The Blackboard Spotlight: Roy Wood Jr.

EMGWORLD TAKES TIME TO SHED LIGHT ON A WORKING ACTOR ON THE GRIND

Roy Wood Jr. is a seasoned comic and radio show host in Birmingham, AL.  He has appeared on "Late Night with David Letterman," "The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson" and TBS’ "CONAN."  With performances on "Showtime at the Apollo," "NBC's Last Comic Standing," "BET's Comicview," "HBO's Def Comedy Jam" and more, Roy speaks with EMGWorld on the come up of a comic from the South.

Background: Stand-up Comedian/ Syndicated Radio Host/ Actor

EMGWorld: At what point in your life did you decide you wanted to be a performer?

Roy Wood Jr: High school was when I felt that I was funny.  I attended my first live stand up show in college [Florida A&M University].  I saw Lavelle Crawford and Kollie Luanne Miller.  They lit the stage on fire.  It was beautiful.  I left the show that night believing that I could do it [too].  That’s when the ball started rolling.  I started organizing my thoughts and thinking strongly about comedy.

EMGWorld: New York is often labeled the “mecca” of everything.  New York is the mecca of basketball.  They say New York is the mecca of hip-hop.  New York is the mecca of comedy.  Would you say it’s more difficult for a performer to make it who is not from the East coast?

RWJ: I wouldn’t say it’s more difficult.  It’s more difficult for a performer that doesn’t translate to the East Coast.  I’ve seen guys from the South bomb in New York, but I’ve also seen guys from New York bomb in the South.  In comedy you can’t thrive in [just] one region.  As a comic, you want to know where you stand against the best.  Sooner or later you have to answer to New York.

  

EMGWorld: Exactly how did you get started in this industry?

RWJ: Once I saw the comedy show by Lavelle Crawford and a few shows at Florida State it seemed like everyone had the same formula.  [Comedy] just appeared to be a conversation.  I felt like I had a sense of humor and always had funny thoughts.  I was funny within my circle of friends, but never a class clown.

EMGWorld: How did you test out your material before stepping on the stage for the first time?

RWJ: Keep in mind this was back in ’98, so the internet was just coming into its own.  You could only jump in a chatroom on the internet to try out your material.  There was no facebook or twitter to test out your jokes.  There was no other way to get out the funny thoughts in my head.

EMGWorld: What other comedians did you watch or study before making that decision to step out and pursue comedy?

RWJ: I studied Martin Lawrence, George Carlin and Chris Rock.  I looked at what they were doing.  I went on stage with my own voice, but some of what I was doing was just a lightweight impersonation of Martin Lawrence, which I think every comic falls into early on.  You fall into that trap of emulating [the comics] you study.

EMGWorld: Exactly what process did you use to perfect your style while making that come up as a comedian?

RWJ: A comedy club in Birmingham had an open mic night when I went home for Thanksgiving break.  My process was basically doing an open mic, recording it, then going back and watching the tape over and over again.  Once I got back to Tallahassee that Spring I worked with a comedy troop on campus.  The problem was that I wasn’t even a Florida State student.  I’d buy a FSU T-shirt and find a group of white kids, strike up a conversation with them and walk in like I was one of their friends.  I worked my way up to hosting the comedy nights at Florida State, the same shows that I had to sneak into.  

EMGWorld: Every comedian has a different style.  Sinbad chose to keep his routine clean.  D.L. Hughley would spend his set clowning on members in the audience, while Kevin Hart clowns on himself.  How would you describe your style?

RWJ: I consider my style to be an old man trapped in a young man’s body.  I'm not much of a people person.  My comedy is about everyday things that we all encounter.  I gripe.  I complain about stuff that really shouldn’t bother you like a Snickers bar cost $1.60.  That infuriates me.  I want to occupy gas stations because a Snickers should not be $1.60.  Girl Scout cookies are $5 a box!  Why does the weatherman have all these different colors on? 

EMGWorld: How do you prepare your material for an upcoming show?

RWJ: My preparation process for a show varies depending on the importance of a show.  It might be as simple as getting a good night sleep to going over my entire set word for word.  When I go on television I type my jokes out word for word.  I prepare and read over them because on TV you can't change anything.  You have to do your set verbatim the same way you sent it to the producers.  It becomes more of a memorization process than a preparation process.

EMGWorld: How would you describe your general preparation?

RWJ: My general preparation comes the days before the show.  I watch tape of myself from a previous show or go over notes and bullet points of things I'm doing right versus things I'm doing wrong.  Like I might be losing laughs from jumbling up words and some people can't understand what I'm saying.  'Stepping on my laughs' is what its called.

EMGWorld: How challenging is it for a comedian to go through an entire routine without using profanity?

RWJ: Doing an entire show clean isn't hard.  It's just a matter of perspective.  You may go up in front of a crowd that expects cussing and if you don't cuss they're going to boo you.  They want to hear cussing.  It might not be fair to you but just the ignorance of some crowds who attach words to funny instead of intentions and trains of thought.

EMGWorld: Would you consider yourself a dirty comic?

RWJ: I'm not a dirty comic.  I kinda curse from time to time on stage, but I'm no Katt Williams.  The trick for me has often been at times to just curse and then slowly launch back into your clean set.  The crowd never notices.  Another cheap trick if you don't want to curse is to talk loud or talk faster.

EMGWorld: Every performer at some point in their career has had to deal with hecklers.  How did you handle that challenge as you were making your way up the ranks as a comedian?

RWJ: I'm not good with them.  It's not something I like to deal with.  You can get into it with the people but I just don't tolerate it.  If you're disrupting the show, it's disrespectful to the people who came.  F**k you.  You need to get out.  Period.  I can't tolerate it for an entire show.

EMGWorld: Would you recommend that a comedian completely change his or her style to satisfy the audience?

RWJ: I don't think any comedian should become something he isn't for the sake of getting a laugh.  You're lying to the crowd, you're lying to yourself and most importantly you're not growing [as a comic].  You didn't learn anything.  If you're trying to be a better quarterback then you can't play tomorrow as a wide receiver.  That's not going to help you be a better quarterback.  You have to get in there and take your lumps.  You'll probably throw 8 interceptions and get booed but there's still something to learn from it.  There's a way to get to every crowd as yourself.  You just didn't figure it out that night.

Stay tuned for Part 2 as Roy gives his take on BET’s iconic show "Comicview," comedy’s most important comedian and more!!

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