Chatting with Roy Wood Jr.

I got a chance to talk to Roy Wood Jr. when he came to the Baltimore Comedy Factory. Wood is known for his hilarious prank phone calls which circulate throughout the Internet.

What inspired you to get into comedy? How get started?

I was 19 when I started [comedy], I’m 30 now. I started my junior year in college. It was something that I always had an interest in, and whenever there was the right situation, I would try it.

What advice do you have for comics that bomb?

Sometimes, it’s not you. The audience changes every night, and you remain the same. You have to make the audience adjust to you. And sometimes, there are situations that are just not conducive to laughter. These include late shows, alcohol, clubs that usually don’t do comedy, but attempt a comedy night.

I think it’s amazing that comics have the courage to continue after bombing. What keeps you going?

I look at it this way, if it’s a city I’m not from, why do I care? I don’t live there. I’m leaving tomorrow. And when you come back a couple months from then, and succeed, if anything, that’s more rewarding.

The first time I ever heard of you, I received one of your prank calls through an email at work. How has the Internet helped with your career?

The Internet has been groundbreaking in comedy, it’s great for networking. It can basically prove whether you’re ready to move to the next level. Like, if you watch Cartoon Network, everything on Adult Swim basically started out as a viral video.

So, for me, the beauty of the web is that it’s voluntary. These people don’t have to watch your shit, they choose to. If you get a big enough audience that chooses to watch you, chooses to forward your emails, then that creates a good buzz, which eventually gets people to come see you in a comedy club. If you get a big enough buzz, you can get a big crowd. If you get a big enough crowd, you can get your own TV show.

What advice do you want to give to aspiring comedians?

My advice to anyone that wants to go into comedy is expect years of being unpaid; years of not getting what you’re worth, or feeling like what you’re worth. Just years of feeling like you should be doing something else. But, if it’s in your heart, stick with it.

Dane Cook Show

So Dane Cook decided to grace Baltimore with his presence and perform some stand-up. Here's what fan Dominique Goldring had to say about the show:

1. What drew you to the show? Did you like him prior to the show, or did you take a chance?

I enjoy Dane Cook’s comedy and that’s what drew me to the show.

2. What was the ratio of new material compared to things already aired on TV?

All the material was material that wasn’t previously aired, which was awesome.

3. What was the overall response of the crowd?

The crowd was very pleased with the show. They loved him!

4. What was your favorite joke/part?

I really cannot pinpoint a certain part of the show. I thoroughly enjoyed all of it.

5. Would you like to see another Dane Cook show in the future?

Of course! It was great! He has amazing energy and a great comedic style.

Chatting with Mike Von - Part Two

In case you missed it, read part one.
As an inspiring 16-year-old comic, Von began performing at a club in Baltimore called the Five Seasons on open mic nights. How was the first night? “I completely bombed. It had me second guessing myself.” Von wasn’t anticipating that the 30 and over crowd at the club might have a different sense of humor than his high school classmates.

Instead of giving up, Von realized that something had to change. “It’s all about tweaking your jokes. Just because you have a different audience doesn’t mean the same jokes won’t work. You just have to be aware of the environment and make sure the delivery is right.” He also points out that your audience must always understand your joke. For example, just because you’re talking about a situation in school doesn’t mean an older crowd won’t find it funny. The difference is that they have to fully understand the background information. Talking to a classmate, you can throw out the professor’s name and then the joke. With strangers, you have to set up the scene. Who is this professor; what are some funny characteristics? A simple explanation can be the difference between a laugh and a head scratch.

Von decided to leave Baltimore and start advancing his career further. He currently lives in Chicago and says that it’s a great “training city” for young comedians. “You get to meet all the comedians from New York and L.A. because they all pass through here.” And when they come, there’s always a chance Von may be the act right before them. He already has a pretty impressive resume for his age; he’s opened for Tracie Morgan and David Allen Grier. Chicago is also home of the renowned Second City, which features a lot of famous comics, giving up and coming acts opportunities to network and learn. Von has met Tina Fey and Steve Carrell at Second City, just to name a few.

As far as social media, Von uses networking sites, mainly Facebook, to promote his talents. However, he is one comic that does not follow the trend of posting Youtube videos. “There’s a lot of comics that steal, and there’s no way to know most of the time.”

Von’s main goal is to host a late night talk show on HBO, something similar to the Arsenio Hall and Chris Rock shows. He admits that will take years of working in the industry and building a reputation, but he’s hopeful.

Von’s advice to aspiring comedians is to have patience. He says, “Rappers can have one hit single, but a majority of popular comedians have had to work at it for years.” Also he stresses, “What sets you apart from the rest of the bunch?” It’s important to develop a unique style, not copy off of someone else’s success.

Von will be featured in a documentary about up and coming talent in Chicago and the life of a standup comic. The working title is “The art of laughter.” He will also be performing at the Baltimore Comedy Factory, along with his father, April 10 and 11.

Chatting with Comedian Alabama - Q & A Edition

Comedian Alabama not only does stand-up, he also manages the Baltimore Comedy Factory downtown. After a quick chat with him, here's what he had to say:

What is your real name? Are you originally from Alabama, and if so, what brought you to Baltimore?
Well my birth name is Deshawn Frazier, and I’m orginially from Talladega, Alabama, home of the world’s fastest NASCAR track in the world (my small city’s claim to fame). I moved to Baltimore in June 2001; my then wife was from B’more and I followed her up here.

When did you decide that you wanted to pursue comedy as a career?
I’ve been in this business for seven years and this is my world. I pursued stand-up prior to arriving here in Maryland. I went to open mics and began developing different routines. I also met veteran comedians who helped me out with advice and I took it all in. I developed my own comedy style.

What comedians inspire you? How did you develop your style?
I grew up watching Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Sinbad and many more. I studied comedian greats like Milton Berle and Redd Foxx, and I admired the way they’d get the crowd laughing and they never stopped laughing.

How has the Internet helped with your career or the club? Do you have any upcoming projects, events or shows you want me to mention?
The Internet is good for finding clubs and helping me to promote outside of the box. I have an Easter show, April 12th at 7 pm. I’ll be doing stand-up at the Baltimore Comedy Factory that day.

Chatting with Mike Von - Part One

As soon as Mike Von calls me back, I understand exactly why he's a comedian. Outgoing, comfortable, talkative, and of course, funny, are just a few of the characteristics that describe Von. I left a message on his machine Sunday night, and wasn't really expecting to hear from him until much later. I'll admit, I was a bit discouraged after what seemed like several blow-offs (things did eventually turn around). To my surprise, Von called me back within just a few hours and greeted me with a friendly and enthusiastic, "Hey Erica, what's up? It's Mike Von!" As he walked to his car after finishing up at school for the day, Von graciously granted me my first interview for the blog.

Von, 22, is a Chicago-based comedian who was born and raised in Baltimore. Although his myspace page states that he's been involved with comedy since the age of 16, Von says that his interest was initially spark at 14 years old from being "the funny guy" in school. Reciting hilarious anecdotes that entertained his peers was a talent that he discovered early on. Working at Wendy’s only helped; he had plenty of ridiculous stories to tell from his experiences there. If you ever worked in fast food, you know all too well. Some of Von's influences include Jamie foxx( who he wrote a paper on when he was a sophmore at Dunbar), Bill Behr, Craig Robinson, Eddie Murphy and Pablo Francisco. It also helped that his father was a comedian and comedy writer; if you're from Baltimore, you might now him from the "Kiss my bumper" commericals.



While most might think this was a career Von was encouraged to do, it wasn’t that way initially. “My parents weren’t really excited about me going into comedy. [My father] knew what a tough business it was.” Although he didn’t have their full support, Von was determined that his career was in comedy. So, what else was there to do but to start sneaking out at 16-years-old to perform at clubs?

Part two coming tomorrow...