The political stuff gets the press, but the relationship jokes sell all the seats.
How do you compare this HBO special to your last?
I think this HBO special is a little better than the last one. Never Scared was fun, but this one is so much different. Three countries give it more energy, and even though it's an election year, the last one was more political. This one is for the guys in the barber shop.
What do you consider to be your best material?
I have no idea what my best material is. Different people like different things. I'll say this: The political stuff gets the press, but the relationship jokes sell all the seats.
Years ago you mentioned in your Bring the Pain' show how there will never be a black president. How do you feel now, over 14 years later, about what you said?
I'm very happy that 14 years after I said that joke a man like Barack Obama has a chance to become President of the United States. But at the same time, when I see some of the things that have happened during this campaign, I see why I wrote the joke in the first place
Now that you're a famous celebrity, do you still experience racism?
Every now and then I'm in a situation where someone doesn't recognize me and I experience racism. Things like not being buzzed into a store or sitting in first class on a plane and having someone ask to see my ticket four times. Or having the police pull me over for nothing then seeing it's me and letting me go, meanwhile they never seem to be able to name what I did to get pulled over in the first place. Having a real estate agent refuse to show me a house. I could go on.
Where do you draw your confidence from? Do you have it in your real life as well as when you perform on stage?
I don't have confidence in real life; something happens to me on stage that kinda disappears as soon as I get off stage.
If you were just starting out in comedy, how would you go about it in these days and times?
If I didn't live in New York or LA I'd move. I don't care how funny you are; in Detroit it's not gonna happen.
Have you noticed any good/bad changes in the way the comedy scene works from the time when you were starting out?
When I started out in comedy, it was common knowledge that it took about 10 years to get good. And that was ok because it took you about 9 years to get on television. Now, because we have 300 TV channels, the average comic gets on TV in about 3 years, so a lot of the new comics just aren't ready for prime time.
Outside of your brother Tony, who are some of your favorite new comedians on the scene? Who should I look out for?
I'm a big fan of Katt Williams, Jim Gaffigan, Louie CK, Margaret Cho, Kathy Griffin, Rich Vas, Joey Vega and Matt Claybrooks.
How do you think the world's going to end?
I have no idea how the world will end, but I hope there's a big musical number.
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