March 26, 2024 • 32 mins
Ever wondered how a comedian finds the spark to ignite a crowd with laughter? My latest guest, the effervescent Dontee' Ray, sits down with me, Jerome Davis, to unravel the magic behind his comedic journey. From his beginnings in improv with the Black Top Improv Group to lighting up the stage at Atlanta's Uptown Comedy Corner, Dontee' blends his Northern roots with a dash of Southern charm to create a brand of humor that strikes a chord with audiences everywhere. He opens up about his life philosophy, where kindness is king and positivity reigns supreme, sharing how his comedic heroes from Eddie Murphy to George Burns have influenced his path.
Laughter often mirrors life, and in this episode, we dissect how comedy resonates so deeply when it reflects our own experiences. Dontee' 'Sherman' character is a testament to that, and we muse over the quirks of fame and the evolving landscape of comedy from live skits to the digital age. I sprinkle in my two cents, drawing from years of mentoring Atlanta's up-and-coming laugh architects, and we stress the non-negotiable: professionalism is just as crucial offstage as on.
The standing ovation of our conversation crescendos with hard-won wisdom for the stand-up warriors braving hecklers and the sobering silence of virtual shows. Dontee' and I swap stories of resilience, the kind that has you bouncing back onto the stage after a tough night, and we paint a picture of the challenges during the pandemic when the lights dimmed on live entertainment. For those dreaming of a life in comedy, let Dontee's infectious spirit and dedication be your guide. I invite you to tune in, follow his journey, and let's keep the laughter echoing long after the curtain falls.
https://noidmediallc.komi.io
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to a brand new
episode of no id podcast.
Is that your host, jerome davis, formerly known as rome davis?
But right here I have acreative actor, comedian,
content creator.
Um, this guy is really next up,coming up into the comedy game.
If you haven't seen him, youyou will now, but we've seen him
(00:26):
all across the internet.
Some of y'all know him asSherman, aka Her-Man, from the
Country Wayne skits, dante Ray,the man the goat, the legend
himself.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Hey, that's a hell of an introduction.
I appreciate that.
Hey, I almost had to startlooking around.
What are you talking about?
Thank you, though I'm humblehow you doing brother.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
I'm great, bro.
I really appreciate you givingme the opportunity to do this
interview.
Man and I'm blessed to have topick your brain for a little bit
, and I'm blessed whatever timewe get together.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Absolutely man.
Yes, it's my honor man.
It's my honor man, it's myhonor.
Excuse, my excuse, mybackground.
I thought I had one, but youcan check these blinds out man,
I got my mama's carry yoke righthere in the background yeah, we
just got these lines.
We just, we just put down thesheets last week, so we, uh, we
coming up as a family soquestion I want to know is who
(01:24):
is dante ray?
Speaker 1 (01:26):
how did you get your kind, your start in comedy and
how has it been since youstarted?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
yeah, man, uh, a great question, who is dante ray
man?
I'm just, I'd like to say I'm a, uh, I'm a northern guy with
some southern gentlemanqualities.
I'm originally from pontiac,michigan uh, that's where I was
born and, I'm gonna say, mostlyraised.
But I moved to georgia at 19.
I finished high school here ingeorgia.
Um, so, man, I'm a hard-workingguy, man who just like to look
(01:55):
at life and like to have fun,like to look at life and make
comments about it.
Um, you know, I one thing Istand by is, you know, trying to
make sure I'm treatingeverybody right, trying to the
moment, trying to be present inthe moment, and because I
realize, you know, life is lifeis precious.
So I try to look at all thingspositive in life.
(02:16):
Been doing stand up for about 20years, 15 to 20 years.
There was a break in there,about like a six year break
where I wasn't doing as much, Iwasn't as focused on it.
So I actually started off doingimprov improv comedy and I
worked with the Black Top ImprovGroup, which is at one point in
the late 90s, mid-2000s, upuntil the mid-2000s, we were the
(02:38):
only all-black improv troupe inthe nation.
So it comprises of six stand-upcomedians guys.
They've gone on to do otherthings as well, but we still
perform once in a while.
Got my man Swift.
Got C-Dawg Sean Larkin, whowrote on the Neighborhood with
Sad Entertainment, pat Brown shecurrently tours with Tracy
(03:02):
Morgan Swift.
He got a movie out calledGenerational Gap Lab Love.
He toured with Courtney NotCourtney, but what's my man's
name from Chicago.
God, they play Black Jesus.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Oh, Slink Johnson.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
No, yeah, corey, Corey Holcomb.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Corey Holcomb.
Yeah, Corey Holcomb.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
No, yeah, corey, Corey Holcomb, corey Holcomb,
yeah, corey Holcomb, yeah, yeah.
So it's a wealth of talentcomprised in this group.
So I've done that and that'sspun off into stand-up comedy.
So I started with improv.
We used to perform at UptownComedy Corner here in Atlanta
and we used to perform on openmic nights, so the improv would
go first, then the open mic, andused to perform on open mic
(03:45):
nights, so the improv would gofirst, then the open mic.
So it was an opportunity for meto jump into the open mic side
of things and just learn how toperfect my craft in doing
stand-up comedy.
So you know how it is.
Once you get that first laughon stage by yourself, it's
addictive and I was alwaysthought of as being a funny
person in school or in in thefamily and people you know, like
(04:08):
a lot of comedians, they sayyou should try to do it.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
I just never knew the avenue and then, once I found
the avenue, I started doingcomedy man and never, never
looked back definitely who wassome of the comedians that
inspired you into getting incomedy, like who was that or was
that special that made you sayyou know what?
I think I can do this yeah, man, you know it's funny.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
I, there's one of those things like I knew I could
do it.
I just didn't know how to do it.
Um, and but inspirationally,you know, I think, like everyone
, I had my inspiration witheddie murphy, uh, richard pryor,
george burns was an inspiration, honestly, yeah, it's funny.
That's my first comedy movie.
My dad was, I think, outcreeping one time and he dropped
(04:51):
me off at a theater, like fouryears old, watching this white
man on the big screen doing thestand up thing.
Didn't really know what it was,but I enjoyed it.
So, yeah, I had different.
I mean, even some of my peersare people that inspired me.
So, just um, a lot of comedians, man, a lot of Carol Burnett, a
(05:13):
lot of comedic work, comedicsketches.
Uh, I just found them funny ina lot of things.
And and there's something Ijust like I like being a funny
person, I like when levity likebreaks the tension in the room
or something.
So I've always like kind ofbeen drawn to folk who can
command a room, can get theirpoint across, and they can do it
with levity and, uh, and asthey make you think, they also
(05:37):
make you laugh.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Yeah man, yeah, laughter is medicine and yeah,
absolutely yeah, and I'm gladyou said you know richard pryor,
george burns um eddie murphy,because they did a lot of
realism in theirs and yours isrealism too, and I think I think
yours is very genius, for youto take something in life and
(06:01):
just make it funny, because Ithink you know, that's, that's
the art.
I think a lot of us in comedyall of us in comedy are high
intellectual beings turnsomething like that into this.
So salute to you, brother.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
I'm doing that man absolutely, man you, if you can
observe stuff and then kind ofput your own pov on your, your
point of view and and people,you know they can start shaking
their head or they can laugh.
You know they may not agreewith a lot of things but they
start to see it from a differentpoint of view and sometimes
it's a lot of times you're justsaying stuff that they're
thinking and you're just sayingit out loud.
(06:34):
You know, especially if you'redoing humor that people can
connect with, especially in ourcommunity.
You know we all got things thatis very similar in the way
we've been raised, the way we go.
You know, go, our familyfunctions, the family, uh,
dysfunction, and I, you knoweverybody got it.
So you know when you can relatethings in a in a comedic way, I
(06:57):
think that just that shows whatyou said your genius and your
ability to connect withdifferent people.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Yeah, definitely Now you started 20 years ago, right,
yeah, you noticed thedifference between 20 years ago,
especially with the socialmedia, the internet popping out.
Man, how has that migrationbeen?
Speaker 2 (07:19):
It's.
You know, like everything I sayis this you know everything
evolves, right.
We went from a house phone to acell phone, so nobody has cell
phones anymore, but we stilltalk on the phone, so you still
got the base of communicationright.
So comedy is the same thing, Ithink, definitely.
When I first started, comic viewwas really, really hot.
(07:39):
You know, that was almost likeif you got on comic view, that
kind of gave you some cachetright, that kind of solidified
you or qualified you to say,okay, you're a comedian,
especially if you got multipleseasons.
So it was Def Jam, common View,and at that time I think you
really had to know the art ofstand-up.
(08:01):
I think you had to know how tostructure a joke.
You needed to know how tocommand the audience.
You had to have time.
You couldn't be a person whoattracted an audience one way
but then when it was time to hitthat stage, you couldn't hold
them because you didn't have thetime or the material to have a
(08:24):
show really.
So now I don't think that'sreally as prevalent.
You don't really need that asmuch, because you can get the
social media following andthey'll follow you to clubs to
see you do your act, on what youdo on social media.
It can be a character oranything of that nature, and
that's really about being astand-up comedian, which is fine
(08:46):
.
I think it's just another laneof comedy.
So that's the biggestdifference.
I think you don't have to be asuh, structured or technical
with joke telling as you oncedid to get on, and it's to me
now it's harder and it's easier,easier to start playing these
comedy clubs and these arenas,because I'm seeing, you know, if
(09:09):
you get the following on socialmedia, that kind of catapults
you to a level where thesecomedy club owners will start
booking you because you fillseats and that's what it's all
about.
Then you get on these tourswhere there's multiple comedians
and you're helping fill theseats and that's what it's all
about.
So I think that's the biggestdifference.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
And, uh, 20 years ago till now, yeah, it is like you
see what you hear about itonline the beef between stand-up
comedians and instagramcomedians.
I think it's the dumbest thingever, because we're doing the
same thing they acting out whatwe're saying.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
What we're saying, yeah, now, yeah, I think it's so
stupid I know, man, it's like,yeah, how you beefing up in
comedy, right, it's like that'scrazy.
I mean it's they trying to turncomedy to uh hip-hop.
Like you got comedy, you doinguh joke this.
You ain't doing no, this record, you got this joke, or
(10:08):
something.
It's, it's, I know this.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
I ain't gonna say that, I ain't gonna say that
it's all good, man, it's allgood because you do both.
You do the skits and you dostand-up comedy, so you see both
worlds and you get to work withsome some big names um, from
country wayne to chase, andchase with somebody that I, if
(10:32):
he's watching the list and I lethim know this and give him his
flowers with he's.
Somebody got me through collegewith the dj southern bread on
youtube and so he got me through.
But you with the shermancharacter on country wine is the
by far.
Your skits is what I look forfrom wendell the white, the hat,
(10:59):
the glasses man.
And then I see you on the stageman.
You got like the stage presence, I see your attire and
everything.
So it's like you're just twodifferent characters and that
you know.
That's a salute.
Man, is there like any?
Have you ever been starstruck?
Or has there ever been any bignames?
You've been like damn, I can'tbelieve I got to work with him,
or no man, I think I probablyhadn't met him yet.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
I, you know, I'm assuming like if, um, I'm just
speaking this out when I startworking with Eddie Murphy or
something like Eddie Murphy,I'll probably be starstruck, uh,
but uh, I think, like thebiggest first, at the time I met
Steve Harvey and got anopportunity to, uh, you know,
kind of have a good conversationwith him.
(11:44):
He was talking to a bunch ofcomedians actually, when I did
Common View and you know, Ithink one thing about this
comedy world most people are,they understand your path,
because it's pretty much thesame journey.
You know, you're trying to getto where they got.
So it's like nothing really tobe for me not starruck about.
(12:07):
Plus, I'm a little older too.
So you know, I ain't as, uh, Iain't as wide-eyed and
bushy-tailed as I once.
Now I'm like yo, I ain't gottime to be being starstruck.
We try to get to this deal orsomething.
Bro, get me on, help me, let meperform what you will perform
on your show or something.
So you, you know it's more of a, it's definitely a respect
thing, but I don't know aboutStarstruck.
(12:28):
But you know, I'm just, I feellike I'm very fortunate to have
to be able to meet people, towork with people you know, like
with Chase, and that dude is.
He's amazing with his eye andhis concepts and the whole
country running platform right.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Can't hear you, thank you.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Aw man, my bad bro.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
You okay, man Bill.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Collector.
This ain't live, is it?
Speaker 1 (14:31):
Nah, this ain't live.
I'm going to get him.
My homeboy just hit me up.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
He gonna chop it up for us.
Okay, cool, cool, yeah, man.
So whatever I was talking about, that's what I meant.
I'm dead ass about that, bro,and uh, I stand on that.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
I'm standing on business.
Yeah, yeah, I stand on businessbut yeah, it's been good.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
Oh, I was talking about the country wine platform
man, so it's been a blessing man.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
It's really uh, you know, it's something I just
recently came into too, soprobably about six months ago
but your character just reallystands out with the skits man
cause it reminds me I don't knowhow it is where you at but here
.
But your character just reallystands out with the skits man
because it reminds me I don'tknow how it is where you at, but
here, my grandfather is, wasthe sherman character.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
So yeah, so yeah, yeah, man, yeah that's what I
hear a lot, and it's like youknow somebody's uncle.
Everybody got this type ofperson in their family and you
just take it from some.
I've seen it too.
I got uncles and daddies, mydaddy's just like that, so stuff
(15:43):
.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
I can relate to, Definitely, man.
Now being 20 years in the game,a lot of people look at you
more like an OG offering game ora vet.
Is there like any any youngercomedians that actually come to
you for advice?
So they say, hey, Mr Ray, Iwant to get mentored by you or
take money if you want.
(16:03):
Have you ever had that?
If you did, how did that work?
Speaker 2 (16:06):
Well, no, they don't call me Mr Ray, but I'm old, I
ain't that.
I ain't call me Mr Ray, I'm old, I ain't that old.
I don't think you know what itis.
I offer too, Once you see theyoung comedians out here.
Atlanta is a good place becausethere's a lot of comedians here
, young cats that's coming uptrying to do their thing.
(16:29):
There's some comedians out herelike Raheem Holt, a young
brother out here.
He's really making some moves.
Uh, cool man, it's just a lot.
Uh, cat named k strays, youknow we out or something.
I see something that, um, I canhelp them with, you know, I, I
try to, but more or less, bro, Ithink comedy is also just a
(16:51):
uh's, an individual sport too.
Right, you kind of learn frompeople who've already been there
, but that's if you want it,that's if you won't want to
learn.
You know, a lot of times it'sthis, this, this, this type of
medium that you got to kind ofbump your head in and really
understand.
You know the trials andtribulations, the ins and outs
of it, the nuances of how toconduct yourself business-wise,
(17:14):
how to conduct yourself onstageand offstage.
I think that's one of thethings.
That is a difference too, whenyou say about 20 years ago and
today, I think, with the rapidsuccess that some comedians get,
they don't have, they miss someof the professional part about
(17:36):
it, the professionalism like howto show up to the show, how to
conduct the show, how to conductyourself offstage as well, then
that was something I was ableto learn from a Bruce Bruce and
a Don DC Curry, and watchingthose cats what they did during
the show and after the show.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Yeah, man, my thing is this is a marathon, not a
race.
When you're talking about rapidsuccess, yeah, your time will
come.
I always tell people it's amarathon, not a race, it's a
sprint, it's not a sprint, it'sa sprint.
It's not a sprint, it's a jog.
So, you just can't rush theprocess.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Can't rush it, man, bruce.
Bruce told me this.
He said if you chew to it,it'll be true to you.
He told me that a long time ago.
So that's all I think.
I just you know.
Be prepared for youropportunities.
That's about it.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
That's about it.
That's it.
I think I heard Bernie Mac sayit.
Patrice O'Neal has said it.
It's like you know, the famecomes before the money.
Once you realize that, man,it'll be so much easier in the
comedy game.
Yeah man, yeah man.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Yeah, yeah, man, you're right.
I think I'm probably morerecognizable now than I've ever
been in my life, and the moneyis not as recognizable.
That's it.
It's all right, that is what itis.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
I think my first show I made, the first paid show I
got, was $5 for 10 minutes.
I just now, yeah, $5.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, you living on Lappalux, you a young man, you
got paid like that $5.
I remember they Say I'll buy youa drink, bam, but it's the
grind, and that's the thing.
Say I'll buy you a drink, sodamn, but it's the grind, bro,
you know.
And that's the thing, man.
It humbles you too.
That's what I love about it.
It humbles you and you know howit is.
(19:40):
You walk off stage sometime andyou killed right, and you think
you the best thing since slicedbread.
Then that next show you come on, you don't do as well, that
thing will bring you down alittle bit and just, and what it
does, it makes you say, okay, Ihave to continue to work, I
have to continue to hone mycraft, because you never, you
never get it, you never, younever perfect it, you just get.
You get so good that it justseems seamless.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
But it's something that you're always going to be
working on, always going to beworking yeah, my mentor shout
out to james cooper told methat's when you're a true artist
, because everybody could thinkthat you've killed your set and
you can kill your set, but youmight be like man, I could have
done better, I could have workedon this a little bit, your
timing and but to everybody elseit's impeccable.
(20:25):
You know, I mean yeah, and he,uh, he schooled me because I
have had that up and down, acomedy like I had.
One month I opened up for dlhugley.
Two weeks later I wasperforming at a bar with a crowd
of seven people and six of uswas comedians.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
So tell me about no like like tonight.
I had an opportunity to do a.
Uh, I had opportunity to do aninterview on CNN and they wanted
to talk to me about the rise ofthe Sherman character and they
was going to do it right beforethey started talking about
what's going on in Israel andstuff.
(21:02):
They had me like a special, butI said, no, I can't do that
because I'm doing Jerome'spodcast.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
I understand the highs and lows of this.
I'm doing Jerome's podcast ashe talks to me from his mama's
living room.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
He's still got JCPenney blinds up in the
background.
I got my mama karaoke in thebackground.
He said JCPc penny blinds up inthe background I got my mama
karaoke in the background.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Yo yo for a real talk .
These are, uh, these ain't realblinds.
These are, damn, what they calltemporary shit where you go I'm
right here.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
I don't know what's, I don't know.
I don't know nothing aboutblinds, man.
I've been, you know, rent freeover here, man.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
Yeah, so let me ask you this I know you asked all
the questions what got you intocomedy stand up?
Speaker 1 (22:05):
I have no idea.
Okay, one day it was New Year'sEve of 2018 me and this girl
were going to go see Godfreyform at the.
Virginia Beach Funny Bone and itwas like, yeah, they got comedy
schools.
I remember just sitting out,you know, sitting there waiting
for my date to come out thebathroom I'm looking like should
(22:27):
I do it?
And Godfrey walked past andsaid, yeah, you should do it.
And God for all paths and said,yeah, you should do it.
And from the first class my dadwent with me with the first
class.
I was scared yeah, six weeks ofthat and I just hit the ground
running and that was it.
Like I don't reason.
I have to podcast if you wantto be asked about that one.
(22:50):
I had a terrible show.
I bombed so bad.
I said you know what?
I'm going to pivot to somethingelse.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
I heard that I'm going to pivot.
You're just like forget it.
I'm going to be an interviewer,a podcaster.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
That must have been a pretty bad show.
Oh, my God, man, this lady I'veshared it this lady wrote for
three weeks I would go to thisopen mic at a bar for three
weeks straight.
She roasted me and I wouldignore her because it was a
church crowd didn't say nothing.
That third week man I said herlegs look like two rolled up
sleeping bags dipped inmarshmallow juice.
(23:30):
They cut the lights off of me,cut the music on.
I had to apologize to the host.
I was like, okay, wow, um, amonth later, a month later, uh,
one of the guys that was at theshow he we, I interviewed him
lionel harris.
He was like bro, you need toget back out there.
I've had bad shows too and youknow you had to do what you had
(23:51):
to do because that lady washeckling.
So I got back up there and thenCOVID started and that was the
lockdown.
So I don't know about you, butwe got forced into Zoom comedy
and that was rough.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Oh yeah, I did one.
No, I did maybe one zoom comedyshow, horrible, horrible and uh
, and I did like a, a game orsomething, me, uh, I think it
was a coco brown, me, coco brown, and uh, my man out of houston
(24:31):
I can't think of his name, Ican't remember his name, but
yeah, I hated that man.
But luckily Atlanta stayed openpretty much.
I think we shut down for likefour or five hours during COVID.
It was like shit, we back outhere Just turn your head when
you call.
That's probably it and that'swhat we did, man.
(24:52):
So we was able to have a comedyclub.
So we didn't slow down as much.
We had a protocol which wasnothing.
Obviously, you know you'd bespraying and stuff had a mask on
, and still we out here doing it.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
We was shut down.
I did 17 or 18 I kept countbecause I downloaded the app to
do it.
Zoom shows and yeah, talk aboutthinking you bombing yeah yeah,
that's, that's what I.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
It's hard to do comedy.
You can't hear that instantfeedback.
I'd rather hear booze thannothing.
Damn, definitely Yo you saidyou performed at the Virginia
House of the Virginia.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
Beach Funny Bone.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
The Funny Bone in Virginia Beach.
Okay, no, I wasn't there.
There's another comedy.
Was there a comedy house inVirginia Beach too?
Speaker 1 (25:50):
Virginia Beach House of Comedy.
It's gone now's gone now that'sgone.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Yeah, yeah, I've been there a few, a couple times,
yeah, yeah, okay, that's what'sup, man there's only two comedy
clubs here, man, it's funny bone.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
And and after that, man, you gotta go up north.
So okay, yeah, yeah, he ain'tbeen to VA in a minute.
He ain't missing much.
He ain't missing much.
He ain't missing much, man.
We gonna do that CNN interviewnext, though, but he ain't
missing much yeah, for surebefore we close out the
(26:25):
interview, is there any advice,any jewels that you want to give
to anybody that's looking tofollow into your footstep or get
inspired by you by watchingyour clips online and seeing
your profile?
Speaker 2 (26:40):
Yeah, absolutely, man .
I would say if you thinkingabout getting into comedy or
becoming any entertainer, Iwould I definitely and humbly
tell you don't do it.
That's my advice, cause I ain'tgot mine yet and I don't need
no more people out here tryingto get and mess around and jump
and leapfrog me.
I'm going to be pissed at you.
(27:01):
No, I just I think honestly,man, you know, life is too short
not to dream big, dream big.
Go after it.
Go after it.
If you got the support of yourfamily and friends and family,
all well.
But even if you don't, if it'sthe thing that's keeping you up
at night, if this is the firstthing you wake up and that's
(27:21):
what you're thinking about.
That's your passion, you know,and you're scared to do it
whatever.
Let fear be the motivator thatyou do it, whatever it is,
especially doing stand-up, justtry it.
Get on stage that one time and,regardless of how you do, I'm
sure you're going to fall inlove with it.
(27:41):
If you want to be a stand-upcomedian Because it's something
about that microphone, thatstage and being in front of
those people and just opening upyourself to those folks I think
it's a drug you can't matchnowhere else.
It's a high you can't matchanywhere else.
But I would definitely say youknow, be true to yourself and in
(28:02):
everything that you do, be trueto yourself and go for it 100%.
You know, don't put one foot inand have other foot tap dance
somewhere else.
If you're going to do it,especially if you're young, in
at full, full throttle, don'tstop yeah, man, I say do it when
you got a hairline, because I'mlosing my ass oh yeah, man, how
(28:23):
old are you bro?
34 at least you got to the 30s.
I lost mine at 25, bro.
Mine was looking just like that, that Nah, it wasn't looking
like George Jefferson like that.
But when I was in a wedding andthey had an aerial shot man, my
stuff was looking like a ohwait, I was missing all this
(28:45):
right here.
It was just thinning.
Then I said, oh nah, I got tocut it.
But I know there was a girl Iwas dating and this before cell
phones.
We just had pages, beepers andstuff.
I used to be paging her when Iwas dating her.
She'd take forever to call back.
I'd be like man, where is thismotherfucker?
I'd be doing this shit.
This chick made me rub all mygoddamn hair out Now.
(29:08):
I've been bald for almost 20years now.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
I started losing my shit at 16, man I don't know
what happened.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
You said you're 34?
Speaker 1 (29:17):
34.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
Go ahead and think about shaving it off bro.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Nah man, you know what?
Speaker 2 (29:23):
Look at my age you look brown, you look real brown.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
I'm going to let this .
It's cool, I can take the jokebecause I got a whole bit about
me.
My ball was sprinting byBeijing on the hill on that, so
it's like yeah, but it's allgood man.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
Yeah man, yeah bro.
It's his signature move rightnow, so run with it.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Definitely, bro.
If anybody wants to get incontact with you or follow you,
are they able to follow incontact with you or follow you?
Are they able to follow you?
How do they follow you?
Speaker 2 (29:58):
yeah, man, thank you.
Uh, you can follow me at danteray comedy.
That's on ig, twitter, tiktok,that's d-o-n-t-e-e-r-a-y comedy.
Dante ray comedy um, also, youcan follow me.
Watch me on country way.
I think we drop in episodeslike two or three times per day,
man, it's a lot.
(30:19):
So I play Sherman.
Sherman wouldn't be yo, man, Icall it the, what I say Sherman,
the most loved, most hatedsugar daddy in the world.
They love me and they hate meat the same time.
So, yeah, please keep watchingthat.
I appreciate all the support,man and uh, with us and facebook
.
Dante ray, d-o-n-t-e-e-r-a-y.
(30:41):
So hit me up.
I love to.
You know, chop it up with you,follow you, I'll follow you back
.
And, uh, when I come tovirginia, man, uh, we definitely
gonna link up, but I reallyappreciate this opportunity too,
man, being on your on yourplatform.
Jerome and uh, thank you forreaching out, man, and giving me
the opportunity, and it wasgreat meeting you as well, man,
it's always good to see youngpeople live the game, young
(31:01):
brothers in the game and takingit seriously, bro.
So I already know you got along, a long road ahead of you
that's going to be filled withnothing but great things, man.
Just stay true to it and uh, yougot.
You got a great start already.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
I gotta retell this thing is uh moving in the right
direction for you I appreciatethat, man, and if you guys want
to follow me, it's comedian romeon instagram.
Tiktok, facebook no.
Instagram, tiktok, twitter.
No id media tv is instagram andfacebook.
Instagram, tiktok, twitter,noid Media TV.
It's Instagram and Facebook.
Check out it on YouTube as welltoo.
(31:39):
Make sure you like, share,comment, subscribe, rate, tell a
friend, hit that link in thebio.
We have upgraded the website alot compared to before.
It's a little bit easier fory'all to just click the link and
get directly to it.
But keep supporting thiscontent, keep supporting Dante
Ray.
Watch the skits, you know,follow this man back.
(32:04):
It's a blessing to havesomebody with 20 plus years in
the game and give me some of thejewels and the knowledge that I
need as well to keepprogressing.
And y'all give this man hisflowers while he's standing here
on this earth as well too, man.
So I'm sure you guys signingoff on that brother.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
Peace and blessing.
Let it out, the rest of yoursoul bro Thank you, thank you.
ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to a brand new
episode of no id podcast.
Is that your host, jerome davis, formerly known as rome davis?
But right here I have acreative actor, comedian,
content creator.
Um, this guy is really next up,coming up into the comedy game.
If you haven't seen him, youyou will now, but we've seen him
(00:26):
all across the internet.
Some of y'all know him asSherman, aka Her-Man, from the
Country Wayne skits, dante Ray,the man the goat, the legend
himself.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Hey, that's a hell of an introduction.
I appreciate that.
Hey, I almost had to startlooking around.
What are you talking about?
Thank you, though I'm humblehow you doing brother.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
I'm great, bro.
I really appreciate you givingme the opportunity to do this
interview.
Man and I'm blessed to have topick your brain for a little bit
, and I'm blessed whatever timewe get together.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Absolutely man.
Yes, it's my honor man.
It's my honor man, it's myhonor.
Excuse, my excuse, mybackground.
I thought I had one, but youcan check these blinds out man,
I got my mama's carry yoke righthere in the background yeah, we
just got these lines.
We just, we just put down thesheets last week, so we, uh, we
coming up as a family soquestion I want to know is who
(01:24):
is dante ray?
Speaker 1 (01:26):
how did you get your kind, your start in comedy and
how has it been since youstarted?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
yeah, man, uh, a great question, who is dante ray
man?
I'm just, I'd like to say I'm a, uh, I'm a northern guy with
some southern gentlemanqualities.
I'm originally from pontiac,michigan uh, that's where I was
born and, I'm gonna say, mostlyraised.
But I moved to georgia at 19.
I finished high school here ingeorgia.
Um, so, man, I'm a hard-workingguy, man who just like to look
(01:55):
at life and like to have fun,like to look at life and make
comments about it.
Um, you know, I one thing Istand by is, you know, trying to
make sure I'm treatingeverybody right, trying to the
moment, trying to be present inthe moment, and because I
realize, you know, life is lifeis precious.
So I try to look at all thingspositive in life.
(02:16):
Been doing stand up for about 20years, 15 to 20 years.
There was a break in there,about like a six year break
where I wasn't doing as much, Iwasn't as focused on it.
So I actually started off doingimprov improv comedy and I
worked with the Black Top ImprovGroup, which is at one point in
the late 90s, mid-2000s, upuntil the mid-2000s, we were the
(02:38):
only all-black improv troupe inthe nation.
So it comprises of six stand-upcomedians guys.
They've gone on to do otherthings as well, but we still
perform once in a while.
Got my man Swift.
Got C-Dawg Sean Larkin, whowrote on the Neighborhood with
Sad Entertainment, pat Brown shecurrently tours with Tracy
(03:02):
Morgan Swift.
He got a movie out calledGenerational Gap Lab Love.
He toured with Courtney NotCourtney, but what's my man's
name from Chicago.
God, they play Black Jesus.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Oh, Slink Johnson.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
No, yeah, corey, Corey Holcomb.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Corey Holcomb.
Yeah, Corey Holcomb.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
No, yeah, corey, Corey Holcomb, corey Holcomb,
yeah, corey Holcomb, yeah, yeah.
So it's a wealth of talentcomprised in this group.
So I've done that and that'sspun off into stand-up comedy.
So I started with improv.
We used to perform at UptownComedy Corner here in Atlanta
and we used to perform on openmic nights, so the improv would
go first, then the open mic, andused to perform on open mic
(03:45):
nights, so the improv would gofirst, then the open mic.
So it was an opportunity for meto jump into the open mic side
of things and just learn how toperfect my craft in doing
stand-up comedy.
So you know how it is.
Once you get that first laughon stage by yourself, it's
addictive and I was alwaysthought of as being a funny
person in school or in in thefamily and people you know, like
(04:08):
a lot of comedians, they sayyou should try to do it.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
I just never knew the avenue and then, once I found
the avenue, I started doingcomedy man and never, never
looked back definitely who wassome of the comedians that
inspired you into getting incomedy, like who was that or was
that special that made you sayyou know what?
I think I can do this yeah, man, you know it's funny.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
I, there's one of those things like I knew I could
do it.
I just didn't know how to do it.
Um, and but inspirationally,you know, I think, like everyone
, I had my inspiration witheddie murphy, uh, richard pryor,
george burns was an inspiration, honestly, yeah, it's funny.
That's my first comedy movie.
My dad was, I think, outcreeping one time and he dropped
(04:51):
me off at a theater, like fouryears old, watching this white
man on the big screen doing thestand up thing.
Didn't really know what it was,but I enjoyed it.
So, yeah, I had different.
I mean, even some of my peersare people that inspired me.
So, just um, a lot of comedians, man, a lot of Carol Burnett, a
(05:13):
lot of comedic work, comedicsketches.
Uh, I just found them funny ina lot of things.
And and there's something Ijust like I like being a funny
person, I like when levity likebreaks the tension in the room
or something.
So I've always like kind ofbeen drawn to folk who can
command a room, can get theirpoint across, and they can do it
with levity and, uh, and asthey make you think, they also
(05:37):
make you laugh.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Yeah man, yeah, laughter is medicine and yeah,
absolutely yeah, and I'm gladyou said you know richard pryor,
george burns um eddie murphy,because they did a lot of
realism in theirs and yours isrealism too, and I think I think
yours is very genius, for youto take something in life and
(06:01):
just make it funny, because Ithink you know, that's, that's
the art.
I think a lot of us in comedyall of us in comedy are high
intellectual beings turnsomething like that into this.
So salute to you, brother.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
I'm doing that man absolutely, man you, if you can
observe stuff and then kind ofput your own pov on your, your
point of view and and people,you know they can start shaking
their head or they can laugh.
You know they may not agreewith a lot of things but they
start to see it from a differentpoint of view and sometimes
it's a lot of times you're justsaying stuff that they're
thinking and you're just sayingit out loud.
(06:34):
You know, especially if you'redoing humor that people can
connect with, especially in ourcommunity.
You know we all got things thatis very similar in the way
we've been raised, the way we go.
You know, go, our familyfunctions, the family, uh,
dysfunction, and I, you knoweverybody got it.
So you know when you can relatethings in a in a comedic way, I
(06:57):
think that just that shows whatyou said your genius and your
ability to connect withdifferent people.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Yeah, definitely Now you started 20 years ago, right,
yeah, you noticed thedifference between 20 years ago,
especially with the socialmedia, the internet popping out.
Man, how has that migrationbeen?
Speaker 2 (07:19):
It's.
You know, like everything I sayis this you know everything
evolves, right.
We went from a house phone to acell phone, so nobody has cell
phones anymore, but we stilltalk on the phone, so you still
got the base of communicationright.
So comedy is the same thing, Ithink, definitely.
When I first started, comic viewwas really, really hot.
(07:39):
You know, that was almost likeif you got on comic view, that
kind of gave you some cachetright, that kind of solidified
you or qualified you to say,okay, you're a comedian,
especially if you got multipleseasons.
So it was Def Jam, common View,and at that time I think you
really had to know the art ofstand-up.
(08:01):
I think you had to know how tostructure a joke.
You needed to know how tocommand the audience.
You had to have time.
You couldn't be a person whoattracted an audience one way
but then when it was time to hitthat stage, you couldn't hold
them because you didn't have thetime or the material to have a
(08:24):
show really.
So now I don't think that'sreally as prevalent.
You don't really need that asmuch, because you can get the
social media following andthey'll follow you to clubs to
see you do your act, on what youdo on social media.
It can be a character oranything of that nature, and
that's really about being astand-up comedian, which is fine
(08:46):
.
I think it's just another laneof comedy.
So that's the biggestdifference.
I think you don't have to be asuh, structured or technical
with joke telling as you oncedid to get on, and it's to me
now it's harder and it's easier,easier to start playing these
comedy clubs and these arenas,because I'm seeing, you know, if
(09:09):
you get the following on socialmedia, that kind of catapults
you to a level where thesecomedy club owners will start
booking you because you fillseats and that's what it's all
about.
Then you get on these tourswhere there's multiple comedians
and you're helping fill theseats and that's what it's all
about.
So I think that's the biggestdifference.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
And, uh, 20 years ago till now, yeah, it is like you
see what you hear about itonline the beef between stand-up
comedians and instagramcomedians.
I think it's the dumbest thingever, because we're doing the
same thing they acting out whatwe're saying.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
What we're saying, yeah, now, yeah, I think it's so
stupid I know, man, it's like,yeah, how you beefing up in
comedy, right, it's like that'scrazy.
I mean it's they trying to turncomedy to uh hip-hop.
Like you got comedy, you doinguh joke this.
You ain't doing no, this record, you got this joke, or
(10:08):
something.
It's, it's, I know this.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
I ain't gonna say that, I ain't gonna say that
it's all good, man, it's allgood because you do both.
You do the skits and you dostand-up comedy, so you see both
worlds and you get to work withsome some big names um, from
country wayne to chase, andchase with somebody that I, if
(10:32):
he's watching the list and I lethim know this and give him his
flowers with he's.
Somebody got me through collegewith the dj southern bread on
youtube and so he got me through.
But you with the shermancharacter on country wine is the
by far.
Your skits is what I look forfrom wendell the white, the hat,
(10:59):
the glasses man.
And then I see you on the stageman.
You got like the stage presence, I see your attire and
everything.
So it's like you're just twodifferent characters and that
you know.
That's a salute.
Man, is there like any?
Have you ever been starstruck?
Or has there ever been any bignames?
You've been like damn, I can'tbelieve I got to work with him,
or no man, I think I probablyhadn't met him yet.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
I, you know, I'm assuming like if, um, I'm just
speaking this out when I startworking with Eddie Murphy or
something like Eddie Murphy,I'll probably be starstruck, uh,
but uh, I think, like thebiggest first, at the time I met
Steve Harvey and got anopportunity to, uh, you know,
kind of have a good conversationwith him.
(11:44):
He was talking to a bunch ofcomedians actually, when I did
Common View and you know, Ithink one thing about this
comedy world most people are,they understand your path,
because it's pretty much thesame journey.
You know, you're trying to getto where they got.
So it's like nothing really tobe for me not starruck about.
(12:07):
Plus, I'm a little older too.
So you know, I ain't as, uh, Iain't as wide-eyed and
bushy-tailed as I once.
Now I'm like yo, I ain't gottime to be being starstruck.
We try to get to this deal orsomething.
Bro, get me on, help me, let meperform what you will perform
on your show or something.
So you, you know it's more of a, it's definitely a respect
thing, but I don't know aboutStarstruck.
(12:28):
But you know, I'm just, I feellike I'm very fortunate to have
to be able to meet people, towork with people you know, like
with Chase, and that dude is.
He's amazing with his eye andhis concepts and the whole
country running platform right.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Can't hear you, thank you.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Aw man, my bad bro.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
You okay, man Bill.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Collector.
This ain't live, is it?
Speaker 1 (14:31):
Nah, this ain't live.
I'm going to get him.
My homeboy just hit me up.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
He gonna chop it up for us.
Okay, cool, cool, yeah, man.
So whatever I was talking about, that's what I meant.
I'm dead ass about that, bro,and uh, I stand on that.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
I'm standing on business.
Yeah, yeah, I stand on businessbut yeah, it's been good.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
Oh, I was talking about the country wine platform
man, so it's been a blessing man.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
It's really uh, you know, it's something I just
recently came into too, soprobably about six months ago
but your character just reallystands out with the skits man
cause it reminds me I don't knowhow it is where you at but here
.
But your character just reallystands out with the skits man
because it reminds me I don'tknow how it is where you at, but
here, my grandfather is, wasthe sherman character.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
So yeah, so yeah, yeah, man, yeah that's what I
hear a lot, and it's like youknow somebody's uncle.
Everybody got this type ofperson in their family and you
just take it from some.
I've seen it too.
I got uncles and daddies, mydaddy's just like that, so stuff
(15:43):
.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
I can relate to, Definitely, man.
Now being 20 years in the game,a lot of people look at you
more like an OG offering game ora vet.
Is there like any any youngercomedians that actually come to
you for advice?
So they say, hey, Mr Ray, Iwant to get mentored by you or
take money if you want.
(16:03):
Have you ever had that?
If you did, how did that work?
Speaker 2 (16:06):
Well, no, they don't call me Mr Ray, but I'm old, I
ain't that.
I ain't call me Mr Ray, I'm old, I ain't that old.
I don't think you know what itis.
I offer too, Once you see theyoung comedians out here.
Atlanta is a good place becausethere's a lot of comedians here
, young cats that's coming uptrying to do their thing.
(16:29):
There's some comedians out herelike Raheem Holt, a young
brother out here.
He's really making some moves.
Uh, cool man, it's just a lot.
Uh, cat named k strays, youknow we out or something.
I see something that, um, I canhelp them with, you know, I, I
try to, but more or less, bro, Ithink comedy is also just a
(16:51):
uh's, an individual sport too.
Right, you kind of learn frompeople who've already been there
, but that's if you want it,that's if you won't want to
learn.
You know, a lot of times it'sthis, this, this, this type of
medium that you got to kind ofbump your head in and really
understand.
You know the trials andtribulations, the ins and outs
of it, the nuances of how toconduct yourself business-wise,
(17:14):
how to conduct yourself onstageand offstage.
I think that's one of thethings.
That is a difference too, whenyou say about 20 years ago and
today, I think, with the rapidsuccess that some comedians get,
they don't have, they miss someof the professional part about
(17:36):
it, the professionalism like howto show up to the show, how to
conduct the show, how to conductyourself offstage as well, then
that was something I was ableto learn from a Bruce Bruce and
a Don DC Curry, and watchingthose cats what they did during
the show and after the show.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Yeah, man, my thing is this is a marathon, not a
race.
When you're talking about rapidsuccess, yeah, your time will
come.
I always tell people it's amarathon, not a race, it's a
sprint, it's not a sprint, it'sa sprint.
It's not a sprint, it's a jog.
So, you just can't rush theprocess.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Can't rush it, man, bruce.
Bruce told me this.
He said if you chew to it,it'll be true to you.
He told me that a long time ago.
So that's all I think.
I just you know.
Be prepared for youropportunities.
That's about it.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
That's about it.
That's it.
I think I heard Bernie Mac sayit.
Patrice O'Neal has said it.
It's like you know, the famecomes before the money.
Once you realize that, man,it'll be so much easier in the
comedy game.
Yeah man, yeah man.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Yeah, yeah, man, you're right.
I think I'm probably morerecognizable now than I've ever
been in my life, and the moneyis not as recognizable.
That's it.
It's all right, that is what itis.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
I think my first show I made, the first paid show I
got, was $5 for 10 minutes.
I just now, yeah, $5.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, you living on Lappalux, you a young man, you
got paid like that $5.
I remember they Say I'll buy youa drink, bam, but it's the
grind, and that's the thing.
Say I'll buy you a drink, sodamn, but it's the grind, bro,
you know.
And that's the thing, man.
It humbles you too.
That's what I love about it.
It humbles you and you know howit is.
(19:40):
You walk off stage sometime andyou killed right, and you think
you the best thing since slicedbread.
Then that next show you come on, you don't do as well, that
thing will bring you down alittle bit and just, and what it
does, it makes you say, okay, Ihave to continue to work, I
have to continue to hone mycraft, because you never, you
never get it, you never, younever perfect it, you just get.
You get so good that it justseems seamless.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
But it's something that you're always going to be
working on, always going to beworking yeah, my mentor shout
out to james cooper told methat's when you're a true artist
, because everybody could thinkthat you've killed your set and
you can kill your set, but youmight be like man, I could have
done better, I could have workedon this a little bit, your
timing and but to everybody elseit's impeccable.
(20:25):
You know, I mean yeah, and he,uh, he schooled me because I
have had that up and down, acomedy like I had.
One month I opened up for dlhugley.
Two weeks later I wasperforming at a bar with a crowd
of seven people and six of uswas comedians.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
So tell me about no like like tonight.
I had an opportunity to do a.
Uh, I had opportunity to do aninterview on CNN and they wanted
to talk to me about the rise ofthe Sherman character and they
was going to do it right beforethey started talking about
what's going on in Israel andstuff.
(21:02):
They had me like a special, butI said, no, I can't do that
because I'm doing Jerome'spodcast.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
I understand the highs and lows of this.
I'm doing Jerome's podcast ashe talks to me from his mama's
living room.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
He's still got JCPenney blinds up in the
background.
I got my mama karaoke in thebackground.
He said JCPc penny blinds up inthe background I got my mama
karaoke in the background.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Yo yo for a real talk .
These are, uh, these ain't realblinds.
These are, damn, what they calltemporary shit where you go I'm
right here.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
I don't know what's, I don't know.
I don't know nothing aboutblinds, man.
I've been, you know, rent freeover here, man.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
Yeah, so let me ask you this I know you asked all
the questions what got you intocomedy stand up?
Speaker 1 (22:05):
I have no idea.
Okay, one day it was New Year'sEve of 2018 me and this girl
were going to go see Godfreyform at the.
Virginia Beach Funny Bone and itwas like, yeah, they got comedy
schools.
I remember just sitting out,you know, sitting there waiting
for my date to come out thebathroom I'm looking like should
(22:27):
I do it?
And Godfrey walked past andsaid, yeah, you should do it.
And God for all paths and said,yeah, you should do it.
And from the first class my dadwent with me with the first
class.
I was scared yeah, six weeks ofthat and I just hit the ground
running and that was it.
Like I don't reason.
I have to podcast if you wantto be asked about that one.
(22:50):
I had a terrible show.
I bombed so bad.
I said you know what?
I'm going to pivot to somethingelse.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
I heard that I'm going to pivot.
You're just like forget it.
I'm going to be an interviewer,a podcaster.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
That must have been a pretty bad show.
Oh, my God, man, this lady I'veshared it this lady wrote for
three weeks I would go to thisopen mic at a bar for three
weeks straight.
She roasted me and I wouldignore her because it was a
church crowd didn't say nothing.
That third week man I said herlegs look like two rolled up
sleeping bags dipped inmarshmallow juice.
(23:30):
They cut the lights off of me,cut the music on.
I had to apologize to the host.
I was like, okay, wow, um, amonth later, a month later, uh,
one of the guys that was at theshow he we, I interviewed him
lionel harris.
He was like bro, you need toget back out there.
I've had bad shows too and youknow you had to do what you had
(23:51):
to do because that lady washeckling.
So I got back up there and thenCOVID started and that was the
lockdown.
So I don't know about you, butwe got forced into Zoom comedy
and that was rough.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Oh yeah, I did one.
No, I did maybe one zoom comedyshow, horrible, horrible and uh
, and I did like a, a game orsomething, me, uh, I think it
was a coco brown, me, coco brown, and uh, my man out of houston
(24:31):
I can't think of his name, Ican't remember his name, but
yeah, I hated that man.
But luckily Atlanta stayed openpretty much.
I think we shut down for likefour or five hours during COVID.
It was like shit, we back outhere Just turn your head when
you call.
That's probably it and that'swhat we did, man.
(24:52):
So we was able to have a comedyclub.
So we didn't slow down as much.
We had a protocol which wasnothing.
Obviously, you know you'd bespraying and stuff had a mask on
, and still we out here doing it.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
We was shut down.
I did 17 or 18 I kept countbecause I downloaded the app to
do it.
Zoom shows and yeah, talk aboutthinking you bombing yeah yeah,
that's, that's what I.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
It's hard to do comedy.
You can't hear that instantfeedback.
I'd rather hear booze thannothing.
Damn, definitely Yo you saidyou performed at the Virginia
House of the Virginia.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
Beach Funny Bone.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
The Funny Bone in Virginia Beach.
Okay, no, I wasn't there.
There's another comedy.
Was there a comedy house inVirginia Beach too?
Speaker 1 (25:50):
Virginia Beach House of Comedy.
It's gone now's gone now that'sgone.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Yeah, yeah, I've been there a few, a couple times,
yeah, yeah, okay, that's what'sup, man there's only two comedy
clubs here, man, it's funny bone.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
And and after that, man, you gotta go up north.
So okay, yeah, yeah, he ain'tbeen to VA in a minute.
He ain't missing much.
He ain't missing much.
He ain't missing much, man.
We gonna do that CNN interviewnext, though, but he ain't
missing much yeah, for surebefore we close out the
(26:25):
interview, is there any advice,any jewels that you want to give
to anybody that's looking tofollow into your footstep or get
inspired by you by watchingyour clips online and seeing
your profile?
Speaker 2 (26:40):
Yeah, absolutely, man .
I would say if you thinkingabout getting into comedy or
becoming any entertainer, Iwould I definitely and humbly
tell you don't do it.
That's my advice, cause I ain'tgot mine yet and I don't need
no more people out here tryingto get and mess around and jump
and leapfrog me.
I'm going to be pissed at you.
(27:01):
No, I just I think honestly,man, you know, life is too short
not to dream big, dream big.
Go after it.
Go after it.
If you got the support of yourfamily and friends and family,
all well.
But even if you don't, if it'sthe thing that's keeping you up
at night, if this is the firstthing you wake up and that's
(27:21):
what you're thinking about.
That's your passion, you know,and you're scared to do it
whatever.
Let fear be the motivator thatyou do it, whatever it is,
especially doing stand-up, justtry it.
Get on stage that one time and,regardless of how you do, I'm
sure you're going to fall inlove with it.
(27:41):
If you want to be a stand-upcomedian Because it's something
about that microphone, thatstage and being in front of
those people and just opening upyourself to those folks I think
it's a drug you can't matchnowhere else.
It's a high you can't matchanywhere else.
But I would definitely say youknow, be true to yourself and in
(28:02):
everything that you do, be trueto yourself and go for it 100%.
You know, don't put one foot inand have other foot tap dance
somewhere else.
If you're going to do it,especially if you're young, in
at full, full throttle, don'tstop yeah, man, I say do it when
you got a hairline, because I'mlosing my ass oh yeah, man, how
(28:23):
old are you bro?
34 at least you got to the 30s.
I lost mine at 25, bro.
Mine was looking just like that, that Nah, it wasn't looking
like George Jefferson like that.
But when I was in a wedding andthey had an aerial shot man, my
stuff was looking like a ohwait, I was missing all this
(28:45):
right here.
It was just thinning.
Then I said, oh nah, I got tocut it.
But I know there was a girl Iwas dating and this before cell
phones.
We just had pages, beepers andstuff.
I used to be paging her when Iwas dating her.
She'd take forever to call back.
I'd be like man, where is thismotherfucker?
I'd be doing this shit.
This chick made me rub all mygoddamn hair out Now.
(29:08):
I've been bald for almost 20years now.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
I started losing my shit at 16, man I don't know
what happened.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
You said you're 34?
Speaker 1 (29:17):
34.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
Go ahead and think about shaving it off bro.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Nah man, you know what?
Speaker 2 (29:23):
Look at my age you look brown, you look real brown.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
I'm going to let this .
It's cool, I can take the jokebecause I got a whole bit about
me.
My ball was sprinting byBeijing on the hill on that, so
it's like yeah, but it's allgood man.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
Yeah man, yeah bro.
It's his signature move rightnow, so run with it.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Definitely, bro.
If anybody wants to get incontact with you or follow you,
are they able to follow incontact with you or follow you?
Are they able to follow you?
How do they follow you?
Speaker 2 (29:58):
yeah, man, thank you.
Uh, you can follow me at danteray comedy.
That's on ig, twitter, tiktok,that's d-o-n-t-e-e-r-a-y comedy.
Dante ray comedy um, also, youcan follow me.
Watch me on country way.
I think we drop in episodeslike two or three times per day,
man, it's a lot.
(30:19):
So I play Sherman.
Sherman wouldn't be yo, man, Icall it the, what I say Sherman,
the most loved, most hatedsugar daddy in the world.
They love me and they hate meat the same time.
So, yeah, please keep watchingthat.
I appreciate all the support,man and uh, with us and facebook
.
Dante ray, d-o-n-t-e-e-r-a-y.
(30:41):
So hit me up.
I love to.
You know, chop it up with you,follow you, I'll follow you back
.
And, uh, when I come tovirginia, man, uh, we definitely
gonna link up, but I reallyappreciate this opportunity too,
man, being on your on yourplatform.
Jerome and uh, thank you forreaching out, man, and giving me
the opportunity, and it wasgreat meeting you as well, man,
it's always good to see youngpeople live the game, young
(31:01):
brothers in the game and takingit seriously, bro.
So I already know you got along, a long road ahead of you
that's going to be filled withnothing but great things, man.
Just stay true to it and uh, yougot.
You got a great start already.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
I gotta retell this thing is uh moving in the right
direction for you I appreciatethat, man, and if you guys want
to follow me, it's comedian romeon instagram.
Tiktok, facebook no.
Instagram, tiktok, twitter.
No id media tv is instagram andfacebook.
Instagram, tiktok, twitter,noid Media TV.
It's Instagram and Facebook.
Check out it on YouTube as welltoo.
(31:39):
Make sure you like, share,comment, subscribe, rate, tell a
friend, hit that link in thebio.
We have upgraded the website alot compared to before.
It's a little bit easier fory'all to just click the link and
get directly to it.
But keep supporting thiscontent, keep supporting Dante
Ray.
Watch the skits, you know,follow this man back.
(32:04):
It's a blessing to havesomebody with 20 plus years in
the game and give me some of thejewels and the knowledge that I
need as well to keepprogressing.
And y'all give this man hisflowers while he's standing here
on this earth as well too, man.
So I'm sure you guys signingoff on that brother.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
Peace and blessing.
Let it out, the rest of yoursoul bro Thank you, thank you.
Popular Podcasts
United States of Kennedy
United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.
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.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com