Rickey Smiley, actor, comedian and host of The Rickey Smiley Morning Show, joins Shanon this week for Club Shay Shay. The two of them discuss his long career in entertainment, prank calls and famous movies. The two also speak on Rickey's personal experience with the perils of gun violence, and how it has affected his family.
We recorded this interview back in January, and want to honor Rickey's son who's since passed.
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It actually started out at ninety seven with Little Darrel, And when I did it on B ANDT, I came out saying, zoo man, Bruce Bruce Comedians like man. He said, when this air man your life and the change, they said, that was funny. All my life, the grinding all my life sacrifice Hustle pack Price one a slice, got the Bronan dice to swad all my life. I've been grinding in all my life. USh all my life. Then grinding all my life sacrifice, Hustel Paggick Price one slice got the brol dice to swath all my life. I've been grinding in all my life. Hello, welcome to another additional club, Sha Shay. I am your whole Shannon Sharp. I'm also the proprietor Club Sha Shay. And the guy that's stopping by for conversation on the drink today he flew all the way to La just this morning, stand up comedian, TV host, actor, writer, author, philanthropist, executive producer, taught, rated national syndicated radio personality, entertainment business moment. Dam you got a lot of titles. How many ledges over thirty years in the industry, HBCU alone come on in the Alabama States findings bone phone, phone phone phone, bone bone phone, bom, phone phone boom. You know, yeah, you already know. Yeah, that's okay, Ricky's Boley. What's up? We were talking earlier. It's nice to finally be phase to phase yea with somebody your age eighty six, class of eighty seven. How you doing? I'm doing good man? Give me Ricky Smiley wakes up at what time and starts his day and doubs what three thirty? No alarm clock ever? Three thirty? Uh, full of breakfast, coffee, watch the news, and just drive to work. Jump on the tow away in Dallas, Texas, right, drive up to the studio, do the morning show. The morning show lasts for like three and a half hours. I'm like a long time to talk, bro. Yeah, well you know you got a commercial break. Yeah, but I'm say, okay, commercial breaks every hour for every hour, that's about thirty two minutes. Yeah, that's we arguing in between. I got a sports guy, rock Teeth. Yeah it's on my morning show. So were always arguing about something. Okay, it's a rock Teeth, Super Dave and then the brand and there you got Gary in there. Right. So we us talking about news relationships or sports, right, and just telling stories or whatever. So it goes by like that. It's nothing. Your comedian been in the business a very long time. What made you decide to say I'm gonna start doing radio at the height of your comedic genius? Man, Steve, I'm talking about Steve Harvey. Steve Harvey is like a big brother, okay, and he's like, Rick, you need to nah na na. I just about a house. I'm doing comedy shows, my show, So he said, hey, how are you gonna pay for it? He said, So he called me. He said, hey, there's a radio opportunity in Dallas. Okay. I was like nah. I was like, I'm I'm good and so boomerang. His bodyguard called me. He cursed me out. He said, hey, man, if you don't take you, if you don't be in Dallas by this evening, we ain't blanking with you morning. And he hung up in my face. Steve called me back. I'm like, can I come tomorrow? You're like, yeah, you can come tomorrow. So I went and I got the job. They put me on one hip hop station and after that it we won, right, We syndicated right, So and then we went from the hip hop and they moved us over from time joining and retired, so we own in like almost one hundred markets now. So this was in two thousand and four. Yes, Steve Harvey picks up the phone, and we're gonna talk about Steve later because I've had, uh said the entertainer. I've had Earthquake. I've had so many comedians and everybody swears that Steve and not a story with all of them. Okay, earthquake and I was roommate, Okay, I mean like sleeping on Earthquake couch to go and do shows. And I never went to a strip club before I went with Earthquake, Okay, but I would. I would go into VIP and take a nap because I wasn't used to being up there late because I was the church organist. Okay, so earthquake got me out at the strip club or whatever. But I would go into the VIP and get on the couch and go to sleep. Man, God must with on vacation when you coming up in the third all that that that's a true story. And I used to open for saying that, said r Ron. That was my first manager, first person to take me on the road. So radio pay, I mean could because you still be you still do stand up. Yeah. So I'm trying to damn how you have time? You do? You do radio for three and a half hours a day. You do? I mean we're gonna talk about all the other stuff. You mean your grandfather, you're a philanthropist. How do you find the time, Ricky Shunning? You make time? You have to create space, Okay, you don't. You don't take all the engagement. Okay, sometime I just want to stay at home and push my grandkids on the swing, yes, okay or whatever, and uh I just make a little a lot of time for myself. But for the past six years, I don't perform in the summer, Okay, so I only perform. I remember you're telling me that you sums off. Yeah, take summers off. So made, that's the time you're on the boat. You what you gotta go with me? You was gonna go with me. Gotta gotta create some space, Okay, you gotta go with me. Okay. Uh So that that's a lot of fun. So now I feel like I'm living okay, because you just you know, on a Saturday, it's July you look on Facebook, everybody in Jamaica, everybody class reunion, everybody on the beach, and you're sitting in an Atlanta airport whining to go to Tulsa, Oklahoma, only to go to an empty hotel room that night, to get up the early the next morning to fly to another city. And you have to make some time to like, Okay, you know what I'm saying. It can't just chase money all the time. You gotta make some stuff happen. What do you enjoy more? Radio? Stand up? Stand up? Nothing? Nothing, beach stand up? Walking on stage. I'm about to do a Netflix specially okay away, but it's nothing like walking on stage and it's thirty five hundred. I just did the Martin tour. We was performing in NBA Arenas. Wow, uh, twenty twelve to twenty thousand people in the audience. Man, there was nothing like that walking on stage, just getting that heat for a good twenty five minutes. But radio is a lot of fun because radio muscle everything. Helped everything. Stand up help radio. That's up. That was my next question. Yeah, how did radio prepare you for? How did stand up prepare you for? Radio? And vice versa. A quick with yes. So whatever we're talking about, you know, you got a joke for it, or you can move the conversation into a comedic you know, a comedic conversation and get some jokes off r and then boom you go into commercial break. But on stage, well, you're doing that on radio. It's exercising that comedy muscle. So when you hit the stage, you also got quick with right, but there's no commercial break. Correct, Better come on with the next joke. Right. So let me ask you a question. So, when you're doing stand up, do you write your material or you just remember you right A said, or do you just like, Okay, this is what I'm gonna do tonight. Either the jokes I'm gonna do and they just flow. I used to write U Sanning, but now that I'm older, I can just walk on stage and just off the top of my head rip off a good thirty minutes a non stop people crying, laughing, because I've been doing it so long, thirty three years a long. Right. Cant Let me ask you this. When you walk into an areno, you walk into where you're doing the show, do you look at the audience and said, Okay, these are the jokes I need tonight. Oh yeah, these are the jokes I need tonight, shouting believe it or not. I gotta playbook, okay. And I do everything sports based. Okay. I sit up and watching Nick saving speech before I go out and tell jokes. I apply every I started out with football, right, I played little league football. Even though you denied that I did or whatever you didn't. I think the records denied it because we couldn't find anything. I think that's what That's what game, that what gave me, like, oh, it's all my homeboys and Burman. I can't why I came from Tony Nathan High. He played, he played with the dog. Yeah what long high school? That's the high school I graduate. And Bobby Bowden came up. I got a homeboy and named Google. I asked him. He said, nah, he don't do that. I'm get saying. Shot came all the way out here? You did? Did you? Watching folks over here in the background lamp the power ever last one of them. But I do everything sports base, okay. So I get motivated and get excited and go on stage and and and kill it. You mentioned your but I knew I have a playbook to answer your question. Yes, it depends on the audience. You can look at the audience and then wet comedian go on in front of you. Right, So I have like six different acts. Okay, So my man, my road manage. He'll tear a page out, said, let's do this one tonight, okay, and he'll go and kind of tape like lay it on the floor right in front of the stage, right, and I and I have like footnotes, and I once I do the first two, I already know where you you you you're in a rhythm, then, yeah, I'm in a rhythm. You mentioned you were in syndicating over eighty eighty stations. Yeah, you want to syndicated personality twice. And when you win that, there's a lot of responsibility because now the expectations not only for yourself but from everybody that's listening to you. How have you been able to manage those expectations? Uh? You just don't change anything, shann And you just make sure that you're funny and that you're relatable, right that you Uh, you know, most of our markets are in the South, so you have to open up with a praise break, have a passion to come on and give a good word. They want to have a good word. Yes, you know you got uh you know you're doing your Bernie's jinking, your trunch announcements. You got u the will This comedian Will Ka comes on. You got the comedian Benji Brown that comes on once a week and do it same. And then you got Jeff Jason that comes on and do three things you need to know. Then the president of the National Urban League. Right, I'm saying, you got a variety of news, politics, uh, funny, spiritual stuff and you know, uh, so to open and close the show, so the show is well diverse. Have you have you had a minister come on and then after you like, I don't know if the spirit heard that one. Nah nah, but like like like I know what you're talking about. But Pastor Freddie Haynes and down to Sexas, Oh, he's he's the regular. He's a regular. Okay, the presiding bishop before a Gospel Bishop Joseph Walker Nashville, he comes on. Okay, brain at heat Right, So any pastor that I that I get on, Pastor Slater, other pastors. Okay, these pastors are really really good. But some preachers can preach, yes, but they're not so good on radio correct right, But I found pastors that that have that can really articulate a sixty second message in radio right and get people up and motivated. Then follow it with a song or whatever, and uh, just start the show every morning. Is anyone from Mount Zion Missionary Baptist number one Tabernacle on the Hill Church, the Old Lord, the Old Lord. Hold my mute while I shout Missionary Evangelists, Baptist Church of Guard in Christ. You have a great crew. You mentioned the Brat gay with the trial k rock Te. What makes your relationship so special? Been there for so many years. It's the chemistry, right, I know where Brat Bratton know what I'm thinking. Before I said, I know what she's thinking. Rock T is kind of like the laugher. He does sports or whatever, but he's instigator laugher. Yes, I got comedian special hey on. Then you know you got Gary. I know you're a big fan of Gary. You got Gary with the team. Gary's about seventy four years old. Uh, everybody's business and everybody's business. I'm just joking. Gas gave you. I mean, you do a good job game. You ain't nobody. I mean the business is out there. So we just you, just you just giving us the business that that's always out there. J'all, Lyon is on. It's a lot of fun or whatever. But that just the chemistry, man, and how funny everybody is and how how fun it is. And you grew really you grew really fast. You're in over ten million, ten million listeners daily. What were your expectations when you got into radio? Did you did you expect or did you think you would be this big this quick? Nah? Because we were only on in Dallas, Okay, So I was happy with that. I'm right, Okay, I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan. The Cowboys see that. You got my whole life shouting up Calabama? How are you getting way to Dallas from Alabama? You're gonna drop after focus. You gonna how many teams you jump over to get you? The Cowboys in the seventies, yeah, you might hate. Yeah, we all had Dallas Cowboys jock first stealers. Okay, he was either one or the other. You were right, you are in the seventies, you was either for the cowboys or the pits. But all the time, so my granddad said, were rolling them with the cowboys, That's how I grew up. I got out hill I had. I had a little baby Jerry curror and a pit and a Dallas cowboy jogging suit holding the football like then I'll short, I'll send it to you. You know, I was thinking that Rick, everybody that had a Jerry Carrol ain't got new here. You think them chemics would burns y'all here out It did because the Jerry Cruss went from Jerry CRUs to Wade new Vote and then Hawaiians Hawaiian silky. Yeah, and then after that your hair started thinning like right there, and you just had to let let it go. Yeah, But I see that's the say no, you ain't Rick. The thing was you let it go. You ain't trying to to the side. You ain't trying to hold on to see some people on TV. You need to let it go. We talked about it, but we're gonna call no name. Let me ask you a question. The breakfast club you kind and you kind of do kind of what the breakfast club does, uh not not exactly. Uh what do you know about those guys there? Any competition, Well, we were at that competition when we were on the hip hop station Okay, So it was either the Rickett Smiling Morning Show or the Breakfast Club. Well, we were known for it was the Funny right or whatever, and we were number one in every market, right. Uh. They were known for the interviews with Angela ye Alla main DJ Envy, who I absolutely who I met for the first time. I met him at the White House. This past exem was really really nice about him and his wife. So I'm a big fan of watch all of the interviews, love their working. Uh, you know everything that But that was our competition, right, believe it or not. Our competition now it is Steve okay and Steve and one got us a job, and now we compete directly against the Steve Harvey Morning Show, right, And we always texting each other sometime we get on the same phage and in the morning like, hey, what are you talking about? Okay, we're gonna talk about this or whatever. Because when we're trying to push something in agenda d L. Steve and I we stay on group text, right because we are deal and our deal Hugually we worked for the same company Steve worked, but the other kinds. But we communicate, right, so uh, you know, like pastor Warnock and different people were trying to help them. We always on the same page and we all accused. Yeah, you mentioned that Tom Joinner, you took over Tom Joinner. Steve Harvey's been in the radio years. Tabs Smiley was on the radio still is I think you're still on the radio. Yeah, but he used to have a what was that? Was that? Pps? A bt that Tavis Smiley used to have that talk show hEDS and Wendy Williams. Yeah, what is your style? Who? Who? Who? Who? Is Ricky Smiley's style based off of more kind of like Steve or whatever. But I'm just a little different. I'm a little sillier. My morning show probably is the funniest man right show out of all of them, right, because it's just the you got Bratt laughing, you got rock t Right instigating and laughing. I'm the instigator, right, I'm not even the funny. The funny one on the morning show is comedian special k right or whatever. So then you got the voice of reason, you got Maria right More on the show. So I show get going. But it's just it's more comedy than anything out of all the warning shows that I listened to. We more funny, and I don't like to do the controversial stuff. I don't like to bring people on and ask the real controversial right right, because it just kills the energy. Can work for some people, right but but but for me, I'm not sixty minutes and those and forty hours those those type of interviews you right there, right right right. I just try to keep it light because I want the guests to feel confidence, right and open up and open up and have a good conversation. I want them to come back, yes, you know what I'm saying. Instead of asking them about something controversial, let's ask them what's your favorite candy? Right? So what do you do before you go on stage? I want to get into what the listeners don't know about the artists. So that's what you know where my success come from. You you mentioned Steve Harvey and how Steve Harvey pushed you in the direction he was one of your mentors. What is some of the advice that Steve told you about when getting into the business or being a comedian and getting into the radio business. Oh yeah, dressed nice, discipline, discretion, Uh, be on time, you know, Shannon. Uh. When I opened up to Steve Harvey, I had on. Uh, I was going with the l L cool jah. You know, I had to had the clock that hell hell couls, you know. Yeah, and uh so he pulled me to the back back of the dress and he said, hey, he said, people paid their money to come see us tonight. Yeah, he said, so this is a Friday. Say you need to wear a suit tomorrow. I said, yes, sir, that was my first time Steve left Steed. They ain't paying me like they paying you. They put this to kind of money they paying me. See I'm dress right, but let's see I was working at Jeans West. Oh. But you know about that? What you know about that? Okay? That three much at night, sir, So I had I had a little suit. So okay, he said, I'm gonna let you introduce me tonight, but tomorrow I would like for you to wear a suit. These days, you say that to somebody, they feelings hurt, right. So I took it like a man. I'm like, okay, it hurt my feelings, but in a in a good way, right, because he didn't have to say anything at all. But that was but see you when I came up in a row with somebody older saying something period. It wasn't no debate, it wasn't no all, but shut it. It ain't no why So you know what I did, Ladies and gentlemen giving up to Steve Hardy bought Steve on stage. Then I piled out of that parking lot while he was on stage performing, made it to my apartment in time, ran back to my room, put on a suit, went back to the comedy club. By the time I ran in the door, he was saying, thank y'all, good night. My name is Steve Harman. I went up. But when I came back on save with that suit on, he looked at me. He said, you're serious. Damn right, I'm serious. Right, I want it right because I'm not. I'm not waiting until tomorrow. You have right now, you have one of the ogs. This is what you need to do in order to be successful. Dressed for success. Looked like success, right, feel like success. You will. He's bigger too, that Steve. I listened to a lot of its motivational stuff. Yeah, he says, you have to manifest it. He says, but you have to feel and you have to think a certain way. And I tell a story a lot of sending because that was life changing. Yes, that led to me opening up for the Kings of comedy, Yes, but led to me being around Steve, which led to me having a syndicated radio show, which changed my whole life. So, you know, just the discipline and the destructure that I got from my grandfather and my grandmother. Do what you're told to do, nothing to ask why, just do it right? Period, And it worked out once once you started doing the comedy. Obviously, there there are a lot of comedians. I don't know who was your favorite. I mean for me growing up and listening to prior and listen to Eddie Murphy, who was some of the comedians that you wanted to meet. You're like, man if I meet him, oh man, I was excited when I met John Witherspoon. Man. I met Eddie Murphy for the first time at his house. I got invited over because I didn't know that Eddie Murphy. You know, I was hosting Comic View, I was on BT every night, Eddie Murphy. I didn't know that Eddie Murphy watching b Et cumming you right, And so I was out here and he got worried that I was staying at the sofa tail and he had a little get together at the house. I ended up going over that. I met Eddie Murphy and that was just a real blessing. And he repeating my jokes and my prank phone calls like I watched Raw and Delirious, like you know how they were in high school. Yes, coming to America was twelfth grade. Coming to America came out like what and he repeating my prank phone calls and that was just absolutely amazing. Now, I was shocked coming to American him at eighty eight, right, eighty something. Yeah, I think I might I might have been. I might have been a junior college right, you're a sophomore in college here right right right? We're college, yeah, Alabama State. But yeah, coming to America, Yeah, I just to see him in that and to be able to like go to his house, right, and uh, I really tripped out when uh, when Stevie Wonder was repeating one of my prank phone called that really blew my mind. Wow, because my mama had all the albums I have him now, right, but all the albums, So I did not know that people was listening to those prank phone calls and watching d et cors you like that or whatever. So when you said you started off you were performing in front of mainly white audiences. Yeah you do. You have to tell jokes different yeah, so way so so my my audience was white, right, So I thought that's the way comedy go. Right, So I would never take the mic out of saying like I was like, oh gee, you know I could do those jokes man. Yeah, hey, by telling the joke and they're laughing, you holding onto the mic. So I had an opportunity to the first black show I did. I was opening up for uh, for ice Cube and the Ghetto Boys and in the Nice or whatever. So here I come with a comedy club routine. I came on stage with a suit on. I said, I need a mic, staying like you dog you open up? Ice cut me in the lynch mob. I excuse the lynch mob, all the dog rappers, and it stuck. Man. They booed me so hard. Come on, man, they boomed me. It was ugly. And I walked back stage. Ice Cube now they would make eye contact with me. No, no, little man going over there, don't bring the energy over here. I got booed really bad. I got booed up the apolo too, shouldn't, huh. I got booed on Short Time at the Apolo and I hadn't even told a joke when they said Birmingham, Alabam. Mark Curry was the host. When they say from Birmingham, Alabama, they were like boot, they boot. So when I was coming on stage, Mark Curry, who was the host at the time, he said, do your jokes. Played to the camera. He said, your ish gonna air. He said, don't worry about it. I did. I did five minutes of comedy while they was booing and throwing stuff and played to the cameras trying to think of my joke. So I didn't tell nobody. I was on Short Time the Apolo, right, so it comes on TV at then your apolo, you know on Sunday we watched your apolom But bro go to the scale ring, right, come on, sho't be with me, all right, coach, we ain't go there. Way, I ain't go there. I couldn't. I can't skate rink. Everybody with a skate rink on Sunday. We'll argue about that later, okay. Anyway, so I didn't tell anybody. So they took an audience that was laughing at another comedian and spice it up right laughing. All of a sudden, it was no self on some My phone was ringing, my phone was blowing up. I'll started getting bookings or whatever. When I actually got boomed, Wow, true story, show time with the Apollo. But that's what is that feeling? Like, I mean, you don't argue. You have to get boo. I mean, so, so how did how do you remain confident? Like I'm sticky with I don't care what y'all say. Y'all they laugh at these jokes to but y'all gonna laugh tomorrow. Yea. Back then, back then, Uh, you would just kind of go on, try to do your routine. Now if you boo me, I would turn all the lights on and step off stage and go through the audience and roast every last one. I give it to him like I don't care because something wrong with everybody? Right, I don't care how good you look. I can find something wrong with you. I'll make you anxious, right, Okay, you want to boot me? I had to. I had to get my son. My son came home from college. I was sitting in the kitchen every time I passed by, getting ready to go to Uh you know the frat me right. You know I heard somebody giggling or whatever. I'm wearing something like this. I'm just age appropriate, right, exactly. Nothing to win those tights with a hoodie. I ain't wearing no chrome hard gene that called eight thousand days. Come on, man, I'm about to be double nickel. And then you know, you know by me being a damn my son, I guess got what I do for a living. Yeah, if you want a roast, I went in and cleared that kitchen. It was spinning kool aid everywhere, like, yeah, you got you get on yourself like that. What you're trying to roast me in front of your friends from college? Uh? Yeah, you know my son on the basketball right in the Alabama state right now, okay or whatever, shout out the miligu smiling, but you know it's trying to roast, right, So I got junker. I do this for a living. I'm not just your dad, ni yeah right right now, I'm a comedian. I'll be dead at the minute's go. Was like, get your friends laughing that you of them? Yeah, open for the ghettos? How how do you how's there's a comedian. I don't know. I've never been to a concert where a comedian opened up for people that's gonna sing or rap. Well, at that time, Shannon, they started doing they was having comedians open up all the shows. Okay, because now mind, I had a great show when I opened up for Will Downing, King Cohn and Jennifer Holiday. Okay, yeah, yeah yeah, and uh mister Cooper, Michael Cooper. Yeah, I opened up for Michael Cooper. Okay. You know, Joe Cribbs put me on my first big show, okay, running back Ruffalo Bills, Yes, sir, he became a promoter. Okay, put me on my first big show. Okay, little running back from Auburn. Man. I love him to this day and thank thankful for the opportunity. But Joe Cribbs saw talent in me and had me open up for Michael Cooper, which meant a lot. So so they was like, okay, we can have you open up for the ice Cube and the Lynch Bob and the Ghetto Boy. You thought that would be a good idea. Who's shark was on that show? Oh? Man? I got the pictures, Yeah, I got boomed. I had a suit, I had a three piece suit. I was dressed like the Jackson Southern theres. We don't need to talk about this the Will Smith incident, but we saw something out here at the Hollywood Bowl with Dave Chappelle and somebody ran on stage. Are you afraid now you say that if people start bowling, you're gonna cut the lights on and you're gonna clear it out. Yeah? Are you do you get afraid now of telling a joke that might offend someone or you like, I'm ricking, this is what I do. I don't you came here so you don't get it. If you don't, if you're not appropriate, Shannon, I don't care. If you sensitive, don't come to my show, stay at home. Right, society is too sensitive. Now. You can't say nothing. You can't correct. You can't if somebody doing something that affects you. You can't even correct them when they're what they're doing affect you. Yeah, I'm gonna, hey, I'm fitted for it is what it is. I'm gonna say what I need to say, especially if it directly affects me. Right, I'm offended. I'm offended that you're affecting I'm offended that I have to correct you right, how about that? But they get offended that you offended? Right? Right? All of this so, uh, culture and all that kind of stuff. I'm gonna do my jokes or whatever I talk about everybody, I talk about myself, right or whatever. I don't care if you're black, white, fat, skinny or whatever. Everybody gonna get a little bit right. And most of my comedy is relatable and and it's it's done with love. It's not mean spirited. That's a difference that comedy is not mean spirit So you know when you got Comic View and Death Comedy Jam, how did that change your life? Well, hosting Coming View changed my life. Your money definitely changed for your appearance, Uh Deaf Comedy Jam. Martin Lawrence was the host, So I started. I did a joke about the queues in the Aka, so I started getting book for colleges. Right. So, but when I became the host of b ET Coming View, that means you're on TV Monday through Friday, number one show. That was a highest rated season of Comic View on b ET and uh and I was also the host in two thousand and four. Right then Bat gave me a show the year after that, So That was a real staple in my career and even now. And that was two thousand. My tickets it's two thousand and twenty three now. My ticket sales has been consistent for twenty three years. It actually started out in ninety seven with Little Darren. Right, if I did a Little Darrel, I've been selling out since ninety seven. So you can you still do that joke even though you're talking about maybe a special needs I mean, do you have to do you have to? Oh? Yeah, I do it. They like it, the special needs. Right, Little Darren bought out all the special needs uh kids right, not necessarily kids, but specially an adults. Yeah, they all came to my show and I they would not let you leave on stage unless you did. How did you come? How did you come up with that? It's true? I had we had Uh he went to our church, right and uh he would get up there and say, it's it's a speech, right Shannon, And uh it was. It was one of those situations where you couldn't laugh, right, and your mama looking at you like yeah, So in situations where you're not supposed to be laughing, that's when things are extra funny. Correct. So he Little Darrell would be out there saying this Easter speech and we would be in the cross stand with a straight face, with tears coming down, eyes right on the leavel can't laugh just like you pledged, right then not laugh while you're online, right, So I just simply and and Saturday Entertainer, actually I told said the story is said, Saturday Entertainer helped me write the joke and do it a certain way. And when I did it the way said taught me how to do it, it blew up on BT and I was My career took off. That was it. It was in the seventy nine cutlers driving down Peach Street. He had got right in front of that Chick fil a Yeah, and said, said I had it was another name, but said it said Little Darrel, said, said my name Little Darryl, and said started doing it. We didn't hear my colors. We didn't setting nine colors driving the uptown coming to club. I'm one behind the Houston, yeah, said And I did the opening week right, you know it's earthquakes old club. Yeah. And he told me how to do it and helped me form it and formulate the joke. And when I did it on B ANDT. I came out Stay at Zoo man Bruce Bruce and comedians like, I'm like, what what happened? It was like, man, he said, when this air, all the commedians they circled me. I thought, something's wrong, right, like man, your life in the change? They said that was funny because Mike Epps and Kat Williams was on that episode the kind of as well, Wow he was he went on this Alley Cat and Mike Epps had on the Dallas Cowboys Jersey. I'll never forget it. The audience was dead. It was midnight. It was the last show they had been taping all day, and here I came doing Little Darrel or whatever, and it blew up. Shannon right, U, No, lie when you say when you travel and you were doing it like you do now and all these comedians, how difficult is it because you hear the laughter, you know you back there, you hear what's going on? Yeah, and you like, Dan, what do you ever think your head? What are you saying? Not behind the uh uh? Lavelle Crawford, I'm not I'd been damn If I'm going behind him, I don't care. I would give a promoter, every dying back, He's not gonna hey listen, Now, I can almost follow anybody, right, But what I did a show with Lavelle Crawford in DC for New Year's I'm glad that I went first. I saw him standing in one spot with a suit on and a bow tie and totally destroy audience. And I just never seen somebody standing one. I'm talking about back to me, how do you follow that? Right? But I had to follow Danniell Rawlins one time. Yeah, in Atlanta, right at the Philips Arena, sold out on the Martin tour. He got a standing ovation and guess who's next me? So I had to go to my playbook. Yeah, I pulled out, had to go deep. I had to go deep in the playbook. But thank god I'm on the radio because I think they gave me a little left. So by the time I came on and say, they're like, yeah, this is our guy. We listened to the morning show and I was, but they gave me a little cushion and so I just I put on a good show that night. Also, but that was scary. Give me, give me your your mount rushmore of death comedy jam Comedians. That's been on death comedy jams, Oh my God, and then I want the one the death mount rushmore comic View, oh Man, Deaf Comedy Jam. Of course you have to start with Martin ham Burger Burger Burger. Uh. You know Bill Bellamy came out with Booty Call Ye And of course you can't talk about that if you don't say Bernie mca ain't scared of you. That was the hottest a they'll givens the weal and the ticktock. Ady'll givens Bernie mack uh who had a good set like with ripped Death Comedy Jam up Hucky Doug Uh what shocking Duck was big on b on BT comany. That's when Rack rack when he blew up. But all of those coming JB Smooth from Death Coming Baby Smooth, Sleep on my Couch with Sharyl London, wouldn't coming view or death Comedies don't come again? Okay she can she she class of ninety four. Right, I did Deaf Jam in ninety three, but Saryl Underwood and all of them they came in ninety four like a year later. Henry Watch had a real good set. Uh. He does shows with Mike Epps. One of the funniest comedians in the country. But uh yeah, now b et uh b et you got on ja Ja killed it on on on Deaf Comedy. Yeah as well. H Gary Owen earthquake, earthquake. Wait, that's a dog. That's you know what I'm saying, U earthquake? Uh some more, Yeah, you know, and all of the guy luster Berry, all of the guys that hosted County said was the second host d O Hughley was he original host of Beet Comedy. Yeah, so you had a lot of talent that uh you know to come from from the et comtedy. So yeah, those are some of the goats. Do you think there'll ever be another comic view or deaf comedy jam? Uh, I don't. I don't know. Sh It'll have to die down because comedy is so sometimes it feels oversaturated, h or whatever. In order for it to be special, it have to kind of die down for a minute in boom kind of like all the movies and stuff, right thinking during the remake, yes or whatever, it would. It would be hard because now you got phones, people have more options than they had back then. But you know what, it's hard or not. Now that you mentioned that, it's harder to tell a joke more than once because everything is recorded. Yeah, so now you know I'll be used to get away. You could do it. Yeah, you just added I still do Little Darrel right now and then, but I do it different, right, So I mentioned Little Darren as a recap, right, and then put a spin on it and then do something totally different using the same character that they love. You mentioned earlier that you're about to do a Netflix special. Is that kind of direction? Because Chappelle came back in twenty sixteen. I think he signed a deal. Yeah, it was reported. I don't know how true it is that Eddie Murphy has signed a deal with Netflix. He's gonna do a series on Netflix. Earthquake had one which was spot was fired. Yeah if that kind oh yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. Yeah. By the way, Dean Cole, I gave Dan Cole his first job, his first writing job, and Dean Cole we used to do colleges together back in the day. It's it's crazy because everybody was in this van. I remember Dan Cole sitting in the backseat of the van, said in the front of the van, and everybody's like famous now, right, and it's just so amazing to me. But uh yeah, I haven't done it special. I did a BT special alive stand up on Beet called Open Casking Sharp, but it was like thirteen years ago. So now it's time to come back with some new heats, you know, some flavor. You know, I still got it cause I kind of settled in the radio, but I still perform low key, right, So just to kind of put something out that people have been asking me to do. Do you write your own material? Do you have some writers? I have writers for this special to help me punch up the material that I have. Uh, David Arnold was helping me before he passed away. Chris Chris Spencer is gonna be helping me out. Comedian LaVar Walker Special k other guys helping me put it together. So I got basic stuff, but they're just gonna take the stuff that I have and punch it up, punch it up and make it really funny. Do you think it's harder or easier now for comedians to get on harder? Really? Even with all the avenues you got social media, because you see a lot of these guys they kind of get their start on social Young DC, Young Fly. Yeah. See haha, Davis. And you see like Dasy Banks is like flooded. Oh yeah, Well, if you get on social media and you do some good sketches, yes, some funny sketches or whatever that would get you on. But you're doing sketches, right, but you have to catch up in the comedy club. Yeah, because you can't dottch, you can't do the sketches. You gotta learn how to perform, right. So I think, uh, we had to learn how to perform first and then catch up with social media, right as with day Banks now they blew up on social media and they had to catch up and get a rhythm on stage as to how to perform right. And they're really doing a good job. I just did some shows with be Simone, just hilarious. Yeah. D Ray who who who? I don't get along with. I do a lot of shows. D I don't know why the Dray David? Yeah, he bothers me. It why he bothers you? Just annoying? He because he got life, get he got good yeah, Hazel live stuff. And then he always in my dressing room making fun of my clothes and my outfit. He'd be like, you know, like the last time I we did a show like, man, I wear this on the plane, you know. Yeah, yeah, I like my outfit that I'm talking down to your get up down about my outfit, like dyah. He texts me he has harassed me. I blocked him on several numbers. I don't know how, and he just but that's that's that's you know, there's two people. I don't like him, d Ray Davids, both of 'em. Ricky, why did you stay in the South? You had, you had an opportunity. You did a couple of movies. Weren't talking about peaches, the peaches, peaches pages. I knew you were talking the one to Grow on the tree. Yeah, no, you ain't talking if you know what Seth Bell. But there I hear not. They're not as good as you. Like neighborhoods. I like neighborhoods whatever. But in Alabama, and man, let me tell you about the South. Man, I don't know, man, it's just it's different. You can come to LA and you can go to New York. Ain't nothing like simplicity, right, A quiet like people speaking, tell your people nice, how you're doing? Good food? Chef. I'm a hell of a cook. Man you know what you want some chicken and dumplings. You told me that you want some time I see you, know, I follow you every time. I see you, always cooking something. Always. You ain't got that many people in your eyes to be cooking like that. You cook like you got family reunions I have. I have four kids, and then I raised a lot of nieces in this I know. Yeah. I had a house fool my chicken and dumplings, my green, my sauteed greens. I had a cooking show on Fox, on Fox Soul. I had a cooking show. Absolutely, shan I get down in it. Okay, what what's what's your what's the chicken? Chicken and dumblings? Everybody liked the chicken and your grandma made him right. Yeah, I know it. So you like chicken and dumb Yeah, next time you come to the South, I'll meet you in Atlanta, Okay, and I'll bring you a pot of chicken and dumblings. People go, they square bine. I put celery and carrots in there. Well that's chicken dumble. I hope you put that in the rig. Yeah, absolutely, okay, I make the best chicken and dumblings. Okay, what else I have a good fried chicken recipe, my collar greens. I do a great thing. I make a good corn bread dressing, not stuffing dressing, right, I make good dressing, good turkey wings, anything anything southern I have. I take a cooking class. Okay, so I can do gumbo. I can do shrimp at the face. I also can cook Italian. I make my own tomato sauce from scratch. I will boiled tomatoes a big pot of tomatoes for three hours, make a sauce pans, put a sauce pan with my butter, my wine, my seasonally. I have a food processor and put it off, and I draw all of my stuff up. So when I make Lazegna spaghetti, I made my own song from scratch. Shunning, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't come on here and try to No. No, I'm just sasition your questions. No, no, no, no, I didn't know I have doubt in your mind. Shutting. I'm sorry for the surprise of my voice. Okay, Shannon, you act like what you're not married. I was what happened twelve years career took off, and uh, you ain't gonna brab me. You when you would nobody when you were driving that seventy nine colors, she was righting that with you when you read it. When you was the problem, she wouldn't help me dry. That's that's one of the things that actually stick out of my mind. Hey baby, can you get the wheel for an hour? I got to perform and and oh man, that was before they started doing this, before they started grabbing there. Yeah. Man, it's just hard to have a relationship, man, you all over the place. I just from me, Shannon and Jesus Christ himself. Gonna have to walk her up on the porter, said Ricky. She is now Jay. I dated Juicy for a little while. That didn't work out. Juicy just from the morning from the Little Women at Lanta. No you didn't. Yeah, just for a hot knit it didn't. We went to Appa Bees and that was that was that was. That was a short relationship. Was that didn't left. I ain't gonna do I'm not doing it. I'm not doing it. You're saying, you say, nope, nope, no, no. We went question I first date the Apper Bees and the lady bought a coloring book and crayons over there. It did what happened but as a grown woman, man, you capable, and they didn't know that. They didn't know you should have. I tried to explain that the lady started crying because she felt like she offended her. She did, yes, she did. But then everybody standing in the APPA bes wonder when I was putting in the baby car seat, take her back home, then you go with your food. But I heard you said. I don't know if it's true. It was reported that you said, I don't want to be as big as Kevin Hart because, yeah, I like my life. I like the simplicity of my life. Now I'm I'm happy for Kevin Hard, Chris rock Nation. I just couldn't imagine. Yeah, the pressure, the pressure to deliver right in the work schedule, the workload. I mean, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta a crazy schedule. Kevin Hart is in every commercial, every movie, on the radio. Yeah, he gotta he got his uh, he got his his podcast, Yeah, cold his balls, he's doing this thing, uh something, but la husband everything. Yeah, yeah, shutting shutting up for me. Man, you know, I'm fifty four. I was on the road every weekend for years. I've been performing for thirty three years. Right, I feel like I don't have anything else to prove. I want to do it if I enjoy doing it. I just don't want the pressure. I just want to sit back in the show. I want to go to a football game. I want to go, you know, go to an Alabama State, Alabama A and the Magic City Classic. You know, go watch Alabama and Auburn. Do you travel with security? Nah? But thank God for the COVID masks, because boy it works. I can get in and up and I got the one with the fisherman. Weare around the next Yeah, I pull it all the way up the right here and have my hat pulled down. I can go anywhere. You got that from Friday next Friday, Friday after next. All I needed to set across added on the white wood. Yeah. But uh, that actually worked. Man. That that has allowed me unbelievable freedom to go anywhere, anywhere and not be not be noticed. That's on days if I don't want to, right, if I'm just trying to have some products, right or whatever. But man, I enjoy a fishing man. I know she told me I would sitting on the beach. I get off the air at eight thirty in the morning, if I do the morning shop from for a lad of Dale and we'll sit on the beach all day for a week, every single day drive over the Beminy you know, uh, because I'm a I'm a boat captain, right, and I drive over to the Muhammas across the ocean. I went through storms. I'm talking about where you getting like four to five foot way he's coming at your boat and just having to the state of course and make it to an island or try to make it back to the United States or whatever. Man, i'd be out there doing some adventures stuff. I've been taking flying lessons so I can fly boat captain. Just just I'm just having some nice relaxing experiences. Well you always disadventurous, and well you disadventurous as a child, or did you just become this way when I when I became an adult, I started getting no, we started getting money stuff you got to call money to have a boat. Well, well, even as a child, man, I played nine different instruments. I played the bass, guitar, I played a drum, I played the trumpet, the baritone in the Frenchman of the two book, the piano and the organ. And I read music so I'm a musician. Wow, so I could sit at the piano. I was a numbers of music at a church for years. I played basketball. Didn't make the basketball team, but a damn sure made the football team. You see, I did sit down football. Why we gotta come back while we gotta played? Doing so good? The interview with you ask anybody, ask anybody in him I played football or Shannon. The interview was going so well. It was Floyd beautiful. It's still I love the way we were transitioning, getting in and out of topic. We're in a sports building. Go get a football right now, Go round a dead route and watch when you turn around, it's in your chest. Go round a post corner, run a post, hit that corner, turn around. I promise you it will be right there. Ricky, you fifty four, you don't mind throw a football to thirty years. I'm a son that played college ball. Not you. You don't play collegeball. He does, You don't throw the football? I do. I do, Shannon, I still Shannon when I'm backstage. Before I go on stage before him, guess one of my rituals warming up with a football. Mike Epps said, I get you ready to go on the stage, Mike it because it's just get me loose. Mike ELPs DC Young Flying. We had to pick up flag football game backstage before a show in Houston. Mike Ether was like, damn, ain't know you could throw like this and know you had an arm like this. I have an arm. Don't get a football, but stop talking about it. We ain't got no footballs here. Yes, your dude, we're in the spot all all these shows, y'all ever in the Fox build. You have Fox Studio football downstairs, and you are at the RAMS facility. We don't have football here. We have the cameras, we have microphones. Do get a college football. I'll show you can't throw the NFL ball, but I can throw the college football. You stole the show in Friday after then Friday after next? Yeah, how was that expelled? Why we go through this? Man? Brothers? I believe we were related, But go ahead. You're originally supposed to play Kat Williams character. Yes, and Kat Williams supposed to play Mike character, and somebody said no, we want you to play mikelau right, and then yeah, because Kat william was gonna be the Santa Claus, right, and then uh, and they switched it over, right, because I when I auditioned, I auditioned for Mighty Mike. Right. You know what when I went in there to audition, I'm at the toilet when when Kat Williams to use the bath room, that was that was That's the line I had to use the audition. So they switched it up. So I'm like, yeah, I could do this Santa Claus role Friday. Uh you know, but I didn't know that because I did my role like in four days, right, they shot all my stuff in four days. I went back to Birmingham came back out because they changed the ending. Did you know that? No? I didn't know, you know, the ending, but they got the fighting or whatever. The ending was me giving out Santa Claus giving out presents to his kids. So the test audists didn't like the way it ended, so they changed the ending, so I had to come back. The scariest thing was laying down in front of that limousine and you better hope and pray that he got it on dry and not reversed, because that was real. But I had to really lay there while that limousine peeled off. So they they allowed me to get up about three or four times to go and look at it to make sure. I said, go up, I put in reverse. I said, put it in dry. I put it in verta time. I got comfortable, I said, okay, let's go and say, hey, we're gonna do this one time. One time. So they actually did it twice and that was scary. And the part where the Santa Claus got with the clothes line right when we were laying on the ground. We was in a real backyard somewhere south of La Shannon. Why was maggots in the dirt when was somebody's backyard for real? The dirt was infested with maggots, like real talk. I had to lay down there, right. So that was a stunt man that did the clothes line the fall, but I had to pick up where he was already down. And I'm laying down and I'm looking and I see maggots in the dirt. True story, it was disgusting. Did you know you had hit it out the part when you did this role? I had no idea, never seen the movie, never read the whole script. Friday after next come out, I get my kids. Where we going? We're going into the movies we're going to see Friday after next. I have a small role in the movie the movie Come On, and it starts out with me right first of all, to see some more name on the screen done DC Curry and then Ricky smiling, and people in the theater store clapped because we're in Birmingham, but they didn't know I was in the theater right. And the movie go on. Santa Claus get hit by the car and my kids started crying. I had to take them out side tell him that I was okay, right, and and then everybody realized I was in the theater showing right and start clapping. Everybody was proud. That was the first big movie. Then I end up doing uh first Sunday yep H with David E. Talbert and I actually was in the movie with Ice cuping Mike else all about the Benjamin. They cut the card out because they rewrote it right. But I was snitch Mitch in that movie when you did you? Did you freestyle any lines because you like Cube saying I have you in this movie because I just want Ricky smiling. I want you to be you. But here's the base, here's what you need to say. Here's what's happening. You're robbing them, right, he said, don't talk over each other. Everybody just stopped talking over each other, like, and once we got it together, we shot it a couple of times, running down the alley all that stuff or whatever, so it was it was easy. What made you hit the don cause you hit the d man. I was a fan of that. Oh, I was a fan. I've been doing that since, even doing it right, you know what I'm saying, Like, like the guys do the grit like I go on stage right now, I do the gritty right I come on stage, man, I'll be killing that gritty like like when I'm like, I thought, you say you appropriate. My son is a college athlete. I can do the gritty. I can do the gritty. I'm not gonna do the prep. I'm not gonna be washing machine. I can do the duggy. I would kill the duggy right now. I had no rick. But you that's saying appropriate, Shun. You still got to be be relatable in help. I'm I'm fifty four, but fifty four it's not old you until you beginning to have my shirt tuned to my pants have an adult diaper home na, I don't care about the adult diving, but you should have one jeans and hard about Stacy Adams. No, sir, come up, you know what? Okay, First of all, I changed clothing in your dressing room. You did. I just see one pair of Stacy Adams in your dressing room. Nah? You so I saw your shoes. Yeah, so don't play with me. Say keep it moving. You see y'all see money over here? Trying to do I keep people out of my dress. He got shut. I saw your shoes. Okay, okay, we're gonna leave it at that. I mean it was one pair of ninety clouds of joy. Their shoes in there, those square toe gamers. No, none of that stuff. All of those shoes was full gossip. Yeah, okay, yeah, the residual checks. Do you do you want to do any more movies? Would you like to do any more movies? Or you like I'm done? I didn't have my share. I mean, if there's a situation where I could get in and out, like like when I was in baggage plane, right, I threw the la and shot that and one day and got on the plane and left, and the way David E. Talbot and land Talbert was some of the best producers in the in the in La they spread it out through the whole movie. Right, So I like to like situation where I can get in, shoot, do what I have to do. But but sitting in a trailer all day every day. It don't mix with a D H D. Right, because I had it right though. You know what I'm saying, you Bean, You know how you'd be talking to somebody talking to you too long? Your brain, your brain go to commercial. Yeah, you talking to liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty, got you, you know, yeah, talking to me over two minute like e moo e moo and Doug, I'm looking at you. In First Sunday, Ice c Tracy Morgan can't Waga Hall, the Redder, Divine, Red Grand I went, I played football, Red Red Grand was on the team of State. Yeah yeah, shout out of the Red Grand, Red Grand Happy belated Founders Day. You know Red Grand and Capel Yeah he capit Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. Red Grand is running from may in Dyeah. That's one of the good yes bag you claiming with Paula Patton, Laura Lunn and Jail Scott Christy and A Milliard. I mean boys, kJ chens J. I mean, bro, I mean you don't want to play football. This man here. We just won't give it up her because you won't let it. I want you to respect the fact. See, you just respect the fact that I can throw a football. Still I stopped talking. Okay, well you know what you boy? You okay, okay, okay. You know when you you interview Dan y'all went on the football I gotta workout video with Kevin Ridley when he was playing that Bama. I went to the side plays like, yeah, you're kidding. I said, okay, do a five and out. He's turning around that balls like that. I got the video on my Instagram. I show it to you. You No, I'm good. You know I was a comedian you know before I played football. Yea, I did stand up where the same place you played football. In my mind, hold on, I'm gonna send you to pay I got your I'm gonna send you the picture. Okay, I'm gonna show you you do all about the Benjamins. He was like, you guys are people over there laughing your staff people, people, people Hollywood over there laughing by people, and you're boy from St. Louis over here, your people, man, they go ahead, shan. So when they told you that, but you guy, you already got paid. I mean obviously you wanted to be in there, but they had them cut the checks. So you straight when they cut you out of all of my the benjaments, Oh yeah, yeah, that was a good opportunity to be with icequ Yeah. It wasn't nothing personal right against me. They rewrote, so my part didn't make sense. But Q was like, rick, I got something else for you. And then I end up doing uh first Sunday. But you know what I'm saying. I had a sitcom too on TV one with Ray Jr. So I had that show, and then I had a reality show that was six seasons I called Ricky Smiling for Real with my Morning showing my kids. So I had a lot of a lot of stuff. I still don't understand how you find all the time to do all this shout up. I just do I do. I consolidate and compartmentalize. Okay, that's so important. I get the compartmentalization of it, yes, but but but I just kind of do everything like January February marks, right, those are your those are your busy months. I will grind okay, none stop okay, But a lot of people don't understand. When I get off the air man, I'll take a three hour nap. Right, I'll go back home and get in the bed, let the blinds down, get under the cover and go to sleep. Right, turn the phone off. I don't do this cell phone, my cell phone never, and my ring will stay off twenty four seven. Right, I got my phone set, so my mama call, or my son in college call whatever, it'll ring or whatever. But let's just be cash up with them college. I have a daughter at bell or a son at Alabamas. I got two scenes. I got two born in college. But I have the discipline to say no, right. I have a discipline to create space for myself, to give me time to think. And sometime I wake up, I go through my text messages and respond from important to less important, from how you during the day, just checking on you, to hey I need an answer right now this that and we need to make a decision. That's how I do. I'd be going through by texts are like kay, hey, yeah, yeah, man, you know exactly all that all that like, no, I ain't been no text, No I can't I just yeah, it'd be too much. Bro. Yeah you like group chat? No I don't either. No, No, it's too because see, now you're getting all this spense, especially when yeah, brom that you don't know. Yeah, I'm talking to you. I ain't trying to get everybody in all these people in the all people do the people in their sixties the group group text. Only people in their sixties and seventies do stuff like that. What do you like more? Radio? Stand up movies, reality TV? Sitcom? Because you've been in all, You've been in them all. Well, you know I do like reality TV because you like drama. Nah, I didn't you see I didn't need the feel it on my show. I didn't see the sitcom because I was about to ask you, are you like Housewives of Atlanta? Uh? Believe it or not, Shannon, You're gonna cringe. My favorite TV show that I watched all day. Yeah, first forty eight, I like the first forty and two. I can't snippy snitch Y'll be dry snitching like mug. It be well chieved Burger. They'd be telling him everything. In churches that it'd be that damn that damn hunted biscuit churches that. You know, I had had churches chicken since eighty since eighty two. Yeah, I don't think I've had church of Chicken. I mean, if I'm gonna your chicken out, I'm probably gonna be Krispy Chicken. I like Chrispy Chicken. Christma Chicken is good. I like the papers have been public. You want public chicken down and chicken that they fight sh and the cakes and they and they desserts and they they bakery, yeah, off the chain. But they got chris Chicken la. Anybody know they got Chrispy Chick out. But when my granddad's sister, my grandfather's sister died, yea, they had a church's chicken head just can't was banging in the eighties, and uh it was that repath yeah, and the lady was like, do you want this piece or that piece? I said that piece. Back then they wasn't wearing rubber gloves. Yeah. And later had a fringdom missing, and the old lady had a little dark spot right there and she grabbed a chicken like that and she put it on my plate and it's and it's all I saw you done with you you done with church and sleep that night but I didn't eat that chicken, and I hadn't had a sense because every time I see churches chicken, it's all I see coming back. You roll for this man, You're roll of all the impressions that you've done. What is your favorite one? Uh? I have this character little Dad Joe Willie. Joe was my favorite Joe Willie, Joe Willie in the Du the Roumannaires. So this is poking fun at the gospel group, the male male course, like when you and I grew up. Yeah, I host a male chorus convention in Augusta, Georgia, every year every ye at the Bell Auditorium. And Joe Willie and the Du the Romans. Joe Willard is a big guy that is real physical. Yeah, but I but all the other singers are real all men, right, they're in their seventies and eighties in real in real lifefe. Okay, but I can sing a little bit, but they sing in background and it actually sound good. Right. But Joe Willie kind of like in a big suit, kind of got got gray hair, got the kind of like professor clump a little bit. Okay, but he's moving, he moving, he jumping, he's spinning, he doing all this stuff. But Joe Willie is my favorite character. That's the one I have the most fun with. Right. You you mentioned that you could you play like seven instruments. You can play the piano. You mentioned that you played the piano, You played the organ in the church. You play a lot of different instruments. Yeah. Have you ever thought about did you ever think about doing anything in music? Yeah? My goal was shunning the be a musician. But I would do a comedy show at choir rehearsal. I would get seventy five dollars to play at a small church right in Birmingham and end up doing doing imperson nations of the pastor or somebody in the church or whatever in a comedian name. Uh, Chuckie Jenkins took me over to the comedy club one night to watch him right, and I was like, I can I think I can do that cause I'm funny. Right, everybody said all was funny, And I went back a couple of months later and then open mic night, right, and then I end up opening up for George Wallace. Okay, so that was the first person I opened up for, right, and then UH just kind of just kind of went from there. But but yeah, I wanted to be a gospel musician, classical pianists. I enjoyed playing the instrument. I've been taking lessons since the third grade, and I learned how to play by ear when I got to Alabama State because I was minoring in music, right or whatever, so I had took all these applied piano classes, applied trumpet class or whatever. So I was. I was really into me and I still am. You know, I'm a big soft rock fan, so Stilly Dan, the Eagles, Fleetwood Man. I go to every Elton John concert. Sometimes I take off to go see Elton John, right or whatever. But but I am a big Frankie Beverly and Maids, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder or whatever. I love music. Were you funny as a kid? I mean, cause a lot of people getting getting the comedy, you know, so kids don't make fun of them me. I talked with a list, So me, I make jokes, I have get somebody, I make jokes about somebody else who the kids start laughing at them, leave me alone. So were you naturally funny as a kid? I was a laugher. Okay, yeah, I was a laugher, But I started learning how to be funny, so I would watch the ones that was actually funny, right, and they still funny to this day because we all still hang together. I got folks, I hang with that we go back to elementary school. Okay, So I'm trying, you know, it was trying to figure out how can I put this on stage? Because I'm doing plays in piano, so so being on stage was nothing for me, right, So let me figure out how to be funny on stage? Right? Yeah, when all these prank calls, did you ever get in trouble for doing making me prank calls? Well? Back then, before caller ID, we usually have the phone book, right, you know, you spend it out of your cousin house, had a phone book open. I got in trouble one time. I called my neighbor and taught him and his dad. They had won some some tickets to see the Commodoors, but they have to be at the radio station thirty minutes. And when the summer on the front porch and Washington run out of the house, hill out of the driveway. But they came back real slope. They came back real slope. Man, did they ever know it? Did they know what you did. They do now they now they know now, But back then I wouldn't say nothing because I ain't want to get a whipping. Well why do you think, why why do you think you're so relatable, especially the black woman Bernie's Jenkins, that voice. Why is it so relatable to the black community. Uh cause everybody have a Bernie's Jenkin, a Miss Janey or whatever. Everybody knows somebody, right, So when you do church annwncing. We grew up in the church. You know you had the lady to go up there and do the church. Now you read it, man come right, so to take the church anoun and just make him funny or whatever. And uh, you know, you're just talking about what people know about and we tried to read probably be getting every last all of them. Govern yourself, what according to you? Look at Tyler Perry and what he's been able to do in Atlanta. Did you look at how he got started doing media as a play Hollywood? Now we good puts his own money up, becomes a billionaire, build this big studio, state of the art rival anything to have out here in Hollywood. Yeah, he did. And uh, I just saw the the overview of his home that he built, not in Douglas. Yeah. Yeah, you think Queen Elizabeth got something. He got something, he got something. Yeah, how do you know, Tyler? How surprised are you that he was able to do that in such a short amount of time, because it's not like Tyler's not that. I mean, we're probably about the same major maybe give U take a year or two. He might be. He actually younger than ugh Y. I met Tyler Perry in baggage claim at LaGuardia Airport. That had to be many many years ago because he didn't know nothing about nobody or claim. It was some years ago. Tyler Perry and I and Earthquake, Yea and Niss Nash. We was we had a pilot on Fox called The Kings of Comedy. It was a sketch show like Saturday Night Line. And uh, he was like, hey, uh he recognized me from Comic View. He said, he I'll just say I'm Tyler Perry. He said, I do plays. I said, nice to meet you, and uh, he said, how are you getting to the hotel or whatever. I said, I'm just gonna catch He said, you can ride with me. So he had a car, right, So I jumped in the car. It was just Tyler Perry and I. We were just talking. So he telling me about this charty. He said, man, you'd be doing Bernie jinging, but I do this character named Medea. So Tyler Perry was telling me all of this stuff. And there is a sketch that wants to Latham has with Tyler Perry doing Mdea and I'm doing Bernie's Jenkin with Niss Nash called the You. It's supposed to be making fun of the view. Right. We did a sketch called the Pew and it didn't get picked up. They picked this show that said did said entertainer did or whatever, but it didn't get green lit. But we shot the pilot. We stayed in New York City for a couple of months, right to dinner every night, right, and I knew he was gonna be big or whatever because he was talking business. I wasn't business savvy back then, but sitting in that car with him, uh, Tyler Perry and Nis Nash, earthquake myself. We went to dinner every night or whatever, but he was staying over in that the only thing that caught my eye. I knew he had money. He had money then, because we're standing in this this fancy hotel across from uh Central Park or whatever. You know that rif Caughton. No, it's something else, but it's real or whatever. It's real expensive. But I recently stayed there. I left because it's decorated like a funeral and and uh, I mean it's set up like like when you make funeral rights, like they have a bituary. Right. I couldn't stay. I had to go to something modern, right when. I made a whole video on Instagram about that. But I knew he was gonna make it. And I am so proud of him. He has given so many people jobs and opportunities and stuff. Man, I absolutely, I'm I am a huge fan. People like well the Munday, I'm like, listen man, then Chris Fatim coming man, A man shouldn't be wearing no dress man, Listen he did he listen? Okay? Nobody well beat I wear bikini with being all I will right? Ain't nobody said nothing nothing? When when Jamie Foxx do, wonder when Mark Lawrence do or whatever? Man people have the name? When people have taken all that? Rob Williams started out with missed out fire right, right before that Flip Wilson, Flip Wisson dead, Geraldine come on now and then Benny Hill. Yeah you know so man, people do something that you do it for the comedy, right. People have over sexualized and I want too much sometimes yeah, yeah they're reading in the stuff and yeah or whatever, man, but the stuff if it made people laugh. Our job as comedians, right is to make people laugh. And then now people want me to do the character now, I don't want to do it right because you get criticized, right, right or whatever. You know what I'm saying, because I know who I am, right, you know, as a person. Yep. And I liked Tyler because there no matter what my deal, what you think, there's a message and everything that she's and it's funny. It is period, point blank. You and I both waived. My grandmother raised me. And you talk about your grandmother and the influence that she had in your life. Oh yeah, skill that yeah, man, Shannon. My grandmother's lived across the street from each other. That's how my mom and dad met. Okay. My mom and dad were musicians. They both played snare drunk okay, and they graduated high school and had me a year later. Okay. And I had my grandparents and my mom's mom and my dad's mom and dad or whatever they was wanted from my life. And I had grandparents on Shannon, I have touched every last month of my great grandparents. I met my grandmamma, mom and dad, at I met my granddad mom and dad. I met my other grandmama dad, and I met my other uh my granddad's mom. Most of my great grandparents. I have touched and had relationship with my grandmother. My great grandmother was a hundred and six years old when she died or whatever. And I had ever last one of my uh my grandparents, and uh, they've been a blessing to my life. My grandfather, my dad died. My dad got killed when I was about six seven years old. You can't make for Vietnam, right, yeah? And I mean if we think about that, you go to Vietnam and you survived that only to come back here right and lose your life, lose your life? How much of that do you remember? Then I can tell you. I can tell you more about my dad's funeral at at seven years old, and I can tell you about about my grandparents funeral who just recently my granddad who just died three years ago. I can tell you where everybody sat, where everybody had on. Uh. I think that was seventy three or seventy four April v eleventh, when my dad died. I'll never forget it. You know, that was that was something that It's probably one of the only things that made me cry to this day as a fifty four year old man, because when I think about watching my grandparents sit over here on this front row, crime like they crying that they that tear me up to this date and to this day or whatever. Uh. My grandparents had a chance to see me on beet. They had a chance to see me do some movie and TV stuff. They saw me on death jam. I made him proud. They get They gave me everything with nothing, you know what I'm saying. My granddad worked at still Plant, my grandma worked at the airport or whatever. They taught the class. They taught me table manners, good home training, respect, good morning, good evening, Yes ma'am, no ma'am, Which ain't nothing wrong with this generation. Try to say that yes ma'am and no ma'am. It sounds slavish, and that's a problem. It's respect or whatever. And I just appreciate everything that they taught me because now that the discipline now that I use with my granddad. Well, I'm not gonna wake you up for school. No, No, we don't use alarm clocks in this house because if you go to bed with your job on your mind, you're gonna wake up. So take your ass to bed early and then you you won't miss the bus. Right, And now I don't use an alarm clock to get up and do radio, which the show starts at five. That mean you have to be up at three thirty. And we'll go to bed right six thirty, seven thirty. I'm in the bed, lights off, TV, off, sleep at six thirties, you know, start getting dark in the fall. Yeah, yeah, I understand it shouldn't I be just like this. You put your hands together. You put your hand right there and crush Shannon Shannon at six thirty. I don't care about if I got a company or whatever. Somebody's somebody rolled through. It's gonna be early, like even gonna be early. Okay, you go go to bed to night this early? You were shot? Oh yeah, uh what transpired? Oh my beeper went off? Okay, okay, this this this ninety five, My beeper went off. So I stopped at the pay phone because somebody hit uh. I think, what is it? Four one one with nine one one nine one when l O V E? When you turn it upside down or whatever. So I go to the payphone. No, four one one one something like that. Whatever that's how you text back. Then Yeah, well I thought the nine one one't been of the emergency. That's why you would pull over and call no. But I think if you text shale or something like that means like like love or something whatever, certain certain numbers, they'll put it in. If you're turning the beeper upside down, it'll read something else. Okay. So I went to the pay phone, and so they was robbing this other guy my friends Journey that was at the pay phone, and it was like get up. He's like, I don't have nothing. It was like boom, sitting, I get up. They shot me to make him get it up, to let him know that they were serious on that. You can laughing. You want to talk about got wo whoa I got that to do it? That man, get out. Shannon sawed off twelve gauge point blank. He said hold on second, you should say, hold on just a second. I get you a party. Nah, I rang in there. He didn't give me. I was about to run if you'd waited one most second. I was about the jet because if it would happened. Already got hit by a car, almost got hit by a car running across the street after I got shot, right, I still shot. As a matter of fact, I still have them see that in the elbow. Yeah, see those buckshot? Yeah, sawed off twelve gauge man like real talk. And you're going to be laid in the hospital. What's going through your mind? Well? I was in Uh, I wore you at the time. You don't mind me. I had to me about twenty one, okay, twenty one twenty two. I had already did death coming to jam Wow think I think yeah or something on b et the old kind of get what they were to calm cam yeah or something. Uh so, Uh, I'm in the hospital and I'm in ICU. I got all these two the things is poop poo, And I look up at the TV and I see all these uh police cars chasing a white Bronco. I got shot that night. You got shot the same night that oj was supposed to turn himself here. I got shot when they found Nicole Brown Simpson and run Goldman. Okay, I got shot that night. You got shot that night. So when I went to surgery, when I came, when I woke up, I saw a police officers chasing a white Bronco. Wow, that's great. And I'm laying there in intensive care of watching this and I'm seeing the whole O. J. Simpson right right, uh so. Uh but yeah, I was in a hospital man for a couple of weeks, and that was crazy. It was It was scary. I could have died. Yes, I remember the guy the ambulance said, hey man, I said, am I gonna be okay? And he was holding my hand. I said just hold my hand. And I don't never forget that man the ambulance he was he was like, Rick, you did they catch the guy they shot you? Okay, that's a whole story. The guy, the guy that shot me, uh, got caught, went to prison for did twenty five years. They called me for a parole hearing. So I went in there with the attitude, Nah, I wanted him to do the rest of his time. Yeah, he violated my life and I got in there, I saw his mother sitting over there, and then you know, you can look and tell people, you know that people struggling. His lady probably been going to prison ever since he's been in there. She's been going, She'm been going. You feeling sorry for his mother. Then I started breaking down, like, Okay, hey, my life is good. God is good. Let me get this lady back to do what I can to get this lady get a son back to her. But I could go on with my life and they could go on with daylife. Right. And he eventually got out and he got killed drag racing. He got killed two months after he got out of prison. Then I was taking my mom some black eyed peas. I had made some black eyed peas that I'm famous for taking my mom some black eyed peas. Coincidentally, somebody hit me on Facebook and told me that the guy had got killed and where the funerals at. Coincidentally, I'm driving down Birmingham. Version of Peach Tree is called First Avenue. Okay, so that's our main street that go through Birmingham. So I'm driving down through Birmingham and run across his funeral procession because I saw him coming out of the funeral home and I'm gonna jeep with the doors off Rubicon And that was more morbid than the ninety shot. That scared me more than anything. The guy that shot you, almost took your life is in this hearse passing by. That. That gave me chills. I didn't sleep for two months. Wow. Unfortunately, your daughter was in a situation where she was in a road rage at incident and she got shot. Yeah, where were you when you got the call? And what's going through your mind? I was on the air. I was at the radio station. Okay, I was on the air. My daughter's mom hit me on the cellphone, Hey, call me emergency. I was like, okay, let me do all right, y'all ricks By the morning show. Fifteen after the hour, we're gonna be talking about blah blah blah. Then look at it and then the next text, meister said Aaron was shot. And so I just hit I just hit the phone to down what she said, Yeah, Aaron got shot. I said, how my daughter get shot? My daughter is a straight age student, right, my daughter attends Beller University. Right, but mohamma daughter gets shot. She said she was at a red light and some guys on this side of her and this side of her started shooting back and forth and she got hit twice. And so this in the in the beginning of COVID, Shannon, So I had to figure out a flight. So I had to fly from Birmingham to Dallas df W Airport, get in a car and drive from DFW Airport to love Field Airport to get on Southwest Airline to fly to Houston. Only did get to Houston and can't go in the hospital because it's COVID, right, So that was that was trauma. It brought back all of my trauma and UH, to this day, I'm still in therapy because it brought back up all my old trauma. You getting shot, the men getting shot at ninety five and it and and that was trauma itself because your daughter got shot, right and shutting. I was on the on the air UH a week and a half later after she got out to the hospital, because when she got out to the hospital, people had sent food, turkey leg hunt, UH, the mayor, the city council, of the police sheet. It was a lot of flowers in the house and it was that Saturday, so it felt like a repass. Yeah, the only difference is your daughter is sitting right here, right or whatever. So I flew back to Dallas. I'm on the air, moving on my daughter's Okay, I never forget I was playing. I was talking over the intro fifty cent in the club. So don't don't go go all right, you'll rica slide in the morning show. You're it's been shot and I lost it. I was laid out on the floor in the studio. A week and a half later, they had to walk me out to my car. I couldn't even do the rest of the show, Like it took that long for it to hit me that my dog. I knew she had got shot, but it didn't hit me because I went into I got to get my kids here. I got to get her Phari and see, I got to get my parents here. We got to get to Houston. How did we get up to the room and see the door that I just went into action, right, And I didn't. I didn't process. You have it. You didn't grieve properly. I didn't grieve properly. Yeah that's how I do now. Yeah. That was that was That was crazy, and that was scared. But she's a senior now at Belle University, and she's scheduled to graduate in May. My son is scheduled to graduate in May, also at the Alabama State University, which always beat Savannah State. No, they don't. Always don't do that, always don't do That's I know, y'a wouldn't be the one I was there. I don't know what to happened now, but all I know in the whole team, did y'all be Alabama State? Every we didn't play played Alabama A and L. We played like, did y'all beat them? No? We didn't, Okay, go on, go on, next question that that we didn't be Jenn, you couldn't catch the ball and throw the ball and dolay defense. I didn't, Okay. I was the wide receiver. I was hell too. I'm looking at it. You raise your kids, but you raise your nieces, your nephews. You raised almost fifteen kids, played for them to go to football, go to a college. Kids playing football and basketball, something that you couldn't do. Why did you do? Why are you doing this? The college? Shannon? I knew whether it was like to grow up without a father. Huh. Most of them didn't have a father, right, I had no choice, right, I did when I had to do. Some of 'em appreciate it, and some of 'em didn't. Some of 'em I talked to, and some of 'em I don't. Some of 'em I haven't talked to in years. Hold On, it'd be like that, even after you've done everything that you've done, bru, it'd be like that, the wrong person getting on a child here against you or whatever. It's just that white people be naturally jealous, right. And I don't know what you're jealous of, because I share everything that I had with you. But I had a nephew, Terrail that played Uh. I had, uh, three college athletes come out of my house when I played basketball from my house. College nephew Terrell, who was a running back coach at wool On High School, play running back for Middle Tennessee State University, and then my son Malika Alabama State. So I had a college athletes to come out of the house and stuff, and uh, you know, and and all of the nieces and nephew wasn't biological. Some of them, Shannon just didn't have nothing and nowhere to go. And I had to help them. And they're off doing good and doing big things. Now, nephew that has this doctor degree. My nephew Deltrick, got some Greeks in the house. My daughter's at Aka, you know, couple of cues in the house or whatever, and a capita. So I we got degrees on the wall. Education matter. Uh, sent a couple of kids at IMG Academy that's where my son went or whatever. So I performed, Man, just why I can educate and give them an opportunity because I don't need anything, right, I'm what are some of the child? Just being a single father and then in the process of becoming a single father, how rewarding is it when you see the manifestation of your work. Uh. The challenging part is especially with your with your life. Yeah, well well it wasn't really that challenge and being a single father, because I had to help you hiring somebody. I had laid it from my church. Right, name is Pat. Okay, it's Pat, no nonsense, she don't play, she'll knock him out, she'll cuss him out or whatever, and she holding in and down. It's Pat. And before miss Pat, Miss Bishop would help me out with that. So I can easily jump on the plane and go out of town and do what I need to do. I had I had had a support system or whatever. And what was the second question that the manifests and the seed that your hard work? Paul Shannon uh to lay in the hotel room and watch my nephew playing for Nettle Tennessee State University right run up and run a touchdown. And I'm sitting in the bed and I remember him sitting in my left crying because his father got killed. His father was my one of my best friends, my friend brother. I remember you told me that you raised him. Yeah, man, and I'll never forget. Two days before Christmas, he came in my room. He had that look in his face and he started crying, and he's setting my left man and had his head on my shoulder. I said, listen, man, it's gonna be okay. I said, I know how you feel. Man. My dad died too, and we talked about it. I said, but you will smile. I said, you will smile. Now he's helping other kids that don't have fathers twenty six years or graduated college in high school running back coach. But to see them kids on TV, to see my son on the big screen at Alabama state and he's getting ready to go into law school, right, you know. And to see what my daughter's doing in all the degrees on the wall, all of the kids that we've helped, Shannon, it's been a that's the reward, I don't I just want them to do good and I wanted them to have a chance or whatever because I had uncles step up to the plate, and I know how important that is, right, So to have an uncle Ricky or somebody that's gonna hold you accountable to step up to the plate and be there for you and for you to become something, it's everything. Was it important for you to break the statement that black men aren't in their kid's life? Absolutely? Yeah, we are. We absolutely. I went through that and we want to be here, damn right, and they ain't going nowhere. I went through that with my oldest son, you know, having a hard time seeing him that all work worked out or whatever. I've been through the court system. I've had judges that wasn't fair. A judge in Alabama said, Uh, the reason I don't award men because they are their kids, because I've never seen a cow follow his pappy. That was quoted by a judge in the state of Alabama. Now that the laws are changing, they have father Father's Rights movement. Men do hair, I mean my daughter. I do them. Little dog dog on U two little ampro puffs. I know how to put that part down the middle and get that pink old moisturizing rubbing in my daughter head. Dropped that part down the middle, put them two little things and in them little autfro puss ye on. The mistake I made was sending her to school and then some pajamas because I thought it was an outfit from Limited Too. But I thought it was an outfit, but I didn't know that it was a pajama. But she thought she was gonna get fuss that, so she didn't say anything. And I get a phone call from the school and said my daughter was at school crying because she didn't want to go to class because she had on pajama. I said, it's not jumps, that's a brand new outfit. I had just bought it from Limited Too, Right, what kind of find out It was pajama but I thought it was an outfit, so it was jama outfit. It was pajama bed and not class. But but yeah, man, it's it's uh, Shannon, it was fun man, Uh being an uncle being in the house, screaming up the steps. Hey, stop jumping on running up the steps, going up there with the belt popping. Everybody oncet and sit down, sit down, sit down, nobody crying the lynks. Then hurt, you know, go to bed, Go to bed, go to bed, take a shower. Haven't you had him? Man? That was fun, right, the whole highlight of my life. You know, Dad's gonna do nothing but this. Hey, don't maybe come out there. That's it. You don't have to say, don't make me come up there. You're just hey. Then the stomping stop. So I have so I have my grandson there now, Yeah, you adopted your grandson. Yeah, so I'm I just became a first time grandfather. Yeah so let me so, so give me, give me some pointers. What what what did the grandson call you? Pop? Pop? Pop pop? I don't. I'm not a fan of it. I won't if somebody can give me something, help. I like geepop. Now my granddaughters something to start trying to train them to start saying geepop because they got a little swag, a little swag. So popa is still there. P o p Yeah, but gee pop right. You know what I'm saying now. My grandson called it pop pop pop pope. But I'm trying to I'm gonna be Papa Shake oh Man, pop pop Papa Rick, Papa Rick Shannon. I'm for real, you're laughing, but I'm dead. But you're gonna be Papa Shame Papa brand baby here yet, yes here? Okay? How two weeks? Okay, my granddaughter. That was just boring. Congratulations first of all, congret broh girl, a boy boy, let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. Oh, I can sit back, I can cross my legs on this one. I already have told him. I'm gonna have a kid just like just like you were. When I bring him back to you, he gonna be just like you were when you came to me. No more, nothing less, nothing more, nothing less. You think you loved your kid when that boy looking you in the eye and smile and you calming his hair to the side. I got all the video. Yeah that's what I do. I have his hair like mine. Yeah, yeah, with the old school part. Then I I did that. I did that on Facebook. Blew up just in there. You know, people get bad at me on favor because I talk heavy to him. Let's to make him tough, right, so when they go out in the real way, he ain't sensitive. Right. I talked to him and our coach tone like my granddad taught to me work. Yes, So my grandson right now is tough. It's tough as nails, because I don't care about the curly hair, right, I don't care about the cut, and it's all of them cute right until they become fifteen sixty. Can't do nothing with him, that's right. That's let you tell my kids. I said, if now, if you're gonna stay your side, if you're gonna stay like seven to eight, I'll let you run them up. Right. But at some point in time, you're gonna be a teenager, you're gonna be an adult, right, and all of a sudden that I ain't gonna be cute right, right? But but man pushing my grandson teaching My grandson just turned six and can swim the length of the pool and with no life jacket. My granddaughter is jumping in the deep end of the pool now and she's only three. Wow, teaching him to swim, shouting you out to see him throw a football. At six, we get in the living room. You ain't teaching that? Who you got to working with him? Me? I mean, I know you're Alabama fans, So Bryce, you don't come over? No me, Shannon, what about Mac Jones? Dayla hurt? Don't don't don't don't. Ask Cavin Ridley called Cavin Ridley. Ask Caven Ridley asking. It's say you and I both fifty four ms. Only give me some tips on dating. You like fifth you like you? Let me see fifty to fifty five, you're like forty five to fifty. You're like forty to forty five. I'll take like thirty to forty, I'll take I'll take thirty eight to fifty, thirty eight, fifty to fifty slam sexy but genuine, genuine and sincere. Now I need sexiness. I have to have it because I can't be with you just because you you're a good person. You gotta be sexy too. You see what I'm saying you you can't be you know the land they tried to come on that who who tried to hook They tried to hook you up with? Who with what a check? That was on my six hundred pound life says, she's a good she has a good hard Uh but I wouldn't even do it. Well, you might need to donate that, but I'm talking about you trying to be with me. I mean, I'm needing more than hard. I need, I need, I need sexy. Yeah, you know your walk off got to be fire. Yeah, you're walked by I got to be fired. Yeah, you're walked by Aaron got to smell like name the markers. I mean you you so you wanted them? Ways you walked by every time? Can that keep you out the street? Yeah? You know what I'm saying. Okay, what about so okay, what about twenty eight to thirty five? Now I can't do nothing that twin to come my daughter twenty okay, okay, what about thirty five? I'm thirty, thirty to thirty thirty to thirty five now not thirty but thirty. I'm two or thirty five, And I don't mind. Yea, I have a kid, A kid. I ain't never mind that. I don't care nothing about that. You know what I'm saying. Actually, my first my college girlfriend had a kid, right right, Because unless you know what I noticed, ain't nobody want them. I saw that girl. I saw man got me to five. I won. But here's the thing. I saw Walk. He was on campus because we we'll first. You know, we went football players. We went to school. We practiced first right before they before they the regular students got back. We already had a game, right So I saw Walk across that camp. But for three weeks straight. Yeah, I told my roommate, I said, I'm gonna make that girl with my girlfriend. I said, that's gonna be my girlfriend. You know back then we just said that's gonna be the wife. Yeah, walked by, walked by one day. I said, I said, uh, you mind if I walk into your dorm. She's like yeah. We started talking, carried on. I saw in the hallway. Next day class we started talking. I was like, you know what, you know, get dob moment, dob moment. They see me talk to this. Everybody, Hey got big. No, everybody tried to talk to that dude. I let y'all have three weeks. Every I let y'all have a three weeks. Everything start three. It ain't nobody Walter until I started talking with her. But that couldn't beat my time, Like my greatest I had to laid down a blistering time. It was over for you. I put out a blistering time. Oh my mama ain't do nothing, so she hipped him pole. Oh admitted. But anyway, that's out here, So give me some data advice, Uh, dating advice. Man shouting for real man, finding somebody that's genuine, sincere and kind and fair attention. How you I don't know about I don't know about La, but I tell you a good dating pool. Uh you want to find a man Dallas. I've had the best relationships in Dallas, Texas. Man. Not not Houston, Houston if you in your thirties, but man, if you're in your forties and fifties, man, Dallas, Texas. Man, have some nice, beautiful, genuinely sincere. You got Bishop Jake's Church there, you got past the Haynes shirts there. It's it's kind of like the Bible Belt is Midwest with a Southern feel to it. Classy them them little Erica Bay dude, h natural outfro be wearing that little African awe and sexy gonna make sure you're make sure you. I'm talking about the chicks that's gonna make sure you straight. Yeah, cause cause see, I don't need your money. Right. If you have a job in a career, that's fine, right, But man, if if you can help me organize my life with Margie, Marjorie did for Steve, right, that's what I want, right, man, man, man, man, listen, when Steve got with Marjorie, Man, I see a whole different not only in his happiness, his career. Okay, that type and then you know March bow leg too. I was walking up behind Marjorie in the airport. Man, I'm getting ready. While I was walking up on I said, oh my god, I did. She looked at me. She said, oh, I said, I was gonna holler at you. But I ain't know it with you, she said. I said, because you know, we like brothers. But but that right there with Steven has right, that's a blue print of what I would like to have, And I'm not I'm like, Okay, I don't need you to wash clothes. I don't need you to do I ain't real to mistgate it. I'm gonna find somebody to do that. I don't find somebody to wash the clothes. I'm gonna find somebody to cook. But I want you to be stacked like dirty laundy in the dorm room. Come on, grow with you to have I would like for you to have a degree. Now, if you want to have two, that's fine too. Shunning. But guess what, but don't be in too look shunning. Guess what if she don't have a degree. But if she got a deal break, if she got the basic stuff my grandma that your grandmother and my grandmother has, and she just got genuine love and her walk off is fire. And she looked good, and some wedge hills and some jeans, and she looked, holla, holla, not even that a sun dress and better sun dress. She's got a sun dress and some wedge kills. And she looked and she looks she got and she a basketball cutting half back there and you better not and used to be a cheerleader what or a major red? Oh my god, oh my god. If school got married, oh yeah, I mean, and then you know they be a little little fat as cheney. But you know what, we're right. Here's the thing. And I tell any woman that I've ever been with, I became what I became because all iver to do is make sure my family was out of this situation. Absolutely to raise my problem. Now, that doesn't mean I'm not gonna do for you. Not only am I not gonna do for you, I will do for you. I will treat your family, your mom and dad, as if they were my mom and dad. Absolutely. So if you tell me, say, hey, Shannon, can we help my mom and dad? Why are you asking me? That's a no brainer, right, done, deal, right. But I need you to understand that my family, that's that's it for me. I'm not now my kids know I'm not first option. I'm last resort. So once you got I need you to I need your brainstorm. I sent you to school or you got a good degree. Hey, my youngest daughter is one year away from being a doctor. My sons, like I said, yes, my daughters, the human resources. I said, y'all figure it out. Now. If you can't figure it out, okay, let's let's see what we can do. See if dad can help you. Right, But next to me, you good, right, your mom and dad good. But don't and don't be don't. It's not a competition. What I've learned is that the women that I daid felt like they were in competition with the kids. And it's no oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, we're not having that. Nah. I The biggest turn off for me is the half that I've dated a selfish woman before. Uh with that dang seem like I find that's all I find. Yeah, man, asking about everything is about her and her kid. But you never asked me how my grandson doing. See, I got a grandson and the granddad my grandson lived with me between me and miss pat or whatever when I'm out of town. Right, how's how's Grayson? How Grayson? That's important to me? Right? When you can get my grandson to take my grandson and your kid to the jumping gym and have a good time, so I can go downstairs and get on the couch and take a nap, right, watch First forty eight or whatever. Then hey, I spot you on the food. I got food ready when you come back, right, either on the food or I cooked or something, and we just have a food. And I would really need for a woman that that would enjoy swimming and athletics stuff, right, you know, I ain't nothing like a chick that was sit up and watch a game. A basketball fan or football yeah whatever, you're a fan up, whatever your team is, Okay, I got a whole man cave right down downstairs and get down there on the couch and watch but you but you can't be talking about why we got to watch sports again, because sports pay for all this is that in here, right you do realize that that's what pay for this, absolutely absolutely, and the thing we're going through kind of the same thing. Yeah, man, you know, uh at a comedy show, just knowing how to be right, See, I know how somebody that used a certain amount of discretion. If you walk in the room, Shannon, Yeah, you see a chick sitting over there in the corner. I bet that's Rickey, smiling away because you automatically, she don't even have to be standing next to me because she gives you that energy. Right. You know, if you go to a church anything, you see that woman over there, the man up there appreaching you already know that's a past of white. You're looking at him, look at look at a past of key and shunny or whatever that kind of vibe like like pass the key on unwiped shining. You know somebody like her classy se you like me. I'm little key, I ain't really flash it. Yeah, yeah, I'm real discreet. I got but people look at me, get me because I don't. I don't flash. I ain't got the big jewelry. I ain't got a little. I ain't got a twenty twenty twenty seven ride, but I got paper. Now, I got paper too, But I drive a four and I dried that little cheek that, yeah, it's good, A little Ruba kun of two thousand and I don't have nothing to prove. I don't. I don't do enohing. I don't have nothing to prove shining real I did. I did for fourteen years. I had to prove something every year, right, and I need to be on this team. And I was kicking, but nah, I get that I got. I got a necklace too, but it ain't real because if you snatch it, then you have it. Why your coach act like that with time and talk about he ain't swack. Time said he ain't swag. He was. Who is swag? If I eat swag? If I ain't swack, right, who's smack? Uh? Edie Rob because he's still at Alabama State. I played again any Rob in Tennessee, Eddie Jacksonville, So I do Eddy Rob. I know we used to work out together. Listen man, Eddie Rob, both of my friends. I'm yeah. Eddie Rob helped me get my house that I'm in now. I didn't have enough money at the closing table. I ain't gonna lie here. I know he hate you never. He is such a friend. He is a frat brother. He's a friend or whatever. He came through from me. Man one time when I just didn't have it, you know what, And I love I love him for that. It never. It's funny that you say that I had one of the first Seal Mercedes. Yeah, hudor huh. I sold it to him, Eddie Rob. Ask him, next time you see it, I sold it to Yeah, I had that car. I had it for like, I had it for like three months. Right. My homeboy knew Eddie Rob. And he said, Eddie said, you want to buy your car? I said, huh, okay, I sold it to him. I think I had like eight hundred miles, not even have eight hundred miles. Maybe I think I about to drove it like five times now. Ed Robert good dude. Hell hell, he'd do a lot of stuff at at Alabama State University. Man. And uh uh, you know he's a wonderful frat brother man. Uh, shout out the Gamma seed. Why why ain't playing saying you got Omega all over you? Man? Because I will maybe you think i'ma let you will me to wear my clothes and dropped my car. My brother, go up that brother. We're gonna talk after the show. You are definitely you are de Jalen hurts I was jo Jaylen hurts I was. I was in at Me five me Michael Jordan joined us the wonderful Fraternity of Omega. Softh I do grad chapter in corporate. It don't matter. We just need a good man like yourself. Okay, I think about it. Yes, sir, I heard you used to charge people to sit at your luck at the table with you at lunch. Yeah, Alabama State in the South Hall. Yeah, we're gonna charge your a quarter or something to sit there because that was a whole comedy show. Weren't getting up The jokes are free? Yeah? Yeah, so you literally did they know you're working on your material, but there huking on it. Then my college roommate Bend was hilarious. Man. Uh he's from Andalusia, Alabama. Bend was country is a brown first of all Alabama ain't no, ain't no city parts of Alabama. Think about it. It's the only state, it's the only state. They call you Obama, and it's a it's a slight. Oh come on, nobody call you Obama. What they mean Now that's disrespect. If it's on the East coast. When the East Coast said it's somebody country, then they just country. Yeah, but don't call them Obama. Yeah, don't group us up with the country because it's some country. Parts of DC through and not like okay, but where the city parts of Alabama, Birmingham, Mobile, Huntsville is the biggest city and state of Alabama. Now you got the this man said Mobile and Birmingham. Right, everybody comes to Alabama. Know, they come to play football. No, Birmingham has one of the largest, the second. Aren't the Civil Rights Museum? Yes, and they come to visit the Civil Rights Museum country. Yes, come for the food, they come for the hospitality. They come for peace and quiet that you ain't gonna get in Atlanta. Now before the two people in that bad don't damn outter I guess, but we're trying to We're not stuck in traffic trying to get home. You can get home in five minutes. Yeah, well, you know how you mentioned you mentioned to make a side fire you and you you're really proud you stayed the purple to goal. Oh you got to purplely goal. Oh yeah, what made you decide to place that fraternity? Man? I got really excited about the ques when I was going to Alabama State when Jesse Jackson was running for president. Uh huh, So that was my first I am somebody, damn somebody river man. When Jesse Jackson said, just because you're from the project, that don't mean that the Project have to be in you, and that stuck with me my head. A tear came and I heard him speak at Chappa because I actually went to Tuskeg in my freshman year. Okay, couldn't afford to stay there. You know what I'm saying Tuskege is for kids is if your mom and dad still together, you had them thing we should go down and play with. I don't know what Alabama State had, but I know what you had because you leave Alabama State and you make that little dry down eighty five to go to go to Skigie and they didn't have a They had just built the McDonald's when I was there, So it was McDonald's a movie theater, and and the chicken coop next to the Chicken coop was right next to Lina Richie's dad's house. You know that, No, you know that so uh? But but you know some great people come out of Tuskegee. Yeah uh. Lina Richie is an alpha Tom joined the players Q Yeah, and as Skeig is so uh, Skigie is rich uh like he should. But I just couldn't afford to attend school that comes way too expensive. So what what made you decide? Because I hear a lot of people, you know, the brotherhood man, the manhood many manhood man. You grow up without a dad? Yeah, I didn't have any brothers, okay, and I didn't have a dad. I found everything I need then, Maga sci five. I have fathers in the Frat. I have unbelievable uncles in the frat. I have brothers in the frat. I have nephews in the frat, and I have sons in the frat. Right, Omega Scipe fire Man has shout out to our grand Bostons that's out there in La Ricky Lewis, Yeah, who's a real good guy. Uh. Shout out to some of my friend brothers. Anthony Anderson ye dl hugli uh shack uh. George Clinton yeah uh he's a brother now, Big time attorney Ben Crump yeah, plays yeah. So it's a lot of I would look good at them them gold Man come on. Uh. James Cliburne yeah really Yeah. You ain't know he was a kid? I did not, so, if I'm not mistaken, school, Yeah, no, I think did he go to University of South Carolina? Did he would go to South Carolina State? I think he went to South Carolina State? Okay, if I'm not mistaken, but he is definitely a member of Omega sci Fire. Every time he doing this interview, you see the sci Fire right there behind him or whatever. So and the brothers is just awesome shinning it would it would definitely change your life. Ask Michael Joan said, one of the greatest thing ever happened to him was pleasure. Don't make a sci Fire, no jumping for the free throw line. What made you decide that I'm gonna get out here on this rick? What made you decide to like, I don't want to learn how to fly a plane? I mean because of all the things that you could say. It just curious. Man. I was obsessed with airplanes when I was a kid. Now, my grandfather would take me to the airport and we would sit on the car because it's a road, right, it's line up with the runway, right, and we're just watching take off and land. Then my uncle Herbert, before he passed away, he was he would take me the air shows. Right. It would be out there watching the airplanes. You know all that. I want to learn how to fly a plane. So I saw working at the radio station in Birmingham. The guys were calling in and do the track, and said, how y'all know where the traffic and they said, we're in a plane. I said, he said, come out and go with us. They said, we do morning traffic and we do eating traffic. Right. So I couldn't do it in the morning because I'm doing the morning show, right, So I went one evening, but the evening drive right. But getting on work, right, you're in a helicopter the right now, it was in the plane. Really, Shannon, we was in a plane. So he said, hey, I'm gonna let you fly and I'm just gonna do the shot. Ask him what. So he was like, okay, here's your rudders. That's what you be. I said, okay, I got that part. So he was like, uh, you know, here's your throttle. I'm like okay, he said, you know, he told me exactly whether to do my first time in the plane. I took that baby down the runway. I pushed that throttle forward and I balanced because you drive the plane with your feet, so you're driving. He said, okay, you feel the plane get light. I'm like yeah, he said, go ahead and pool. So I went in pool. We got up in the air, showed me the altitude me. It just showed me everything. Man. I was addicted. Man, I'm like, I can fly a plane. He didn't let me land, but take up. I wouldn't let you took off. It's that easy. It's easy, Shannon. Think it's easy for a pilot. Shannon, listen to me. You're not a pilot. I am a comedian, Shannon. I am looking to you your television personality. Ye shot on the football field. What I do? I can do all things. That's not something. All things, Shannon. Listen, if if I get if I'm getting on the plane and I see you in the cockpit. I'm immediately getting off that plane, Shannon, Shannon. I fly really well and I land just not with me, Shannon, Come on, Shannon, I was shutting. They took one of my Instagram videos down because I was landing the plane. I was feeling at the same time. You only fly with one hand, right, you don't. You don't mean with the with the with the norbles, gripping it tight because you're scared. You have to relax and fly okay, Right, So I was doing a uh, I was coming in the landing for a lot of the airport and they said there was a violation, so they took the video down, right, But I got plenty flight videos or whatever. But you got the I don't have my license hip, but I have to fly with a license pilot, right. But I am gonna get my license, so so get ready for that. But I am a boat captain, and it's and it's everything. Some of the stuff. It's the same, right, going across the ocean and flying in the air like when you got when it's wuffy or whatever, same thing, you know, and the sky. But flying is easy because in a car you got gas brakes, radio a car, right, here, car right here, a car right here, car behind your trucks passing by, and the plane is just you and on the thing. Even if you can't see, you just focus on your instruments. Like I can drive a boat in the dark by reading my navigational system and bag it in a fifty four boat in a fifty four foot sea ray in and bag it in and jump off and pull it in and tie it up and docket in everything. It's just fun, man, it's lightning, something different. It's outside of the box. I swim with sharks. I'm like the most interesting man like that. When you out here, you out here in the la you swimming amongst them. Trust me, Now, I don't swim. I swim with the sharks in the Bahamas. Oh no, these sharks out here I'm talking about. You walk well, you ain't swimming, you just walk in. It's an everything, Yeah, it's an American carnage going on, yeah, and everything. Yeah. We shouldn't have a conversation about gun violence because it's it's really bad and unstable. Talk about it. Go ahead, yeah, man, you know, just being a gunshot, then to be in a household of five and two of us are gunshot the man. I am just really pro protecting yourself, man, because at this point you can't do nothing about the guns because they won't change the loss. But damn you have one. Me and my kids are on right, and we take technical training in situational training, right, So the southern thing I couldn't have. I mean, growing up in the household, we always had guns. Guns were always loaded. There was never a situation in which the gun was not loaded. If my grandpa said, what good is the unloaded gun? If you need are having one and not having it on your inner hoster. Yeah, so you just have to protect yourself because this is just thirty years ago. Thirty years ago, this thing about thirty years Yeah, that's when when it got to a point where you can't say nothing to nobody's kid. You can't correct nobody, right, what do you have now? What do you have now? Look at what's going on now, kid, people in their thirties, most of them, a lot of the crimes people at twenties and thirties. You can't correct or say anything to anybody's kids up there, and they go there, correct you, Shannon, They're doing everything now. It's unsafe. Now when I perform, and I got two uniform police officers with me, and I just pay them out of my pocket. I cash shop and I pay them under the table or whatever. And uh cause I'm scared people getting shot backstage, people getting shot running up on stage. Uh you get your money. They thank you, got money, thank you got paid for a comment to show in cash set up to rob up to rob you, and all this kind of stuff. Man, it's dangerous, right, It's seriously dangerous. So you have to move real careful now, so you think differently now than when you first started business. I assume that you are fitting to robbing. Shoot me coming out of a grocery store. You ought to see me paying the parking lot and looking around, I can conrect and every face I saw in the grocery store and identify anybody that was in the grocery store in every car that's in the parking lot. And I know how to get to my car without you knowing that I'm going to that particular car. I move a certain way right because I'm a gunshot victim, and I see what's going on because it's the details, the details. A small detail is the difference between light and death. You just have to assume that somebody's going to do something to you. And people can say all they want to. You can't live in fear. The hell you better live in fear because look at the time we're living in You can't say that now, right, so you'll be dead, you know what I'm saying. So we just got to figure out how to protect ourselves because you can't do nothing about the gun laws, right. We just hope and pray that people in the community stop killing each other, right or whatever. But until then, you have to do what you have to do to protect you and your family, right, Because I don't want my grandson burying me, have me up in a cask and my grandson sitting on the front row crime like I did my dad. It's not fair to him. Right for some damn twenty three to thirty three year old that don't have no didn't have no manners at home training and grew up entitled, and feel like it kills somebody because then he ain't got nothing. Right. There you go, Ricky, thanks for stopping by. I really appreciate it. Thank you for having HBC you alarm to another. Yes, all the continued success and all the best brother. Thank you man. I love you, Man, I appreciate you all my life. The grinding all my life, sacrifice, hustle backy pricing, Want a slice, Got the brother the dice to swad all my life. I'll been grinding in all my life, all my life. Then grinding all my life sacrifice, hustle backy price, Want a slice, Got the brother, dice to swath all my life. I've been grinding in all my life.