October 14, 2025 • 34 mins
Smoke-filled sets, long quiet drives, and the stubborn joy of getting the joke right—this conversation with comedian and writer Ed Phillips digs into the parts of comedy most people skip. We start with the real: improv roots at a Virginia Beach Cinema Cafe, the three-month wait to get a shot, and how those early reps shaped his timing, listening, and confidence on stage. From there, Ed explains how sketch sharpened his structure and why his best stand-up sticks close to lived moments—like a Blue Ridge camping trip that became a vivid bit about fear, friendship, and a maybe-bear.
We talk craft without fluff. Ed breaks down how he studies specials and sets across HBO, YouTube, Hulu, and beyond, pulling lessons on economy, escalation, and callbacks from comics like Sinbad, Mitch Hedberg, Josh Johnson, and Ramy Youssef. Mentorship takes center stage too. Honest notes from veterans like Mike East Mill cut years off the learning curve: kill weak tags, fix the angle, and don’t post half-cooked material just to feed the algorithm. There’s wisdom in letting a joke live in rooms until it’s ready for the internet.
Then we zoom out to the 757 scene. Producers are building better rooms, comics are pushing past the comfort of hometown applause, and the real growth comes from traveling—testing whether your voice lands outside your zip code. Ed shares wins (hosting at BlurCon with Orlando Jones), losses (that “brave” compliment every comic dreads), and the recovery rituals after smoke-lounge gigs and late nights before a 6 a.m. shift. Through it all, his philosophy stays simple: write honestly, perform widely, learn quickly, and dress sharp because it’s you—not a bit.
If you care about the craft—how jokes are built, how scenes evolve, and how comics keep going after the rough nights—hit play. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves stand-up, and leave a review with the best lesson you learned or the biggest bomb that made you better.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to
another episode of the No IDPodcast.
I have comedian, writer, uh, thecreator of Commonwealth comedy,
Funko Pop enthusiast, originalPower Ranger enthusiasts.
I see the Red Ranger rightthere.
So you definitely was in thegame for a long time.
I met this man back in Januaryduring the Last Word Festival.
(00:22):
We just did a show with eachother about a couple of weeks
ago at the Teller Smoke Loungein Newport News.
He was the sharpest man dressedbetween all of us that night.
I got my comedy brother here,the one and only, Ed Phillips.
What's going on, brother?
SPEAKER_00 (00:36):
Hey, too much, man.
I appreciate you having me on.
I'm excited to be here.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (00:41):
Hey, let's rock out, man.
How's everything been sinceTaylor Smoke?
I know we would talk about it.
SPEAKER_00 (00:48):
Yeah, I'm uh I'm still airing my clothes out
after that one.
It was a good time.
It was a good time.
I I definitely learned a lot,got a lot of uh experience from
the show.
So, you know what?
We're gonna we're gonna track itup as a win.
SPEAKER_01 (01:02):
It is a win because I I I liked the show and I like
the fact that Cletus was askingus about like how we feel about
the show, and he was like, oh,we can work on this, we can work
on it.
That's that's one of the thingsthat I uh appreciate about you
know the comedians, the vetsthat's been in it for the
longest, and just say, man, I'mgonna reach out to the young
(01:23):
bloods.
Cause me and you was like, we'relike babies compared.
Like two babies up there tryingto hold our own, trying to fight
for our life.
I was laughing because when Iwalked in there, I said, Yep,
I'm about to stink for the restof the night.
SPEAKER_00 (01:45):
I was, you know, it wasn't at the beginning, it
wasn't uh it wasn't that smoky.
And I was like, I might be ableto I might be able to wear this
stuff tomorrow.
And like by the time I wasleaving, I was like, I don't
know.
I might have to go back toTarget on this one.
SPEAKER_01 (01:59):
I think in the back, it was like that that group of
guys, man, they just startedchange smoke.
I was like, oh yeah, I'm aboutto die.
SPEAKER_00 (02:05):
So yeah, their first time out there, I think they
said, so they were they weredoing everything.
SPEAKER_01 (02:10):
It was a fun experience, man.
So tell me, man, how how did youget into comedy, man?
How how did that start?
SPEAKER_00 (02:16):
Um, yeah, so I I've been uh performing since like
2015.
Got I've always like beeninterested in comedy, but I
really got started in improv.
Uh I don't know what I don'tknow what part uh of the state
you're in, or if you want to saythat because you know people on
the internet crazy.
(02:38):
Okay.
Oh yeah, me too.
All right, yeah.
Um but yeah, it was a um CinemaCafe in Virginia Beach, and they
used to do a weekly improv show.
And when I was in college, Iused to go and watch the show,
and the the guy who ran it, um,you know, just to say, like,
hey, if you want to try it, cometalk to me afterwards.
So I probably I watched the showfor like maybe a year, like a
(02:59):
year and a half before I hit himup, and I'll never forget,
because it was like October, itwas like right before Halloween.
I went up and I was like,Alright, I'm ready to try it.
Put me on.
And he said, Okay, he did nottext me for three months.
And the whole time I was like,Alright, yeah, I guess that's
(03:21):
just it.
I guess I just don't do it.
But yeah, he uh he gave me ashot in like January of the next
year.
Uh and then kind of just wentfrom there.
I was doing an improv, and thenuh pretty soon after that I got
into stand-up, and then rightaround the same time started
doing sketch comedy.
Just yeah.
Kind of went from there, man.
SPEAKER_01 (03:40):
I got you.
So who were some of you likeinfluencers like while doing
comedy?
Because you got a variety fromimprov to stand-up to sketch.
Like who that's a that's a lanethat you only really see like
folks like D Milliton or PhilipWilson go into that I've that I
can remember.
So like who was like that thatinfluenced you to do it?
SPEAKER_00 (03:59):
I think if I'm if I'm going back to like the like
my very first like comedyinfluence, that's probably
Sinbad.
Because like me and me and mydad, so my dad, his friend uh
Troy, who used to work with him,he gave him a uh a VHS bootleg
of Sinbad's uh Afros and BellBottoms, and he brought that
(04:23):
home from work, and I watchedthat with him, and from that
point on, I was like, oh, comthis comedy is dope.
Like, I like this.
So, you know, really from there,like I kind of couldn't get
enough of it.
So it was like I watched a lotof people.
I mean, you know, I knowChappelle is here and there in
the modern day, but definitelyat the time that I was getting
into it, um, I did like him.
(04:45):
Uh definitely liked Sinbad.
I liked Man, what's his name?
Mitch Headburg.
He was just weird.
Like Mitch Headburg was just hewas weird and he was like still
funny and he was somethingdifferent.
So like I liked him a lot too.
Um but I think a lot of my morelike modern influences, um, oh
(05:05):
and and then also I guess likeback in the day I did like Whose
Line Is It Anyway, because thatwas really the only like unless
you were going to see a liveimprov show, Whose Line was
really the only way you wereseeing improv.
Yeah, a lot of my moderninfluences, I like um I like
Josh Johnson, I like Rami Yusuf,uh Ben Schwartz and Thomas
(05:27):
Middle Ditch.
Like they did the Middle Ditchand sports on Netflix, uh the
improv thing, and that waspretty cool.
Yeah, I mean it's just uh it's alot of influences, man.
It's a lot of a lot of peoplethat you can learn from.
SPEAKER_01 (05:40):
I like it.
You got a mixture, man.
You went from whose line anywayto Mitch.
Mitch.
Mitch will go up there and belike, yeah, uh the L the
escalator's broke.
There's no such thing as abroken escalator because it's
just steps.
SPEAKER_00 (05:54):
Yeah, exactly.
I think that's the thing, isit's like I I I like his
perspective of like, it's justuh yeah, it's just funny.
It's like like you said, likeit's like how's escalator,
broke?
You still use it, you still gowhere you need to go.
SPEAKER_01 (06:06):
Still can walk up the steps.
That's dope, man.
Your first comedy show you didhe took you three months to get
a text back.
SPEAKER_00 (06:16):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (06:17):
Was there a time, and I'm being honest, was there
a time that you thought aboutlike actually leaving comedy?
I'm like, you know what, thisthis ain't it.
Because I think about quittingall the time.
I'm not gonna lie to you.
SPEAKER_00 (06:30):
I was gonna say, honestly, it it is one of those
things where like when I'm inthe like the creative process,
that is the most fun piece of itto me.
Like when I'm sitting down andI'm writing and I'm working out
a new idea, that is the timewhere I'm like, I can do this
forever.
And then, yeah, sometimes youhave a show and you're like,
(06:51):
maybe I'm done.
Maybe I don't do this anymore.
You're driving home, you'relike, maybe, yeah, I don't know.
Yeah, maybe it's time to hang itup.
SPEAKER_01 (06:57):
That long ride home with no music on.
You're like, yeah, I'm gonna gohome.
I don't think I'm gonna do thistomorrow.
SPEAKER_00 (07:04):
I remember I one time I did a show in Petersburg,
which is like about four hoursfrom here, and it did not go
well.
And yeah, that whole ride back,I was like, you know what, man?
I just drove eight hours toBong.
Like, I don't know.
Maybe this isn't it, maybe thisisn't for me, maybe I'm done,
but I always uh I always end upcoming back to it.
SPEAKER_01 (07:26):
Yeah, man.
I think I drove to Petersburgone time, did my cuzzo show,
drove four hours to get there.
I get up there, I was supposedto do 10 minutes.
All I can remember is a goodfive to seven minutes of it.
Bomb to I'm like, no.
They was like, you gonna take apicture?
I said, No, I'm I'm gonna gohome.
(07:49):
I'm gonna go home.
I don't want to be here no more.
SPEAKER_00 (07:52):
Yeah, y'all don't need to know I was here.
That's okay.
That's okay.
I'm gonna hit out.
SPEAKER_01 (07:56):
You get that one encouraging person, you'd be
like, asshole.
You'd be like, yeah, man, youdid good, man.
You was good.
It's like, no, I wasn't.
Don't lie to me, bro.
SPEAKER_00 (08:03):
I man, I remember I did a show in Richmond one time,
and somebody came up to me afterthe show, and they were like,
hey man, I just want to let youknow that was really brave.
I was like, you know, get awayfrom me right now.
Don't tell me, don't tell methat was brave.
That's the worst thing I canhear.
I'm brave.
It's like, wow, you went upthere with that material?
(08:24):
That's brave.
That's brave.
SPEAKER_01 (08:27):
Damn.
That was brave.
I think I got uh you were socute up there.
I'm like, shut up, shut up, shutup.
I'm waiting for my Uber.
Shut up.
Shut up.
I got a mentor.
I sent him my video.
He was like, you did alright.
It wasn't your best.
(08:48):
I was like, duh.
Like, I know how bad it was.
SPEAKER_00 (08:51):
So yeah, I you know, I'm glad you said that too,
because like that's something Ifeel is is really necessary in
comedy.
It's like you gotta have amentor, like a person that you
can really like bounce off of,and also that they're just gonna
be real with you.
Like, because it's hard, it'shard to find that.
Because it's like nobody wantsto hurt anybody's feelings.
(09:12):
Um, but at the same time, I dowant my feelings hurt because I
don't want to be bad.
I would rather have my feelingshurt than keep doing something
that's bad.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (09:23):
It's great.
Do you have a mentor currently?
SPEAKER_00 (09:25):
Or yeah, I think the if I if I'm looking at like the
one guy that has really helpedme the most in comedy, that's
probably my friend Mike EastMill.
He's been performing for a longtime.
Like he gets up to like NewYork, and like every once in a
while he can go out of thecountry and do something.
But like he is the person wholike I really, really value his
(09:46):
feedback and what he says.
Like when I was like starting torun rooms and stuff, he was
right there with me, likesaying, All right, yeah, this
sounds good, all right.
You know, that doesn't soundgood, but at the same time, like
he's not there to just hold yourhand, like he's there to help
grow.
So, like, that's the thing Ireally appreciate about Mike.
It's like he's there to help yougrow, and also he'll keep it
(10:08):
real.
Like, if you if I message himand I'm like, hey, I'm working
on this new bit, I don't thinkthat's it.
SPEAKER_01 (10:14):
My mentor is James Cooper from the venue on 35th
Street.
Okay, yeah, same thing.
I go in there on Thursdays,like, alright, I know what's
about to happen.
And he'd be like, You did good,could have been better.
One day, I know I'm doing good.
He'd be like, get your ass offmy stage.
That's when I know my set andhit.
(10:34):
I can take it out, I can tour itaround and everything like that.
So I know I'll be straight.
SPEAKER_00 (10:40):
Okay.
SPEAKER_01 (10:40):
What's like like your material, man?
You was breaking down that's mydog, my dog.
That's your dog.
Okay.
I'm like, I know I ain't gotnobody in the house right now.
SPEAKER_00 (10:50):
So it's about to be a foul footage podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (10:53):
Boy, this is some paranormal activity.
I'm gonna I love you, but I'mI'm getting off this thing
quick.
Your material, brother.
You had a joke about a camping,a bear?
You went camping, brother, forreal?
SPEAKER_00 (11:09):
Yeah, I did.
I did go camping.
Dog ain't barked all damn day.
Truly just been on the phone onthe couch sleeping for like two
hours and I ain't gonna getactive.
But uh, I did, you know, I likeuh I have a lot I have a lot of
friends, I have a lot of likefriend groups also.
So like I got like my comedyfriends, I've got like kind of
(11:32):
my college friends, um, like mymore like modern friend group.
So it's like uh a lot of friendgroups, but they don't really
overlap a whole lot.
So it's like if you see me likehanging out after a show, he'd
be like camping, but uh of oflike a lot of different friend
groups.
But yeah, I um it was for Ithink it was for my friend
(11:52):
Kendall's birthday, is whathappened.
And uh it was for my friendKendall's birthday, and yeah, we
went up to the Blue RidgeMountains, and that was just
like it's one of those thingswhere it's like was I if I was
picking the birthday activities,it's never what I would pick.
But also I try to be an involvedfriend when I can be.
So yeah, I was like, yeah, I'llgo camping without this.
(12:14):
I can do that.
It's only two and a half days, Ican make it work.
But yeah, that was really wherethe like that a lot of that joke
came from.
And it was like uh a lot of thatis pulled from that camping
trip.
But it's like it's like a mix oflike the stuff that happened
while we were up there and alsojust like the thoughts that I
was having surrounding theentire thing.
(12:37):
So, like, whenever I'm writing,like I love when I can do
something like that, or like Ican really pull like a real
experience and kind of likestretch it out and extrapolate
on it and just like really putthe audience in my head as like
to how I was interpretingeverything that was happening.
SPEAKER_01 (12:53):
That's what I like, man.
Because you you gave the real onthe two, I think two times I've
seen you perform.
Well, it's only been two times,to be honest with you.
It was last word and the smokelounge.
Because you see, like you hearlike a lot of comedians go up
there and just start, as theyoung folks say, cap a lot.
And I'm like, this isn'tbelievable to me.
(13:14):
I don't believe it.
I looked at Ed, he was talkingabout camping.
I said, he started going moreand more in detail.
I'm like, oh, this man has beencamping.
You know what I mean?
He did he's not camping.
I'm like, because I was sittingthere, you know, I'm awkward
when I'm after a show or duringa show.
Like, I'm just staring off inthe space, listening.
And I'm like, I was like, he'sbold to tell this joke about him
(13:36):
camping.
Because I'm like, I didn't know.
You know, we don't we don'tcamp.
We saw Friday the 13th, werefuse to go in the woods now,
you know what I mean?
So I really appreciate that whenit comes to your material.
So a lot of your material isjust real life stuff, just
flipping into like aperspective, right?
SPEAKER_00 (13:53):
Yeah, I like I really I try to use the like
what actually happened as thebase of the material.
And like, no shade to likepeople who just like to, you
know, to make up a situation orwhatever.
Like that's cool too.
Um I definitely have like jokeslike that, but my favorite thing
to do is really just pull thatreal world thing and like take
(14:17):
you through what I wasexperiencing, how I was feeling
while that was happening, andeverything.
Because I feel like that is it'sit's fun for me, honestly, um,
to write that, but I feel likeit's also more relatable to to
really like put you in what washappening rather than like just
making something not.
Because I mean, like I said, Ido sketch comedy also, so like
(14:38):
definitely can make stuff up,but that's what is the most fun
to mean.
SPEAKER_01 (14:43):
It is, it is, it definitely is that realism
comedy.
So I think that's what a lot ofpeople miss on, and I might be
going veering off.
I think a lot of people try andgo to that, like, well, let's
try and do a kill Tony Joe Rogantype thing, which is no shot at
them, but do it your lame.
But I be watching it and I'll belike, yo, this I don't know, I
(15:03):
don't know, I don't know.
You don't even seem edgy.
You seem you, you know, you gotthat clean attire, like you was
like a like anybody know Ed camein fresh to death.
And I've never seen this manwithout a fresh outfit.
Hell, his shirt is fresh rightnow.
That's that that is that's theGambino.
See what I mean?
Like it's he has that likeDonald Glover kind of appeal to
(15:25):
him.
You could just tell Ed it comesfrom a real place.
Seriousness, and his dog justloves the hell out of him.
SPEAKER_00 (15:32):
He doesn't like when people walk around outside.
Uh he's very very protective,very protective dog, but also
very scared too.
So, like, if someone everactually did break in, I think
he would run away.
SPEAKER_01 (15:44):
I want a dog, but I don't have to but it's a lot of
dogs, hmm?
Have you ever like travel?
Well, you told me about thePetersburg.
So as far as like traveling andstuff, because you guys got a
lot of sketch improv festivalsout there, a lot of stand-up
comedy you know festivals outthere.
Have you already started tappingin?
(16:04):
Because like I said, we met atlast.
That's Williamsburg, that's anhour away from us, two hours at
the most.
Have you done any big festivalsor shows outside of the the
Virginia area yet?
SPEAKER_00 (16:14):
Or I'll get booked to do something every once in a
while.
Like I I did the um I did acomedy show at BlurCon, and that
was the year that Orlando Joneswas there.
So that was pretty cool.
I got to like host for him andintro him and everything, and
like that was uh that was a funtime.
But yeah, most stuff I I kind ofstay within like so of Norfolk
(16:38):
now.
Just because like my life isdifferent and I'm older, so it's
harder to uh it's harder to getfarther away.
But I do still like apply tofestivals.
Um I think we my comedy group,we got into festival, but it was
in Chicago, it was not that longago, but we got into that.
We had a group that went upthere for that, but my schedule
(16:59):
did not permit it, so I didn'tget to go over to that.
But yeah, I'm always looking forlike uh festivals or like
opportunities to kind of get outof the area because I feel like
that's really the the true testof the material.
Because if you're like reallylocked into one area, you kind
of only learn how to work acertain a certain number of
rooms or a certain group ofpeople, and it's not good for
your comedy growth.
(17:19):
So, like the the more audiencesand the more places that you can
get in front of, that's what'sgonna be the most beneficial for
you.
SPEAKER_01 (17:26):
That's true.
I feel like some of us get likecomplacent on trying to be the
big dog of the the Hampton Rosecomedy and be like, Well, I'm
getting bought here, I'm gettingbooked here, you know.
I'm like, well, go outside.
Like, it's nothing like goingoutside of your home state and
doing a show and doing good, andit's nothing like going outside
(17:46):
of your home state and bombing.
SPEAKER_00 (17:48):
Like I said, man, Petersburg only four hours away,
and I like driving back fromthat.
I was like, maybe I should quit.
Maybe I should give it up.
SPEAKER_01 (17:55):
I drove the I ain't I took the train to Connecticut
and did the Mohegan and didComic Roadhouse inside of the
Mohegan Sun for last comicstandard.
They put me on first, they putme on first, and I hate I used
to hate going on first.
I really despised first.
First was like, hell no, I ain'tgoing first.
(18:16):
They put me on first.
unknown (18:18):
First is hard.
SPEAKER_01 (18:19):
I stumbled towards the end and lost to a guy and a
girl.
The girl said that Michael Metswas a sexy ginger, I wish I
could remember her name.
And another guy was over theretalking about doing coke on us
at an amusement park.
I'm like, how did I lose?
And then I looked at myself,like, yeah, that's I lost.
The jokes didn't just, they washitting, and then I just, I
(18:42):
think it was a five-minute set,and I think around like probably
like uh three three minutes in,I was like, Yeah, I'm fucking
this one up.
I'm not playing.
And then I had the nerve.
I had the nerve to pay for thevideo to come.
I was like, I'm gonna post itanyway.
I chopped that damn video up soI can only get like the part
(19:03):
that was so good.
I was like, I got the mostlaughs at, that's the one that's
going online.
And I was like, nah, we good,man.
Rode that train for 12 hoursthere, paid for a hotel, and
rode the train out 12 hoursback.
I spent 24 hours on the trainfor five minutes, and uh about
two minutes of that was bombing.
I was like, this is some bull.
(19:24):
The booker don't even work thereno more because I done reached
out like, yeah, it's been twoyears, man.
I didn't grow.
This is my videos.
I ain't heard nothing from thatbooker, man.
It's like, yeah, he ain't thereno more.
I was like, I can see why heshouldn't have booked me there.
That's the problem.
Man, is there a comedian outthere that you would like to
work out with, work with?
Or like, have you ever beenstarstruck by a comedian that
you work with?
You said Orlando Jones.
(19:45):
That's mad TV, ain't it?
That's yeah, yeah.
Dr.
Lee.
SPEAKER_00 (19:52):
Sit the drum line himself.
Yeah, I don't I don't think I'veever been starstruck by a
comedian.
I've definitely um I mentionedRami Yusuf earlier.
I think he's one I woulddefinitely like to work with.
So I think his like his stand-upis strong, but he's also a very
(20:13):
strong writer.
So those are like I don't know,that's something like he's a
person I would really like towork with.
I used to really be on like SNL,and I would be like, man, if I
get to SNL, that would be thatwould be cool if I get to SNL.
But the more I look, um, it'sjust like they're not really
they're not really checking forpeople like us.
(20:33):
You know, it's like they'll letKeenan do stuff, but a lot of
the other black cast members,they really just kind of
stereotype them.
So I don't know, I don't reallyfeel like that's the I'm also
saying that like they werereviewing my writing packets
anyways.
Um but yeah, I think if if I hadto pick one, it would be uh Rami
Yusuf.
I don't know if you haven't seenhe's got like the the show on
(20:55):
Hulu, he's got like two specialson HBO now.
Uh and then he got like a newanimated show on Amazon Prime
not that long ago.
So like I mean he's doing a lotof stuff, but uh yeah,
definitely it would be them.
SPEAKER_01 (21:08):
I know who Rami is.
I watch a lot of stuff.
I just watched the seasonpremiere of Saturday Night Live.
Cam Patterson was up there, itwas his debut, it was his debut,
and I didn't know how it wasgonna work, but he did the
weekend update with Michael Che.
And I was like, okay, let'slet's see how this works, you
know what I'm saying?
Because for people out there,Saturday Night Live is a show
(21:31):
that I would love to be on as acomedian, uh or even as a
writer.
I would love just to get oneskit.
I don't just one.
And uh a couple of years ago,somebody showed me how to
download the packet, the sendand stuff like that.
I just ain't done it yet.
SPEAKER_00 (21:49):
I'm just bullshitting, but I have uh I
sent a lot of those.
I sent a lot of those in.
I sent a lot of late nightwriters packets in.
Uh I've only sent maybe one ortwo for SNL, but um it's hard.
I mean, because ever that's whateverybody wants to do, you know.
Like that's the it's a lot ofcompetition.
SPEAKER_01 (22:08):
I mean, you see Josh Johnson just killing it on the
Daily Report, and this man is aa genius.
Like, he'll like a sum can dropthe day of his show.
He already got a like a good30-minute set.
SPEAKER_00 (22:20):
I was gonna say, I feel like he puts out like uh an
hour a week sometimes.
Like that's crazy.
SPEAKER_01 (22:25):
Man, I just was watching something of his.
Like, this is the reason why thepodcast started.
We was me and people don't know,me and Ed were supposed to do
this at 2 o'clock today.
I pushed it back.
I got stuck at the gym watchingcomedy.
Like, you know how you be on thetreadmill.
I was on the I was on thestairs, I was watching it, and
then I said, I'm gonna go in thesauna.
I went in the sauna.
I'm like, oh, Cam, I forgetAntonel.
(22:47):
Came on.
I'm like, you know me, I'm notgonna watch the reel.
I'm gonna jump onto Peacock andStar Watchers like, yo, I'm
gonna push this interview backbecause it's 1.30, 140
something.
I'm like, I'm not gonna get homein time to do this interview.
Stuck in the trans, man.
I don't know what it is,brother.
(23:09):
Oh man.
What other like you watch a lotof stand-up clips, I'm guessing
a lot of writing clips.
Do you just use Max, HBO Max, orTulu?
Because I'll tell you the truth,Tubi be having some some hits up
there for people for us.
SPEAKER_00 (23:24):
Yeah, I was gonna say I do Tubius like the home of
black created content becausesometimes for good, sometimes
not so good.
I think because you were talkingabout that and uh Taylor Smoke
Lounge, uh the Grin the Grinchmovie was up there.
SPEAKER_01 (23:40):
And everybody's like, that's a fake movie, dude
was like, nah, it's real.
I watched it, I said, thank you,I'm not the only one.
SPEAKER_00 (23:46):
Yeah.
Um but yeah, to be too be doeshave a lot.
I used to, and this was kind oflike before I don't I it feels
weird to say before people tookcomedy seriously, because it
feels like people kind of alwaystook it seriously, like people
were always interested incomedy, but I used to like catch
a lot of stuff on and I do thinka lot of people will still
(24:12):
upload to YouTube.
Like uh I don't know if you knowPaul Elya, but Paul Ilya just
put his most recent special onYouTube and I I watched that up
there, but yeah, I'll check likeHBO Max, Hulu.
Netflix for a while was doingpretty good with getting a lot
of stand-up content up there,but um like they kind of moved
(24:32):
away from that.
Uh but I know I think it was uhI think Don't Tell has a bunch
of stuff on Hulu right now.
I can't remember where I saw it,but I know they have a bunch of
stuff up there.
And then yeah, I Amazon, I feellike I'm just saying everywhere
that I watch stuff, but I meanit really is.
It's just like wherever it is,that's where I'll go and watch
it.
(24:52):
And sometimes I'm just watchingit to have a good time, and
sometimes I'm studying it, butyeah, uh I feel like you can
never watch enough goodstand-up.
SPEAKER_01 (25:02):
You gotta do like different varieties.
You correct.
You hit it on the money.
Because I watch too beforestand-up, YouTube.
You're right, Netflix has movedaway from comedy and scene, like
I don't know, Mass.
SPEAKER_00 (25:17):
Oh, sorry about that.
SPEAKER_01 (25:19):
You good, brother.
SPEAKER_00 (25:20):
Um, yeah, I was gonna say I I think it was uh I
think it was Netflix when theyhad um Matt Reif up there, they
gave him like two specials.
Um they kind of threw the middlefinger up, but uh I don't know.
I and maybe it's not fair toblame him for that, but I will
say after Matt Reif, it seemslike they are doing less
(25:42):
stand-up comedy uh on Netflix.
But yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (25:46):
No hating on Matt Reif and his journey, but he's
not like one I would probablypay to go see it.
Like, I'll just wait for a clipto come out.
SPEAKER_00 (25:54):
I was, and and that was my thing.
Like, he really he blew up offthat TikTok clip, um, which I
mean I guess is the dream.
But yeah, uh it just didn't likeI I did watch his first special
because I was like, let me seewhat this is all about because
everybody's talking about MattWright.
If I was like, I never heardthis guy, let me see.
(26:16):
Uh it wasn't it.
I didn't even know if he was onWild N Out, but I had like went
and watched like some foot fromhim on Wild N Out, and I was
like, that's not it either.
But I don't know.
I mean, I guess if you like him,you like him.
That's cool.
SPEAKER_01 (26:31):
But everybody got their preferences, man.
So let me let me ask this beforewe we close out because we keep
the interviews about 30 and weare live on Facebook and
YouTube.
I can't get my Twitch working,but you would have been the
first Twitch video.
How do you feel like the stateof comedy is in the 757 era?
(26:51):
You don't gotta get too messy ordon't get messy at all.
But how do you feel like it isin the Hampton Rose district?
SPEAKER_00 (26:58):
Uh you know, I think honestly, it's a lot of people
that are trying to figure itout.
I see a lot of people that arereally like kind of working on
the craft, working to try andlike push it forward and make it
something new.
Um, you know, I I like I seelike Zach Ames and Mark Leva,
like they're doing a lot ofstuff.
Uh Jamal Staten, he's doing alot of stuff.
(27:21):
Look at he's getting like thecasino rolling.
So it is people out there thatare really trying to push it
forward and to make it somethingthat like is good and something
that people will be checkingfor.
So I definitely appreciate thatbecause I mean, like I said,
I've been doing comedy for uh 10years, and it has not all the
(27:43):
time been favorable.
I'll leave it at that.
But I think uh I don't know, Iguess the new scene people are
um people are putting the workin.
So I think we're headed in agood direction.
SPEAKER_01 (27:58):
We're headed in for a good direction.
I believe so, because I've beendoing this six, and I guess
between your 10 and my six, sowhen we intertwined, we was
like, you know what?
No, it wasn't that well, man.
I don't know.
SPEAKER_00 (28:10):
I was gonna say it was there was definitely uh
there was a time period of likeI I would say like 20 maybe 70,
right up to COVID, where I waslike, this what are we doing?
But yeah, I don't know.
I think the bounce back ishappening.
So like I said, I think we'reheaded a good direction.
SPEAKER_01 (28:28):
I mean, I think we're headed into a good
direction.
I got into comedy 2019, soCOVID, up until I say 2023, I
was like, nah, this, and I getthe best advice I ever got was
hey bruh, leave your home stateand come back.
Yeah, that's been the thing.
I mean, yeah.
(28:49):
So, I mean, shout out to thoseguys that's trying to, you know,
make it better and trying to dotheir own thing.
I I still that's a big salute tothem.
Uh, shout out to the ones that'sactually supporting and stuff
like that, especially because Isee you at the bank almost every
Sunday on Instagram live.
Tell somebody's Instagram story,and you got your own wrong on
(29:10):
Mondays, right?
Yeah, uh the second and fourthMonday.
SPEAKER_00 (29:14):
See, I'm trying to try and do something going there
too.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (29:17):
Yeah, man.
I'm I be trying to come up therewhen I gotta get up at work at
six o'clock in the morning, so Idon't I I remember you saying at
the uh the smoke lounge.
SPEAKER_00 (29:26):
I was like, man, yeah, you got a new laundry
tonight, too.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (29:33):
About damn near died that day.
I went back to work.
I was like, don't talk to me.
Just email me, don't saynothing.
Like, I came home, I gave you alittle trick I use before we go.
I get the VIX Vapor Rail showertabs.
Uh I leave my clothes in thegarage outside, let them things
(29:54):
air.
I take my shower, wash my hair,but I take the shower tabs from
VIX, I throw them at the thing.
Let that sting come out, and Ijust start blowing my nose.
And I think that after we leftthat that little tail of lounge
thing, this has happened to menumerous times.
I done weed shows too.
unknown (30:10):
Okay, okay.
SPEAKER_01 (30:11):
The smoke would just come out of the hair and the
sinuses would get cleared.
And I sleep good, but it's onlyso long I can sleep because I
gotta be up like four hours fromthe time.
SPEAKER_00 (30:22):
Yeah.
I'm sure you uh probably gotunder work.
They was like, you in a housefire?
What happened?
SPEAKER_01 (30:28):
The girl came up to me and said, How was your show?
Uh just email me.
I don't want to talk no more,man.
Oh, I want to go home.
I wanna just relax, you knowwhat I'm saying?
But if anybody wants to get incontact with you or see any of
your contact, or even becauseyou just released a comedy album
too on Spotify, correct?
SPEAKER_00 (30:46):
No, that was just uh I do that every once in a while
when I have a bunch of showscoming up.
I just do a little graphic and Ido it like Spotify style because
people will stop scrolling tolook at like a Spotify post.
So I try to try to smart thealgorithm.
Um but yeah, no, I don't I don'treally have anything on Spotify.
I used to post a lot of my stuffon my Facebook and YouTube and
(31:10):
stuff, but I kind of got awayfrom that just because I
realized I was posting thematerial as I was working it
out, and I don't want somebodyto like stumble upon something
while I'm in the middle ofgetting it right and then think
that's like an accuraterepresentation of what I'm
doing.
So I kind of got away from that.
But I have like bits that arelike more fully formed right
(31:31):
now, so I probably should getback into that.
But that was a very long way tosay no, I'm not on Spotify.
Uh uh, yeah.
If you want to find me, you cancheck me out at uh Commonwealth
Comedy on Facebook andInstagram.
That's gonna be where like themajority of my shows show up,
and that's a lot of like improvstuff.
(31:52):
You can also find me at I putunderscores in the name because
somebody else had the name, butthey were inactive.
I don't know.
Instagram is weird, but we areoh we are you can find my like
my regular Instagram, Rayunderscore Charles underscore
Xavier on Instagram.
If you like Ray Charles orX-Men, that might make you
(32:15):
laugh.
If you don't, that's just a verylong name that I probably should
shorten to make it more searchengine optimized.
But whatever, here we are.
So yeah, those are the twoplaces that you can find me the
most.
I do have a show coming up uhnext Saturday at the Annex uh in
Norfolk.
So that's all improv, and Ithink we're gonna pull a
(32:36):
stand-up for that, but I don'tknow yet.
So for right now, it's allimprov.
If you're a Norfolk uh and youlike the Annex, go check that
out too.
SPEAKER_01 (32:47):
If you guys want to follow me, I don't have any
underscores underneath none ofmy names.
Comedian Rome on all socialmedia platforms at ComedianRome
Davis on YouTube.
This is where the podcast isgonna be.
And Ed does have something onSpotify.
His episode of the No ID Podcastwill be on Spotify and other
major streaming platforms forpodcasts or whatever you watch a
(33:10):
view.
Listen, uh, follow the podcastat No ID Podcast on Instagram.
This episode, Ed, I really doappreciate it, my man.
You know what I'm saying?
I know we're gonna link up againeventually.
You know what I'm saying?
I may have to go to Goodfellowsin Target and try and outdress
you the next time I see you,because I'm like, ain't no way.
SPEAKER_00 (33:32):
They got a lot of good accessories.
You can you can really styleout.
SPEAKER_01 (33:36):
Well, I'm gonna get you.
I'm gonna get you one day.
You know what I mean?
I'm gonna go for that Carltonpreppy look myself, you know
what I mean?
Watch what I tell you.
I'm gonna come in with someshit.
And like, oh, good fellows.
I'm not gonna kill them rightnow on the action figures.
I got mine, but they up instorage now because I'm moving.
SPEAKER_00 (33:53):
But okay, okay.
SPEAKER_01 (33:55):
Damn, I am jealous, though.
He got all the Power Rangers, hegot the green, the Funko Pops.
Pilgrims.
SPEAKER_00 (34:05):
Yeah, I was still like I just moved my shelves, so
I'm still setting the peopleback up and seeing the Dragon
Ball Z figures all over rightnow.
SPEAKER_01 (34:11):
And then you got the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
one.
When they actually, I don't knowwhy they became ninjas in the
movie, that was like the I don'tknow it was a good movie though.
SPEAKER_00 (34:20):
I they knew what they were doing.
SPEAKER_01 (34:22):
They were like, we got the Yeah, the this the movie
was the movie was good, you knowwhat I'm saying?
It was better than that turboone that they put out a couple
of years later.
We're not gonna go into thatbecause you know what I'm
saying.
I can sit there and talk aboutit because I thought all the
Power Rangers was good, to behonest with you.
Yeah, I still watch it now.
Ed, man, I appreciate you,brother, coming on.
(34:42):
We're gonna sign off on thisjoint, man.
But anybody that's listening,make sure you support Ed and
everything he does.
I'm gonna be tagging his uhclips up on Instagram as a
collaboration.
So y'all be on the lookout.
Appreciate you, Ed.
SPEAKER_00 (34:56):
Yeah, I appreciate you having me on, man.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to
another episode of the No IDPodcast.
I have comedian, writer, uh, thecreator of Commonwealth comedy,
Funko Pop enthusiast, originalPower Ranger enthusiasts.
I see the Red Ranger rightthere.
So you definitely was in thegame for a long time.
I met this man back in Januaryduring the Last Word Festival.
(00:22):
We just did a show with eachother about a couple of weeks
ago at the Teller Smoke Loungein Newport News.
He was the sharpest man dressedbetween all of us that night.
I got my comedy brother here,the one and only, Ed Phillips.
What's going on, brother?
SPEAKER_00 (00:36):
Hey, too much, man.
I appreciate you having me on.
I'm excited to be here.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (00:41):
Hey, let's rock out, man.
How's everything been sinceTaylor Smoke?
I know we would talk about it.
SPEAKER_00 (00:48):
Yeah, I'm uh I'm still airing my clothes out
after that one.
It was a good time.
It was a good time.
I I definitely learned a lot,got a lot of uh experience from
the show.
So, you know what?
We're gonna we're gonna track itup as a win.
SPEAKER_01 (01:02):
It is a win because I I I liked the show and I like
the fact that Cletus was askingus about like how we feel about
the show, and he was like, oh,we can work on this, we can work
on it.
That's that's one of the thingsthat I uh appreciate about you
know the comedians, the vetsthat's been in it for the
longest, and just say, man, I'mgonna reach out to the young
(01:23):
bloods.
Cause me and you was like, we'relike babies compared.
Like two babies up there tryingto hold our own, trying to fight
for our life.
I was laughing because when Iwalked in there, I said, Yep,
I'm about to stink for the restof the night.
SPEAKER_00 (01:45):
I was, you know, it wasn't at the beginning, it
wasn't uh it wasn't that smoky.
And I was like, I might be ableto I might be able to wear this
stuff tomorrow.
And like by the time I wasleaving, I was like, I don't
know.
I might have to go back toTarget on this one.
SPEAKER_01 (01:59):
I think in the back, it was like that that group of
guys, man, they just startedchange smoke.
I was like, oh yeah, I'm aboutto die.
SPEAKER_00 (02:05):
So yeah, their first time out there, I think they
said, so they were they weredoing everything.
SPEAKER_01 (02:10):
It was a fun experience, man.
So tell me, man, how how did youget into comedy, man?
How how did that start?
SPEAKER_00 (02:16):
Um, yeah, so I I've been uh performing since like
2015.
Got I've always like beeninterested in comedy, but I
really got started in improv.
Uh I don't know what I don'tknow what part uh of the state
you're in, or if you want to saythat because you know people on
the internet crazy.
(02:38):
Okay.
Oh yeah, me too.
All right, yeah.
Um but yeah, it was a um CinemaCafe in Virginia Beach, and they
used to do a weekly improv show.
And when I was in college, Iused to go and watch the show,
and the the guy who ran it, um,you know, just to say, like,
hey, if you want to try it, cometalk to me afterwards.
So I probably I watched the showfor like maybe a year, like a
(02:59):
year and a half before I hit himup, and I'll never forget,
because it was like October, itwas like right before Halloween.
I went up and I was like,Alright, I'm ready to try it.
Put me on.
And he said, Okay, he did nottext me for three months.
And the whole time I was like,Alright, yeah, I guess that's
(03:21):
just it.
I guess I just don't do it.
But yeah, he uh he gave me ashot in like January of the next
year.
Uh and then kind of just wentfrom there.
I was doing an improv, and thenuh pretty soon after that I got
into stand-up, and then rightaround the same time started
doing sketch comedy.
Just yeah.
Kind of went from there, man.
SPEAKER_01 (03:40):
I got you.
So who were some of you likeinfluencers like while doing
comedy?
Because you got a variety fromimprov to stand-up to sketch.
Like who that's a that's a lanethat you only really see like
folks like D Milliton or PhilipWilson go into that I've that I
can remember.
So like who was like that thatinfluenced you to do it?
SPEAKER_00 (03:59):
I think if I'm if I'm going back to like the like
my very first like comedyinfluence, that's probably
Sinbad.
Because like me and me and mydad, so my dad, his friend uh
Troy, who used to work with him,he gave him a uh a VHS bootleg
of Sinbad's uh Afros and BellBottoms, and he brought that
(04:23):
home from work, and I watchedthat with him, and from that
point on, I was like, oh, comthis comedy is dope.
Like, I like this.
So, you know, really from there,like I kind of couldn't get
enough of it.
So it was like I watched a lotof people.
I mean, you know, I knowChappelle is here and there in
the modern day, but definitelyat the time that I was getting
into it, um, I did like him.
(04:45):
Uh definitely liked Sinbad.
I liked Man, what's his name?
Mitch Headburg.
He was just weird.
Like Mitch Headburg was just hewas weird and he was like still
funny and he was somethingdifferent.
So like I liked him a lot too.
Um but I think a lot of my morelike modern influences, um, oh
(05:05):
and and then also I guess likeback in the day I did like Whose
Line Is It Anyway, because thatwas really the only like unless
you were going to see a liveimprov show, Whose Line was
really the only way you wereseeing improv.
Yeah, a lot of my moderninfluences, I like um I like
Josh Johnson, I like Rami Yusuf,uh Ben Schwartz and Thomas
(05:27):
Middle Ditch.
Like they did the Middle Ditchand sports on Netflix, uh the
improv thing, and that waspretty cool.
Yeah, I mean it's just uh it's alot of influences, man.
It's a lot of a lot of peoplethat you can learn from.
SPEAKER_01 (05:40):
I like it.
You got a mixture, man.
You went from whose line anywayto Mitch.
Mitch.
Mitch will go up there and belike, yeah, uh the L the
escalator's broke.
There's no such thing as abroken escalator because it's
just steps.
SPEAKER_00 (05:54):
Yeah, exactly.
I think that's the thing, isit's like I I I like his
perspective of like, it's justuh yeah, it's just funny.
It's like like you said, likeit's like how's escalator,
broke?
You still use it, you still gowhere you need to go.
SPEAKER_01 (06:06):
Still can walk up the steps.
That's dope, man.
Your first comedy show you didhe took you three months to get
a text back.
SPEAKER_00 (06:16):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (06:17):
Was there a time, and I'm being honest, was there
a time that you thought aboutlike actually leaving comedy?
I'm like, you know what, thisthis ain't it.
Because I think about quittingall the time.
I'm not gonna lie to you.
SPEAKER_00 (06:30):
I was gonna say, honestly, it it is one of those
things where like when I'm inthe like the creative process,
that is the most fun piece of itto me.
Like when I'm sitting down andI'm writing and I'm working out
a new idea, that is the timewhere I'm like, I can do this
forever.
And then, yeah, sometimes youhave a show and you're like,
(06:51):
maybe I'm done.
Maybe I don't do this anymore.
You're driving home, you'relike, maybe, yeah, I don't know.
Yeah, maybe it's time to hang itup.
SPEAKER_01 (06:57):
That long ride home with no music on.
You're like, yeah, I'm gonna gohome.
I don't think I'm gonna do thistomorrow.
SPEAKER_00 (07:04):
I remember I one time I did a show in Petersburg,
which is like about four hoursfrom here, and it did not go
well.
And yeah, that whole ride back,I was like, you know what, man?
I just drove eight hours toBong.
Like, I don't know.
Maybe this isn't it, maybe thisisn't for me, maybe I'm done,
but I always uh I always end upcoming back to it.
SPEAKER_01 (07:26):
Yeah, man.
I think I drove to Petersburgone time, did my cuzzo show,
drove four hours to get there.
I get up there, I was supposedto do 10 minutes.
All I can remember is a goodfive to seven minutes of it.
Bomb to I'm like, no.
They was like, you gonna take apicture?
I said, No, I'm I'm gonna gohome.
(07:49):
I'm gonna go home.
I don't want to be here no more.
SPEAKER_00 (07:52):
Yeah, y'all don't need to know I was here.
That's okay.
That's okay.
I'm gonna hit out.
SPEAKER_01 (07:56):
You get that one encouraging person, you'd be
like, asshole.
You'd be like, yeah, man, youdid good, man.
You was good.
It's like, no, I wasn't.
Don't lie to me, bro.
SPEAKER_00 (08:03):
I man, I remember I did a show in Richmond one time,
and somebody came up to me afterthe show, and they were like,
hey man, I just want to let youknow that was really brave.
I was like, you know, get awayfrom me right now.
Don't tell me, don't tell methat was brave.
That's the worst thing I canhear.
I'm brave.
It's like, wow, you went upthere with that material?
(08:24):
That's brave.
That's brave.
SPEAKER_01 (08:27):
Damn.
That was brave.
I think I got uh you were socute up there.
I'm like, shut up, shut up, shutup.
I'm waiting for my Uber.
Shut up.
Shut up.
I got a mentor.
I sent him my video.
He was like, you did alright.
It wasn't your best.
(08:48):
I was like, duh.
Like, I know how bad it was.
SPEAKER_00 (08:51):
So yeah, I you know, I'm glad you said that too,
because like that's something Ifeel is is really necessary in
comedy.
It's like you gotta have amentor, like a person that you
can really like bounce off of,and also that they're just gonna
be real with you.
Like, because it's hard, it'shard to find that.
Because it's like nobody wantsto hurt anybody's feelings.
(09:12):
Um, but at the same time, I dowant my feelings hurt because I
don't want to be bad.
I would rather have my feelingshurt than keep doing something
that's bad.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (09:23):
It's great.
Do you have a mentor currently?
SPEAKER_00 (09:25):
Or yeah, I think the if I if I'm looking at like the
one guy that has really helpedme the most in comedy, that's
probably my friend Mike EastMill.
He's been performing for a longtime.
Like he gets up to like NewYork, and like every once in a
while he can go out of thecountry and do something.
But like he is the person wholike I really, really value his
(09:46):
feedback and what he says.
Like when I was like starting torun rooms and stuff, he was
right there with me, likesaying, All right, yeah, this
sounds good, all right.
You know, that doesn't soundgood, but at the same time, like
he's not there to just hold yourhand, like he's there to help
grow.
So, like, that's the thing Ireally appreciate about Mike.
It's like he's there to help yougrow, and also he'll keep it
(10:08):
real.
Like, if you if I message himand I'm like, hey, I'm working
on this new bit, I don't thinkthat's it.
SPEAKER_01 (10:14):
My mentor is James Cooper from the venue on 35th
Street.
Okay, yeah, same thing.
I go in there on Thursdays,like, alright, I know what's
about to happen.
And he'd be like, You did good,could have been better.
One day, I know I'm doing good.
He'd be like, get your ass offmy stage.
That's when I know my set andhit.
(10:34):
I can take it out, I can tour itaround and everything like that.
So I know I'll be straight.
SPEAKER_00 (10:40):
Okay.
SPEAKER_01 (10:40):
What's like like your material, man?
You was breaking down that's mydog, my dog.
That's your dog.
Okay.
I'm like, I know I ain't gotnobody in the house right now.
SPEAKER_00 (10:50):
So it's about to be a foul footage podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (10:53):
Boy, this is some paranormal activity.
I'm gonna I love you, but I'mI'm getting off this thing
quick.
Your material, brother.
You had a joke about a camping,a bear?
You went camping, brother, forreal?
SPEAKER_00 (11:09):
Yeah, I did.
I did go camping.
Dog ain't barked all damn day.
Truly just been on the phone onthe couch sleeping for like two
hours and I ain't gonna getactive.
But uh, I did, you know, I likeuh I have a lot I have a lot of
friends, I have a lot of likefriend groups also.
So like I got like my comedyfriends, I've got like kind of
(11:32):
my college friends, um, like mymore like modern friend group.
So it's like uh a lot of friendgroups, but they don't really
overlap a whole lot.
So it's like if you see me likehanging out after a show, he'd
be like camping, but uh of oflike a lot of different friend
groups.
But yeah, I um it was for Ithink it was for my friend
(11:52):
Kendall's birthday, is whathappened.
And uh it was for my friendKendall's birthday, and yeah, we
went up to the Blue RidgeMountains, and that was just
like it's one of those thingswhere it's like was I if I was
picking the birthday activities,it's never what I would pick.
But also I try to be an involvedfriend when I can be.
So yeah, I was like, yeah, I'llgo camping without this.
(12:14):
I can do that.
It's only two and a half days, Ican make it work.
But yeah, that was really wherethe like that a lot of that joke
came from.
And it was like uh a lot of thatis pulled from that camping
trip.
But it's like it's like a mix oflike the stuff that happened
while we were up there and alsojust like the thoughts that I
was having surrounding theentire thing.
(12:37):
So, like, whenever I'm writing,like I love when I can do
something like that, or like Ican really pull like a real
experience and kind of likestretch it out and extrapolate
on it and just like really putthe audience in my head as like
to how I was interpretingeverything that was happening.
SPEAKER_01 (12:53):
That's what I like, man.
Because you you gave the real onthe two, I think two times I've
seen you perform.
Well, it's only been two times,to be honest with you.
It was last word and the smokelounge.
Because you see, like you hearlike a lot of comedians go up
there and just start, as theyoung folks say, cap a lot.
And I'm like, this isn'tbelievable to me.
(13:14):
I don't believe it.
I looked at Ed, he was talkingabout camping.
I said, he started going moreand more in detail.
I'm like, oh, this man has beencamping.
You know what I mean?
He did he's not camping.
I'm like, because I was sittingthere, you know, I'm awkward
when I'm after a show or duringa show.
Like, I'm just staring off inthe space, listening.
And I'm like, I was like, he'sbold to tell this joke about him
(13:36):
camping.
Because I'm like, I didn't know.
You know, we don't we don'tcamp.
We saw Friday the 13th, werefuse to go in the woods now,
you know what I mean?
So I really appreciate that whenit comes to your material.
So a lot of your material isjust real life stuff, just
flipping into like aperspective, right?
SPEAKER_00 (13:53):
Yeah, I like I really I try to use the like
what actually happened as thebase of the material.
And like, no shade to likepeople who just like to, you
know, to make up a situation orwhatever.
Like that's cool too.
Um I definitely have like jokeslike that, but my favorite thing
to do is really just pull thatreal world thing and like take
(14:17):
you through what I wasexperiencing, how I was feeling
while that was happening, andeverything.
Because I feel like that is it'sit's fun for me, honestly, um,
to write that, but I feel likeit's also more relatable to to
really like put you in what washappening rather than like just
making something not.
Because I mean, like I said, Ido sketch comedy also, so like
(14:38):
definitely can make stuff up,but that's what is the most fun
to mean.
SPEAKER_01 (14:43):
It is, it is, it definitely is that realism
comedy.
So I think that's what a lot ofpeople miss on, and I might be
going veering off.
I think a lot of people try andgo to that, like, well, let's
try and do a kill Tony Joe Rogantype thing, which is no shot at
them, but do it your lame.
But I be watching it and I'll belike, yo, this I don't know, I
(15:03):
don't know, I don't know.
You don't even seem edgy.
You seem you, you know, you gotthat clean attire, like you was
like a like anybody know Ed camein fresh to death.
And I've never seen this manwithout a fresh outfit.
Hell, his shirt is fresh rightnow.
That's that that is that's theGambino.
See what I mean?
Like it's he has that likeDonald Glover kind of appeal to
(15:25):
him.
You could just tell Ed it comesfrom a real place.
Seriousness, and his dog justloves the hell out of him.
SPEAKER_00 (15:32):
He doesn't like when people walk around outside.
Uh he's very very protective,very protective dog, but also
very scared too.
So, like, if someone everactually did break in, I think
he would run away.
SPEAKER_01 (15:44):
I want a dog, but I don't have to but it's a lot of
dogs, hmm?
Have you ever like travel?
Well, you told me about thePetersburg.
So as far as like traveling andstuff, because you guys got a
lot of sketch improv festivalsout there, a lot of stand-up
comedy you know festivals outthere.
Have you already started tappingin?
(16:04):
Because like I said, we met atlast.
That's Williamsburg, that's anhour away from us, two hours at
the most.
Have you done any big festivalsor shows outside of the the
Virginia area yet?
SPEAKER_00 (16:14):
Or I'll get booked to do something every once in a
while.
Like I I did the um I did acomedy show at BlurCon, and that
was the year that Orlando Joneswas there.
So that was pretty cool.
I got to like host for him andintro him and everything, and
like that was uh that was a funtime.
But yeah, most stuff I I kind ofstay within like so of Norfolk
(16:38):
now.
Just because like my life isdifferent and I'm older, so it's
harder to uh it's harder to getfarther away.
But I do still like apply tofestivals.
Um I think we my comedy group,we got into festival, but it was
in Chicago, it was not that longago, but we got into that.
We had a group that went upthere for that, but my schedule
(16:59):
did not permit it, so I didn'tget to go over to that.
But yeah, I'm always looking forlike uh festivals or like
opportunities to kind of get outof the area because I feel like
that's really the the true testof the material.
Because if you're like reallylocked into one area, you kind
of only learn how to work acertain a certain number of
rooms or a certain group ofpeople, and it's not good for
your comedy growth.
(17:19):
So, like the the more audiencesand the more places that you can
get in front of, that's what'sgonna be the most beneficial for
you.
SPEAKER_01 (17:26):
That's true.
I feel like some of us get likecomplacent on trying to be the
big dog of the the Hampton Rosecomedy and be like, Well, I'm
getting bought here, I'm gettingbooked here, you know.
I'm like, well, go outside.
Like, it's nothing like goingoutside of your home state and
doing a show and doing good, andit's nothing like going outside
(17:46):
of your home state and bombing.
SPEAKER_00 (17:48):
Like I said, man, Petersburg only four hours away,
and I like driving back fromthat.
I was like, maybe I should quit.
Maybe I should give it up.
SPEAKER_01 (17:55):
I drove the I ain't I took the train to Connecticut
and did the Mohegan and didComic Roadhouse inside of the
Mohegan Sun for last comicstandard.
They put me on first, they putme on first, and I hate I used
to hate going on first.
I really despised first.
First was like, hell no, I ain'tgoing first.
(18:16):
They put me on first.
unknown (18:18):
First is hard.
SPEAKER_01 (18:19):
I stumbled towards the end and lost to a guy and a
girl.
The girl said that Michael Metswas a sexy ginger, I wish I
could remember her name.
And another guy was over theretalking about doing coke on us
at an amusement park.
I'm like, how did I lose?
And then I looked at myself,like, yeah, that's I lost.
The jokes didn't just, they washitting, and then I just, I
(18:42):
think it was a five-minute set,and I think around like probably
like uh three three minutes in,I was like, Yeah, I'm fucking
this one up.
I'm not playing.
And then I had the nerve.
I had the nerve to pay for thevideo to come.
I was like, I'm gonna post itanyway.
I chopped that damn video up soI can only get like the part
(19:03):
that was so good.
I was like, I got the mostlaughs at, that's the one that's
going online.
And I was like, nah, we good,man.
Rode that train for 12 hoursthere, paid for a hotel, and
rode the train out 12 hoursback.
I spent 24 hours on the trainfor five minutes, and uh about
two minutes of that was bombing.
I was like, this is some bull.
(19:24):
The booker don't even work thereno more because I done reached
out like, yeah, it's been twoyears, man.
I didn't grow.
This is my videos.
I ain't heard nothing from thatbooker, man.
It's like, yeah, he ain't thereno more.
I was like, I can see why heshouldn't have booked me there.
That's the problem.
Man, is there a comedian outthere that you would like to
work out with, work with?
Or like, have you ever beenstarstruck by a comedian that
you work with?
You said Orlando Jones.
(19:45):
That's mad TV, ain't it?
That's yeah, yeah.
Dr.
Lee.
SPEAKER_00 (19:52):
Sit the drum line himself.
Yeah, I don't I don't think I'veever been starstruck by a
comedian.
I've definitely um I mentionedRami Yusuf earlier.
I think he's one I woulddefinitely like to work with.
So I think his like his stand-upis strong, but he's also a very
(20:13):
strong writer.
So those are like I don't know,that's something like he's a
person I would really like towork with.
I used to really be on like SNL,and I would be like, man, if I
get to SNL, that would be thatwould be cool if I get to SNL.
But the more I look, um, it'sjust like they're not really
they're not really checking forpeople like us.
(20:33):
You know, it's like they'll letKeenan do stuff, but a lot of
the other black cast members,they really just kind of
stereotype them.
So I don't know, I don't reallyfeel like that's the I'm also
saying that like they werereviewing my writing packets
anyways.
Um but yeah, I think if if I hadto pick one, it would be uh Rami
Yusuf.
I don't know if you haven't seenhe's got like the the show on
(20:55):
Hulu, he's got like two specialson HBO now.
Uh and then he got like a newanimated show on Amazon Prime
not that long ago.
So like I mean he's doing a lotof stuff, but uh yeah,
definitely it would be them.
SPEAKER_01 (21:08):
I know who Rami is.
I watch a lot of stuff.
I just watched the seasonpremiere of Saturday Night Live.
Cam Patterson was up there, itwas his debut, it was his debut,
and I didn't know how it wasgonna work, but he did the
weekend update with Michael Che.
And I was like, okay, let'slet's see how this works, you
know what I'm saying?
Because for people out there,Saturday Night Live is a show
(21:31):
that I would love to be on as acomedian, uh or even as a
writer.
I would love just to get oneskit.
I don't just one.
And uh a couple of years ago,somebody showed me how to
download the packet, the sendand stuff like that.
I just ain't done it yet.
SPEAKER_00 (21:49):
I'm just bullshitting, but I have uh I
sent a lot of those.
I sent a lot of those in.
I sent a lot of late nightwriters packets in.
Uh I've only sent maybe one ortwo for SNL, but um it's hard.
I mean, because ever that's whateverybody wants to do, you know.
Like that's the it's a lot ofcompetition.
SPEAKER_01 (22:08):
I mean, you see Josh Johnson just killing it on the
Daily Report, and this man is aa genius.
Like, he'll like a sum can dropthe day of his show.
He already got a like a good30-minute set.
SPEAKER_00 (22:20):
I was gonna say, I feel like he puts out like uh an
hour a week sometimes.
Like that's crazy.
SPEAKER_01 (22:25):
Man, I just was watching something of his.
Like, this is the reason why thepodcast started.
We was me and people don't know,me and Ed were supposed to do
this at 2 o'clock today.
I pushed it back.
I got stuck at the gym watchingcomedy.
Like, you know how you be on thetreadmill.
I was on the I was on thestairs, I was watching it, and
then I said, I'm gonna go in thesauna.
I went in the sauna.
I'm like, oh, Cam, I forgetAntonel.
(22:47):
Came on.
I'm like, you know me, I'm notgonna watch the reel.
I'm gonna jump onto Peacock andStar Watchers like, yo, I'm
gonna push this interview backbecause it's 1.30, 140
something.
I'm like, I'm not gonna get homein time to do this interview.
Stuck in the trans, man.
I don't know what it is,brother.
(23:09):
Oh man.
What other like you watch a lotof stand-up clips, I'm guessing
a lot of writing clips.
Do you just use Max, HBO Max, orTulu?
Because I'll tell you the truth,Tubi be having some some hits up
there for people for us.
SPEAKER_00 (23:24):
Yeah, I was gonna say I do Tubius like the home of
black created content becausesometimes for good, sometimes
not so good.
I think because you were talkingabout that and uh Taylor Smoke
Lounge, uh the Grin the Grinchmovie was up there.
SPEAKER_01 (23:40):
And everybody's like, that's a fake movie, dude
was like, nah, it's real.
I watched it, I said, thank you,I'm not the only one.
SPEAKER_00 (23:46):
Yeah.
Um but yeah, to be too be doeshave a lot.
I used to, and this was kind oflike before I don't I it feels
weird to say before people tookcomedy seriously, because it
feels like people kind of alwaystook it seriously, like people
were always interested incomedy, but I used to like catch
a lot of stuff on and I do thinka lot of people will still
(24:12):
upload to YouTube.
Like uh I don't know if you knowPaul Elya, but Paul Ilya just
put his most recent special onYouTube and I I watched that up
there, but yeah, I'll check likeHBO Max, Hulu.
Netflix for a while was doingpretty good with getting a lot
of stand-up content up there,but um like they kind of moved
(24:32):
away from that.
Uh but I know I think it was uhI think Don't Tell has a bunch
of stuff on Hulu right now.
I can't remember where I saw it,but I know they have a bunch of
stuff up there.
And then yeah, I Amazon, I feellike I'm just saying everywhere
that I watch stuff, but I meanit really is.
It's just like wherever it is,that's where I'll go and watch
it.
(24:52):
And sometimes I'm just watchingit to have a good time, and
sometimes I'm studying it, butyeah, uh I feel like you can
never watch enough goodstand-up.
SPEAKER_01 (25:02):
You gotta do like different varieties.
You correct.
You hit it on the money.
Because I watch too beforestand-up, YouTube.
You're right, Netflix has movedaway from comedy and scene, like
I don't know, Mass.
SPEAKER_00 (25:17):
Oh, sorry about that.
SPEAKER_01 (25:19):
You good, brother.
SPEAKER_00 (25:20):
Um, yeah, I was gonna say I I think it was uh I
think it was Netflix when theyhad um Matt Reif up there, they
gave him like two specials.
Um they kind of threw the middlefinger up, but uh I don't know.
I and maybe it's not fair toblame him for that, but I will
say after Matt Reif, it seemslike they are doing less
(25:42):
stand-up comedy uh on Netflix.
But yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (25:46):
No hating on Matt Reif and his journey, but he's
not like one I would probablypay to go see it.
Like, I'll just wait for a clipto come out.
SPEAKER_00 (25:54):
I was, and and that was my thing.
Like, he really he blew up offthat TikTok clip, um, which I
mean I guess is the dream.
But yeah, uh it just didn't likeI I did watch his first special
because I was like, let me seewhat this is all about because
everybody's talking about MattWright.
If I was like, I never heardthis guy, let me see.
(26:16):
Uh it wasn't it.
I didn't even know if he was onWild N Out, but I had like went
and watched like some foot fromhim on Wild N Out, and I was
like, that's not it either.
But I don't know.
I mean, I guess if you like him,you like him.
That's cool.
SPEAKER_01 (26:31):
But everybody got their preferences, man.
So let me let me ask this beforewe we close out because we keep
the interviews about 30 and weare live on Facebook and
YouTube.
I can't get my Twitch working,but you would have been the
first Twitch video.
How do you feel like the stateof comedy is in the 757 era?
(26:51):
You don't gotta get too messy ordon't get messy at all.
But how do you feel like it isin the Hampton Rose district?
SPEAKER_00 (26:58):
Uh you know, I think honestly, it's a lot of people
that are trying to figure itout.
I see a lot of people that arereally like kind of working on
the craft, working to try andlike push it forward and make it
something new.
Um, you know, I I like I seelike Zach Ames and Mark Leva,
like they're doing a lot ofstuff.
Uh Jamal Staten, he's doing alot of stuff.
(27:21):
Look at he's getting like thecasino rolling.
So it is people out there thatare really trying to push it
forward and to make it somethingthat like is good and something
that people will be checkingfor.
So I definitely appreciate thatbecause I mean, like I said,
I've been doing comedy for uh 10years, and it has not all the
(27:43):
time been favorable.
I'll leave it at that.
But I think uh I don't know, Iguess the new scene people are
um people are putting the workin.
So I think we're headed in agood direction.
SPEAKER_01 (27:58):
We're headed in for a good direction.
I believe so, because I've beendoing this six, and I guess
between your 10 and my six, sowhen we intertwined, we was
like, you know what?
No, it wasn't that well, man.
I don't know.
SPEAKER_00 (28:10):
I was gonna say it was there was definitely uh
there was a time period of likeI I would say like 20 maybe 70,
right up to COVID, where I waslike, this what are we doing?
But yeah, I don't know.
I think the bounce back ishappening.
So like I said, I think we'reheaded a good direction.
SPEAKER_01 (28:28):
I mean, I think we're headed into a good
direction.
I got into comedy 2019, soCOVID, up until I say 2023, I
was like, nah, this, and I getthe best advice I ever got was
hey bruh, leave your home stateand come back.
Yeah, that's been the thing.
I mean, yeah.
(28:49):
So, I mean, shout out to thoseguys that's trying to, you know,
make it better and trying to dotheir own thing.
I I still that's a big salute tothem.
Uh, shout out to the ones that'sactually supporting and stuff
like that, especially because Isee you at the bank almost every
Sunday on Instagram live.
Tell somebody's Instagram story,and you got your own wrong on
(29:10):
Mondays, right?
Yeah, uh the second and fourthMonday.
SPEAKER_00 (29:14):
See, I'm trying to try and do something going there
too.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (29:17):
Yeah, man.
I'm I be trying to come up therewhen I gotta get up at work at
six o'clock in the morning, so Idon't I I remember you saying at
the uh the smoke lounge.
SPEAKER_00 (29:26):
I was like, man, yeah, you got a new laundry
tonight, too.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (29:33):
About damn near died that day.
I went back to work.
I was like, don't talk to me.
Just email me, don't saynothing.
Like, I came home, I gave you alittle trick I use before we go.
I get the VIX Vapor Rail showertabs.
Uh I leave my clothes in thegarage outside, let them things
(29:54):
air.
I take my shower, wash my hair,but I take the shower tabs from
VIX, I throw them at the thing.
Let that sting come out, and Ijust start blowing my nose.
And I think that after we leftthat that little tail of lounge
thing, this has happened to menumerous times.
I done weed shows too.
unknown (30:10):
Okay, okay.
SPEAKER_01 (30:11):
The smoke would just come out of the hair and the
sinuses would get cleared.
And I sleep good, but it's onlyso long I can sleep because I
gotta be up like four hours fromthe time.
SPEAKER_00 (30:22):
Yeah.
I'm sure you uh probably gotunder work.
They was like, you in a housefire?
What happened?
SPEAKER_01 (30:28):
The girl came up to me and said, How was your show?
Uh just email me.
I don't want to talk no more,man.
Oh, I want to go home.
I wanna just relax, you knowwhat I'm saying?
But if anybody wants to get incontact with you or see any of
your contact, or even becauseyou just released a comedy album
too on Spotify, correct?
SPEAKER_00 (30:46):
No, that was just uh I do that every once in a while
when I have a bunch of showscoming up.
I just do a little graphic and Ido it like Spotify style because
people will stop scrolling tolook at like a Spotify post.
So I try to try to smart thealgorithm.
Um but yeah, no, I don't I don'treally have anything on Spotify.
I used to post a lot of my stuffon my Facebook and YouTube and
(31:10):
stuff, but I kind of got awayfrom that just because I
realized I was posting thematerial as I was working it
out, and I don't want somebodyto like stumble upon something
while I'm in the middle ofgetting it right and then think
that's like an accuraterepresentation of what I'm
doing.
So I kind of got away from that.
But I have like bits that arelike more fully formed right
(31:31):
now, so I probably should getback into that.
But that was a very long way tosay no, I'm not on Spotify.
Uh uh, yeah.
If you want to find me, you cancheck me out at uh Commonwealth
Comedy on Facebook andInstagram.
That's gonna be where like themajority of my shows show up,
and that's a lot of like improvstuff.
(31:52):
You can also find me at I putunderscores in the name because
somebody else had the name, butthey were inactive.
I don't know.
Instagram is weird, but we areoh we are you can find my like
my regular Instagram, Rayunderscore Charles underscore
Xavier on Instagram.
If you like Ray Charles orX-Men, that might make you
(32:15):
laugh.
If you don't, that's just a verylong name that I probably should
shorten to make it more searchengine optimized.
But whatever, here we are.
So yeah, those are the twoplaces that you can find me the
most.
I do have a show coming up uhnext Saturday at the Annex uh in
Norfolk.
So that's all improv, and Ithink we're gonna pull a
(32:36):
stand-up for that, but I don'tknow yet.
So for right now, it's allimprov.
If you're a Norfolk uh and youlike the Annex, go check that
out too.
SPEAKER_01 (32:47):
If you guys want to follow me, I don't have any
underscores underneath none ofmy names.
Comedian Rome on all socialmedia platforms at ComedianRome
Davis on YouTube.
This is where the podcast isgonna be.
And Ed does have something onSpotify.
His episode of the No ID Podcastwill be on Spotify and other
major streaming platforms forpodcasts or whatever you watch a
(33:10):
view.
Listen, uh, follow the podcastat No ID Podcast on Instagram.
This episode, Ed, I really doappreciate it, my man.
You know what I'm saying?
I know we're gonna link up againeventually.
You know what I'm saying?
I may have to go to Goodfellowsin Target and try and outdress
you the next time I see you,because I'm like, ain't no way.
SPEAKER_00 (33:32):
They got a lot of good accessories.
You can you can really styleout.
SPEAKER_01 (33:36):
Well, I'm gonna get you.
I'm gonna get you one day.
You know what I mean?
I'm gonna go for that Carltonpreppy look myself, you know
what I mean?
Watch what I tell you.
I'm gonna come in with someshit.
And like, oh, good fellows.
I'm not gonna kill them rightnow on the action figures.
I got mine, but they up instorage now because I'm moving.
SPEAKER_00 (33:53):
But okay, okay.
SPEAKER_01 (33:55):
Damn, I am jealous, though.
He got all the Power Rangers, hegot the green, the Funko Pops.
Pilgrims.
SPEAKER_00 (34:05):
Yeah, I was still like I just moved my shelves, so
I'm still setting the peopleback up and seeing the Dragon
Ball Z figures all over rightnow.
SPEAKER_01 (34:11):
And then you got the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
one.
When they actually, I don't knowwhy they became ninjas in the
movie, that was like the I don'tknow it was a good movie though.
SPEAKER_00 (34:20):
I they knew what they were doing.
SPEAKER_01 (34:22):
They were like, we got the Yeah, the this the movie
was the movie was good, you knowwhat I'm saying?
It was better than that turboone that they put out a couple
of years later.
We're not gonna go into thatbecause you know what I'm
saying.
I can sit there and talk aboutit because I thought all the
Power Rangers was good, to behonest with you.
Yeah, I still watch it now.
Ed, man, I appreciate you,brother, coming on.
(34:42):
We're gonna sign off on thisjoint, man.
But anybody that's listening,make sure you support Ed and
everything he does.
I'm gonna be tagging his uhclips up on Instagram as a
collaboration.
So y'all be on the lookout.
Appreciate you, Ed.
SPEAKER_00 (34:56):
Yeah, I appreciate you having me on, man.
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CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.