20250713_Opening for DL Hughley.

Ikes absolutely destroying for 8 minutes all captured in 4K.

On Friday night I went to see the 10PM Helium show with Ikes to watch the legendary comedy of one of the best stand ups on the planet, DL Hughley. He's a master. He's also incredibly gracious, tough, and a teacher. After performing 2 shows that night he took the time to hang out and talk to me, Ikes, and Ashea. It was pretty epic sitting across from someone who started doing comedy in strip clubs as a young black comic out of necessity. No doubt he struggled but any comic also knows that he probably wasn't great at comedy straight out of the gate. It takes time to become master of anything and DL has put in the work. Genuinely funny, wildly charasmatic, and doesn't give a shit what you think about him as he sips his Belvedere Vodka, neat from a tumbler. I watched him make the guy who married his assistant after divorcing the mother of his children laugh at himself and how of course they met at the office.

I had the good fortune to do a tight 5 minutes after being in standup comedy for one year in the sold-out Helium PDX Comedy Club for following evening's 7 o'clock first show. It was AWESOME. Thank you to DL for the experience. I cannot believe how lucky I was to know DL's good friend from my days living in Charlotte, NC. He was my trainer and worked with my wife for over a decade. I go see him whenever I am in town. DL told me he had to see me because Brian had never asked him for anything, so he couldn't say no.

I asked Brian if he could get me in to see DL for this documentary I am trying to create about the open mic scene... Yeah, DL's people weren't having any of that. DL is a comedian and a social/political figure and I respect the decision although I brought my camera just in case. It didn't happen but he let me sit with my friend Ikes, a fellow comedian, pepper him with questions and talk about the world of comedy. DL said he didn't understand why us new comedians give a sh*t what people think? I agree, you have to go for it. Don't misinterpret it either, he's not saying be an asshole, he's saying if it's funny, f*cking say it. Be confident in your ability to be funny.

Anyway, he asked me if I was a comedian and after some evasiveness I said "Yes sir, I am a comedian."

To which he replied "How much time do you have?"

Me: 20 minutes

DL: So you have 8...

Me: No, I can do 20-

DL: Sure, if everything goes right and you don't blow a tire, have a delayed flight, or get in an argument with your wife right before the show.

Me: "Uhhhh..."

DL: How about doing 5 tomorrow night at 7PM?

Me: "Yes, I will do that."

Ikes: And do you have another 5 minute spot for me?

DL: Nah motherf*cker I ain't got anything for you tomorrow!

DL: How about Sunday's show?

Ikes and I both were getting to open for a comedy legend.

After entertaining us for the better part of an hour, Ikes, Ashea, and I said our goodbyes and Ikes walked me to my car and we were talking like we just won the lottery. We were high on endorphines. Man, that was a cool couple of days last July 11-12, 2024. I still can't believe it happened.

About the Set:

I am from the South of these here United States of America and I grew up in a cluster of small towns that was growing but when we moved there in 1979 and as I grew up, we knew most people by name or sight. It was emerging from the Civil Rights movement and desegregating. I enjoyed my childhood even if I was a chubby, husky section shopping kid until I hit puberty and grew into this high school athletics school coach's body. It wasn't always and I know that there was a lot of anger and frustration when the bussing became a thing. I lived in Huntersville but I went to school through 2nd grade at Cornelius Elementary because they needed some country kids that looked like me to balance the demographics. Until I was needed one more town over in Davidson to do the same thing.

Which honestly could have changed the course of human history, for me at least. I went to school with some of the coolest, smartest, beautiful people in an almost perfect moment in time. We all had to rub elbows and share ideas with people that otherwise we may have never understood. Seriously, I was a fat little smart ass that sounded like an Avett Brother when I would talk and I had a wicked rat tail becuase I thought mullets looked stupid. Over time I became infatuated with a box hair cut and was so jealous I couldn't do the same thing but I would get a long flat top at the barber shop almost weekly. It was the best box I could do.

Anyway, because of that upbringing I see and hear things that only a Southerner like me sees and yes I am a whitey. At least how I look to others until they get to know me I get why people are skeptical. Believe me, I have done enough mics here in the PNW to know how people see me at first. I have to address it to new crowds but I like to do it through humor. I have jokes that would kill in the South but white folks in Portland don't know black folks well and they don't really know sometimes that it's okay to laugh. Sorry, it is a fact because sometimes I tell jokes that would kill down South but here people think I am a racist. However, that is an advantage to a comic in many ways and one thing that differentiates comics here from other scenes outside the PNW. It is great because if I can work out how to make a room full of PC, boring-ass folks laugh at a joke that didn't work but had built a lot of tension, I can kill with it. That's comedy, that's the special sauce. Get them off balance, make them think it's going sideways, and then smack them over the head with a killer nugget.

Now, I was nervous like I've never been before a comedy show or one of my own showcase productions. I know it showed on stage but I stuck to the material that I had worked out at open mics and I got quite a few laughs and DL said he knows he'll see me again. He probably says that to everyone but I got to go on this crazy fun experience with my buddy Ikes and I don't ever have to look back and say "I wish I would have done this, or that." Because I am doing it.

Thanks DL. Thanks Ikes. Thanks Helium.

Oh yeah, I got Ikes' set in 4K for him and the documentary.