Derrick Jack: Comedy has a Dark Side | TURNING CORNERS

the real you. Let's talk about the you that— why did Robin Williams tell all these jokes and then go home and commit suicide? Yeah, because the dark side to that, because the real deal is, right, the reason the funnier you are, the more pain you had to go through.

Thing about being the trailblazer, you're gonna smell like smoke. Going city to city, we turning corners. When you were trailblazer smelling like smoke, pay attention to the jokes. Success tried to warn us. Motivation conversation count Activating the coach. Performing arts, it's the heart, so we gotta watch the boat. All my dreams out of mind, out of sight. They standing on my left 'cause they can't get right. You know what make them wonder every time I turn the corner. Welcome, welcome, welcome, Turning Corners. Say, man, listen, we are in Dallas, Texas, interviewing some of the baddest comedians in the state, in Dallas. Not saying they the only ones, I don't want nobody tripping with me, but definitely one of the baddest, man. We got my man, you know, I don't know if I go by— you go by Derrick Jack, DJack, you know what I'm saying?

Just whatever. I mean, if it's gonna be on that, on flyers, Derrick Jack, but I mean, we homies, so DJack, whatever.

Okay, as long as it's right on the check, huh? You know what I'm saying? Say, man, I just want to say first and foremost, thanks for, for coming through.

Absolutely.

Uh, thank you for, you know, uh, taking time out of your busy day because I know everyone has different things going on or whatever, but we just want to talk. We just want to talk about this comedy thing because, you know, it's, it's weird how Katt Williams' controversy, um, stirred up a lot of things with different comedians, you know what I'm saying? And people that's been doing comedy for a while, you know, and people say, well, we haven't got our break yet or whatever, but we still on stage, we still on the grind. They don't understand that some of that stuff been going on for years and stuff like that, and it's entertaining to us, but at the same time, it's part of the grind. Just like, you know, this person in music might not like this person in music, and rappers, people on your job might not like each other, you know what I'm saying? But my thing is to lift us up. Let's, let's lift up the comedians that, that haven't quite popped yet, but they still doing their thing, man. So I asked this question, I stole it from a movie, but it's one of my favorite questions to ask. When did you fall in love with comedy?

All right, and I know I'm gonna give a generic answer because I know all the comics say this. I've been a comedian my whole life. Okay. I've been the center of attention my whole life. I've been that— when I come into a room, even as a kid, you know, you knew I was in that room, right? I was— so I was always It was just, it was just in me. But the professional, when I say professional comedy, when I tell people that we have— I call it organized comedy, put it like that, right? Um, being able to get on stage and, and organize your jokes as opposed to being off stage. We'll talk about that later on. But when I got that first laugh, that first joke that you know when you create a laugh Knowing that you created that joke and you created this laugh and everybody got it, it's nothing like it in the world, man. You can't, I promise you.

So basically you're saying it's, it's one thing to be funny because, you know, people funny at the barbershop, right? And of course I'm a barber, so yeah.

But to get on stage and what you organize, like you, just like you have Prime, okay.

Right, okay, come on here.

Some underground stuff. You have comedy and then you have underground or organized comedy. You know, you got comedy like you said in the barbershop. That's what we do. We're in the barbershop, we see each other, we ain't never said, hey Ray, how are you, buddy? Yeah, I know you didn't come up here. Yeah, yeah, um, it's always been like that from when I, you know, the bus stop, the lunchroom, the, um You know, the game or whatever. That comedy's been like that, but we had to take that as Black and Brown. We had to take that and organize that to where, like I tell people, like even with the white people, they want to relate. They want to laugh with you, Ray. Okay. But I don't understand the lingo, buddy.

Hey buddy. Yeah.

Come on. You know what I mean? So to be able to organize that, you got to be able to, you know, for me to be able to come in and still like, I understand how to roast people now. Right, without them getting offended. Yeah. So I know how to make it happen, make it fun. But it took time for you to organize. You got to organize that, man.

Yeah.

But I mean, but to go back to that, yeah, when you get that first laugh and everybody's— that's crazy, man.

You know, and it's funny because, uh, comedian KG, uh, Kerry Gibson, came by and he mentioned something about that. He said you can say crazy things and still people still like you. He said you don't have to leave the room. He says the way that you, you word things, the way that you, you know, you're still saying the same thing, the message is still there, he said. But as a comedian, you learn how to word things in a way where no one in the room is offended because they all came out to have a good time, you know what I'm saying? And I think if I'm hearing you correctly, that's what you're saying to me.

And it's amazing too, to add on to that, it's amazing how that stage, that stage makes you almost like a superhero. Yes, sir. Because you can say whatever you want on that stage to people, to complete strangers, that off that stage you'll get beat up, you'll get arrested, you'll get— people will get offended. Um, white people would definitely call the police on you. They would definitely— you know, I've said some things on stage to white women, and I said, I know I can only get away with that on stage. If we was in the hallway, you would have had the police and the SWAT team would have been beat me up by now, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, but that, that stage, man, that stage makes it, makes it, makes it pop.

So I, I tried to pronounce it to myself about 3 times and I said I'm just gonna ask him.

I love it. I want, I want to, but I want to hear your version because I know where you're going with this. I have, I have a video about it because you say you was born—

put my glasses on. I'm sure my age, but I, I did, I did boot camp in Waukegan. Okay, right. Great Lakes, Illinois, right? But Kankakee, Kankakee, that's good. Did I say it right? Kankakee, Illinois.

You said it almost like you said it like a person that don't live there, but you did good. All right, Kankakee, Kankakee, Kankakee, K-A-N-K-A-K-E. But you put like the Kankakee, like the— I can't put a little white on it, right?

Uh, buddy, uh, Kankakee, Illinois.

Um, don't nobody know where it is unless you're from there.

That's crazy.

It's a small, ducked-off spot full of Black people.

But I like the fact— it's gonna sound crazy— I like the fact that when you send me your bio, you put that on there. It sounds weird, but I'm from San Antonio, okay? And when I was living in Dallas, I had comedians tell me, hey brother, you might want to say you're from Dallas. I said, but I'm from Dallas. They said, well, we know that, but if you say you from San Antonio, anybody gonna know. I said, but I'm still from San Antonio. He said, but nobody have to know. I know, I live in Dallas, you know what I'm saying? Like, I live in Lancaster and they told me, no, you gotta say Lancaster. No, it's Lancaster, because if you go to Fort Worth, they got a street and they call it Lancaster. Well, they gonna know you're not from here. I'm not from here, bro, and it's okay. Right, like, like Richard Pryor, probably one of the greatest ever did, is from Puro— I always check it up— Peoria, Illinois.

Yeah, so that's a little bit south of my area.

So, so it just trips me out because people want you to change, change who you are in order to fit in. So that kind of leads to my next question. As a comedian, what are your thoughts on people who try to adapt to make certain people happy, because you know that's the industry. You got people that like, man, you ain't nothing like that, bro.

Understand, for a— to a full point, hear me out. I'm gonna make you happy where you might say, well, hey, I mean, I got a show. I got a show for, you know, certain one. I need a clean car. Okay, might not be a clean company, right? I'mma clean it up for you because that check is right, right? But for me to say, hey, I need— for me to sell out who I really am to convert to what you want me to be, absolutely not. Yeah. And the reason being, because like, there's no— I don't understand why people would change like that when it was the realness that got you to, to where you are. You know what I mean? Yeah. So I enjoy my grind, don't get me wrong. Like, it get frustrating at times. Like, I'm— I'll be frustrated just like the next company. Um, because as this right here, people always think that we'd be whining, man. They don't really know it, what we have to go through. Yeah, you don't know. Ain't nobody whining, bro. When the WNBA, them black girls wasn't whining. What they were saying was, nigga, we've been doing this. Ain't nobody said nothing because we black.

Come on.

But you got a white girl that does it, And she's good at what she's doing, and I'm not hating on her. I love it. Yeah, I love it. But, and now all of a sudden y'all want to act like brand new, like this ain't never been done before, and you want me to be happy, and everybody want to sit there. All right, just take— not even like, hey man, we excited for you, we want— we, we welcome you. It's the same thing when you see these newcomers come in. That ain't funny. Come on, come on, boy, talk about it. Be honest about it. Talk about it. I'm listening. Right, because the one thing I love about comedy is comedy— you can't fake being funny. You can fake on skits, and I'm with— like, they doing it, do it, man. I'm with it. I promise you I'm with it. But I'm saying it's a whole nother thing from doing sketch comedy to doing stand-up comedy. Yeah. And a lot of people that have done sketch comedy, they're trying to bring sketch comedy to stand-up. And it ain't gonna work. It ain't happening. Yeah, because stand-up does not play. Yeah, I don't care who you are at all. If you ain't funny, you ain't getting no laughs, and I don't pay my $20.

You know what, and it's interesting that you said that because, um, even Dave Chappelle talks about him bombing. Yeah, I think it was in Detroit or something like that, and he said he bombed. They smoked some of that good good, and no one's exempt from bombing. And sometimes you having a bad day, sometimes it's the room, sometimes you ain't did nothing wrong, it's the same jokes. That's why you got to have confidence in you. Because my thing is, if I'm constantly changing myself to be somebody else, who am I? And to me, comedy is probably the last place on the planet where you can still be you. You can be real, you don't have to fake it.

That what you just said right there, one of the biggest things— that's one of the biggest things I love about comedy. You know why? Because you can't tell me how I can and cannot dress. Come on. Yeah, you know what I mean? Yeah, I can wear whatever I want to wear. You ain't— did you hire me for a fashion show, nigga? Do you want a glass? Yeah, you know what I mean? Yeah. If I, if I want to wear this to a wedding, I can do this and I can get away with it because I'm a comic. That's true. What other profession can get away with it?

Well, like you said earlier, like, you're able to say things on stage that Most people wouldn't.

As long as I'm on stage. If I'm in the elevator, I'm gonna get slapped. And I'm going to jail because I know the white woman gonna call the FBI. She ain't even gonna call the police.

Listen, listen, it's crazy because what people don't understand is that we are wired differently, you know. And some people say comics are made, other people say comics are born. What do you think about that?

Only thing I can say is this, in my, my thing, I love to laugh, right? I love to create a laugh. I'm, I'm not going to pass an opportunity to laugh up. I'm never going to. I don't care where we at.

Okay, that's what you're going somewhere.

I don't care where we at. Who's at my grandmother funeral? We was all mourning, but my aunt got up to the casket and she was, she had got drunk at the, at the, at the repass, whatever she had, she had got drunk at one point. Over there trying to kiss the casket and almost slipped. Come on man, come on, come on! Am I going to be professional?

Are you gonna laugh?

Yeah, she had fell in the hole. I would have been helping her out but—

wait, wait, hold up. So you talking about at the burial party?

Burial part. Come on man, got lit, shit got lit, shit got lit! And she know my family members here they go, here they go, here they go. Yeah yeah yeah yeah like people don't think I'm black man, they don't think I'm black, but I'm telling y'all, I'm blacker than what y'all think.

Oh, I've seen, I've seen your comedy. You black as hell.

Yeah, like, like, so, so I got all that. We got the same thing. So she leaning in, trying to, trying to, trying to kiss the cast, get drunk. All right, keep playing. And a foot, you know, you, a foot, but she grab, grab that thing. I'm over there rolling.

So watch this, the whole family looked at you, didn't they? Yeah, because the thing about it is they know who the fool in the family is.

What's the only thing about my family is they're going to look at me because they know for sure we all— we looking like we know who we looking like because we, we all of us—

oh, everybody in the family, my wife.

Yeah, we all, all of us caught it and we was all laughing. But it took for— you got a link with your cousin just that for that moment. So you can remember, you know, remember Grandma funeral was such and such, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. And you got to link with all of them, you got to go out.

So we was Yeah, yeah, because in a moment sometimes you'd be like, yeah, come on.

I ain't never— I'm, I'm just telling you, I, I'm 51 years old. I'm gonna laugh every single day. I want to laugh as much as I can. That's why I do comedy. That's why I'm like— I tell people I'm serious about, about joking. Like, that's why I like that.

I like that.

I don't play like, like for real. If you come in one of my shows, you know. Yeah, I don't play about that because I know how it is. People This is how I look at it. People have spent all week working, right? They don't bought a ticket. They want to be entertained. You asking me to entertain you? You allowing me to entertain you on your— after you had— man, I'm finna entertain the mess out of you. Yeah, because I'm honored that you, that you would allow me to be my boy. Come on now. And to even invest in me, to say, hey, I believe enough in you that I'm gonna buy a ticket. Not even actually— I got people that buy tickets, man, that, you know what I'm saying? And that means, that means that right there That's why you got to enjoy the journey. You got to enjoy your, your rise. You have to.

So, so you understand that comedy is not a— or getting on stage is not a right, it's a privilege?

It's a privilege. You better treat it like a privilege because, come on, look, man, I mean, it's an honor, number one. You got to understand, like, people don't understand. You got, you got jokers, and then you have, you have comedians that understand purpose. They take this thing serious. Right? Yeah, jokers are just, let me get a free try joke, I think I can do it, let me try it. And they don't understand the whole concept behind it. They don't understand the dark side of it. You trying to make somebody laugh, right? Which is a good thing. So if you're trying to— anytime you try to do something good, you better believe something bad is always trying to, trying to do something, you know what I mean, to stop you from doing. So that's why people don't understand the depth that's behind— if you believe that We have magical powers as comics, right?

Yeah, most definitely.

Because you have to understand that there's healing in laughter. Come on, man. Right, this is scripture, right?

Now you're talking, man.

Come on, watch the word. But there, you know, there's healing in laughter, right? So I can be, I can be hurting, I can be crying, but I can start laughing. And this is what I was thinking about, Ray, before I came over here. Let's say me and you best friends, right? We best friends, we homeboys, and we don't, we don't get it all together. We don't run the streets, we're gonna You know, you got the little sister, I got the big sister, vice versa. We did it all. And then, and we had all this, all this joy in our life. And then me and you have a beef, right? So we fall out and we decided that whatever this beef was, it was so tragic that we no longer need to be friends. Now we just separate our friendship. Now, if I'm gonna be upset, you're gonna be upset because we had a, we had a bond as brothers. We had a brotherly bond. Yeah, right. A brotherly love. There's, there's different types of love, right? You got— and we ain't got time for it, but we got— you got the erotic love, which is the love that, that a man and a woman would have between each other. You have the brotherly love, the filial love, right? I'm with you, brother. So, so, so we have the different love. So we have that, we have that love, and that, that love is broken, whatever the situation. Yeah. Now we're both going to be upset, right? If I'm thinking about what just happened. Every time I think about what just happened, it's gonna— it's gonna create a flame in my heart towards you, right?

Yeah.

Because I'm thinking about this nigga crossed me up. But watch this, disregard the 90% of fun that we had in our whole life. Yeah. I'm just gonna think about this little 10% of betrayal and I get a flame in my heart towards you. That's it. If I— so I started thinking, if I start thinking about all the good that we had together, there's no way that you can think of good. Every time you think of good, joy your heart. Yeah, you know what I mean?

Yeah, yeah.

That's why the Bible talks about, so as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. You gotta, you gotta, you gotta watch what you think, man. So I said all that because people don't understand that as I'm releasing laughter, the spirit of laughter on people that's breaking people. You know, somebody getting ready to go commit suicide, somebody's depressed. I'm breaking these spirits and this, this, this, this stronghold off of people through our laughter. You gotta understand there's going to be some form of backlash because you— until you learn how to give out of your emptiness, man, as a comic, yeah, don't come talk to me about trying to be funny, until you've been depressed on stage, or until you've been discouraged but you had to go and encourage somebody else. So I tell people this: if I believe in the power of laughter, right, I believe that, you know, that I can make— I can make people better by making them laugh, I have to also submit myself up under somebody else's laughing anointing in order to replenish, in order to— for me to replenish, get my yoke destroyed. Yeah, so I find people that I find funny and I sit up under them and I watch them perform and I laugh like a little kid, you know.

So, so, because you touched on something, and thank you, thank you, because that's, that's, that's some dope. So it's, it's almost— there's a spirit of laughter, just like that.

It talks about— go ahead. The Bible talks about laughing. There's scriptures about that. So you gotta— that's a gift, like, to be able to laugh even with tears. Like, people don't want to cry. I cry when I need to cry because tears are the blood. I say the tears— that tears are the blood of my soul. I can be hurting and I can cry physical tears, right? And these clear tears run down my face, and the pain that was in my heart has now released through those tears. So why would I— if I stop crying, I'm stop— I'm, I'm just building, building up. And I got bitterness and resentment. And next thing you know, the Bible talks about in the last days how people, you know, men's heart will begin to fail them. A lot of people start having— I know a lot of people, young cats having— I'm 51 years, I'm blessed to be 51. I pride myself on my health, bro. Like, and I'm not playing, for real.

No, no, I'm sitting up here and you're making me, you know, because I'm even thinking about when you make somebody laugh to tears.

Yeah, for real.

And it's, and it's weird because it's the same It's the same tears coming down, but it's attached to joy, it's attached to happiness. Yes, but, but even, even so, uh, and you know this because you've done movies and you acting and everything else, I learned that in order to cry on set, they first teach you how to laugh. And I was like, what do you mean? They say it's the same act. You got the shoulders bouncing, you got all these different things going on. And I'm like, it's amazing how your body reacts. And then us as conductors, as conductors of the room, God has given us this, this, this gift that we take for granted sometimes. And I'll be honest with you, I'm gonna, I'm gonna keep it a buck because, you know, there are times I'm at like open mic, which I can't stand going open mics, but it's part of it. There are times I'm so irritated with people not taking this seriously. I'm like, bro, like, like, I've heard basketball players say there's hoopers and there's ballers, you know what I'm saying? Like, which one are you, you know what I'm saying? And that's kind of how I feel about comedy. I am still a baby in comedy. It's my 15th year, and I'm learn— I'm learning so much, you know what I'm saying? Even doing this, this thing that I'm doing right now, I'm learning so much about the comedy game. I'm learning so much about— it's deeper than what we think it is. You know, now how long have you been doing comedy, like professional?

I mean, coming up on my 10th year.

That's it?

On my 10th year. But the thing was, dang, I understood, like, when I came in, when I seen it, I seen it. I, I knew I could do it even though I wasn't doing it. Like, I'm from when I first tried, like, you got to get on this day. People talk that stuff. I know you won't know nothing until you get on this stage. I, I went to open mic. I got my— I got on the list, last one to go up. Nobody in the room. Um, yeah, 2 or 3 people. The managers walk around, people cleaning up. Been there, right? Um, so I paid my dues, but I seen a lane. I said, I can do this. I might not be able to do it right now, but I knew I could do it. Yeah, but I had to practice and get myself together. Once I understood, I started looking at a different— it's like a lane that was open that nobody is using. It ain't no HOV lane. I'm like, why y'all niggas ain't using this lane? What's wrong with the lane? Nothing wrong with the lane. Nobody just don't want to use the lane. I just moved over and now I got a whole lane to myself. I ain't arguing with nobody. I ain't beefing with nobody. When people didn't book me, I went through— let me tell you this, Ray, and this is what I learned in comedy, man, that I believe this as a comic, that we all have an opportunity to get jealous of the next comic. Okay. And if you say you, you, you never get, I look you in your face and, and we a slap box right now and I tell you, you a liar. Because I guarantee you, if you ain't getting no shows, yeah, and you see another cat getting more shows, something gonna rise up in you like, this nigga ain't even that funny. Yeah, yeah.

But it—

but watch this. Once you understand that you got that opportunity to be jealous, you have a choice to make as a man. You either have the choice to extinguish that fire or ignore it and let it grow. This is what I choose to do, okay? If I ever find myself getting jealous of you, what I would do is I would go to you and sincerely encourage you. Hey Ray, doing a good job, man. Keep doing your thing. Hey, your podcast really taking off, man. Oh, I hit a like. That's why I do what I do. I've come accustomed to hitting likes. It just, it don't take long. Just do this to just help somebody else out. Why would I not? Why would I look at your post as another comic see and not just go like this? It don't even It don't cost me nothing, man, to do this.

You know, it's interesting that you say that because the least likes I get are from comedians, and I make it a point, even if I don't know the comedian, to just like because I know how hard this is. You know, we was talking earlier about how Frankie Beverly and Mays can sing the same song, God rest his soul, for years, and people will pay big money, get dressed up in all white pay good money, right, to hear the same songs. But comedians, we tell that same joke even though it takes a while to work it, especially if you're in the same city. One thing I'm jealous about Dallas, and I miss the DFW area, is I can work on jokes in DeSoto, but then I can go to Frisco, then I can go to DFW— I mean, uh, Fort Worth. Like, I can work the same— San Antonio's so small and the community that might come out is so small, they'd be like, oh man, I already heard that. So I had to learn to create different lanes, like, you know, comedy and karaoke or whatever, something I saw Ricky Smiley do. So here's a great question: comedy beefs. This is the thing that I'm seeing more. Don't get me wrong, it's always been jealousy, as you said earlier, right? It's always been stuff. But it seemed like since Katt Williams came out and did what he did Seem like a lot of comedians are being more verbal about their whatever, their hate or whatever, but we're supposed to be the ones that make people happy, right? So, so have you ever had a comedy beef, not to name anybody, or, or have you ever put yourself in a position of saying, you know what, I'm just not going to even deal with it?

It wasn't over comedy, it was over just some personal stuff. Like, I don't— if I, if I— if we cool, like, if we cool, we cool. I'm like you, bro. It's like, if we cool, we cool. If you call me a friend, I call you a friend, guess what? I'm gonna treat you like a friend. Yeah. I'mma act like a friend to you, right? And I'm gonna expect you to be the same way to me because we said we friends. Yeah, I like that. I'm gonna hold you accountable to what you said we are, right? And I'm gonna step up to the plate for them. My biggest thing has been I've been cool, I've been friends to people that have been, uh, secretly in competition with me. Yeah, nigga, if we ain't cool, we ain't cool. I'm not on all that, bro. We ain't got to do all that. I'm not trying to backdoor nobody. We ain't got to do all that, man. We really don't have to do all that. So what I started doing when I went through a season where people could try to act like they, they, you know, I'm not one of the ones to play games. We gonna be cool, we gonna be cool. If you don't like me, cool. Forget you and your ugly mama, because we still good. Like, let me talk. Like, you stay out of my way, I stay out of your way. I ain't got Because I'm not with all that. Because the thing with me, I'm old school, man. You know what I mean? And I'm, I'm, I got that. I'm just like any other Black nigga. I got one more fight. You got one more time, nigga. Like, it's like, I don't mind doing the time if I have to. I just ain't taking no more mess. Yeah, yeah. The old man has arrived, you know what I mean? Yes, sir. So my thing is, um, I'm like this, bro. Like, if we, if we cool, we cool. If we not, we not. And it's good. Yeah, it's good. You ain't got to do all that. But the thing with me, um, I'm just gonna be solid. I surround myself by like-minded people. Yeah, you know what I mean? Like, like, because I just— I feel like this, I can be funny by myself. I don't need no help being funny. I need help building this room and building this, this brand. If you can help me do that, man, we can eat together. Like, for real, come on, man, eat as much as you want. I brought comics in and showed them how to get money on my own show. Like real talk, bring them in as partners, man, because it just, just makes sense to me. All right, tell me if this don't make sense. If I can get— I gotta connect on a room. Let's say I gotta connect on a room for $150, right? Let's just say, Ray, if I say, Ray, I can get a room in Dallas, it's a legit room, it's a comedy club, I'm cool with the, with the people, I work with them for years, I can get the club for $150. Right.

It's a win.

It's 280 seats up in there, Ray. I can't fill up the— I can't fill up 280 seats. I could probably do about 80 myself, right? So this is what we do now. We got 200 open seats, Ray. Come in with me, man. You, you said you can do about 50, right? So I'mma get— I'm not going— I'mma, I'mma have you come in as a common. I'm gonna give you 50 seats. Right. All you got to do, Ray, is what we gonna do is we gonna do this about 3 or 4 times. We gonna get 3 other comics that can fill up. They can do 25, 25, whatever. Now we got a full show. Yeah. I just need, really, I just need you to bring 25. If you can sell 25 tickets, you sell 25, I got 50, such and such. That's a good show, man.

And you eating.

So that's what we gonna do, right? You gonna keep all your ticket sales. If you sell more than 50 and you get 75, take them other seats because we ain't selling them anyway. And eat. Only thing I tell you this, Ray, do you want the fame or do you want the fortune? You say, yo, I want the fortune. All right, so we gonna do it as a Derek Jack and Friends show. I'm bringing you in as a partner. I'm gonna get it for $150. We gonna split the room. All, we gonna add everything up and split it by 5, cuz we got 5 comics this— it came out to everybody spent about $50. What we did, we hired us an opener for $50 to open up, then they brought me up and I hosted it. You come do 15 minutes, you do 15, you do 15, let's make this money and get up out of here.

But see, the thing about that is you gotta have some people who, one, can't bring 50, and two, are willing to work. Okay, okay.

From Dallas and I'm from Illinois, nigga, you can't bring 25 people in your own city? Yeah, yeah. Take me to Glitter Candy Key, I bet you I can get 25 people out. Tell Ray, tell me you going to Candy Key.

No, no.

So, and you want to bring— I can bring 100 people out of Candy Key. I can bring probably 200 out. Real talk. In your own city. I'm trying to show you how to get money in your city. I'm in your city getting money.

But see, here's the thing though, D, there, there's a lot of cats that, that they just— okay, we're here, we're here, we're talking about— we're talking about jokers. Yeah, okay, jokers. Okay.

And comedians. Okay.

Because some people just want to sit back and get on stage, but they don't want to eat.

Jokers. Okay. And comedians. Okay, okay, you got a problem with bringing $25? You think I'm trying to get in your pocket? Don't worry about it, Ray. Hey, come do a set for me, I'll give you $100. All right, cool, let's go.

Yeah, but you just lost money.

They don't, they don't understand that. I'm trying to show you how to fish.

So, and it's funny, I'm gonna confess something to you right now. Uh, last month I did a Can't Get Right in France. I got the idea from you.

It's all good. And, and I'm, I'm— first of all, I'm honored.

No, no, I, I, I am the one who was going to— I'm going to say, hey, I've been— I seen you do it. You did it for me. I, I never forget, we got there and the— I ain't gonna say the room, but we got there and you was like, hey, da da da da da da. And I was like— and I saw the comments lined up. I said, oh man, this is dope, you know what I'm saying? So when I did it at home, I'm just gonna say it wasn't We did good. My name did pretty good, but people were disappointed because I didn't perform. I was like, no, I was just hosting. But I learned a valuable lesson because every comedian that was on that show, and I hope they're watching, I, I offered tickets. This is just yours, give them away, sell them. We just want the room to be filled up, so therefore we have some new fans. That's how you build up a brand.

Yes.

I had 2 comedians pick up tickets. And then the one at the last one that picked up tickets, uh, shout out to Delicia Hardy. When she picked up tickets, I said, here, take more. Yeah, because she did the same thing with the last show. I paid her and then gave her tickets, and she's like, Ray, I need some more tickets, because she's a grinder, she's a hustler. And I'm, I'm learning, man, that some people really like that flyer, but then they catch rides. And I'm not dogging anybody out, but they don't have a car. You know, they live with their girlfriend or whatever. I'm like, bro, the business side of comedy can be good.

That's it. Say it again, Ray, because they ain't heard you. They think the business side is getting up and telling jokes. They ain't— the business side of the bit— I'm not— look, let me tell you what happened with me. I got tired of watching ex-drug dealers hire us for $200, $150, and these niggas over here— and I'm not— and you hustling, baby, hey, hustle. But you ain't gonna use me as a hustler when I'm the one that make the show. You a lie. I'm the priority, nigga. You know what I mean? So when I start putting a demand on my name, other companies ain't nobody gonna pay you. You a liar. Yeah, you a lie. Because you know what? Y'all scared to ask for $1,000 a show. You scared to ask for $1,500. You scared. They scared to ask for that level. I ain't scared to ask for it. And I got, I got, I got a record showing you of what I did last year. It's been times I stood at somebody house, uh, how much time you want me to do? 20 minutes? I'll do it for you for $1,000. Yes, sir. Because you know why? I quit, I quit lowballing myself, man. Because I would lowball myself. How much? And I, I didn't know my worth. Uh, uh, uh, $200. They like, oh, I thought you was gonna ask for at least $500. Say, and I started listening to that.

Yeah.

Oh, I thought you was gonna charge at least $2,500. Hold on. Yeah. Now I, now, Ray, whether people want to believe it or not, I got a contract in negotiation right now. To do a show for $5,000. You understand what I'm saying? Because I understand the business side. Yeah. And, and ain't no cap to that.

No, no, no, no.

Because, because I know people look like that. Ain't nobody got to lie because number one, I never had to lie about getting money like that because it's out there. It's how you apply yourself. And these cats are, are funny, but they don't know they work. Yeah, they're jokers over comedians. Yeah. If you understand the worth of it, man, right? There's people that find you funny that might not like my comedy. You can stand in the room, they only gonna laugh at you. I ain't like that, I ain't like it, but you, you was funny. You should have headline. How many times people told you that on the show? Yeah, those are your people. So I can stand next to you and be like, hahaha, tell jokes, tell jokes, right? You tell jokes, your people gonna laugh, my people gonna laugh, and let's stand together, get one together, and we get our people, we get All right, people, let's go eat some IHOP when we done with this stuff.

So, so here's what's funny about what you're saying. Last summer, uh, hadn't did a show in a couple of months. I was feeling kind of antsy. Guy called me for a show, and I, I never forget, I told him what my price was, right? And he was like, well, we can only pay you this right here. I said, all right, cool, I'll do it, but next time it's gonna be more. All right, cool. I never forget when he went to the back to get my money, the door was open. So I'm sitting at the club and I'm like by the bar and I'm listening to him talk. And I never forget, he told how much it was and the lady who's writing a check, she said, that's all for what he just did? Then he closed the door. I said, bro, you just robbed yourself. Because to your words, sometimes we don't know our worth or we so desperate to get on stage because You know, I'm addicted to it. But I will say this, there are times where comedy, the business of comedy gets frustrating. And of course I'm, you know, I live in San Antonio, smaller market or whatever, but sometimes the business of comedy gets frustrating. How do you deal with the business side of comedy? I mean, we know you getting your money and everything else, but how do you deal with the frustration of, say for instance, club owners or whatever How do you deal with that?

I deal with it like everybody else do. I talk that bullcrap, take it on my neck. I ain't never going back. Derek, would you like to come do a Thursday? You're doggone right. You know what I'm saying?

Um, but I deal with it.

It's part of the procedure, bro. It's just like, you can't do nothing about it. What can you do? You'll get mad. I mean, I hope they burn it. I should burn that club. I hope they burned down. I done did all that, man. But my thing is, what I started doing was I understand who I am, right? So when I don't get booked and when I didn't get booked, let me tell you the reason why. When we talk about, you know, Ray, Ray and Friends, Ray Sorrell and Friends, whatever, I can't get right in front, you know why Derek Jack and Friends or the Jack Attack exist? Because I wasn't getting booked. Everybody was doing their little rules. They was doing their little bar shows and they was doing their little 10 to 15 people. And I'm just sitting here waiting like, okay, I see they rotating comics. I know they go, I know they go. And they just rolled on past me like, and I'm just sitting here and it was times I wanted to snap off. Yeah. But thank God for my wife. She was like, just, she reminded me, maybe you, I'm 4 years older than you because you was a, you was a 4-year-old. Fly away. Young nigga, just chill, right? But I want to snap on you, and I'm glad I chilled because I listened. I would chill, and if things that happen, I'm like, kept my cool, right? So I learned how I got to the point where I started— I built my own stage. I don't even want to get on this stage like that, you know what I mean? I don't even want it, nigga. I don't even care. Take your 10, 15 people, don't even worry about it. I'm a carpenter, nigga. What do you think? Nigga, who you think I am? Who you think I am? You supposed to sit around and wait and sweat? I got— I did all that. I got in your inbox. Hey man, let me go. Let me go with you. Now all of a sudden you, you, you— it's cold. But you was just in my inbox. Hey, what's up, bro? Hey, hey man, hey, book me for— okay, that's what we on. And then you want to send me a friend request? Nah, nigga, deny. Deny. Real talk. No, deny. Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean? Because there's no— for what? When I wanted your attention, you didn't want to give it to me. Now I don't desire it anymore. Now you want to be all up in my face. Excuse me, I'm building— so I built my own stage. So that's why I started doing my own stuff, and I started booking other comics.

And it's crazy, you go from basically not, not begging, but saying, hey, I want somebody to put me on, to being the guy that you put on.

I want— you know what, when I came into comedy, I'm, I'm like, I'm, I'm a, I'm one of these lovable type dudes. Like, I want to love everybody. I want to love everybody, don't get me wrong. But don't get it twisted. But at the same— just like how I want to, you know, remember Snuggle? Yeah, look, remember, remember he just want to hug and just snuggle with— just snuggle, right? That's how I am. That's how I really— that's how I really am. Like, at the end of the day, that's how I really am. I just want to hug and just snuggle and just be cool and laugh. But people don't understand that just like I'm so snuggly and want to hug and cuddly, there's a gangster side say, nigga, fuck you and your mama, all y'all some hoes. Yeah, you know what I mean? And I, I don't want that side to come out, but it can come out. I don't want to do that. I don't want to do all that. So I try to keep it— I try to keep it kind of in the middle, like a little gangster and a little snuggly. But I ain't got time for all that, man.

So you, I, you know, especially being here and you, you know, performing all over, has— have— have you performed with the comedian and you don't have to say the name, but maybe you was a fan of them or you was like, man, this dude is nice, or this woman's nice? And then you met him in person and it was just not what you thought. And we don't have to say no names or anything.

I'm not before you, but I will, like, if I want. I really ain't got a problem with looking at that camera saying, nigga, you a bitch, you a hoe. Um, and I try not to talk like that, so Lord, please forgive me, Jesus. But, um, Derek, let me tell you this. The comic on stage sometimes is not the same person that you meet off stage. The comic on stage might be, oh, that nigga cool, I like that nigga, that nigga funny. But he might be a little bitch off stage. I'm just gonna be honest with you. And you'd be like, I don't— that nigga a hoe. And so because he's a hoe off stage, it makes his— to me, his comedy— yeah, you whack, nigga. You— because let me tell you what happened with me, man. Um, Like I said, I came to the comedy game. I wanted to be cool. Like, I was like, you good people, I like you, man. Like, you, you're like me. You remember. I ain't forgot nothing. I know, I know, I know everybody I put on that stage. I know everybody I put on this stage. And then when I see people doing stuff and now you can't come back in, all right, okay, I guess we're not like-minded. You kept it 100. That's why when you said, yo, I need, bro, I'm definitely Definitely. Yes, let's go. If it had been in San Antonio and, hey, catch me on the weekend when I'm off, I roll down there. Let's get it popping. Let's go. Because I fool with like-minded people. Yeah. But my network of comics I fool with, when it got to the point that DFW Comics didn't want to book, don't worry about it. I started linking with people outside. Now all of my shows, I link. Boy, I got it. I got it. Ain't nothing but a phone call for me, and my homeboys know right now, the same thing with them. Anytime they want to come to Texas, they know ain't nothing but a phone call. I can hit Derek Jack up and he'll book me right now because I got cash right now. I can call right now if I really wanted to. I can go to DC right now. Shout out to my man O, you know what it is. I can go, I can go to Denver right now. I'm talking about any given moment. Shout out to, to, to, to, to Comedy Grind, Boomerang, Monty Jones. They know who it is. I can go to, to the Bay Area, I'll do my phone calls. Yeah, right now, shout out to Melvin Jr., like real talk. So I got cats in positions that we understand. I have like-minded people that understand the same way. All right, I tell you what, we understand that we got to build our own network. We all, we're on the chicken circle. We're not, we're not, you know, we— they're gonna keep us down as much as they possibly can. Some of us might slip through the cracks every now and then. But let me tell y'all this right now, anybody that's taking— that's paying attention to this podcast, it's some— it's some funny cats that are underground that have not been discovered. I promise you, come on, that will make you laugh until you piss yourself.

Yes, sir.

I promise you, we just ain't got our break yet because we might not look a certain way, we might have that— might not have the, the, the skin tone that they want us to have, or might not tell them same corny jokes that they want us to tell. But the thing is, come holla at the comedy clubs, man. I promise you. Yeah, real talk. Yeah, the more— all them people that you was naming, I mean, I know about them cats, man. All them dudes is funny. You ain't named nobody that wasn't funny.

You know, it's funny because, um, Comedy Left earlier, he was like, so you gonna— you plan on— I said, no, I'm hitting up the country. He said, what do you mean? I said, I'm hitting up the country. Like, that's what I'm gonna do. He was like, but won't you run out of comedians? I said, bro, there are comedians that you have never even— I'm talking about backroom, small, in the small towns, that's funnier than your favorite comedian.

Word up.

And my thing is we just don't know about them, you know what I'm saying? So if we can do something like this, through the grace of God, if we can do something like this where somebody would get some notoriety or somebody say, man, I saw your podcast, I saw this guy and they did this and get booked. Let's do it. Because my thing is, it's enough stages, it's enough money. And I love what you said earlier, bro. It is a gift to be able to make somebody laugh. It is. You have this special conductor type spirit where you can almost magically transfer, transform a whole room, bro.

You're in the, you're in the room. It's your room. It's your room. Yeah. You know what I mean? To add to what you said, it's enough money. It's enough all these stages, right? It's enough depressed people. It's enough discouraged people in the world for all of us to have a congregation to, to, to, to preach laughter to these people. Preach. Yeah. That's why I said where I can stand next to you and I can tell a, tell a joke. Your people gonna laugh at you, my people gonna laugh at me. When it's all said and done, my followers gonna follow me, your followers gonna follow you. And we ain't got to be in comp— I'm not in competition with you. Yeah, you know what I'm in competition with? I'm in competition with this person that's getting ready to go home and commit suicide. I'm in competition with this. Wow. I'm in competition with that, that, that person said, you know what, I'm gonna go to the club because I'm getting ready to go kill myself anyways. Let me just try this. And they run into me again. See, I can show you, I can show you text messages emails right now of people that say things like, hey, I was discouraged and I hadn't laughed in so many— because my husband had died. But when I seen you perform, I laughed until tears rolled down my face. And I'm sitting at home saying, Lord, thank you for giving me the ability to bless somebody, to make somebody else's journey just a little bit easier. You know what I mean? Just a little bit easier, right? Right.

Let me tell you something, uh, a friend of mine— definitely not gonna say his name— but he came to the barber shop one day, and he said later on he came to the barber shop just to say hi, and he's gonna say his goodbyes because he had planned on going home and killing himself.

Real talk, bro.

He said he came to the barber shop and had such a good time, he was laughing He was joking. And if you know the guy, you wouldn't even think, because of— he's, he's so spit and polished, the whole nine.

We become great pretenders.

But he said, man, he said— and then about 2 weeks later, we went out and smoked the hookah. I didn't know what was going on. He said, Uncle, I wanted to tell you something. He told me that. I sat there and I was like, are you serious? I said, bro, the day you're talking about, I was so depressed. That's why I was on it that day, because one of the things I do— this is just me.

Oh no, you're right.

Comedy helps me get through my depression. Part of this right here is ministry for me. It's not just me helping people, it's helping myself, because I'm around like-minded people who think like I think. Because sometimes we feel like— I'm gonna say me, I feel like I'm strange because I laugh at shit I ain't supposed to laugh at. I see what y'all don't see, you know what I'm saying?

So let me tell you this, man. The thing is, you, you, you, you got like— if you read the end of my bio, I said that I consider myself a laugh doctor. They ask the question, why do you do comedy? Yeah, because it's extremely difficult to be sad while you laughing. That's true. That's why I do comedy. Yeah, because you can't be sad around me. I don't care what— but we gonna laugh at you. We gonna laugh. We gonna cry a little bit, but we gonna laugh. While we doing it, you know what I mean? You, you a doctor, man.

When, when I read it, I, I instantly thought of one of the greatest comics ever, Robin Williams, Patch Adams. And I remember when I first watched that, I was like, yo, I do that. Yeah, I resurrect people's, uh, happiness in the midst of all the pain.

Yes.

And I like what you said It is a privilege. This isn't something that I was— everybody can't make people laugh. Like, I'd be at the shop sometimes, they were like, man, what's wrong with you? I'm like, I can't help it, bro. And then I feel bad because I'm like, damn, I shouldn't have laughed at the little, you know, kid and walked in, but this is what I'm gonna do, man.

I find, I find humor in everything. Real talk.

Are there any jokes or any topics for you that are off limits? Were you like, okay, I don't—

I don't really fool with child, like any type of child molestation type of joke. Yeah, yeah. I don't really fool with, um, with rape jokes too much. Right, right. I ain't gonna say— I don't have any rape jokes. I don't have any sexual jokes like that. The only sexual joke I got is, uh, my Grandmother is white. The only Black she ever had in her was my grandfather.

Gotcha.

All right.

Um, yeah, so anyway, um, gotcha.

That's why I don't break those, because you see what—

no, but my mind, I instantly went somewhere, right?

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. I don't need you doing that, you know what I mean? So, but no, but, um, no, it's, it's certain, like, I don't, I don't deal with a lot. I mean, I deal with, um, a little, a little religion jokes, but I don't— I mean, I don't mock other people's religion, but I do have like church— like you see my second, like church sets or whatever. But, um, that's pretty much about it. I just think certain things are kind of corny. Yeah, you know what I mean? Certain things are kind of cool.

And, and I like Ali Siddiq talks about low-hanging fruit. Yeah, he says, you know, yeah, you can do that, but it's kind of everybody's doing that. Yeah, like to dig deep into the well and find something and bring it up To me, that's, that's comedy.

Which, by the way, anytime you, you, uh, do an interview and you say Ali Siddiq, I gotta stop and salute him. Yes, sir. Freaking beast.

Yes, sir.

Yes, sir. That Domino Effect, I've watched 1, 2, 3, 4 back to back to back to back to back and laugh every single time. Yeah. So I need to watch the other ones with— so we're talking about— you got yours.

Well, let me say this. Let me, let me, let me look at the camera. Because you doing the same thing, bro. I need you, I need you on, on the show. Because I, I will say this right here, the first comedian— I, I say this all the time— first comedian that told me I was funny was Ali Siddiqi. Yeah, uh, shout out to Top Man Productions in San Antonio. He brought Ali to this club and he told me, he said, bro, it was, it was funny. He said, but you went too far. Yeah, because I'll make fun of this, this handicapped deacon at our church, and it was real. And he was like, yeah, everybody was laughing too. You kept going. He's like, bro, then we started feeling sorry for him, you know what I'm saying? And you know, of course he don't talk like that, he talk real slow, whatever. But when I tell you, people like that that can look at life and, and, and make you feel like you're watching a movie, that's the art of comedy that only a few people can do.

And he make it look so easy. He make, he make people think that they can do it, then they can't. Come on, boy. Because I've looked at myself like, oh, he— I can do that. You're like, no, I can't. No, not the way he do it. Nah.

You ever bombed on stage?

Yes, absolutely.

I hate when comedians say they ever bombed on stage.

Absolutely.

I never been booed.

I ain't been booed.

But that damn silence.

But there's a bomb. There's a bomb. You know, you know Karen Clark got a song that says there's a bomb in Gilead.

Come on now.

You know there's a bomb. A bomb. You know when you bomb. Yeah, just like, you know, if you know when you kill it, because when you kill it, you'll be saying to yourself like, oh, I'm killing it. But when you ain't killing, you're like, oh, nigga, I'm not killing them. Yeah, yeah. Um, you said something earlier. You said you could tell the same jokes and sometimes it'd just be the crowd or just be whatever. I went to Oakland, right? Oakland, Oakland, California. Okay, I'm going back to Oakland in November. Love it. I love Oakland, right? Oakland loves me. I love Oakland. I had a show in, it was in Pleasanton out there, Tommy T's, right? So we did a show at Tommy T's, did the set, was killing it, murdering it. Yeah, yeah, everything. Yeah, I'm improvising. Yeah, everything just hitting. I'm trying to— that same thing The next day in Berkeley, I was— I had 10 minutes, I was at 4 minutes, nigga, I'm struggling. I'm struggling. I am struggling.

Yeah, yeah.

To the point I'm like, I had to abandon my set and go into improv. Well, I was bomb. It was like, I was— it was like one of the ones where Niggas at the end, they was like, hey man, you was funny. And they give me like, hey man, you was funny too, man.

Don't let that— keep, keep going, keep, keep going.

I knew it was just a bad night.

Well, to me, I, I look at it like sex. There are some times I'm on it, I'm 10 toes in it, where the old man say I stood up in it. And then there are times you looking for your shoe, like, goddamn, I know she about to talk about me. She smacking her lips, she rolling her eyes. I'm like, my bad, my bad. My bad, but I hate when comedians act like they never— listen, bro, listen, I never got booed, but when I tell you that silence was so strong and I'm sitting up there and I'm like, oh shoot, and I'm looking for the light to come on, please turn on the light, please turn— like, nope, you got about 4 more minutes. I'm like, goddamn.

So that's when you go to, uh, yeah, so, uh, how the ladies do it.

Oh man, when the comedians say, what y'all want to talk about? Because the tradition thing is— and I'm giving the game away— the traditional thing when you bomb, you say, hey man, there's some good-looking ladies in here tonight, right?

Run to it.

Yeah, run to it, run to it. Okay, last question of the night, man. I just, I just want to—

I'm good, I'm good.

Um, oh yeah, this, this is cool.

So It—

well, you kind of talked about it, but a headliner as opposed to somebody who just do jokes, right? I think people misunderstand what a headlining is. That means for 45 minutes to an hour at least, at least you have hitters. Yes, you're hitting.

Yes.

I think people think just because you can stand on stage for 45 minutes, you're a headliner. But that's not— I don't think that's the case though.

I hate when people say— when I say, hey, how much time you got? I got 20 minutes. Nigga, you just started comedy yesterday. You ain't got no 20 minutes. You probably got 15 minutes of rambling and getting on my nerves, nigga. But you probably— up to my— how many jokes you got, nigga? Like, for real, because real talk.

No, it's real though. It's real.

You got to see— no, let me tell you, let me tell you, I got to bring my wife into this. I ain't— I'm a sucker for it, but I ain't no sucker, you know what I mean? But for her, I am. Yeah, she keep it 100 with me, man. She keep me 100. If I'm not funny, you know my wife's gonna say, that wasn't funny. Wow. She ain't gonna sit there and be like, it's okay. She gonna be like, that was not funny. But when it's funny, she be like, that was funny. And she responds to it. Yeah, so when I'm writing jokes, I'll run the back— I'll run into— she'd be in the bedroom, I'd be like, hey, and just pop it off for real and see her response. She's like, well, get your dumb butt. Keep it.

Yeah, keep it that way.

Yeah, because if it ain't funny, she's gonna be like—

but see, you, you need people in your life that's going to tell the truth.

That's the point I was making. Yeah, you need people in your life that's going to tell the truth. Yeah, when you get before them comedy people and I done paid my $20 and Ray, you ain't making me laugh. Yeah, so I'm gonna tell you the truth, but here's what's crazy.

My jokes in San Antonio, my jokes in Houston, it might not hit the same in Dallas, right? So, so I hear people that's, that's local when they talk shit. Oh man, I be killing. Yeah, because they know you, right? You're talking about, you know, this bus line or something that goes on only in San Antonio. San Antonio's a big Hispanic population. Okay, yeah, right on, buddy. But then you go to Dallas, the whole room black. Yeah, you go to Houston, you go— I'm gonna say this, I learned real quick doing your room. Fort Worth is different. In South Dallas. Same Black folks, but different Black folks.

Yes sir.

And I learned real quick, I mean, wait a minute, hold on, these niggas over here serious.

Prestigious over here.

Come on, man.

Say, man, that's where we're at in South Dallas.

Say, went to Legends. Yeah, shout out to, uh, Celebrity.

Yep.

Had open mic.

Yep.

Oh, this is different.

Yes sir, this is different.

And they sitting up there like, make me laugh.

For real. And I got an attitude, nigga. I was mad when I came up in here. I'm pissed off. And nigga, I'm not just not like, just not happy. I think I'm angry. You gotta bring me from anger all the way to laughter, nigga. Yeah, yeah, now do it. Yeah.

Michael Jr. says something, man, that's so dope, man. Michael Jr. is one of the coldest, clean comics. He said, my job is to give you an opportunity to laugh. That's it. You don't laugh, that's on you. It's just an opportunity, bro. And the way he words— I'm like, man, that's such a genius. If I was one of these punk-ass comedians that steal, I would steal that. Because at the end of the day, that's all it is. I am trying to give you an opportunity to, you know, allow the corners of your mouth to become erect, you know what I'm saying? So listen, I definitely appreciate you, uh, coming through. Uh, everything that you do, uh, I want to personally tell you, man to man, pimp to pimp, uh, it was a lot of comic comics in that room that day, um, at, uh, Arts and Improv. And I saw you sitting at the bar talking to, uh, shout out to the Exception. And I was like, oh, okay, she's asking questions, he seems friendly, you know what I'm saying? I was looking at the other comics mad dogging like, who this nigga is? With this Can't Get Right stuff on or whatever, and you was so polite to me. And I know it don't seem like much, I know you like, you just being yourself, but to a person who was new to Dallas, to a person who had just did Hyenas 2 weeks in a row, first time I was the last one up, although I signed up real early.

Been there.

Second time I got up at like 1:45. I'm like, man, y'all kidding me, dog. I was so pissed. And then somebody was like, Oh, that's King Get Right. I did a show with him. Hey, brother, you know, and it was just one person to bring me in. But when I tell you, I appreciate you, man. And even you put me on, you know, Hyenas and, you know, different things. I've all— every time I've inboxed you, you've always been kind. You've always helped me out. You are what I call an epitome of a comic because you, you have blessed me. You have blessed other comics, although they might not ever said Right. But one of the reasons I had to have you on, I'm like, man, I gotta bless that brother back. I hope he's in town, you know what I'm saying? So, so do me a favor, look at that camera right there. Give, give people your social media, things you got going on, dates, whatever you want to say, how they get in contact with you, how they— because we're gonna run your reels and stuff also, but I want them to, to get to know.

What's the name of your podcast again?

It's called Turning Corners.

Turning Corners.

Turning Corners, yes sir.

All right, ready? Let's go. Hey, what's up? This is your boy Derrick Jack, and I am on Turning Corners Podcast with my man Ray Sorrells. Look, check this out. You can follow me on all social media platforms at Derrick Jack Funny. That's D-E-R-R-I-C-K, Derrick Jack Funny. I know some of y'all are country, so I will speak it for you. That's D-E-R-R-I-C-K. Um, but follow me also, man. I, I don't know if I told you, I got, I got some 2 movies that's coming out. Come on, working on right now. One of them is called, uh, Twisted Fruit, uh, that we're in the process of filming right now. Should be out in 2026. Okay. Um, also I have another one called Bring the Funk. It's gonna be a nice, nice little thing, man. So check that out.

All right.

Yeah, but, uh, what you said, man, I appreciate you, man, real talk. Um, just your— just you, you not forgetting about me, you know what I'm saying? You kept it 100. Um, come on back to the— come on back to the lab, man, if you ever in town. I'm doing a show, pull up, please pull up on me. I, I'll give you some time, man.

Let me tell you, I, I appreciate you. First of all, taking time out today.

Yes, sir.

Uh, you know, we all have lives. People don't think that we have lives outside the stage, right? Right. You know, a lot of us aren't full-time comedians.

Yes, sir.

Well, we could just travel in and sit in hotel rooms all day. Nothing wrong with that. I'm jealous. That's where I'm trying to get to, man. I appreciate y'all. Hey man, this is another episode of Turning Corners with Ray Can't Get Right. I holla.

Lesson. I don't care where it's at. I look at my kids, I can hold my grandkids, I look at— I can look at my dog, I can look at anything. You can find a lesson and you can learn. So I always keep that, that, you know what I'm saying? So I'm always looking for nuggets, man, to like just to, just to grab. That's, that's what wisdom is. I don't have to go through it if you already went through it. I can just pull off, off your nugget. If I see you, if I see you go through a situation, right, And I, I repeat the exact same steps. I made your whole situation in vain, Ray. I went through it so you ain't— that's what Jesus said. I went through it so y'all ain't got to go through it. That's why I did it. Yeah, that's how you strengthen the next generation. I'mma go through it, I'mma make it easy, and then we go from there, we go from there, we go from there, we go from there. But the problem is people, people don't want to give back. They don't want to tell the real, the the real them, man. The real them. Let's talk about the real you. Let's talk about the you that— why did Robin Williams tell all these jokes and then go home and commit suicide? Yeah, because the dark side to that— because the real deal is, right, the reason the funnier you are, the more pain you had to go through. That's what people don't want to talk about, you know what I mean? Like, real talk. So my dark side is this: I was 11 years old and my mother died a day before my 12th birthday. My father was never around. He would— he came around, but he wasn't around. So now I have to interpret life at the age of 12 years old. I gotta look at this life from a whole nother view because I ain't got my mama. I'm angry, I'm scared, I don't know what's going on. Because once you lose your mother, that's it, bro. You don't get nobody— nobody's gonna love you the way your mama gonna love you. That's why I cannot stand to see kids be disrespectful to their mothers, because you only get— she grew you inside. I used to argue or get offended when my wife would