMI, HA-HA.
PUT ON SOME CHEESE, HA-HA.
GOV'MENT CHEESE, HA-HA-HA.
WENT BACK TO THE REFRIGERATOR,
HA-HA.
LOOKING FOR THE MIRACLE WHIP,
HA.
WUDN'T NO MIRACLE WHIP, HA.
HAD TO PUT EVERYTHING THINK
BACK UP.
'CAUSE A SANDWICH, HA-HA-HA.
JUST AIN'T A SANDWICH, HA-HA,
WITHOUT THE TASTE, HA-HA, OF
MIRACLE WHIP.
THE DOORS OF THE CHURCH ARE
OPEN.
I HAD WHAT I CALL A LEGENDARY
ALL JOKES ASIDE EXPERIENCE.
WE HAD TO CALL THE PARAMEDICS
TO THE SHOW ONE NIGHT.
I SAID A JOKE, THE PERSON
IN FRONT LAUGHING WAS
LIKE "AHHHH"
AND THE PERSON SITTING
BEHIND HIM SAID "AHHHH" AND
"BOOM" AND THEIR HEADS HIT.
AND IT WAS LIKE THE PARAMEDICS
HAD TO COME.
I JUST REMEMBER THAT AND I WAS
LIKE OH, I'M BUSTING PEOPLE
HEADS WITH COMEDY.
SFX: AMBULANCE
STEVE HARVEY HAD A SIMILAR
INCIDENT. A GUY WAS LAUGHING
SO HARD HE HAD A HEART ATTACK.
BUT THE THING I REMEMBER MOS ABOUT STEVE WAS THE TIME WE
SPENT TOGETHER OFFSTAGE, JUS TALKING.
RAY WAS A GUY CLOSEST TO ME.
YOU KNOW, THE GUY THAT I
TALKED TO, WOULD SIT UP AND
DISCUSS THE BUSINESS PART OF
IT.
THE NEXT MOVE, HE WAS A GUY
THAT WANTED TO BE A PLAYER IN
THE GAME.
I'D LIKE TO THINK THAT STEVE
AND I ARE REFRESHINGLY OLD
SCHOOL, AND THAT'S REFLECTED
IN HIS COMEDY.
SOME OF Y'ALL THINK THAT WE
ALL LIKE RAP.
I'M THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OLD
COULD GIVE A DAMN ABOUT
SOME RAP.
THE LAST THING I'M GONNA DO IS
SPEND MY HARD EARNED MONEY, GO
TO A CONCERT,
SEE SOME KID WALKING ROUND WITH
SOME BIGPANTS ON, AND SOME GYM
SHOES UNLACED.
SOMEONE SAY PEACE OUT!
SOMEONE SAY PEACE SOME MORE!
SOMEONE SAY PEACE SOME MORE,
MORE! AHHHH!
LOOKING BACK AT DL HUGHLEY ON
OUR STAGE, HE WAS AMONG THE
BEST AT FINDING GREAT COMEDY
IN CULTURAL DIFFERENCES.
I DON'T KNOW MAN, BLACK
PARENTS ARE JUST DIFFEREN FROM WHITE PARENTS, NO BETTER,
NO WORSE JUST DIFFERENT.
SAW A MOVIE CALLED
"POLTERGEIST". IN THE MOVIE A
LITTLE WHITE CHILD WAS
TRAPPED IN A TV SET
AND HER PARENTS STARTED CRYING.
"AHHH, CAROL ANNE'S IN THE T.V.
WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?"
YOU KNOW HAD THAT BEEN A BLACK
MOTHER SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN
PROUD.
SHE WOULD OF PICKED UP THE
PHONE CALLED HER BEST FRIEND,
SAID, "GIRL, TURN TO CHANNEL
TWO."
IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THIS; NO
BERNIE MAC, NO ALL JOKES
ASIDE.
THIS GUY I'M ABOUT TO
INTRODUCE IS A RENOWNED
COMMENTATOR ALL OVER CHICAGO.
THIS GUY HAS BEEN EVERYWHERE.
YOU SEEN ARSENAL HALL, JOHNNY
CARSON, RICK DEES?
HE WATCH 'EM ALL.
YOU KNOW IT WOULDN'T BE RIGH TO TALK ABOUT ALL JOKES AND
NOT TALK ABOUT BERNIE MAC.
BERNIE WAS THE GODFATHER OF
CHICAGO COMEDY.
THE COMEDIAN I ENJOYED MOS WOULD BE BERNIE MAC.
UM, HE WAS JUST SPECIAL.
BERNIE MAC, WAS JUST, HE WAS
JUST, JUST ONE OF MY
FAVORITES.
BERNIE?
MAN, BERNIE EVEN THOSE DAYS
YOU COULD TELL BERNIE WAS
GOING TO BE VERY, VERY
SPECIAL.
A GUY WHO COMMANDED HIS SPACE
IN TIME.
LIKE A MAN WHO WAS SO
CONFIDENT, SO HUNGRY, SO
FUNNY.
WHEN BERNIE GOT THE SUCCESS
AND HE LET EVERYBODY KNOW THA HE WOULD WORK THROUGH ALL
JOKES.
I MEAN, WE MISS HIM BUT THERE
WAS NOBODY, NOBODY LIKE
BERNIE.
I WOULDN'T DARE CHEAT THE
AUDIENCE IF I DON'T HAVE
ANYTHING TO GIVE I'M NO COMING.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THE MOS IMPORTANT THING IS TO GIVE
YOUR BEST AT ALL TIMES.
I LEARNED ABOUT PERFORMING AND
JUST BEING A MAN FROM THE MAC
MAN.
BERNIE MAC WAS, YOU KNOW, LIKE
A LEVEL YOU WANT TO ASCEND TO
AS A COMEDIAN.
ME, CED AND D.L.
WE STILL HERE,
WE KNOW WHAT BERNIE WAS
TO US WITHOUT BERNIE NONE OF
THIS THING WOULD OF POPPED THE
WAY IT DID.
BUT WE CAN DO OUR HANDS LIKE
THIS IN THE STAND UP BUSINESS
AND SAY, FOR YEAR'S MAN, WE WERE
WERE AMONGST THE KINGS OFCOMEDY.
BY THE MID-NINETIES, ALL JOKES
ASIDE WAS BOOMIN'.
THEY'D EVEN PAID BACK THEIR
BIG TIME INVESTOR.
(SFX: CASH REGISTER, METAL HIT)
THEY'D ALSO OPENED A SATELLITE
CLUB IN THE "MOTOR CITY" AND
WERE TALKING ABOU EXPANDING TO D.C.
NOW THE CASH WAS REALLY
FLOWIN'.
THERE WAS A LOT OF IT.
IT WAS GREEN.
THERE WAS PLENTY.
IT WAS FLOWING.
I REMEMBER HOW EASILY IT WAS
TO SELL TICKETS.
HOW EASY IT WAS TO PACK A
ROOM.
LINES AROUND THE BLOCK.
LOBBY FULL OF PEOPLE.
I'M TALKING ABOUT DOWN THE
BLOCK, AROUND THE CORNER,
AROUND THE OTHER CORNER, AND
AROUND ANOTHER CORNER.
TURNING AWAY A HUNDRED PEOPLE
A NIGHT.
THIS AIN'T GONNA BE LIKE THIS
FOREVER IS IT?
I COULDN'T BELIEVE, I'M LIKE A
BLACK MAN OWNS THIS CLUB.
THE PRINCE OF ALL JOKES ASIDE.
THIS IS TOO GOOD FOR THEM.
THIS IS TOO GOOD FOR US.
SOMETHING'S GONNA HAPPEN.
SOMETHING WAS HAPPENING.
STORM CLOUDS WERE BEGINNING TO
GATHER.
(SFX: THUNDER)
STORM CLOUD NUMBER ONE, THE
WHOLE COMEDY BUSINESS WAS
CHANGING.
ALL THE GUYS WHO WERE DOING
THE CLUBS; HONING THEIR
CRAFTS, BECAME STARS.
AND THE GUYS WHO BECAME STARS
STARTED DOING THEATERS.
PEOPLE WANTED TO PLAY CONCERTS
AND NOBODY KINDA WANTED TO
PLAY COMEDY CLUBS.
SO NOW INSTEAD OF ME PLAYING
ALL JOKES ASIDE, I WAS DOING
THE CHICAGO THEATER SOLD OU FOUR NIGHTS.
I WAS DOING THE REGAL THEATER.
I WAS DOING PARKWEST.
IT'S LIKE A WALMART MOVING IN
NEXT TO A MOM AND POP STORE.
FOR US TO BE ABLE TO MAKE MORE
MONEY DOING LESS SHOWS WAS THE
MOVE TO MAKE.
BUT, WHAT WE DIDN'T REALIZE
WAS THAT WE WERE KILLING THE
SMALL GUY.
I SAW THE MARKET GOING TO THE
CHICAGO THEATER.
YOU KNOW, I COULD OF SAID,
WELL LET'S KEEP ALL JOKES BU MAYBE I'LL DO A SUBSIDIARY
UNDER THE ALL JOKES WINDOW
THAT GOES AFTER THESE LARGER
VENUES.
BUT I DIDN'T.
BACK THEN I WAS A PURIST.
STAND UP COMEDY BELONGED IN
THE INTIMACY OF A COMEDY CLUB.
I DIDN'T SEE THEATERS AND
CONCERT HALLS AS THE RIGH VENUE.
MAYBE I DIDN'T WANT TO.
RAYMOND AND JAMES WEREN'T THE
ONLY OWNERS AFFECTED BY THE
CHANGING BUSINESS.
ALMOST ALLTHE OTHER CHICAGO
STAND UPCLUBS HAD ALREADY
CLOSED.
IT WASN'T JUST THE BIG
VENUES THAT WERE KILLING
LITTLE CLUBS,
THE GLUT OF STAND UP
COMEDY SHOWS ON CABLE TV
WASN'T HELPING EITHER.
(SFX: THUNDER)
STORM CLOUD NUMBER TWO WAS
AN EVEN MORE DIRECT THREAT TO
THE CLUB.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS CHANGING.
ALL JOKES ASIDE WAS IN
CHICAGO'S SOUTH LOOP.
BY THE LATE NINETIES, IT WAS
UNDERGOING GENTRIFICATION AND
THE LANDLORDS WANTED TO
CASH IN.
SO I WAS LOOKING AT A FIFTY
PERCENT HIKE IN RENT.
THAT, COUPLED WITH COMEDY
CONCERTS, STAND UP ALL OVER
TV...IT WAS KILLING ME.
MY OLD BUSINESS MODEL WAS NO
LONGER VIABLE.
THE END OF ALL JOKES ASIDE IS
A SERIOUS BLOW TO THE CHICAGO
COMEDY COMMUNITY.
UNFORTUNATELY, IT ALSO MEANS
THERE'S ONE LESS PLACE IN THE
CITY TO CALL HOME.
IN ONE RESPECT IT LEAVES
ZANIES AS CHICAGO'S ONLY FULL
TIME COMEDY CLUB.
ANY TIME THERE'S LESS, YOU KNOW,
ONE LESS CLUB THERE'S GONNA
BE ONE LESS OPPORTUNITY FOR
A COMEDIAN TO WORK ON
THEIR MATERIAL.
CO-OWNER RAY LAMBERT SAYS THA THIS LAST WEEKEND WON'T BE
CAUSE FOR TEARS.
LET'S ENJOY WHAT WE HAD AND
CALL IT A DAY.
THAT AUGUST, IN 1998, RAYMOND
SHUTTERED ALL JOKES ASIDE.
BUT THAT ISN'T THE END
OF OUR STORY.
WITH MARY LONG GONE AND
JAMES ACCEPTING A BUYOUT,
RAYMOND HAD DECIDED TO GO I ALONE AND OPEN A NEW CLUB ON THE
NORTH SIDE.
BUT NOT EVERYONE ENDORSED HIS
PLAN.
SO NOW LET'S GO, LET'S GO ON
THE WHITE SIDE.
THAT'S WHAT IT KIND OF FEL LIKE. AND IT WAS LIKE, NAW,
LET'S KEEP IT BLACK.
ALL JOKES ASIDE WAS
OUR COMEDY CLUB.
FOR BLACK PEOPLE, FOR BLACK
ARTISTS, FOR BLACK
SOCIAL CIRCUIT, YOU KNOW.
IT WAS, IT WAS OURS.
THERE WAS A SPIRIT OF BLACK
COMEDY THAT EXISTED IN ALL
JOKES ASIDE, AND I THINK SOME
OF THAT IS LOST WHEN YOU
UPGRADE, QUOTE UNQUOTE,
UPGRADE.
THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE SAID
ABOUT HOLDING ON TO WHA YOU'VE GOT AS OPPOSED TO
EXPANDING.
SO, BUT THAT HAPPENS WITH
ENTREPRENEURS.
LOOK, CLOSING IN THE SOUTH
LOOP WAS HEARTBREAKING, BU THE CLUB WASN'T GONNA SURVIVE
THERE. BY MOVING MY CLUB JUS A MILE AND A HALF NORTH TO THE
MAINSTREAM ENTERTAINMEN DISTRICT, I COULD REPLACE SOME
OF THE AUDIENCE I WAS LOSING
WITH COMEDY FANS OF
ALL RACES.
I COULD NOT ONLY SAVE MY
BUSINESS, I COULD GROW IT.
RAY SECURED THE PERFEC LOCATION FOR HIS DREAM.
IT WAS A BUILDING IN NEED OF A
MAKEOVER IN THE AFFLUEN FORTY-SECOND WARD.
BUT FIRST, HE WANTED THE
BLESSING OF THE LEGENDARY
POLITICAL FIGURE WHO
RAN THE WARD.
I THINK LEWIS BLACK IS
ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS, AND I HAS NOTHING TO DO, UH, WITH
THE FACT THAT HE'S JEWISH AND
I'M JEWISH.
I JUST THINK HE'S JUST DAMN
FUNNY.
THE BOMBASTIC BURT NATARAS IS
AN ICON, AN OLD SCHOOL CHICAGO
POLITICIAN AND WHO KNEW...AN
OPINIONATED COMEDY FAN.
WELL BILL COSBY ISN'T AS FUNNY
AS CHRIS ROCK.
UH, BILL COSBY IS SORT OF
SUBTLE, YOU KNOW.
MY FIRST MEETING WITH ALDERMAN
NATARUS COULDN'T HAVE GONE
BETTER.
I GOT THE IMPRESSION THAT MY
CLUB WOULD BE WELCOMED IN HIS
WARD.
I THINK, UH, AN AFRO-AMERICAN
CLUB CAN GO ANYWHERE.
IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE DEMEANOR
OF THE PEOPLE.
WELL IF IT WAS GONNA BE ABOU THE DEMEANOR OF THE PEOPLE, NO
PROBLEM.
IN EIGHT YEARS OF OPERATION A ALL JOKES ASIDE, WE NEVER HAD
ONE INCIDENT SO I SIGNED THE
LEASE ON THE SPACE AND HIRED
ONE OF THE CITY'S HOTTES YOUNG ARCHITECTS.
HELLO EVERYONE, MY NAME IS OBI
NWAZOTA.
UH, I AM AN ARCHITECT.
RAISED IN NIGERIA.
TRAINED IN LONDON.
AND HE'S A LITTLE O.C.D.
WE GOT ALONG GREAT.
THE BRIEF IS TO DESIGN A
COMEDY CLUB.
EVERYONE HAD A VISION.
WE HAD TO, YOU KNOW THINK
ABOUT HOW TO CLEAN IT UP.
THE POINT OF EGRESS WAS
COMPLETELY SEPARATED.
INTERACTIVITY.
ACTUALLY BRINGING THE FIRS BAR AREA INTO YOUR PRIMARY
LOUNGE.
I THINK IT WAS JUST GOING TO
THE NEXT LEVEL BEYOND WHAT WE
HAD BEEN DOING OR WHAT ALL
JOKES ASIDE HAD BEEN.
WHAT OBI AND I WERE TRYING TO
CREATE WAS NOT JUST A CLUB,
BUT AN ENTERTAINMENT VENUE.
A PLACE FOR COMEDY, COCKTAILS,
AND CONVERSATION.
RAY APPROACHED US AND SAID
HE'S GONNA OPEN A CLUB ON THE
NORTH SIDE, UP NORTH AND, UH,
HE WANTED US TO DO THE FOOD.
WE AGREED, NOW WE A CAME
NUMEROUS TIMES TO CHECK OU THE, UH, CONSTRUCTION AND THE
PROGRESS OF THE CLUB.
AND THE PROGRESS WAS GOOD.
PLANS HAD BEEN APPROVED.
PERMITS HAD BEEN ISSUED.
AND CONSTRUCTION WAS UNDERWAY.
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?
SFX: METAL HI I WISH I COULD TELL YOU THAT I
WAS SURPRISED WHEN I HEARD
THAT MY NEW NEIGHBORS, THE
OWNERS OF THE ART GALLERIES
AND ANTIQUE SHOPS, WERE GOING
TO FILE A PETITION TO KEEP ME
FROM GETTING MY LIQUOR
LICENSE.
I CAN'T EXIST WITHOUT A LIQUOR
LICENSE.
I HAD MET WITH MANY OF THEM
INDIVIDUALLY.
I THOUGHT THEY LIKED ME.
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND RIGHT?
SO I WENT TO GET ADVICE FROM
MY ALDERMAN.
GEEZ, I HATE TO PLEAD
IGNORANCE...
I SOON REALIZED THAT THERE
WASN'T MUCH THAT ALDERMAN
NATURUS COULD DO TO SWAY THE
PETITIONERS.
I HEARD THEY HAD A MEETING.
NOW I WASN'T INVITED, BUT I'LL
BET IT WENT DOWN SOMETHING
LIKE THIS.
LOOK LYLE, I DON'T THINK I'M A
BIGOT.
LYLE DIDN'T SAY THAT MARK.
AND I DON'T THINK I'M A MAN OF
PREJUDICES.
I DON'T BOTHER THEM AND THEY
DON'T BOTHER ME.
I HERE STORIES.
WHAT KIND OF STORIES.
TROUBLE, THAT'S ALL.
OH, WE'RE ALL GOING TO LOSE
OUR JOBS.
JUST WHAT IS IT WE'RE AFRAID
OF OR ARE MAYBE WE RAISING
PROBLEMS TO HIDE OUR OWN
PREJUDICES?
WELL, WHATEVER THEIR PROBLEMS
WERE, THIS WAS GONNA HAVE TO
PLAY ITSELF OUT IN COURT, AND
QUICKLY I HOPED.
BUT MY SEASONED RESTAURAN GUYS THOUGHT THAT HEY, MAYBE
THEY COULD INTERVENE AND HAVE
SOME INFLUENCE.
WE SPOKE TO SOME PEOPLE THA REPRESENTED THE ALDERMEN A THE TIME.
HE SAID, THE ECONOMIC STATUS
OF THE CLIENTELE IS NO CONDUCIVE, OR SOMETHING LIKE
THAT, TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO I SAID, SO WHAT YOU'RE
TRYING TO DO SAY IS YOU DON' WANT ANY BLACK PEOPLE.
(SFX: METAL HIT)
(SFX: THUNDER)
STORM CLOUD NUMBER THREE HAD
OFFICIALLY REARED ITS UGLY
HEAD.
THERE SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ANY
PROBLEM WITH RAY'S REQUEST FOR
A LIQUOR LICENSE.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS AN
ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT, ZONED
FOR COMMERCIAL USE.
AND FOR EIGHT YEARS, AT HIS
OLD CLUB, RAY HAD AN
IMPECCABLE LICENSE HISTORY.
BUT THE PETITIONERS ARGUED
THAT RAY'S NEW CLUB WOULD
QUOTE "CHANGE THE TONE OF THE
BLOCK," "CHANGE THE AMBIANCE
OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD,"
"CULTURALLY THREATEN THEIR
ENCLAVE,"
AND "HAVE A
DELETERIOUS IMPACT ON
THE COMMUNITY."
(SFX: METAL HIT)
IN THE SAME NEIGHBORHOOD
THERE'S AN ADULT BOOKSTORE,
THERE WAS A PORN SHOP,
THERE'S THE CLUB WITH, AH,
YOU KNOW,
FEMALE IMPERSONATORS.
MAYBE IF I'D OPENED AN X-RATED
COMEDY CLUB I'D BE MORE
WELCOME.
SO I WASN'T GOING DOWN WITHOU A FIGHT.
I MEAN, I GOT ALMOST A MILLION
DOLLARS INVESTED AT THIS
POINT.
SO, I HAD SOME OPTIONS.
I COULD HIRE A LAWYER.
GO GANGSTA ON THEY ASS.
OR AS SOME OF MY MORE RADICAL
FRIENDS SUGGESTED, TAKE IT TO
THE STREETS.
WE GONNA WALK ON THIS RACIS POWER STRUCTURE AND WE GONNA
SAY TO THE WHOLE DAMNED
GOVERNMENT,
STICK'EM UP MUTHAFUCKA!
THIS IS A HOLD UP!
WE COME FOR WHAT'S OURS!
I HIRED A LAWYER, BUT AS AN
ALTERNATIVE TO THE PANTHERS, I
TRIED TO CONTACT CONTROVERSIAL
ALDERWOMAN DOROTHY TILLMAN.
I KNEW SHE WAS A BIG
FAN OF MY CLUB.
LET ME TELL YOU, I DON'T CARE
HOW I FELT, WHAT WAS GOING ON,
GO TO ALL JOKES ASIDE AND SI AND JUST LAUGH UNTIL
YOUR SIDE BURST.
I HEARD THAT SHE WAS DEVELOPING
A MAJOR, WELL-FUNDED
ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT IN HER
SOUTH SIDE WARD.
AND IF EVER A WARD NEEDED
DEVELOPMENT, IT WAS TILLMAN'S
FORTY-SEVENTH AND BRONZEVILLE.
IF RAY LOST HIS NORTH SIDE
BATTLE WITH THE PETITIONERS,
MAYBE THERE'D BE AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR HIM IN THE
SOUTH SIDE WITH TILLMAN.
BUT RAYMOND WASN'T THE ONLY
CHICAGO COMEDY INSTITUTION
EYEING THAT BRONZEVILLE
OPPORTUNITY.
THE RENOWNED SECOND CITY, A
SKETCH COMEDY THEATER ON THE
NORTH SIDE, WAS ALSO REACHING
OUT TO ALDERMAN TILLMAN.
ANDREW ALEXANDER CAME TO ME
AND SAID, LET'S BUILD A BLACK
SECOND CITY.
SO WE GOT IN TOUCH WITH
ALDERMAN DOROTHY TILLMAN WHO
IS AN AMAZING CLASSIC CHICAGO
CHARACTER.
SOME PEOPLE SAY WHY YOU WAN TO BRING SECOND CITY TO
FORTY-SEVENTH STREET.
I SAID, MR. ALEXANDER WAS A
GREAT MAN.
HE'S FROM CANADA.
HE HAVE A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR
BUT ALSO HE HAVE GREA UNDERSTANDING, A GREA BUSINESSMAN.
I HAD TO REALLY EXPLAIN WHA THEY WERE GOING TO BE DOING,
HOW GOOD IT REALLY WAS GOING TO
BE FOR FORTY-SEVENTH STREET.
SO ONE MORNING I OPENED THE
PAPER AND I IMMEDIATELY
REALIZED WHY I WAS HAVING SO
MUCH TROUBLE GETTING IN TOUCH
WITH ALDERMAN TILLMAN.
SHE HAD PLEDGED HER ALLEGIANCE
TO SECOND CITY.
NOTHING AGAINST SECOND CITY.
THEY'RE GREAT.
I'VE WORKED WITH THEM.
AS A BUSINESSMAN I
UNDERSTOOD IT.
AS A BLACK MAN...LET'S JUS SAY I WAS DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED.
NOW RAYMOND HAD TO PUT THE
BRONZEVILLE DISAPPOINTMEN BEHIND HIM AND
DEVOTE HIS ENERGY TO FIGHTING
FOR HIS NORTH SIDE CLUB.
THE COURT BATTLE DRAGGED ON
MONTH AFTER MONTH, COSTING HIM
MORE AND MORE
AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THE
PETITIONERS WANTED.
I THINK IT WAS JUNE OF 2000 I
GOT THE CALL FROM MY LAWYER
THAT THE VERDICT WAS IN.
I WASN'T OPTIMISTIC, BUT TO MY
SURPRISE, I WON.
(SFX: CROWD CHEERING)
HOLD ON.
(SFX: TAPE WARPING)
THERE'S NO CAUSE FOR
CELEBRATION.
AFTER TWO YEARS OF FIGHTING I
HAD RUN OUT OF TIME, ENERGY
AND MONEY.
(SFX: CASH REGISTER)
AND YOU KNOW WHAT HURT THE
MOST?
TWENTY-FIVE GRAND OF THAT, WAS
MONEY FROM MY FATHER THAT HAD
TAKEN HIM A LIFETIME TO EARN.
SO HERE'S THE KICKER ABOUT A
YEAR LATER A WHITE OWNED CLUB
OPENED UP IN THE SAME SPACE,
GOT TO USE THE ELECTRICAL AND
THE PLUMBING THAT RAY'S MONEY
PAID FOR, AND, AH, I HEARD
THEY DIDN'T LAST FOR VERY LONG
ABOUT A COUPLE OF YEARS AND
THEY HAD SOME KIND OF ISSUES.
IT'S ONE THING TO HAVE AN IDEA
DIE OF ITS OWN WEIGHT,
BUT IT'S ANOTHER THING ALL
TOGETHER WHEN AN IDEA IS NO GIVEN A CHANCE.
IRONICALLY, SECOND CITY'S
SOUTH SIDE VENTURE NEVER
MATERIALIZED EITHER.
CHICAGO HAD LOST OUT ON TWO
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES.
THERE'LL NEVER BE ANOTHER ALL
JOKES ASIDE.
IT WAS, IT WAS THE CLUB.
HOT STAGE. HOT CROWD.
HOT SHOWS.
RAY PUT UP A GOOD FIGHT YOU
KNOW. WE AH, WE WERE RIGH BEHIND HIM.
I KNEW ABOUT, UM, CHICAGO
POLITICS AS BEING ONE OF THE
ROUGHEST, SO AS FOR ALL GOOD
BLACK MEN I GIVE HIM THIS,
MARTIN LUTHER KING HAD A DREAM
TOO.
FOR HIM TO FACE THAT KIND OF
RESISTANCE IS HYPOCRITICAL AND
RIDICULOUS.
CHICAGO HAS A LONG AND PROUD
HISTORY OF BEING RACIST.
AND I'M NOT, THAT'S NOT ME
MAKING THIS UP OR COMING TO
SOME GRAND CONCLUSION.
I DON'T THINK THE BUSINESS
PEOPLE IN THAT AREA REALLY HAD
ANY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WAS
COMING THEIR WAY.
WHEN YOU CARE AND LOVE SOMEONE
YOU WANT TO PROTECT THEM
SO OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, WE ALL
WANTED TO CONFRONT THOSE
PEOPLE AND SAY, IT JUST WASN' FAIR WHAT THEY DID TO RAYMOND.
RACIAL ISSUES ARE ALWAYS GOING
TO SURFACE FOR BLACK
ENTREPRENEURS IN AMERICA.
AND THE BLACK ENTREPRENEUR WHO
IGNORES IT IS THE BLACK
ENTREPRENEUR WHO
WILL PAY A
PRICE DOWN THE ROAD
UNFORTUNATELY.
I FIRST MET RAY BACK IN 1992
THROUGH MY PRODUCING PARTNER
AT THE TIME BOB ZMUDA.
BOB AND I HAD BEEN DOING A
SERIES OF CHARITY EVENTS FOR
COMIC RELIEF AT RAY'S CLUB.
UH, I RAN INTO HIM AGAIN IN
THE YEAR 2000, RIGHT AFTER ALL
THIS STUFF HAPPENED TO HIM.
AND WHEN HE EXPLAINED THE
DETAILS I WAS LIKE, WOW RAY,
UH, YOU JUST DIDN'T PAY OFF
THE RIGHT PEOPLE.
BUT YOU KNOW, THAT'S NO REALLY WHO RAY IS.
HE'S NOT FROM CHICAGO.
IN COMEDY, TIMING IS
EVERYTHING.
I THOUGHT THE NEW ALL JOKES
ASIDE WAS AN IDEA WHOSE TIME
HAD COME.
AND SADLY THERE'S NOT ONE
BLACK OWNED VENUE IN CHICAGO'S
ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT TODAY.
RAYMOND WAS LEFT BROKEN AND
DEEP IN DEBT WHEN HIS ALL
JOKES NORTH DREAM DIED.
IT TOOK HIM A WHILE TO GE OVER HIS LOSS.
STARTING A FAMILY HELPED
CHANGE HIS FOCUS.
OBVIOUSLY OUR DAUGHTERS
WEREN'T BORN AT THAT TIME, BU WHEN THEY ASK ABOUT, YOU KNOW,
HOW DID THIS ALL HAPPEN.
I'LL TELL THEM THEIR FATHER IS
AN INCREDIBLY STRONG MAN AND
YOU CAN LEARN FROM THIS THA YOUR DAD, HE HAD SOME HIGHS,
SOME LOWS BUT HE'S ALWAYS
BOUNCED BACK.
SO I'M REALLY PROUD OF HIM TO
SEE WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NOW.
YOU DON'T GET OVER AN
INJUSTICE LIKE THAT, BUT YOU
CAN'T CARRY AROUND ALL THA ANGER EITHER.
SO WHEN I LOOK BACK ON IT NOW,
I FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE.
I'M REALLY PROUD OF ALL THE
YOUNG COMEDIANS THAT CAME
THROUGH OUR CLUB AND WENT ON
TO DO GREAT THINGS.
MUSIC
MUSIC
MUSIC
RAYMOND IS OFTEN ASKED, WOULD
HE TRY TO OPEN ANOTHER ALL
JOKES ASIDE?
WELL, WOULD YOU RAYMOND?
YOU NEVER KNOW. IT'S A FUNNY
BUSINESS.
IF HE HAD A THREE HUNDRED SEA URBAN CLUB ON THE NORTH SIDE
OF CHICAGO WOULD IT WORK?
IT WOULD BE EASIER TODAY THAN
IT WAS MAYBE TWENTY YEARS AGO,
BUT HE WOULD STILL FACE SOME
UNFORTUNATELY SOME
CHALLENGES.
I THINK ALL JOKES ASIDE CAN
OPEN IN THAT GENERAL MARKE AND NEIGHBORHOOD NOW.
I THINK IN TODAY'S SOCIETY
RAYMOND WOULDN'T BOOK AN ALL
BLACK CLUB.
I THINK RAYMOND WOULD BOOK A
GREAT COMEDY CLUB.
IF ALL JOKES ASIDE OPENED
ITS DOORS TODAY THE BUZZ
ALL AROUND THIS COMMUNITY
WOULD BE,
WHOAH. DUDE.
THEY'RE BACK.
A CLUB LIKE ALL JOKES ASIDE
ABSOLUTELY COULD EXIST AGAIN.
AS LONG AS IT'S RUN BY RAYMOND
LAMBERT.
IF ALL JOKES ASIDE WERE TO
COME BACK I'M SURE A LOT OF
THE GUYS THAT WOULD COME
BACK AND PAY TRIBUTE OR HOMAGE
TO RAY.
IT'S TIME TO GO BACK TO ALL
JOKES ASIDE, STRAIGHT UP.
OH, I DEFINITELY THINK I WOULD, IT WOULD BE FABULOUS TO
HAVE IT BACK.
RAYMOND, IF YOU'RE OUT THERE,
THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
THE ALL JOKES CREW, IT WAS
AWESOME AND IF YOU COME BACK I
HAVE A NEW FEE NOW SO WE'LL
TALK ABOUT IT.
BUT UM, YEAH...
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