Earthquake stops in to discuss the mysterious phone call that turned into his Netflix Special produced by Dave Chapelle, Chappelle's Home Team - Earthquake: Legendary. We discuss the fears he overcame when starting his comedic career & his approach his unique comedy perspective.
Topics Covered
What made Atlanta Earthquake's home town
Earthquake's first comedy show
Why he chose the name Earthquake
What it takes to succeed in comedy.
More on Earthquake
Washington DC’s own comedian, actor and voice-artist, Earthquake earned a strong fan-base in stand-up comedy via programming platforms fueled by BET, HBO, Comedy Central, Showtime and more. Born Nathaniel Stroman, ‘Quake’ (as he’s known by fans), entered America’s households on the classic run of BET’s Comic View and HBO’s comedic rites of passage program, Def Comedy Jam. Pointedly, Earthquake wowed audiences with one of his most memorable performances for HBO’s coveted 30-minute comedy special series, One Night Stand.
While becoming one of the hottest properties of the standup comedy circuit, Earthquake filmed a string of comedy specials. The specials include, About Got Damm Time, Walter Latham Presents, From the Outhouse to the Whitehouse and more recently These Ain’t Jokes which premiered on the Showtime Network. Quake’s fans also enjoy an extensive cluster of comedy content collector’s DVD’s as well such as the Shaq’s All-Star Comedy Jam DVD Collections.
More Chappelle's Home Team - Earthquake: Legendary
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Money Making Conversations Masterclass. I am your host,
ros Sean McDonald. I recognized that we all have different
definitions of success. For you and may be the size
of your paycheck. Mine has inspired people to accomplish their
goals and live their very best life. It's time to
stop reading other people's success stories and start writing your own.
People always talk about purpose or gifts. If you have
(00:20):
a gift, leave with your gift and don't let your friends, family,
or corework can stop you from planning or living your dreams.
My guests as actor, comedian, and social activists Earthquake. He
has built a strong fan base and stand up comedy
with numerous solo shows, film and TV appearances, and comedy specials.
He has recurred, guest starred appeared on numerous popular shows,
(00:41):
including the CBS sitcom The Neighborhood. Earthquake also holds the
radio show Quakes House on Serious XM Radio Kevin Heart's
Laugh Out Law Radio Channel ninety six. But he's on
the show because you can catch Earthquake in his stand
alone headlining comedy special, Chappelle's Home Team Earthquake Legendary, streaming
(01:02):
right now on Netflix. Please welcome the Money Making Conversation Masterclass.
The one and only Earthquake. Hey, how are you doing? Brother? Brother? Brother?
Well you know some man earthquake. Um. First of all, Um,
I can I can start now and talk about the
comedy special that that's right now streaming on Netflix. And
(01:23):
when I saw it it featured in the trade magazines.
I didn't know that the special had already been taped
last summer. So talk about the sequence of how that
happened and then it was announced coming out in the spring. Um.
I got a call from my agent and she said,
(01:44):
the president of a comedy for next Flix one of
my number soon. He can give it today because Dave
and Netflix has came to a verbal agreement, uh to
produce my special. I said sure. I thought it was
a prank. Uh you know, I said, show And then
(02:06):
ten minutes later Dave called me and said he wanted
to produce my special. So that's how it came to fruition. Cool. Now,
when you look at your career, I can, um, you
know my career as a personal relationship. They've they've described
a personal story about you at this comedy club. My
personal story. I met you at your comedy club, and uh,
(02:28):
when I would just tell y'all, he wore me out,
took me out. Let me know, this is Quake's house
in Atlanta, Georgia. Had me go back to my hotel
room looking at my little comedy routine. But you're rewriting jokes.
But he was just doing when he was doing. Because
(02:48):
I heard about it. I walked in there with my
credits because see Dave Chappelle. Man, he said it right. Man,
you are a legendary man and you're funny, but you're
good brother at heart, at heart, you know, because it's
all it's like, um mean the Jerry Rice at Rob Receiver.
If you Rob Receiver coming in, you look over there,
you see earthquake. You go. You can walk around and
(03:11):
ignore him, but in a minute, if you ignore him,
he gonna let you know who he will, who he is.
That's what happened to me at his comedy club. I
knew who he was, but I ignored him until he
got on stage before me, and then I had to
show the respect. But that's been a testament of your
entire career that people who may not know you, but
(03:34):
after they see you, they know you the real deal.
Correct Earthquake yes, I mean because I just believed let
the work speak for itself. There's nothing else. I always
felt in our profession that stage is an equalizer. The
credits can get you applause in the beginning, but the
(03:57):
jokes work. You could tell who's on their craft and
losing our craft. Um deserve to be there, and I
take that, so I always concentrated on the work. The
work speak for himself. Now. One of my tastes and
one of my all time favorite jokes man you did
was the dog doing O. J. Simpson Trial. But it's
(04:24):
the ability to take abstract characters bringing like like they're
actually real. You know what I'm saying. No, no dog
Kate talk, No dog Kate talk, but you we believe
in this dog and talk based on you. What what
is the sequence of it? Just listen to people, because
I know it's a stand up comedy comic. At one
point you just trying to be funny, and then at
(04:45):
some point it's just like a college degree. It's like
class two plus two equal four. You learned to sequence
things together and you're just funny and you know how
to make things funny. How do you look at the
world through the eyes of earthquake. Um, it's a it's
my tag. These ain't jokes. I think it starts from
(05:09):
reality or realistic to me, I tell people every time
they ask me how you do it, I said, it's like,
it's just like being in the hood. Man, it's a
it's the truth that blomed, that blossom into a big lie. Right.
I was fighting this one dude, man, and then by
the time to get to you ra sean man, I
was fighting nineteen and I slam one underneath the dope
(05:32):
and it was two other came and then Mama came
over and I slapped it. Mama. It was fighting one
dude in the last for one second, but by the
time he got back got to you, Sha, it was
nineteen dudes. He had its arm for him with with
that had guns. The other dude had a knife. Yeah.
So that's my philosophy. It always start from a grain,
(05:56):
from the original foundation of the truth. That's why I
say these aren't jokes. That's where it comes from. These
ain't jokes, right, you know, as a as a stand
up comic man, it is really um an interesting craft.
It's a very lonely craft. A lot of people think that,
you know, it's a stand up you're happy all the time.
You know you you run abound just making everybody laugh.
But really, can you explain to people the world of
(06:17):
a stand up comedian from a standpoint of how we
have to how we see things, which sometimes it's good
and bad because sometimes we see too much. Well, I'll
tell anybody if you if you don't like yourself, this
ain't the profession for you, if you know, because you're
gonna spend a lot of time with yourself. It's like golf, man,
(06:44):
can nobody else walk? Is? Uh walk these greens? But
you um and but it's such rewarding man Sean, It's
a rewarding profession just to see these people because look
at people. We're mental health providers. Um we we especially
(07:07):
for our community. We change perspective of people because you know,
when you had your club and they're coming in. Man
is I don't know what with the way in the
world and one profession and its only professional I like musical,
anything else, anything else out here. We need the uninvited attention.
(07:28):
So you gotta get the uninvited attention, then break through
all that and then get them to do something they
can't get their self to do. That's laugh. That's a
hell of the obstacle, man, especially for our people. They're
sitting the front man anybody right, I mean I used
when I own my club, I said, listen, please be
(07:49):
nice to these people coming in here, because you're making
the comics John even worse. I mean, please, with the
way you serve, the way you give the ticket, you
make the show. Are you tuck my staff all the time?
You're just as important as the comedians because if you
set the tone there, then they're open themselves up to
be entertained. So it's the hardest profession in the world,
(08:13):
but the most reward fulfilling. We know, like uh, the
word sold out. I'm talking about audiences. Audiences, you know
they you know, earthquake, they're coming in and see you
talk to everybody and tell them that feeling of knowing
that you look out there because we always peep behind
the curtain. We always ask the people, how's it looking
(08:35):
out there? And they said, and see left all so
that brother, we've added the show. Talk about that feeling, man, Um,
it's the best feeling, second to having your channel. Um,
it's it's validation. People actually took their harder money stop
doing what they do and can say I am spending
(08:59):
this money to come see you there. I mean the gratitude,
I mean achievement and as a comic until comedians all
the time, and I learned this from you and from
you when Steve, that shows that you actually matters in
our profession. When you can put your name on a
(09:20):
market or build ball or sign and people stop and say, hey,
I'm coming to see with Sean McDonald. Give me two
tickets you got and then they said no, we don't
have come on, let's go here earlier. Now we got
they can't get no tickets to see you. And it's
(09:42):
just the most gratifying thing in the world. It is.
We'll be right back with more Money Making Conversations Masterclass
with Rushan McDonald. Now let's return to Money Making Conversations
Masterclass with Rushan McDonald. You know the thing, uh, I
follow your social media and you know we all want numbers,
(10:06):
we always want to engagement everything. But your social media
is almost like social commentary. That's why I added the
words social activists in your introduction because you do a
running commentary. I feel with your social media boy videos
that you post, pictures that you find talk about your
(10:27):
approach to social media and how you are defining your
voice or finding your voice in your social post. Well,
and uh, some of the most educated people in the
world don't how can I put this, uh, the prestige
(10:50):
diplomas of degrees the back of their education. So I've
met some of the smartest people that never went to school.
There was the most utel people in my life. And um,
simplicity has always been great for me. Just keep it
simple and to get to the point that you asked
(11:12):
me about. I just talked about when everybody else thinking,
because all you have to do, you know what I mean,
don't say that man, you be I'm saying some man,
I'll be looking at what you be saying, like, oh,
I never saw that this boy is. And you know,
in the in the in the in the comedy world,
somebody call you a fool. That's actually a major compliment.
(11:33):
I said, this boy of food, this boy crazy, which
is another compliment because now we need a PC world.
You know, they got explained stuff. We used the word
crazy and food and all that stuff. You gotta explain.
That's a positive in the comedy world. And you are
doing stuff man, because you know, you look at it
and it's work. A lot of people think that posting
or grabbing ideas is is. So he just found that somewhere.
(11:57):
That's a lot of work. Yeah, there's a lot of research.
Shout out to my team. Um, we go through it.
Her name and stars, she's one of the greatest person
that handles my thing for me. We sit down, she
knows my voice of course, no my voice, and together
(12:17):
we uh we uh. We get together and say this
is the direction I want to go and we see
different things that we do, like this is put this
out here? Can you believe that' believe this person is
doing this? Se and you know, to get that reaction
everybody where and so many people like where did you
(12:38):
find that? I love it? Man, I I love it.
And it was one of the reasons you know, you know,
I wanted to make sure I interviewed you all my
platform money making conversation Master collapse because a lot of
people see talent like you. They see the end results,
they don't see the work. They think that you stopped working.
They think that you just focused on this, but really
it's a three sixty that you're doing. Like I said,
(13:00):
you're an actor you're a comedian, your social activit which
means that you're an influence on social media. And then
also you have a radio show, which means you you're
able to communicate tell us about your radio show. You
even to take phone calls, you play music. What is
your radio show? Um No, my show is called Quake House,
and it's kind of like a comedians view. We too.
(13:20):
We deal with hot topics, different segments and we do
have guests that comes on periodically. Um a list guess
is and our interview. And what I want to do,
like I've always done in my career, is whatever I
achieved in my career. I try to have a platform
(13:41):
to bring the next comedian that or nothing else. But
if I can't help the next comedian, expand our genre.
People know how great this profession is. I think personally speaking,
don't too many of us give back to the genre.
(14:02):
This is this would allow you to be this movie star,
this game show host, this this uh talk show, this
movie star, this TV start. Just do something that allows
you know your name to um to expand the John
for the next person said to yourself, can capitalize on it,
(14:25):
make it, you know, expand I'd say you don't have
to help me. Help whoever you think is funny, and
if you help them, it expand the genre. Eventually it
will come back to me because they they you funny,
wait till until they get to see me. And that
It's always been my attitude. Yes, now that The interesting
(14:46):
thing about it is that when we look at the
comedy special that you did, you know, it's always fund
me because I think I know somebody. I didn't know
you from DC, you know, because I met you in
that line. I thought you were Atlanta, born in Bread
and I thought that was your whole hood was from
Atlanta or people loved you in Atlanta. So how did
you make the journey from d C to Atlanta and
(15:09):
then Atlanta? Basically it became to me, yours your home,
your voice. Um well, I was in the military for
nine years and he wanted to do twenty years, but
the war broke out. So I told him, I said,
I own mind practicing for war, but I ain't fighting
for real. I'm gonna stay and see to get shot at.
(15:30):
So they're getting out the military. I didn't want to
go back home from d C. I've been a military
was nothing there opportunity I feel for me, but illegal pharmaceuticals.
So I turned on you know, I watched a lot
of TV, different educational shows, mostly like seeing and stuff,
and you know, you see the poles. They always got
(15:52):
poles and one of the boat what is the best
top five city that that man should go for the
best advantage, and they and they had allotta number one.
I said, well that's where I'm going. So I got
out the military, went to Atlanta and we're on stage
and they started doing common that first of all, you said,
(16:15):
you saw pole said the back black black best sitting
for black people to go to with Atlanta. You go
to Atlanta, you just go on stage. You didn't just
go to another comedy club. You see some comics. So well, no,
I mean I was when I was in the military.
I knew I was. I had to do something else.
And they you said, the USO, you know stuff in there,
(16:38):
and I found you know, they used to call me
skating quick well, skating stroke not anything to get out
of work. You know, I used to be a pol
barryman on guard. Anything to get out of work man.
So I did a little hosting in there in the military.
And you couldn't talk about sex she didn't talk about,
and I mean, you had to be hope. So I was.
(17:01):
I leant from there. So when I got the military,
I went on and I took this girl to a
comedy clip. And when I tell you, this chick was
that mean. It was shocked. She was all on the floor.
I said, I said, if you want to sleep with
this dude, just say you want to sleep with him.
But he ain't all that. You just jealous, I said,
(17:23):
I jealous, But I mean he's funny, but that ain't
the funniest thing. So she said, when you do better,
And of course I went and tried, and there's nothingness came.
It's been that way every since came in my life. Well,
I wonder what piphany was, no plan, It was just
(17:43):
what I tell everybody was that best decision that day,
and another better decision hasn't came this way. We'll be
right back with more Money Making Conversations Masterclass with Rushan McDonald.
Now let's return to Money Making Converse Stations Masterclass with
Rashan McDonald. Well, you know they tell me that our
(18:05):
podcast is the number of the fastest drawing industry audible
industry out there. I know you got serious, xem, are
you gonna do podcasts? No? I mean, I'm really good
with my radio show. I really want to continue that. Man,
I've really learned from y'all about it. I love radio,
(18:26):
and I don't think I'm gonna jump onto the podcast
unless they offered me a lot of money. Okay, cool, Well,
well I think that's gonna come your weight. Okay. You
know when I get close to the bike, I'm looking
at you that I'm looking at it because you're a
special talent. Man, You're you're an individual. I guess I
gotta at least ask you this course, where did earthquake
(18:48):
come from? Where did the name earthquake come from? Um,
to be quite honest with you, man, I use earthquake
because in case you know, she was right that I
wasn't funny. I don't wanna mess up my good name.
Ok So, so this didn't work, hey earthquake, Like, hey, man,
(19:09):
my name the dangel on the earth place when you
the comedian that got no coming Daniel s come up
here and say some dudes right here, No, that wasn't me.
So it came from the insecurity not having to believe
that maybe you know, and this this did get the bricks.
(19:32):
You say, go to a stray. I wouldn't mess up
my good name. Well, you know, so what is the
future for Earthquake man? Because it took me forever to
line up this interview. You had radio shows, you a tour, date,
your interviews. So obviously life is beautiful you for you
right now, but we know there's always more. What is
the future for Earthquake. Well, I'm finally m gonna go
(19:58):
on my own personal on tour called Earthquake Legendary Tour. Um. Yes,
I'm developed my own TV show, I'm gonna do I'm
gonna do more movies, and I'm gonna stay on the
readio God's will and then you know I'm going You
(20:19):
know I'm gonna continue to tour. I love comedy. Stand
up comedy is great for me. I never want to
leave it. I think I tell people all the time.
Comedy is like a woman. You can take a break
from it, but you can never leave her. Leave her.
You ain't gonna never get her back. So I vowed
that I will always do this and I love it.
(20:40):
It's so refleshing. So the media is the tour starts
and um July and we're doing forty uh for thirty cities.
Me and Don there Rollins. And that's the immediate thing.
You have, very funny brother, And I'm gonna drop another
tour on man, another special, next Flix, next year. Wow.
(21:03):
So the venues are the Comedy Club, A small two thousand,
three thousands. We're going five you're stepping out there. Okay, okay, okay, mr,
mr sir, you start talking to five thousands. Brothers, come
on that, come on down. We had two or three
now two or three. So with the blessing of God,
(21:26):
with the response that I've got from my special, tell
me about that response. Man. First of all, let me
get you my response first, you know, because I text
you a picture of me watching it. You know, let
you know off my screen. Okay, I'm watching you, brother.
You are what you say you are legendary. My take was, man,
(21:47):
that um because this always tell people when you know
something funny. Because my wife was in the kitchen, you know,
cooking all right, and then I'm just laughing. And then
next thing you know, she leaning behind my back, right
who that you watch the earthquake next to you know,
she next to me watching and laughing. I go, what
(22:07):
happened to the cooking? Oh that can wait? That can waite?
See see that? They say, I took somebody who wasn't
even interested and what was going on? Because she was cooking,
you know, and she one of the people you can't
talk and you can't talk to her. Why she cooking?
All right? She one of those people. Can't you see
I'm cooking? Okay, baby, I'm sorry. I'm just gonna slide
in there and watch earthquake by myself. Okay, then I'm laughing.
(22:32):
Did she behind me? Just standing? He funny? I look
back at it. Don't say nothing. Earthquake right next thing,
you know, she still got the spatula in her hands.
Sitting next to me. I say, ain't you're cooking? Like
I told you? So that lets you know that what
you're doing is relatable. It also can make people stop
(22:56):
what they're doing and grabs their attention and also forces
them force because you are a forced my brother, you
are a comedy force, and that forces such positivity that
you go, wow, he's special. That's what my response is.
Not tell me what America's response. Because you're doing five
(23:17):
thousand caeesars now, it's overwhelming, and you can see it
when you know it's a comic. When you walk in
clubs and I'm talking about mainstream clubs, how you doing great?
Can we do something? You know? And you know our
(23:37):
Caucasian caramel parts come to you and say, you know,
I choke for me. I don't know about you. I
love competing against man without Caucasian comedians to let them
know that we don't because they think we need some
of them, not saying all of them something. The stigma
(24:00):
is that we need to cuss. We don't. We don't
write out you know it's urban. No man, no, no, no,
no no. I'm gonna show you how we do it.
We we can. We compete at the highest level of
the highest level intellectually. And when it was being accepted
(24:20):
from I mean every comedian, no matter what's your nationality
that's in this fields telling you this is the greatest
thing that they ever seen. It was this rewarding and
it's always been rewarding. I love my fans to the death.
They are my number one supporters. That the grat I
really fan a special gratitude and humility when it's come
(24:47):
from the peers such as persons such as yourself, because
you have always been honest with me. You have came
to me and say, Man, you don't need to say
that while you um when we was doing different shows
to go, don't cuss on that, don't go this. That's
all you need to do. And I've always took the advice.
And I always appreciate your advice. And I always have
(25:08):
felt good when I received your approval because you have
always been a student of the game. Oh man, So
I appreciate those compliments. But more important, I appreciate you
taking the time and come on money making conversations, master class.
You are a beast. You are somebody. Please tell me
when you when the tickets go on sales so I
can put it on my social media and make that
announcement in my newsletter that goes out to a hundred
(25:30):
eight thousand people. Because you are a winner, brother, and
I love you, brother. Thank you are a quick I
love you more man, and keep doing what you're doing. Man,
And you owe me a meal, because I'm tired of
look at all you know, pictures of all the studs
I'm the gaining, waitt becoming and get some of it,
some of them deserts. Man, I look at I'm read.
(25:51):
So when I get down to ah Town where you have,
I'm knocking on you. Well, you don't tell your beautiful wife,
I said. Okay, I thank you brother, and stay strong. Okay,
appreciate you. If you want to hear as seeing those
interviews or Money Making Conversation, please go to money Making
Conversation dot com. I'm Roshan McDonald. I am your host
Welcome to Money Making Conversations Masterclass. I am your host,
ros Sean McDonald. I recognized that we all have different
definitions of success. For you and may be the size
of your paycheck. Mine has inspired people to accomplish their
goals and live their very best life. It's time to
stop reading other people's success stories and start writing your own.
People always talk about purpose or gifts. If you have
(00:20):
a gift, leave with your gift and don't let your friends, family,
or corework can stop you from planning or living your dreams.
My guests as actor, comedian, and social activists Earthquake. He
has built a strong fan base and stand up comedy
with numerous solo shows, film and TV appearances, and comedy specials.
He has recurred, guest starred appeared on numerous popular shows,
(00:41):
including the CBS sitcom The Neighborhood. Earthquake also holds the
radio show Quakes House on Serious XM Radio Kevin Heart's
Laugh Out Law Radio Channel ninety six. But he's on
the show because you can catch Earthquake in his stand
alone headlining comedy special, Chappelle's Home Team Earthquake Legendary, streaming
(01:02):
right now on Netflix. Please welcome the Money Making Conversation Masterclass.
The one and only Earthquake. Hey, how are you doing? Brother? Brother? Brother?
Well you know some man earthquake. Um. First of all, Um,
I can I can start now and talk about the
comedy special that that's right now streaming on Netflix. And
(01:23):
when I saw it it featured in the trade magazines.
I didn't know that the special had already been taped
last summer. So talk about the sequence of how that
happened and then it was announced coming out in the spring. Um.
I got a call from my agent and she said,
(01:44):
the president of a comedy for next Flix one of
my number soon. He can give it today because Dave
and Netflix has came to a verbal agreement, uh to
produce my special. I said sure. I thought it was
a prank. Uh you know, I said, show And then
(02:06):
ten minutes later Dave called me and said he wanted
to produce my special. So that's how it came to fruition. Cool. Now,
when you look at your career, I can, um, you
know my career as a personal relationship. They've they've described
a personal story about you at this comedy club. My
personal story. I met you at your comedy club, and uh,
(02:28):
when I would just tell y'all, he wore me out,
took me out. Let me know, this is Quake's house
in Atlanta, Georgia. Had me go back to my hotel
room looking at my little comedy routine. But you're rewriting jokes.
But he was just doing when he was doing. Because
(02:48):
I heard about it. I walked in there with my
credits because see Dave Chappelle. Man, he said it right. Man,
you are a legendary man and you're funny, but you're
good brother at heart, at heart, you know, because it's
all it's like, um mean the Jerry Rice at Rob Receiver.
If you Rob Receiver coming in, you look over there,
you see earthquake. You go. You can walk around and
(03:11):
ignore him, but in a minute, if you ignore him,
he gonna let you know who he will, who he is.
That's what happened to me at his comedy club. I
knew who he was, but I ignored him until he
got on stage before me, and then I had to
show the respect. But that's been a testament of your
entire career that people who may not know you, but
(03:34):
after they see you, they know you the real deal.
Correct Earthquake yes, I mean because I just believed let
the work speak for itself. There's nothing else. I always
felt in our profession that stage is an equalizer. The
credits can get you applause in the beginning, but the
(03:57):
jokes work. You could tell who's on their craft and
losing our craft. Um deserve to be there, and I
take that, so I always concentrated on the work. The
work speak for himself. Now. One of my tastes and
one of my all time favorite jokes man you did
was the dog doing O. J. Simpson Trial. But it's
(04:24):
the ability to take abstract characters bringing like like they're
actually real. You know what I'm saying. No, no dog
Kate talk, No dog Kate talk, but you we believe
in this dog and talk based on you. What what
is the sequence of it? Just listen to people, because
I know it's a stand up comedy comic. At one
point you just trying to be funny, and then at
(04:45):
some point it's just like a college degree. It's like
class two plus two equal four. You learned to sequence
things together and you're just funny and you know how
to make things funny. How do you look at the
world through the eyes of earthquake. Um, it's a it's
my tag. These ain't jokes. I think it starts from
(05:09):
reality or realistic to me, I tell people every time
they ask me how you do it, I said, it's like,
it's just like being in the hood. Man, it's a
it's the truth that blomed, that blossom into a big lie. Right.
I was fighting this one dude, man, and then by
the time to get to you ra sean man, I
was fighting nineteen and I slam one underneath the dope
(05:32):
and it was two other came and then Mama came
over and I slapped it. Mama. It was fighting one
dude in the last for one second, but by the
time he got back got to you, Sha, it was
nineteen dudes. He had its arm for him with with
that had guns. The other dude had a knife. Yeah.
So that's my philosophy. It always start from a grain,
(05:56):
from the original foundation of the truth. That's why I
say these aren't jokes. That's where it comes from. These
ain't jokes, right, you know, as a as a stand
up comic man, it is really um an interesting craft.
It's a very lonely craft. A lot of people think that,
you know, it's a stand up you're happy all the time.
You know you you run abound just making everybody laugh.
But really, can you explain to people the world of
(06:17):
a stand up comedian from a standpoint of how we
have to how we see things, which sometimes it's good
and bad because sometimes we see too much. Well, I'll
tell anybody if you if you don't like yourself, this
ain't the profession for you, if you know, because you're
gonna spend a lot of time with yourself. It's like golf, man,
(06:44):
can nobody else walk? Is? Uh walk these greens? But
you um and but it's such rewarding man Sean, It's
a rewarding profession just to see these people because look
at people. We're mental health providers. Um we we especially
(07:07):
for our community. We change perspective of people because you know,
when you had your club and they're coming in. Man
is I don't know what with the way in the
world and one profession and its only professional I like musical,
anything else, anything else out here. We need the uninvited attention.
(07:28):
So you gotta get the uninvited attention, then break through
all that and then get them to do something they
can't get their self to do. That's laugh. That's a
hell of the obstacle, man, especially for our people. They're
sitting the front man anybody right, I mean I used
when I own my club, I said, listen, please be
(07:49):
nice to these people coming in here, because you're making
the comics John even worse. I mean, please, with the
way you serve, the way you give the ticket, you
make the show. Are you tuck my staff all the time?
You're just as important as the comedians because if you
set the tone there, then they're open themselves up to
be entertained. So it's the hardest profession in the world,
(08:13):
but the most reward fulfilling. We know, like uh, the
word sold out. I'm talking about audiences. Audiences, you know
they you know, earthquake, they're coming in and see you
talk to everybody and tell them that feeling of knowing
that you look out there because we always peep behind
the curtain. We always ask the people, how's it looking
(08:35):
out there? And they said, and see left all so
that brother, we've added the show. Talk about that feeling, man, Um,
it's the best feeling, second to having your channel. Um,
it's it's validation. People actually took their harder money stop
doing what they do and can say I am spending
(08:59):
this money to come see you there. I mean the gratitude,
I mean achievement and as a comic until comedians all
the time, and I learned this from you and from
you when Steve, that shows that you actually matters in
our profession. When you can put your name on a
(09:20):
market or build ball or sign and people stop and say, hey,
I'm coming to see with Sean McDonald. Give me two
tickets you got and then they said no, we don't
have come on, let's go here earlier. Now we got
they can't get no tickets to see you. And it's
(09:42):
just the most gratifying thing in the world. It is.
We'll be right back with more Money Making Conversations Masterclass
with Rushan McDonald. Now let's return to Money Making Conversations
Masterclass with Rushan McDonald. You know the thing, uh, I
follow your social media and you know we all want numbers,
(10:06):
we always want to engagement everything. But your social media
is almost like social commentary. That's why I added the
words social activists in your introduction because you do a
running commentary. I feel with your social media boy videos
that you post, pictures that you find talk about your
(10:27):
approach to social media and how you are defining your
voice or finding your voice in your social post. Well,
and uh, some of the most educated people in the
world don't how can I put this, uh, the prestige
(10:50):
diplomas of degrees the back of their education. So I've
met some of the smartest people that never went to school.
There was the most utel people in my life. And um,
simplicity has always been great for me. Just keep it
simple and to get to the point that you asked
(11:12):
me about. I just talked about when everybody else thinking,
because all you have to do, you know what I mean,
don't say that man, you be I'm saying some man,
I'll be looking at what you be saying, like, oh,
I never saw that this boy is. And you know,
in the in the in the in the comedy world,
somebody call you a fool. That's actually a major compliment.
(11:33):
I said, this boy of food, this boy crazy, which
is another compliment because now we need a PC world.
You know, they got explained stuff. We used the word
crazy and food and all that stuff. You gotta explain.
That's a positive in the comedy world. And you are
doing stuff man, because you know, you look at it
and it's work. A lot of people think that posting
or grabbing ideas is is. So he just found that somewhere.
(11:57):
That's a lot of work. Yeah, there's a lot of research.
Shout out to my team. Um, we go through it.
Her name and stars, she's one of the greatest person
that handles my thing for me. We sit down, she
knows my voice of course, no my voice, and together
(12:17):
we uh we uh. We get together and say this
is the direction I want to go and we see
different things that we do, like this is put this
out here? Can you believe that' believe this person is
doing this? Se and you know, to get that reaction
everybody where and so many people like where did you
(12:38):
find that? I love it? Man, I I love it.
And it was one of the reasons you know, you know,
I wanted to make sure I interviewed you all my
platform money making conversation Master collapse because a lot of
people see talent like you. They see the end results,
they don't see the work. They think that you stopped working.
They think that you just focused on this, but really
it's a three sixty that you're doing. Like I said,
(13:00):
you're an actor you're a comedian, your social activit which
means that you're an influence on social media. And then
also you have a radio show, which means you you're
able to communicate tell us about your radio show. You
even to take phone calls, you play music. What is
your radio show? Um No, my show is called Quake House,
and it's kind of like a comedians view. We too.
(13:20):
We deal with hot topics, different segments and we do
have guests that comes on periodically. Um a list guess
is and our interview. And what I want to do,
like I've always done in my career, is whatever I
achieved in my career. I try to have a platform
(13:41):
to bring the next comedian that or nothing else. But
if I can't help the next comedian, expand our genre.
People know how great this profession is. I think personally speaking,
don't too many of us give back to the genre.
(14:02):
This is this would allow you to be this movie star,
this game show host, this this uh talk show, this
movie star, this TV start. Just do something that allows
you know your name to um to expand the John
for the next person said to yourself, can capitalize on it,
(14:25):
make it, you know, expand I'd say you don't have
to help me. Help whoever you think is funny, and
if you help them, it expand the genre. Eventually it
will come back to me because they they you funny,
wait till until they get to see me. And that
It's always been my attitude. Yes, now that The interesting
(14:46):
thing about it is that when we look at the
comedy special that you did, you know, it's always fund
me because I think I know somebody. I didn't know
you from DC, you know, because I met you in
that line. I thought you were Atlanta, born in Bread
and I thought that was your whole hood was from
Atlanta or people loved you in Atlanta. So how did
you make the journey from d C to Atlanta and
(15:09):
then Atlanta? Basically it became to me, yours your home,
your voice. Um well, I was in the military for
nine years and he wanted to do twenty years, but
the war broke out. So I told him, I said,
I own mind practicing for war, but I ain't fighting
for real. I'm gonna stay and see to get shot at.
(15:30):
So they're getting out the military. I didn't want to
go back home from d C. I've been a military
was nothing there opportunity I feel for me, but illegal pharmaceuticals.
So I turned on you know, I watched a lot
of TV, different educational shows, mostly like seeing and stuff,
and you know, you see the poles. They always got
(15:52):
poles and one of the boat what is the best
top five city that that man should go for the
best advantage, and they and they had allotta number one.
I said, well that's where I'm going. So I got
out the military, went to Atlanta and we're on stage
and they started doing common that first of all, you said,
(16:15):
you saw pole said the back black black best sitting
for black people to go to with Atlanta. You go
to Atlanta, you just go on stage. You didn't just
go to another comedy club. You see some comics. So well, no,
I mean I was when I was in the military.
I knew I was. I had to do something else.
And they you said, the USO, you know stuff in there,
(16:38):
and I found you know, they used to call me
skating quick well, skating stroke not anything to get out
of work. You know, I used to be a pol
barryman on guard. Anything to get out of work man.
So I did a little hosting in there in the military.
And you couldn't talk about sex she didn't talk about,
and I mean, you had to be hope. So I was.
(17:01):
I leant from there. So when I got the military,
I went on and I took this girl to a
comedy clip. And when I tell you, this chick was
that mean. It was shocked. She was all on the floor.
I said, I said, if you want to sleep with
this dude, just say you want to sleep with him.
But he ain't all that. You just jealous, I said,
(17:23):
I jealous, But I mean he's funny, but that ain't
the funniest thing. So she said, when you do better,
And of course I went and tried, and there's nothingness came.
It's been that way every since came in my life. Well,
I wonder what piphany was, no plan, It was just
(17:43):
what I tell everybody was that best decision that day,
and another better decision hasn't came this way. We'll be
right back with more Money Making Conversations Masterclass with Rushan McDonald.
Now let's return to Money Making Converse Stations Masterclass with
Rashan McDonald. Well, you know they tell me that our
(18:05):
podcast is the number of the fastest drawing industry audible
industry out there. I know you got serious, xem, are
you gonna do podcasts? No? I mean, I'm really good
with my radio show. I really want to continue that. Man,
I've really learned from y'all about it. I love radio,
(18:26):
and I don't think I'm gonna jump onto the podcast
unless they offered me a lot of money. Okay, cool, Well,
well I think that's gonna come your weight. Okay. You
know when I get close to the bike, I'm looking
at you that I'm looking at it because you're a
special talent. Man, You're you're an individual. I guess I
gotta at least ask you this course, where did earthquake
(18:48):
come from? Where did the name earthquake come from? Um,
to be quite honest with you, man, I use earthquake
because in case you know, she was right that I
wasn't funny. I don't wanna mess up my good name.
Ok So, so this didn't work, hey earthquake, Like, hey, man,
(19:09):
my name the dangel on the earth place when you
the comedian that got no coming Daniel s come up
here and say some dudes right here, No, that wasn't me.
So it came from the insecurity not having to believe
that maybe you know, and this this did get the bricks.
(19:32):
You say, go to a stray. I wouldn't mess up
my good name. Well, you know, so what is the
future for Earthquake man? Because it took me forever to
line up this interview. You had radio shows, you a tour, date,
your interviews. So obviously life is beautiful you for you
right now, but we know there's always more. What is
the future for Earthquake. Well, I'm finally m gonna go
(19:58):
on my own personal on tour called Earthquake Legendary Tour. Um. Yes,
I'm developed my own TV show, I'm gonna do I'm
gonna do more movies, and I'm gonna stay on the
readio God's will and then you know I'm going You
(20:19):
know I'm gonna continue to tour. I love comedy. Stand
up comedy is great for me. I never want to
leave it. I think I tell people all the time.
Comedy is like a woman. You can take a break
from it, but you can never leave her. Leave her.
You ain't gonna never get her back. So I vowed
that I will always do this and I love it.
(20:40):
It's so refleshing. So the media is the tour starts
and um July and we're doing forty uh for thirty cities.
Me and Don there Rollins. And that's the immediate thing.
You have, very funny brother, And I'm gonna drop another
tour on man, another special, next Flix, next year. Wow.
(21:03):
So the venues are the Comedy Club, A small two thousand,
three thousands. We're going five you're stepping out there. Okay, okay, okay, mr,
mr sir, you start talking to five thousands. Brothers, come
on that, come on down. We had two or three
now two or three. So with the blessing of God,
(21:26):
with the response that I've got from my special, tell
me about that response. Man. First of all, let me
get you my response first, you know, because I text
you a picture of me watching it. You know, let
you know off my screen. Okay, I'm watching you, brother.
You are what you say you are legendary. My take was, man,
(21:47):
that um because this always tell people when you know
something funny. Because my wife was in the kitchen, you know,
cooking all right, and then I'm just laughing. And then
next thing you know, she leaning behind my back, right
who that you watch the earthquake next to you know,
she next to me watching and laughing. I go, what
(22:07):
happened to the cooking? Oh that can wait? That can waite?
See see that? They say, I took somebody who wasn't
even interested and what was going on? Because she was cooking,
you know, and she one of the people you can't
talk and you can't talk to her. Why she cooking?
All right? She one of those people. Can't you see
I'm cooking? Okay, baby, I'm sorry. I'm just gonna slide
in there and watch earthquake by myself. Okay, then I'm laughing.
(22:32):
Did she behind me? Just standing? He funny? I look
back at it. Don't say nothing. Earthquake right next thing,
you know, she still got the spatula in her hands.
Sitting next to me. I say, ain't you're cooking? Like
I told you? So that lets you know that what
you're doing is relatable. It also can make people stop
(22:56):
what they're doing and grabs their attention and also forces
them force because you are a forced my brother, you
are a comedy force, and that forces such positivity that
you go, wow, he's special. That's what my response is.
Not tell me what America's response. Because you're doing five
(23:17):
thousand caeesars now, it's overwhelming, and you can see it
when you know it's a comic. When you walk in
clubs and I'm talking about mainstream clubs, how you doing great?
Can we do something? You know? And you know our
(23:37):
Caucasian caramel parts come to you and say, you know,
I choke for me. I don't know about you. I
love competing against man without Caucasian comedians to let them
know that we don't because they think we need some
of them, not saying all of them something. The stigma
(24:00):
is that we need to cuss. We don't. We don't
write out you know it's urban. No man, no, no, no,
no no. I'm gonna show you how we do it.
We we can. We compete at the highest level of
the highest level intellectually. And when it was being accepted
(24:20):
from I mean every comedian, no matter what's your nationality
that's in this fields telling you this is the greatest
thing that they ever seen. It was this rewarding and
it's always been rewarding. I love my fans to the death.
They are my number one supporters. That the grat I
really fan a special gratitude and humility when it's come
(24:47):
from the peers such as persons such as yourself, because
you have always been honest with me. You have came
to me and say, Man, you don't need to say
that while you um when we was doing different shows
to go, don't cuss on that, don't go this. That's
all you need to do. And I've always took the advice.
And I always appreciate your advice. And I always have
(25:08):
felt good when I received your approval because you have
always been a student of the game. Oh man, So
I appreciate those compliments. But more important, I appreciate you
taking the time and come on money making conversations, master class.
You are a beast. You are somebody. Please tell me
when you when the tickets go on sales so I
can put it on my social media and make that
announcement in my newsletter that goes out to a hundred
(25:30):
eight thousand people. Because you are a winner, brother, and
I love you, brother. Thank you are a quick I
love you more man, and keep doing what you're doing. Man,
And you owe me a meal, because I'm tired of
look at all you know, pictures of all the studs
I'm the gaining, waitt becoming and get some of it,
some of them deserts. Man, I look at I'm read.
(25:51):
So when I get down to ah Town where you have,
I'm knocking on you. Well, you don't tell your beautiful wife,
I said. Okay, I thank you brother, and stay strong. Okay,
appreciate you. If you want to hear as seeing those
interviews or Money Making Conversation, please go to money Making
Conversation dot com. I'm Roshan McDonald. I am your host
Host
Rushion McDonald
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