January 1, 2024 • 36 mins
As we embrace a new year, we are taking a moment to highlight some of our favorite episodes and we hope you are also reflecting on your accomplishments from 2023!
Happy New Year Champions!
Connect: @CariChampion
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
It's the greatest suspose and then the same making nanke
you ward carry Champion, the Cary Champion is the be
A champion, a Champion and Carrie Champion.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
They Cleary Champion and.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Carry Champion and carried Chpy greatest sport and then nank
you Ward.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Hey, everybody, welcome to the best of This is what
I'd like to call our year in review, our our
wrap up, our look ahead, all of the things on
the Naked podcast.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
We started this tradition a couple of years ago.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
When we started the podcast, it was based on Believe me,
it's based on the most downloads and arguably the most
popular moments that we've had throughout the year. But I
take a moment to talk about just the year in general.
I think so much happens, and we go through so
much good, bad, trauma, sad, chaos, calm, calamity, you name it,
(00:59):
and we don't ever really take stop when we get
to the end of the year. We always look ahead
to what our resolutions would be. I challenge you guys
who are listening right now, just write down three things
that you did significantly this year, go all the way
back from January. One of twenty three, and then take
it full circle to January one, twenty twenty four, soon
(01:20):
to be you deserve to acknowledge all the good I
just said three, and that's just because my memory is bad.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
I'm sure there have been at least.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Twenty amazing moments that I have been able to document
throughout the year. And what I mean by definition of
amazing moments that arguably made me better, not worse, Moments
that were tough but helped me grow, Moments that were
character building. I just got into this conversation with a
(01:51):
really good friend of mine and I was asking her, no,
you've been through a lot, and do you have any regrets?
And she said no, And I said, okay, acceptable have
you learned anything? And she said, I've learned a lot.
And sometimes I think that's the best gift. Obviously, when
you're going through it, you don't think it's the best gift,
but it's a great gift. So what I mean my
(02:12):
amazing is amazing accomplishments. And that has to do with
maybe you had a huge raise at work and another
amazing accomplishment. Maybe you and your sister are speaking again,
and that in itself, while difficult, it was an amazing accomplishment.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
I'm just throwing that out there. Nothing personal about me.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
So what I decided to do because oftentimes as we
look ahead to the new year, we start thinking about
what we're not gonna do. We're gonna eat better, we're
gonna exercise more, we're going to fall in love, We're
gonna be good with our money, We're going to be nice,
or we're not gonna curse all the things, all the
things to make us better.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
We're gonna start January one dry January. I don't believe
in that.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
However, I do know there are two things that consistently
come up among me, my friends, a lot of folks,
and that is what this Year in Review podcasts will be.
I'm gonna give you or introduce you to four highlighted moments,
but I'm grouping them and the first act, I'll call
it love and how to define it. I was able
(03:12):
to have my really good friend Jessica on the podcast,
and she is a beautiful, single black woman, lives in Brooklyn,
and she had been meeting throughout the year some really
interesting characters. And while this story is really funny, I
don't want anybody to be offended. She was just having
a hard time finding a good guy. She has since
(03:33):
decided if you care for the update dot dot dot,
I'll tell you in the tag. She has since decided
something about love, but first I want you to hear
her story. I couple Jessica's story with another podcast that
was also in some former fashion about love, and that
was Maya. She is that singer I don't know how
(03:56):
to sing, so I don't even know I did that.
Hopefully my great editor can fix that. Oh you know what,
that's my version of singing. She too talked about love
in her latest album that just recently came out earlier
this year, and she also talked about not love necessarily
finding it, but what it means for her and what
it represents. And I thought that was an interesting way
(04:17):
to look at love as we head into this new year.
In the second act, we talked to two comedians that
have quote unquote made it in their own rights in
different times, arguably different decades, but both very.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Successful household names.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
And how do you sustain success, especially in a business
as mercurial as being a comedian, an actress, a singer,
all the things. Well, these two comedians, Junior you Seer
and Tommy Davidson tell really interesting perspectives, obviously from their purview,
she being a woman, he being a man, and it's
really interesting how they go about making fun of their
(04:56):
lives as they've tried to pursue success and define it.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
I hope you enjoyed this year in review of Naked
and Carrie Sheppy and and Carrie Shevy.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
For those who are listening, Jessica and I hit every
spot in the city. We went to Seville to listen
to live music. We hung out with different people that
I kind of was interested in, and after I was
kind of interested in somebody, Jessica would give a quick recap,
like he's not the one because maybe you know, we
don't want to go out with him because I saw
(05:27):
him pick his nose at the table.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
I'm like, Jessica, everybody picks their nose. Why are you
so picky? You know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Or or you know, like Jessica, love is hard to
find and every every jack needs a jill, every jill
needs a jack, every jill needs a jill, you know
what I mean. I was like, you can't be that
way now, So we decided to go to so fast Forward.
I'm skipping over a lot of things. We decided to
go to London and see Beyonce. This is going to
be a time. But we weren't going together, we were
(05:55):
going separately. It just so happens we were going to
the same concert. So I'm like, growl, I'm gonna see
you in London. We're gonna have a good time. We're
gonna have a good time. We're gonna have a good time.
So Jessica gets to London and just is living her
little cue. So like she's dancing, She's meeting all kind
of men. She's like, growl, man, five men last night.
I've met two men. The other night, I'm at this
one man here and this one man there. And you
met one guy who was really sweet to you and
(06:18):
it was a sign of chivalry and we were like
this might be it. Please explain Bachelor number two.
Speaker 5 (06:24):
Bachelor number two, Oh what a wonderful person.
Speaker 6 (06:30):
First of all, let me just say to the black lady,
if you're looking for love, go to London. They love
themselves a black American woman.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
I mean they do.
Speaker 6 (06:39):
You gotta bat them off with It's like a fly swater.
You're like, I can't even go down the block without
somebody find enough on me. I think I might have
to move to London. Well, I think I might have
to move to London just for like two weeks. For
that was that was, That was an experience. But out
of all the gentlemen, I went on several dates in London.
I was only there for like four days.
Speaker 5 (06:59):
Now you did not.
Speaker 6 (07:03):
We've moved on and now we're on to Bachelor number two,
number two. So that so I had several dates in London.
They were amazing. But there was this one guy who
was my knight in shining Armor. He saved me from
a pretty racially charged situation. And the next day check
(07:25):
what was.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
The racially charged situation?
Speaker 6 (07:27):
Oh my gosh, there was this gentleman who decided to
spew racial slurs at me and call me out of
my name walking out of the SOHO house and shortage
and you know, the PG County and me was shocked
and stunned. And when I got outside is when I
confronted him about his disgusting behavior and just had to
(07:49):
let him know, like, don't you ever talk to a
black queen like that again, because I'm not the one,
or the two or the three. So this gentleman came
in between this fewed and told the guy flat out,
like you're disrespectful, you're wrong, and just came to my rescue.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
And I felt wonderful.
Speaker 5 (08:07):
It was wonderful. I felt very valued, I felt appreciated.
Speaker 6 (08:10):
I felt protected because I'm in this country that you know,
by myself. You know, I've only been there once before,
and it was like late at night, and I've never
had somebody like attack me verbally with like with racial undertones,
like really racist undertone. So it was a very vulnerable moment.
And so he invited me out to brunch the next
(08:32):
day just to check on me, make sure I was good.
But this is the day of our concert. So we're
at brunch. We have a really good energy, a good vibe.
He's so sweet to me, so nice, and then he
wanted to spend more time, and I'm like, listen, I
have to get a bottle of ave for Carrie and
ized car ride to the concert because we're having a
party in the car.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
So yeah, we're having an Uber party.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Guys.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
We're driving safely that we are not drinking. I mean,
we're not driving. We're being show heard around by this great,
lovely Uber guy, and we need some champagne. That makes
perfect sense.
Speaker 5 (09:05):
Go ahead, But yes, we don't drink and drive over here.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
Oh no, we don't do that.
Speaker 5 (09:10):
You can't. Life is too important. Don't drink and drive PSA. Okay.
Speaker 6 (09:16):
So he does the nicest things, like I go upstairs
to get dressed in my hotel. He's like, I will
get you a bottle for you and your friend. When
I come down, he has another drink waiting for me,
doing all the things. Met me back in my part
of town after the concept. Remember he spent the night.
No hanky panky, guys, no hanky panky, but he spent
the night.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
You just did an adult You did an adult friendly sleepover,
which people do often exactly.
Speaker 5 (09:40):
Oh no, right, adult.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
And by the way, if you didn't want to do
just an adult friendly sleepover, that's fine too. I mean
you're good and grown, like you pay your bills and
your taxes.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Go ahead.
Speaker 6 (09:53):
So then we went out on a few more dates
after that, because I was there a couple more days,
like a day or two.
Speaker 5 (09:58):
He wanted to see me again, took me to dinner.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
And on my leaf for a second.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
So he's just really into you. I want to make sure.
I mean to keep putting you off, but he's really
into you and he wants to see you. While you
were in London by this time I had left. I
had a quick stay. I was in and out, and
you were in the city and you were being romanced
by this lovely gentleman who was like your night in shining.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
Armor, yes with a great accent.
Speaker 6 (10:18):
And then my last night after dinner, he spent the
night again, no hanky panky. But in the middle of
the night I felt I just get a little restless
at times. So I rolled over and I slowly opened
my eyes, just you know, four in the morning. And
I'm not sure if I saw it, because this is
what I said to you. I think I saw something,
(10:40):
but I don't know if I actually saw the something.
But what I think that I saw that I might
have really seen was him sucking his thumb.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
You see what now? What was he doing?
Speaker 6 (10:55):
So what I said was is that I may have
potentially kind of seen him kind of sucking them and
metal position.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
And I said, no, I close my I see no evil.
Speaker 6 (11:13):
I said no.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Wait wait, you said no, enclose your eyes tight, because
you were hoping it was a fathom of your imagination
agreement rather of your imagine Karry.
Speaker 5 (11:24):
You know, I thought I was dreaming. There's no possible way.
Speaker 6 (11:27):
It wasn't possible, but no, because I closed my eyes
just really quickly, like Lord, I'm not doing this. Why
you got jokes up there? You got some jokes upstairs
by the god.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
From February fourteenth.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
I know people ask you about this often, fresh fresh
into the pandemic from Valentine's to day, you married yourself
for your music video The Truth.
Speaker 4 (11:56):
Why did you do that?
Speaker 3 (11:57):
That's an art for you, your express yourself. But that's
a beautiful, a beautiful proclamation. What made you make that
the video?
Speaker 5 (12:07):
Well?
Speaker 7 (12:08):
I think there's this narrative and a lot of questions
that have come about in my career, especially.
Speaker 5 (12:16):
In my later career. Why are you not married?
Speaker 7 (12:19):
Why do you not have kids? How come no one
has wiped you up? You know, there's been many proposals, etc.
But when my convey was a different message and also
a real message for me because of this fixation on
marriage for women and men an age for me especially
(12:45):
and what that feels like. Not all women can have children,
not all women want children, not all men want children
or want to be married, and that's okay. Everyone's lives
are different. But marrying myself was a physical ceremony. It
was in the music video, and I think what happened
(13:07):
in the press with just one picture and the fixation.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
Was shown.
Speaker 7 (13:14):
So why are people fixated on this idea? Because that's
how we were raised in this particular society, that you're
not an honest woman. Oh you must be a liar
if you're not married, or some man who has not
swept you up with your feet. From the early movies
that we see, animated movies where we have to give
up a gift or a part of ourselves to live
(13:36):
this happily ever life, I think not. So what is
it about this that is not resonating with me?
Speaker 5 (13:48):
Is the question?
Speaker 7 (13:49):
So in a spiritual journey, and I'm always on one,
it was about getting to the core of who Maya
is and self love and committing to myself, and what
does that look like is the question. You can't obviously
think you're going to attract anything good for you if
(14:10):
you're not together. So this was about self work, self realization,
self love, self boundaries, and it had nothing to do
with anyone else. And so what that means is putting
in well, taking in and taking on positive energy from
(14:33):
what I tune into, what I'm putting into my body, sleep,
recharging as I exert myself in my life or a career,
making sure that my cough is full as a provider,
and making sure that I also learn how to say
(14:55):
no in certain circumstances as a giver. That's what that
spiritual marriage was about. Physically, it was conveyed with a
wedding dress with the people understand most in this society
in particular, But that was also a song that I
wrote with that concept in mind, speaking to yourself highly
(15:18):
with positive words, so that you choose you in times
where the world might want be choosing you and you
may not feel worthy, or you're questioning how come because
everyone else is questioning you how come? It starts with
It literally starts with you, and everything else branches out
(15:40):
just like a tree. So what you put into you,
you receive back from the world. And so this is
also confrontation with myself. No excuses, get it together. And
that's what, in a nutshell, a spiritual marriage looks like.
And it shows up eventually physically and areas of your
(16:01):
life financially, mentally, emotionally, professionally, and now.
Speaker 5 (16:08):
People are asking me what my secret is.
Speaker 7 (16:10):
My secret literally is marrying myself spiritually and committing to
myself in all areas of my life where maybe I
was lacking, putting the love back and that's beautiful. Yeah,
and then that allows you to gives back to the
world and fulfill your purpose.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
Yes, that's beautiful.
Speaker 5 (16:32):
Yeah, but people don't get that that is, so you're conceded.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
Why did you yeah? Yeah, no, yeah, no, that's not
what that.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
I understood that there was a message there, but you
explaining that made me think, like, why do we have
to adhere to what society says? If you can really
be comfortable in your own skin knowing that's what you did,
that that that translates in a lot of different ways.
And that's what I was going back to. You're very comfortable.
This is what you've decided to do, and it's work.
We always have to do the work. All of us
(17:05):
every day have to do the work. And I think
that message resonates with women such as myself single. You
know what I mean, I'm not married, I don't have kids.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
What's wrong with you? And you're like nothing. I'm perfectly fine,
actually perfectly fine.
Speaker 7 (17:21):
Everyone's life is not supposed to look the same, so
it's not supposed to look the same. Yeah, I embrace adversity.
I embrace the place of love that sometimes criticism or
we can take as criticism comes from because maybe there
is a beautiful experience that other people want you to share.
(17:41):
And so correcting my thoughts as well as I intake
so many opinions of the world regardless of the topic.
That's self correction and self assessment, which is also a
part of that self love journey. Not beating up yourself
or or I would say, being absorbed by the negative
city that our thoughts can immediately go too.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
You know what that music means.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
It means we have to pay some bills, but fast
forward because we're doing the best of our year in review,
if you will, of naked back in the moment.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Every champion and Cary Champion is to be a champion
out a champion and carried Chappion, and Carrie chap Yat
a champion and carried Chappion and carried Shepy prad is
Sports and entertainment can naked word. Every champion and Carrie
chappion is to be a champion. A champion and carried chappion.
(18:35):
They shot a champion and carried chapion and carried Shepy Entertainment.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
Nick, you were hey, y'all, we're back. This is again
our year in review of Naked.
Speaker 4 (18:45):
This is act two.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
If you are paying attention, this is the pursuit of
success from the purview of two.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
Very well known comedians. Hope you enjoy it. Well, why
did you want to just stay there and then day?
Speaker 8 (19:00):
Why did you want to quot unquote do it here
in the States Because I'd hit a glass ceiling as
a black comedian in England, I'd hit a glass ceiling
and he made I got to a certain level of
fame and fourteen and I was coming out with white
comedians who were very similar to me talent, and they
were where I was selling theaters based on my own
(19:22):
hard work. You know, I could sell out a two
thousand seat theater. Perhaps my white peers were able to
do seventeen thousand seater stadiums because they were given a
lot more opportunities to be on TV. I'd always be
the guest on someone else's TV, but I could never
get on someone else's TV show, But I could never
(19:44):
get my own TV show as a black woman, whereas
my white peers who I came up with were all
getting their own TV shows, which then led to them
being exposed to a much larger audience, which meant they
can go and do these massive tours. And I was
never going to get to that because the TV industry
in England is run by old white men who only
(20:04):
give TV shows to other white men. So I'd hit
a glass ceiling. And for me, as a child living
in England, I'd always known when from the age of four,
I knew that England was not where I was supposed
to be. I was supposed to be in America. From childhood,
I thought American kids had a better life. You know,
every TV show I saw was American kids running each
(20:24):
to hang out with their friends on the beach and
riding bikes around town solving crimes.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
So I always.
Speaker 8 (20:33):
That the kids in America had a much better life.
So from childhood I wanted to be in America. Even
when I worked as an engineer, I worked for Otis,
which was an American company, because my plan was to
transfer and become an engineer in America. Always My plan
(20:53):
had always been to come to America from the age
of four. So then when I started doing comedy, I
was like, well, America's the whole of comedy, So one
day I'm going to go to America and do comedy.
So even when I started out, even when I was
doing really well in England, i'd fly out to America
every year and just go to comedy clubs and just
go up and do my stuff, just to see if
(21:14):
my stuff traveled.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
So I knew I could perform in America long before
I moved here.
Speaker 8 (21:20):
Because I was out here coming out on vacations, getting
in New York, going to Miami, just going up at
comedy clubs and going I'm a comedian from England. Let
me go up and do five minutes. You don't even
have to pay me, and I just go up and
do five minutes. So I always knew, and I knew
that I and when I hit that glass ceiling in England,
that was even more you know, of an incentive for
(21:42):
me to get the hell.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Out, Yeah, to do what you are.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
So you it's interesting you knew I feel like Hollywood
is running by white men, but you yea, you there is,
but there is more of an opportunity for you to
thrive than there is one in the UK.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (21:59):
I always say that I hit the glass ceiling in
the UK, and I was probably making at that point
one hundred and fifty grand a year.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
Uh huh.
Speaker 8 (22:06):
But when you hit the glass heel, the glass ceiling
for black performers in America is much higher than the
one in the U.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 8 (22:16):
Do you want to play hit the glass ceiling in America?
I can hit the glass ceiling as a millionaire. Uh huh.
Speaker 4 (22:23):
You know you're right, you're right, you know you're right.
You're me.
Speaker 8 (22:25):
I was I'd go to America and hit that glass
ceiling because I'll be a millionaire when I hit it,
and I can cry in my money.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
Yeah it's so.
Speaker 4 (22:35):
Awful air, but I've got my money.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
So then you you come here, you get on the
circuit eight seventy five something I'll never ever forget at
the robbery, and but it is.
Speaker 4 (22:47):
I do I know the scene.
Speaker 5 (22:48):
I'm very familiar with how people are, like, this is
the societ.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
You're going to make it. You start working. How long
does it take you in terms of years, five years,
six years? When you where you find it to a
point where you are moving comfortably and not making eight
to seventy five a show.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
After I moved to New York.
Speaker 8 (23:09):
So I was in LA for seven years, and then
in those seven years, every year I'd fly to New
York and just ingratiate myself with all the comedy clubs
in New York. So I got into the Seller, I
got into the Gotham Comedy Club, and I just started
getting and that I do like two or three weeks
in New York, and the comedy clubs in New York
(23:32):
paid decently, not as much as they paid in England,
but you could do a bunch of sets around New York.
Get one hundred and twenty dollars here, one hundred here,
eighty dollars here, So over a weekend, you could make
a thousand to twelve hundred to fifteen hundred dollars over
a weekend just doing sets all over New York, just
(23:52):
running around New York doing different comedy clubs, because they
paid anywhere between fifty and one hundred and thirty dollars
for a set.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Some clubs even paid two.
Speaker 8 (24:02):
Hundred dollars a set. So I was like, Oh, the
comedy clubs in New York it's it's merit based. It's
not based on who your agent, though is because in
LA so I couldn't get on it a lot of
the comedy clubs in LA because I didn't have a
big name agent who could make a call and get
me on stage there, whereas in comedy in New York,
the comedy clubs it.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Was more merit based. If you're good, you got booked.
So I'd go. When I was living in LA, I
fly to New York every year and.
Speaker 8 (24:30):
I'd come back to LA with my pockets full of
that HM and I was like, Oh, if I go
to New York, I can actually make.
Speaker 9 (24:42):
Somewhat.
Speaker 8 (24:42):
I've been living in New York while I'm waiting for
the big break. So I left LA after seven years.
I'm like, I'm going to New York because I want
to do comedy. I don't want to I don't want
to go for auditions. I can't do an American accent.
I don't want to play centre on Young Sheldon.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
I want to be.
Speaker 8 (25:03):
I didn't want that. So I was like a lot
of my agents kept sending me auditions and I was like,
I don't want that. I'm not going to turn up
for this audition. You know, I'm not going to learn
an American accent so I can be the fucking's the sassy.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
Or you know, yeah exactly. I know, we just need
some diversity in this episode, so I'll put in the
like security.
Speaker 8 (25:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
So I.
Speaker 8 (25:33):
Refused to go for those auditions. So I was like,
I'm going to go to New York and do comedy
there and and I'm just going to do comedy and
then from there I will try and get booked comedy
clubs about the country and just try to make a living.
So I moved to New York, and in between my
on the road gigs where I'd go to comedy club
(25:54):
and whatever Philadelphia and do a weekend at a comedy club,
I'd be able to work in the city so I
didn't have to go to London so often to do
the bank rates because I could work and earn my
rent money doing comedy clubs in New York. And then
from then I started to get booked for you know,
I I booked my first I made. I started making
(26:17):
my own specials. So I was trying to get stand
up specials on show Time and Netflix and and nobody
would give me a special.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
So I was like, well, then fuck you guys. I'm
gonna make my own special.
Speaker 8 (26:28):
So my first special I made in London in two
thousand and eight, went to London, sold out a two
thousand seater theater, booked my own camera crew, my own director,
and shot my own specials.
Speaker 4 (26:44):
How did you start in comedy? What was the genesis
of that for you?
Speaker 9 (26:48):
My friend Howard, who grew up with Okay, hey, hoaric
he out there? If he't out there, then you can.
You can talk to Monique or Bshila or Cartoon Harvey
or Lea Monique again. He got a lot of brothers, sisters,
but he's the one told me, you know, you stupid,
you stupid man. You don't even know you could be
(27:10):
in Hollywood right now doing movies and all that, and
you're happy to be an assistant chef at Ramata in Virginia.
He's like, come on, man, you're crazy. So he he
made me go down to the worst strip club in DC,
the Penthouse, and there was a mic available where the
guy said he going to you on the stage. So
I went there. I stood there for a while. The
(27:33):
guy turned to me and said all right, you go ahead.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
On.
Speaker 9 (27:35):
I turned to Howard, I was like, well, what do
you want me to say? Howard said, I don't care
what you say, just say something. And from the first
thing I said, people laughed. And within a year I
was in I was in Hollywood. Now I'm talking to you.
It happened.
Speaker 4 (27:55):
Wow wow wow.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
So wait, you were a chef at the Ramatta in Virginia.
Howard said, you wasting your time. Let's go to the
strip club his open mic. You go, you don't know
what to say. First thing you say, they start laughing.
And then at that moment it just clicked, like this
is what you were going to do for your life.
Speaker 9 (28:11):
It had been there the whole time. Assistant chef.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Okay, I'm sorry, hey guys, sorry, yea, yeah, yeah, but
I was qualified because I was working working as a
prep cook since I was fifteen.
Speaker 9 (28:24):
So the chef knew me. So when he got the
big job, he took me with him because you know,
I knew what to do.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
So wait, tell me more. I'll go back to the chef.
The assistant chef gig in a second. So then you
do this at the Penthouse. You everyone loves you. Do
you just start performing there every night. Do you start
finding local clubs to go up and do open mic
in the neighborhood in the DMV area. What happens next?
Speaker 9 (28:46):
It was it was an avalanche. It was an avalanche.
You remember Mason, Mason Buffy had to join Bob.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Yeah, Bob.
Speaker 9 (29:00):
Up, what's you think about comedy.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
Here?
Speaker 9 (29:05):
And so I went so so it was like it
was like I ended up doing talent shows. I ended
up doing concerts, opening concerts, and I just it just
started rolling and rolling. As a matter of fact, there
was a television show that preceded Deaf Jam and all
of them. The first one was here at Howard University.
(29:27):
M y oh yeah, oh yeah yeah. And that was
the first. You know, Andy Evans was a brilliant guy
who said we should have a TV show just with
black comics. That was the first time, and so I
came from that since trifty. The first time I went
to a comedy club for open night, I mean open
(29:49):
mic night, I met Martin and Dave Chappelle. That's how
we met. You see, to two other small names. They
came out of DC.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
What kind of names. Yeah, I think I've heard of them.
I read that you lived in the same neighborhood as Dave.
Is that true or you guys kind of grew up
around you.
Speaker 4 (30:07):
One to know.
Speaker 9 (30:08):
I lived in Silver Spring on sixtheh in East West Highway.
He lived a little further up, So yeah, he lived.
He lived. He didn't live in my neighborhood. He lived
near it. Okay, So so where he lived, everybody went
to play basketball, you know. So he basically isn't from
my neighborhood, but he from around the way.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Can you point to one single moment, whether it be
a show, a comedy show, a TV show, a movie,
something that really defined your career and established you as
a comedian, a premier comedian.
Speaker 4 (30:44):
A part of that that og cast of greats.
Speaker 9 (30:49):
I think was the night that I went on in
the main room at the Comedy Store, which was the
real deal, and I got put on the show with
Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor, and I was thinking I
was the host, and then he told me, no, you're
on the show with him. You all do it half
an hour each and you're You're a sandwich between the
two of them for four shows.
Speaker 4 (31:11):
So amazing.
Speaker 9 (31:14):
So I turned I turned it out. I turned up
y'all say turned up right?
Speaker 4 (31:19):
Yeah, yeah, the kids still say that, how amazing.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
Listen to look at you still say that the main
room you're talking about here in La right, and you
were sandwiched between Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy.
Speaker 9 (31:33):
Yeah yeah, I was doing that well in all the
other rooms. So it's my turn to get in the
big room.
Speaker 5 (31:39):
And I did.
Speaker 9 (31:40):
I didn't disappoint. I was like I was. I looked
like Michael Vickan his first season to watch out.
Speaker 4 (31:48):
They could catch you.
Speaker 9 (31:49):
They can't catch you.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Uh that's exciting.
Speaker 9 (31:54):
Yeah, yeah, life. No, I wasn't because I had gone
from having two little cars and a job to take
in the bus. I ain't never I didn't think you
just go cast me on the bus for the rest
of my life, you know. I usually we used to
do laundrying, go get groceries on the bus. Are you crazy?
(32:15):
So so here I am catching the bus, you know,
Mexican's with cowboy ats on. Somebody got to fight dide
to the front of the Dad Gold bus or whatever.
And I'm like at a bus stop. From all that,
from being at a bus stop, you know, and and
and working at working at Deli's and making ends meet
and staying out all night every night doing comedy. And
(32:37):
I was about to go home because it was just
like too much. I had a job. I go back
to DC do my thing, and then I did that show.
I remember my mother sent me a letter in the
mail before that show, the week before that show, and
it was one of those big legal on the legal
yellow legal paper, you know, long ones, and she wrote
(32:59):
it little magic marker. She left for twenty dollar bills.
She said, I know you need that, and don't leave, baby,
I love you, yep, yep, yep. And I didn't go,
and man, that happened. So I called her and I said,
guess what happened? Because Richard Pryor for the show, found
me in the little room I was in and he
(33:22):
looked up and down like I was in a strange animal.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
He went.
Speaker 9 (33:26):
He was a funny mother and walked away and was
like yeah. And I called my mother and I told
the what happened. She said, I told you not to leave.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
Hey, everybody, So I appreciate you. Happy New Year if
you're listening at the New Year, Happy before New Year
and this Happy Year period. Thank you for paying attention
all season long. And really being loyal. One of my
highlights of the year, which I bought something amazing that happened.
One of the highlights of the year was that I
went to Paris in November. And I don't know if
(33:58):
I really really shared this with you all, but I
went with a good group of my girlfriends. We do
this trip every year where we did pick a place
and we go and we love it. We normally go
on the sun but this year we got a little
cold and we went to Paris and we went to
support Don Staley and her basketball team. That was the
first time that a women's program on the collegiate level
(34:19):
was able to travel overseas and host it and be
the main attraction. And they were playing against Notre Dame.
And I always thought to myself, these teams are so amazing.
I'm so excited. I love what's happening with these coaches,
more specifically these black women.
Speaker 4 (34:35):
But while I was there, this is what the key was.
Speaker 3 (34:38):
While I was there, a young lady walks up to
me in this crowded gym in Paris, and she doesn't say, Hey, Carrie,
I really love you from ESPN. She doesn't say, hey, Carrie,
I've seen you on your Vice show that you have
with your bestie. Hey Carrie, I know you from sports.
(35:01):
None of those things, you know, came out of her mouth.
What she said was, oh my god, hey Carrie from Naked.
I love the podcast. I listened to it every week.
Speaker 5 (35:12):
What what I was like?
Speaker 4 (35:14):
Who is she talking to? And it was really.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
Special because in this crowdy gym that had hundreds of people,
was pretty crowded, and I was with a bunch of
luminaries myself. She recognized me for what the work we
do here is and for me, that was one of
the highlights of the year. The other highlight that I'll
give you. I didn't talk to many of you about this,
but our girl Jessica, what did she decide to do?
She decided just to be single. She's like, I'm all set,
(35:41):
I'm just gonna take this year off. She was like,
I am all set.
Speaker 4 (35:52):
I do not want to do it. I refuse to
do it. So there you have it.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
I appreciate her essentially saying I'm a focus on me.
If it happens, it happens. But I'm tired of talking
about men. I'm tired of that being my focus. Love
will find me, so that was wonderful. And then as
far as everything else, well, it's still true. I want you,
really truly to just take the time and write down
all the amazing things that you've done. Thank you for
(36:18):
listening to Naked. Let's hope that we have an amazing
twenty twenty four and here's to just maybe keeping resolutions,
but more importantly enjoying what we've already accomplished.
Speaker 4 (36:28):
Talk to you guys in a week or so.
It's the greatest suspose and then the same making nanke
you ward carry Champion, the Cary Champion is the be
A champion, a Champion and Carrie Champion.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
They Cleary Champion and.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Carry Champion and carried Chpy greatest sport and then nank
you Ward.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Hey, everybody, welcome to the best of This is what
I'd like to call our year in review, our our
wrap up, our look ahead, all of the things on
the Naked podcast.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
We started this tradition a couple of years ago.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
When we started the podcast, it was based on Believe me,
it's based on the most downloads and arguably the most
popular moments that we've had throughout the year. But I
take a moment to talk about just the year in general.
I think so much happens, and we go through so
much good, bad, trauma, sad, chaos, calm, calamity, you name it,
(00:59):
and we don't ever really take stop when we get
to the end of the year. We always look ahead
to what our resolutions would be. I challenge you guys
who are listening right now, just write down three things
that you did significantly this year, go all the way
back from January. One of twenty three, and then take
it full circle to January one, twenty twenty four, soon
(01:20):
to be you deserve to acknowledge all the good I
just said three, and that's just because my memory is bad.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
I'm sure there have been at least.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Twenty amazing moments that I have been able to document
throughout the year. And what I mean by definition of
amazing moments that arguably made me better, not worse, Moments
that were tough but helped me grow, Moments that were
character building. I just got into this conversation with a
(01:51):
really good friend of mine and I was asking her, no,
you've been through a lot, and do you have any regrets?
And she said no, And I said, okay, acceptable have
you learned anything? And she said, I've learned a lot.
And sometimes I think that's the best gift. Obviously, when
you're going through it, you don't think it's the best gift,
but it's a great gift. So what I mean my
(02:12):
amazing is amazing accomplishments. And that has to do with
maybe you had a huge raise at work and another
amazing accomplishment. Maybe you and your sister are speaking again,
and that in itself, while difficult, it was an amazing accomplishment.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
I'm just throwing that out there. Nothing personal about me.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
So what I decided to do because oftentimes as we
look ahead to the new year, we start thinking about
what we're not gonna do. We're gonna eat better, we're
gonna exercise more, we're going to fall in love, We're
gonna be good with our money, We're going to be nice,
or we're not gonna curse all the things, all the
things to make us better.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
We're gonna start January one dry January. I don't believe
in that.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
However, I do know there are two things that consistently
come up among me, my friends, a lot of folks,
and that is what this Year in Review podcasts will be.
I'm gonna give you or introduce you to four highlighted moments,
but I'm grouping them and the first act, I'll call
it love and how to define it. I was able
(03:12):
to have my really good friend Jessica on the podcast,
and she is a beautiful, single black woman, lives in Brooklyn,
and she had been meeting throughout the year some really
interesting characters. And while this story is really funny, I
don't want anybody to be offended. She was just having
a hard time finding a good guy. She has since
(03:33):
decided if you care for the update dot dot dot,
I'll tell you in the tag. She has since decided
something about love, but first I want you to hear
her story. I couple Jessica's story with another podcast that
was also in some former fashion about love, and that
was Maya. She is that singer I don't know how
(03:56):
to sing, so I don't even know I did that.
Hopefully my great editor can fix that. Oh you know what,
that's my version of singing. She too talked about love
in her latest album that just recently came out earlier
this year, and she also talked about not love necessarily
finding it, but what it means for her and what
it represents. And I thought that was an interesting way
(04:17):
to look at love as we head into this new year.
In the second act, we talked to two comedians that
have quote unquote made it in their own rights in
different times, arguably different decades, but both very.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Successful household names.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
And how do you sustain success, especially in a business
as mercurial as being a comedian, an actress, a singer,
all the things. Well, these two comedians, Junior you Seer
and Tommy Davidson tell really interesting perspectives, obviously from their purview,
she being a woman, he being a man, and it's
really interesting how they go about making fun of their
(04:56):
lives as they've tried to pursue success and define it.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
I hope you enjoyed this year in review of Naked
and Carrie Sheppy and and Carrie Shevy.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
For those who are listening, Jessica and I hit every
spot in the city. We went to Seville to listen
to live music. We hung out with different people that
I kind of was interested in, and after I was
kind of interested in somebody, Jessica would give a quick recap,
like he's not the one because maybe you know, we
don't want to go out with him because I saw
(05:27):
him pick his nose at the table.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
I'm like, Jessica, everybody picks their nose. Why are you
so picky? You know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Or or you know, like Jessica, love is hard to
find and every every jack needs a jill, every jill
needs a jack, every jill needs a jill, you know
what I mean. I was like, you can't be that
way now, So we decided to go to so fast Forward.
I'm skipping over a lot of things. We decided to
go to London and see Beyonce. This is going to
be a time. But we weren't going together, we were
(05:55):
going separately. It just so happens we were going to
the same concert. So I'm like, growl, I'm gonna see
you in London. We're gonna have a good time. We're
gonna have a good time. We're gonna have a good time.
So Jessica gets to London and just is living her
little cue. So like she's dancing, She's meeting all kind
of men. She's like, growl, man, five men last night.
I've met two men. The other night, I'm at this
one man here and this one man there. And you
met one guy who was really sweet to you and
(06:18):
it was a sign of chivalry and we were like
this might be it. Please explain Bachelor number two.
Speaker 5 (06:24):
Bachelor number two, Oh what a wonderful person.
Speaker 6 (06:30):
First of all, let me just say to the black lady,
if you're looking for love, go to London. They love
themselves a black American woman.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
I mean they do.
Speaker 6 (06:39):
You gotta bat them off with It's like a fly swater.
You're like, I can't even go down the block without
somebody find enough on me. I think I might have
to move to London. Well, I think I might have
to move to London just for like two weeks. For
that was that was, That was an experience. But out
of all the gentlemen, I went on several dates in London.
I was only there for like four days.
Speaker 5 (06:59):
Now you did not.
Speaker 6 (07:03):
We've moved on and now we're on to Bachelor number two,
number two. So that so I had several dates in London.
They were amazing. But there was this one guy who
was my knight in shining Armor. He saved me from
a pretty racially charged situation. And the next day check
(07:25):
what was.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
The racially charged situation?
Speaker 6 (07:27):
Oh my gosh, there was this gentleman who decided to
spew racial slurs at me and call me out of
my name walking out of the SOHO house and shortage
and you know, the PG County and me was shocked
and stunned. And when I got outside is when I
confronted him about his disgusting behavior and just had to
(07:49):
let him know, like, don't you ever talk to a
black queen like that again, because I'm not the one,
or the two or the three. So this gentleman came
in between this fewed and told the guy flat out,
like you're disrespectful, you're wrong, and just came to my rescue.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
And I felt wonderful.
Speaker 5 (08:07):
It was wonderful. I felt very valued, I felt appreciated.
Speaker 6 (08:10):
I felt protected because I'm in this country that you know,
by myself. You know, I've only been there once before,
and it was like late at night, and I've never
had somebody like attack me verbally with like with racial undertones,
like really racist undertone. So it was a very vulnerable moment.
And so he invited me out to brunch the next
(08:32):
day just to check on me, make sure I was good.
But this is the day of our concert. So we're
at brunch. We have a really good energy, a good vibe.
He's so sweet to me, so nice, and then he
wanted to spend more time, and I'm like, listen, I
have to get a bottle of ave for Carrie and
ized car ride to the concert because we're having a
party in the car.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
So yeah, we're having an Uber party.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Guys.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
We're driving safely that we are not drinking. I mean,
we're not driving. We're being show heard around by this great,
lovely Uber guy, and we need some champagne. That makes
perfect sense.
Speaker 5 (09:05):
Go ahead, But yes, we don't drink and drive over here.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
Oh no, we don't do that.
Speaker 5 (09:10):
You can't. Life is too important. Don't drink and drive PSA. Okay.
Speaker 6 (09:16):
So he does the nicest things, like I go upstairs
to get dressed in my hotel. He's like, I will
get you a bottle for you and your friend. When
I come down, he has another drink waiting for me,
doing all the things. Met me back in my part
of town after the concept. Remember he spent the night.
No hanky panky, guys, no hanky panky, but he spent
the night.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
You just did an adult You did an adult friendly sleepover,
which people do often exactly.
Speaker 5 (09:40):
Oh no, right, adult.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
And by the way, if you didn't want to do
just an adult friendly sleepover, that's fine too. I mean
you're good and grown, like you pay your bills and
your taxes.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Go ahead.
Speaker 6 (09:53):
So then we went out on a few more dates
after that, because I was there a couple more days,
like a day or two.
Speaker 5 (09:58):
He wanted to see me again, took me to dinner.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
And on my leaf for a second.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
So he's just really into you. I want to make sure.
I mean to keep putting you off, but he's really
into you and he wants to see you. While you
were in London by this time I had left. I
had a quick stay. I was in and out, and
you were in the city and you were being romanced
by this lovely gentleman who was like your night in shining.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
Armor, yes with a great accent.
Speaker 6 (10:18):
And then my last night after dinner, he spent the
night again, no hanky panky. But in the middle of
the night I felt I just get a little restless
at times. So I rolled over and I slowly opened
my eyes, just you know, four in the morning. And
I'm not sure if I saw it, because this is
what I said to you. I think I saw something,
(10:40):
but I don't know if I actually saw the something.
But what I think that I saw that I might
have really seen was him sucking his thumb.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
You see what now? What was he doing?
Speaker 6 (10:55):
So what I said was is that I may have
potentially kind of seen him kind of sucking them and
metal position.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
And I said, no, I close my I see no evil.
Speaker 6 (11:13):
I said no.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Wait wait, you said no, enclose your eyes tight, because
you were hoping it was a fathom of your imagination
agreement rather of your imagine Karry.
Speaker 5 (11:24):
You know, I thought I was dreaming. There's no possible way.
Speaker 6 (11:27):
It wasn't possible, but no, because I closed my eyes
just really quickly, like Lord, I'm not doing this. Why
you got jokes up there? You got some jokes upstairs
by the god.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
From February fourteenth.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
I know people ask you about this often, fresh fresh
into the pandemic from Valentine's to day, you married yourself
for your music video The Truth.
Speaker 4 (11:56):
Why did you do that?
Speaker 3 (11:57):
That's an art for you, your express yourself. But that's
a beautiful, a beautiful proclamation. What made you make that
the video?
Speaker 5 (12:07):
Well?
Speaker 7 (12:08):
I think there's this narrative and a lot of questions
that have come about in my career, especially.
Speaker 5 (12:16):
In my later career. Why are you not married?
Speaker 7 (12:19):
Why do you not have kids? How come no one
has wiped you up? You know, there's been many proposals, etc.
But when my convey was a different message and also
a real message for me because of this fixation on
marriage for women and men an age for me especially
(12:45):
and what that feels like. Not all women can have children,
not all women want children, not all men want children
or want to be married, and that's okay. Everyone's lives
are different. But marrying myself was a physical ceremony. It
was in the music video, and I think what happened
(13:07):
in the press with just one picture and the fixation.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
Was shown.
Speaker 7 (13:14):
So why are people fixated on this idea? Because that's
how we were raised in this particular society, that you're
not an honest woman. Oh you must be a liar
if you're not married, or some man who has not
swept you up with your feet. From the early movies
that we see, animated movies where we have to give
up a gift or a part of ourselves to live
(13:36):
this happily ever life, I think not. So what is
it about this that is not resonating with me?
Speaker 5 (13:48):
Is the question?
Speaker 7 (13:49):
So in a spiritual journey, and I'm always on one,
it was about getting to the core of who Maya
is and self love and committing to myself, and what
does that look like is the question. You can't obviously
think you're going to attract anything good for you if
(14:10):
you're not together. So this was about self work, self realization,
self love, self boundaries, and it had nothing to do
with anyone else. And so what that means is putting
in well, taking in and taking on positive energy from
(14:33):
what I tune into, what I'm putting into my body, sleep,
recharging as I exert myself in my life or a career,
making sure that my cough is full as a provider,
and making sure that I also learn how to say
(14:55):
no in certain circumstances as a giver. That's what that
spiritual marriage was about. Physically, it was conveyed with a
wedding dress with the people understand most in this society
in particular, But that was also a song that I
wrote with that concept in mind, speaking to yourself highly
(15:18):
with positive words, so that you choose you in times
where the world might want be choosing you and you
may not feel worthy, or you're questioning how come because
everyone else is questioning you how come? It starts with
It literally starts with you, and everything else branches out
(15:40):
just like a tree. So what you put into you,
you receive back from the world. And so this is
also confrontation with myself. No excuses, get it together. And
that's what, in a nutshell, a spiritual marriage looks like.
And it shows up eventually physically and areas of your
(16:01):
life financially, mentally, emotionally, professionally, and now.
Speaker 5 (16:08):
People are asking me what my secret is.
Speaker 7 (16:10):
My secret literally is marrying myself spiritually and committing to
myself in all areas of my life where maybe I
was lacking, putting the love back and that's beautiful. Yeah,
and then that allows you to gives back to the
world and fulfill your purpose.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
Yes, that's beautiful.
Speaker 5 (16:32):
Yeah, but people don't get that that is, so you're conceded.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
Why did you yeah? Yeah, no, yeah, no, that's not
what that.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
I understood that there was a message there, but you
explaining that made me think, like, why do we have
to adhere to what society says? If you can really
be comfortable in your own skin knowing that's what you did,
that that that translates in a lot of different ways.
And that's what I was going back to. You're very comfortable.
This is what you've decided to do, and it's work.
We always have to do the work. All of us
(17:05):
every day have to do the work. And I think
that message resonates with women such as myself single. You
know what I mean, I'm not married, I don't have kids.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
What's wrong with you? And you're like nothing. I'm perfectly fine,
actually perfectly fine.
Speaker 7 (17:21):
Everyone's life is not supposed to look the same, so
it's not supposed to look the same. Yeah, I embrace adversity.
I embrace the place of love that sometimes criticism or
we can take as criticism comes from because maybe there
is a beautiful experience that other people want you to share.
(17:41):
And so correcting my thoughts as well as I intake
so many opinions of the world regardless of the topic.
That's self correction and self assessment, which is also a
part of that self love journey. Not beating up yourself
or or I would say, being absorbed by the negative
city that our thoughts can immediately go too.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
You know what that music means.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
It means we have to pay some bills, but fast
forward because we're doing the best of our year in review,
if you will, of naked back in the moment.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Every champion and Cary Champion is to be a champion
out a champion and carried Chappion, and Carrie chap Yat
a champion and carried Chappion and carried Shepy prad is
Sports and entertainment can naked word. Every champion and Carrie
chappion is to be a champion. A champion and carried chappion.
(18:35):
They shot a champion and carried chapion and carried Shepy Entertainment.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
Nick, you were hey, y'all, we're back. This is again
our year in review of Naked.
Speaker 4 (18:45):
This is act two.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
If you are paying attention, this is the pursuit of
success from the purview of two.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
Very well known comedians. Hope you enjoy it. Well, why
did you want to just stay there and then day?
Speaker 8 (19:00):
Why did you want to quot unquote do it here
in the States Because I'd hit a glass ceiling as
a black comedian in England, I'd hit a glass ceiling
and he made I got to a certain level of
fame and fourteen and I was coming out with white
comedians who were very similar to me talent, and they
were where I was selling theaters based on my own
(19:22):
hard work. You know, I could sell out a two
thousand seat theater. Perhaps my white peers were able to
do seventeen thousand seater stadiums because they were given a
lot more opportunities to be on TV. I'd always be
the guest on someone else's TV, but I could never
get on someone else's TV show, But I could never
(19:44):
get my own TV show as a black woman, whereas
my white peers who I came up with were all
getting their own TV shows, which then led to them
being exposed to a much larger audience, which meant they
can go and do these massive tours. And I was
never going to get to that because the TV industry
in England is run by old white men who only
(20:04):
give TV shows to other white men. So I'd hit
a glass ceiling. And for me, as a child living
in England, I'd always known when from the age of four,
I knew that England was not where I was supposed
to be. I was supposed to be in America. From childhood,
I thought American kids had a better life. You know,
every TV show I saw was American kids running each
(20:24):
to hang out with their friends on the beach and
riding bikes around town solving crimes.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
So I always.
Speaker 8 (20:33):
That the kids in America had a much better life.
So from childhood I wanted to be in America. Even
when I worked as an engineer, I worked for Otis,
which was an American company, because my plan was to
transfer and become an engineer in America. Always My plan
(20:53):
had always been to come to America from the age
of four. So then when I started doing comedy, I
was like, well, America's the whole of comedy, So one
day I'm going to go to America and do comedy.
So even when I started out, even when I was
doing really well in England, i'd fly out to America
every year and just go to comedy clubs and just
go up and do my stuff, just to see if
(21:14):
my stuff traveled.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
So I knew I could perform in America long before
I moved here.
Speaker 8 (21:20):
Because I was out here coming out on vacations, getting
in New York, going to Miami, just going up at
comedy clubs and going I'm a comedian from England. Let
me go up and do five minutes. You don't even
have to pay me, and I just go up and
do five minutes. So I always knew, and I knew
that I and when I hit that glass ceiling in England,
that was even more you know, of an incentive for
(21:42):
me to get the hell.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Out, Yeah, to do what you are.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
So you it's interesting you knew I feel like Hollywood
is running by white men, but you yea, you there is,
but there is more of an opportunity for you to
thrive than there is one in the UK.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (21:59):
I always say that I hit the glass ceiling in
the UK, and I was probably making at that point
one hundred and fifty grand a year.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
Uh huh.
Speaker 8 (22:06):
But when you hit the glass heel, the glass ceiling
for black performers in America is much higher than the
one in the U.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 8 (22:16):
Do you want to play hit the glass ceiling in America?
I can hit the glass ceiling as a millionaire. Uh huh.
Speaker 4 (22:23):
You know you're right, you're right, you know you're right.
You're me.
Speaker 8 (22:25):
I was I'd go to America and hit that glass
ceiling because I'll be a millionaire when I hit it,
and I can cry in my money.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
Yeah it's so.
Speaker 4 (22:35):
Awful air, but I've got my money.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
So then you you come here, you get on the
circuit eight seventy five something I'll never ever forget at
the robbery, and but it is.
Speaker 4 (22:47):
I do I know the scene.
Speaker 5 (22:48):
I'm very familiar with how people are, like, this is
the societ.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
You're going to make it. You start working. How long
does it take you in terms of years, five years,
six years? When you where you find it to a
point where you are moving comfortably and not making eight
to seventy five a show.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
After I moved to New York.
Speaker 8 (23:09):
So I was in LA for seven years, and then
in those seven years, every year I'd fly to New
York and just ingratiate myself with all the comedy clubs
in New York. So I got into the Seller, I
got into the Gotham Comedy Club, and I just started
getting and that I do like two or three weeks
in New York, and the comedy clubs in New York
(23:32):
paid decently, not as much as they paid in England,
but you could do a bunch of sets around New York.
Get one hundred and twenty dollars here, one hundred here,
eighty dollars here, So over a weekend, you could make
a thousand to twelve hundred to fifteen hundred dollars over
a weekend just doing sets all over New York, just
(23:52):
running around New York doing different comedy clubs, because they
paid anywhere between fifty and one hundred and thirty dollars
for a set.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Some clubs even paid two.
Speaker 8 (24:02):
Hundred dollars a set. So I was like, Oh, the
comedy clubs in New York it's it's merit based. It's
not based on who your agent, though is because in
LA so I couldn't get on it a lot of
the comedy clubs in LA because I didn't have a
big name agent who could make a call and get
me on stage there, whereas in comedy in New York,
the comedy clubs it.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Was more merit based. If you're good, you got booked.
So I'd go. When I was living in LA, I
fly to New York every year and.
Speaker 8 (24:30):
I'd come back to LA with my pockets full of
that HM and I was like, Oh, if I go
to New York, I can actually make.
Speaker 9 (24:42):
Somewhat.
Speaker 8 (24:42):
I've been living in New York while I'm waiting for
the big break. So I left LA after seven years.
I'm like, I'm going to New York because I want
to do comedy. I don't want to I don't want
to go for auditions. I can't do an American accent.
I don't want to play centre on Young Sheldon.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
I want to be.
Speaker 8 (25:03):
I didn't want that. So I was like a lot
of my agents kept sending me auditions and I was like,
I don't want that. I'm not going to turn up
for this audition. You know, I'm not going to learn
an American accent so I can be the fucking's the sassy.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
Or you know, yeah exactly. I know, we just need
some diversity in this episode, so I'll put in the
like security.
Speaker 8 (25:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
So I.
Speaker 8 (25:33):
Refused to go for those auditions. So I was like,
I'm going to go to New York and do comedy
there and and I'm just going to do comedy and
then from there I will try and get booked comedy
clubs about the country and just try to make a living.
So I moved to New York, and in between my
on the road gigs where I'd go to comedy club
(25:54):
and whatever Philadelphia and do a weekend at a comedy club,
I'd be able to work in the city so I
didn't have to go to London so often to do
the bank rates because I could work and earn my
rent money doing comedy clubs in New York. And then
from then I started to get booked for you know,
I I booked my first I made. I started making
(26:17):
my own specials. So I was trying to get stand
up specials on show Time and Netflix and and nobody
would give me a special.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
So I was like, well, then fuck you guys. I'm
gonna make my own special.
Speaker 8 (26:28):
So my first special I made in London in two
thousand and eight, went to London, sold out a two
thousand seater theater, booked my own camera crew, my own director,
and shot my own specials.
Speaker 4 (26:44):
How did you start in comedy? What was the genesis
of that for you?
Speaker 9 (26:48):
My friend Howard, who grew up with Okay, hey, hoaric
he out there? If he't out there, then you can.
You can talk to Monique or Bshila or Cartoon Harvey
or Lea Monique again. He got a lot of brothers, sisters,
but he's the one told me, you know, you stupid,
you stupid man. You don't even know you could be
(27:10):
in Hollywood right now doing movies and all that, and
you're happy to be an assistant chef at Ramata in Virginia.
He's like, come on, man, you're crazy. So he he
made me go down to the worst strip club in DC,
the Penthouse, and there was a mic available where the
guy said he going to you on the stage. So
I went there. I stood there for a while. The
(27:33):
guy turned to me and said all right, you go ahead.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
On.
Speaker 9 (27:35):
I turned to Howard, I was like, well, what do
you want me to say? Howard said, I don't care
what you say, just say something. And from the first
thing I said, people laughed. And within a year I
was in I was in Hollywood. Now I'm talking to you.
It happened.
Speaker 4 (27:55):
Wow wow wow.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
So wait, you were a chef at the Ramatta in Virginia.
Howard said, you wasting your time. Let's go to the
strip club his open mic. You go, you don't know
what to say. First thing you say, they start laughing.
And then at that moment it just clicked, like this
is what you were going to do for your life.
Speaker 9 (28:11):
It had been there the whole time. Assistant chef.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Okay, I'm sorry, hey guys, sorry, yea, yeah, yeah, but
I was qualified because I was working working as a
prep cook since I was fifteen.
Speaker 9 (28:24):
So the chef knew me. So when he got the
big job, he took me with him because you know,
I knew what to do.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
So wait, tell me more. I'll go back to the chef.
The assistant chef gig in a second. So then you
do this at the Penthouse. You everyone loves you. Do
you just start performing there every night. Do you start
finding local clubs to go up and do open mic
in the neighborhood in the DMV area. What happens next?
Speaker 9 (28:46):
It was it was an avalanche. It was an avalanche.
You remember Mason, Mason Buffy had to join Bob.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Yeah, Bob.
Speaker 9 (29:00):
Up, what's you think about comedy.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
Here?
Speaker 9 (29:05):
And so I went so so it was like it
was like I ended up doing talent shows. I ended
up doing concerts, opening concerts, and I just it just
started rolling and rolling. As a matter of fact, there
was a television show that preceded Deaf Jam and all
of them. The first one was here at Howard University.
(29:27):
M y oh yeah, oh yeah yeah. And that was
the first. You know, Andy Evans was a brilliant guy
who said we should have a TV show just with
black comics. That was the first time, and so I
came from that since trifty. The first time I went
to a comedy club for open night, I mean open
(29:49):
mic night, I met Martin and Dave Chappelle. That's how
we met. You see, to two other small names. They
came out of DC.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
What kind of names. Yeah, I think I've heard of them.
I read that you lived in the same neighborhood as Dave.
Is that true or you guys kind of grew up
around you.
Speaker 4 (30:07):
One to know.
Speaker 9 (30:08):
I lived in Silver Spring on sixtheh in East West Highway.
He lived a little further up, So yeah, he lived.
He lived. He didn't live in my neighborhood. He lived
near it. Okay, So so where he lived, everybody went
to play basketball, you know. So he basically isn't from
my neighborhood, but he from around the way.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Can you point to one single moment, whether it be
a show, a comedy show, a TV show, a movie,
something that really defined your career and established you as
a comedian, a premier comedian.
Speaker 4 (30:44):
A part of that that og cast of greats.
Speaker 9 (30:49):
I think was the night that I went on in
the main room at the Comedy Store, which was the
real deal, and I got put on the show with
Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor, and I was thinking I
was the host, and then he told me, no, you're
on the show with him. You all do it half
an hour each and you're You're a sandwich between the
two of them for four shows.
Speaker 4 (31:11):
So amazing.
Speaker 9 (31:14):
So I turned I turned it out. I turned up
y'all say turned up right?
Speaker 4 (31:19):
Yeah, yeah, the kids still say that, how amazing.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
Listen to look at you still say that the main
room you're talking about here in La right, and you
were sandwiched between Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy.
Speaker 9 (31:33):
Yeah yeah, I was doing that well in all the
other rooms. So it's my turn to get in the
big room.
Speaker 5 (31:39):
And I did.
Speaker 9 (31:40):
I didn't disappoint. I was like I was. I looked
like Michael Vickan his first season to watch out.
Speaker 4 (31:48):
They could catch you.
Speaker 9 (31:49):
They can't catch you.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Uh that's exciting.
Speaker 9 (31:54):
Yeah, yeah, life. No, I wasn't because I had gone
from having two little cars and a job to take
in the bus. I ain't never I didn't think you
just go cast me on the bus for the rest
of my life, you know. I usually we used to
do laundrying, go get groceries on the bus. Are you crazy?
(32:15):
So so here I am catching the bus, you know,
Mexican's with cowboy ats on. Somebody got to fight dide
to the front of the Dad Gold bus or whatever.
And I'm like at a bus stop. From all that,
from being at a bus stop, you know, and and
and working at working at Deli's and making ends meet
and staying out all night every night doing comedy. And
(32:37):
I was about to go home because it was just
like too much. I had a job. I go back
to DC do my thing, and then I did that show.
I remember my mother sent me a letter in the
mail before that show, the week before that show, and
it was one of those big legal on the legal
yellow legal paper, you know, long ones, and she wrote
(32:59):
it little magic marker. She left for twenty dollar bills.
She said, I know you need that, and don't leave, baby,
I love you, yep, yep, yep. And I didn't go,
and man, that happened. So I called her and I said,
guess what happened? Because Richard Pryor for the show, found
me in the little room I was in and he
(33:22):
looked up and down like I was in a strange animal.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
He went.
Speaker 9 (33:26):
He was a funny mother and walked away and was
like yeah. And I called my mother and I told
the what happened. She said, I told you not to leave.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
Hey, everybody, So I appreciate you. Happy New Year if
you're listening at the New Year, Happy before New Year
and this Happy Year period. Thank you for paying attention
all season long. And really being loyal. One of my
highlights of the year, which I bought something amazing that happened.
One of the highlights of the year was that I
went to Paris in November. And I don't know if
(33:58):
I really really shared this with you all, but I
went with a good group of my girlfriends. We do
this trip every year where we did pick a place
and we go and we love it. We normally go
on the sun but this year we got a little
cold and we went to Paris and we went to
support Don Staley and her basketball team. That was the
first time that a women's program on the collegiate level
(34:19):
was able to travel overseas and host it and be
the main attraction. And they were playing against Notre Dame.
And I always thought to myself, these teams are so amazing.
I'm so excited. I love what's happening with these coaches,
more specifically these black women.
Speaker 4 (34:35):
But while I was there, this is what the key was.
Speaker 3 (34:38):
While I was there, a young lady walks up to
me in this crowded gym in Paris, and she doesn't say, Hey, Carrie,
I really love you from ESPN. She doesn't say, hey, Carrie,
I've seen you on your Vice show that you have
with your bestie. Hey Carrie, I know you from sports.
(35:01):
None of those things, you know, came out of her mouth.
What she said was, oh my god, hey Carrie from Naked.
I love the podcast. I listened to it every week.
Speaker 5 (35:12):
What what I was like?
Speaker 4 (35:14):
Who is she talking to? And it was really.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
Special because in this crowdy gym that had hundreds of people,
was pretty crowded, and I was with a bunch of
luminaries myself. She recognized me for what the work we
do here is and for me, that was one of
the highlights of the year. The other highlight that I'll
give you. I didn't talk to many of you about this,
but our girl Jessica, what did she decide to do?
She decided just to be single. She's like, I'm all set,
(35:41):
I'm just gonna take this year off. She was like,
I am all set.
Speaker 4 (35:52):
I do not want to do it. I refuse to
do it. So there you have it.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
I appreciate her essentially saying I'm a focus on me.
If it happens, it happens. But I'm tired of talking
about men. I'm tired of that being my focus. Love
will find me, so that was wonderful. And then as
far as everything else, well, it's still true. I want you,
really truly to just take the time and write down
all the amazing things that you've done. Thank you for
(36:18):
listening to Naked. Let's hope that we have an amazing
twenty twenty four and here's to just maybe keeping resolutions,
but more importantly enjoying what we've already accomplished.
Speaker 4 (36:28):
Talk to you guys in a week or so.
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