|
Comedian Alonzo Bodden is a performer
with talent to spare, making waves in the comedy business as well as
pursuing a successful acting career on the side. Zo has appeared as an
actor on numerous television shows to include Angel, Grounded For Life,
and Profiler. As a stand-up comic he has appeared in countless
five-star comedy clubs, which include The Laugh Factory, The Improv, and
Rascals. Bodden is also a regular on the XM comedy stations, and was
kind enough to share a bit of his time with XMFan while preparing for a
recent series of shows in Indianapolis.
XMFan:
Tell us a little about where you grew
up.
Zo: Well, I actually grew up
in St. Albans, in Queens, New York. My neighborhood is kind of famous
for rappers. Run DMC wasn't too far from me, LL Cool J… My
mother wanted me to stay in school, but if I had hung out on the corner
rappin' I'd have been rich long ago.
XMFan:
Anything else about Anne, your mother?
Zo: She's where I got my
sense of humor.
XMFan:
Before pursuing a career in acting and
comedy, you were an aviation mechanic who worked on the Stealth
fighter. That must have been interesting.
Zo:
I'll tell you what was interesting about
the Stealth. I started working on it in 1980, right around the time the
movie Firefox with Clint Eastwood came out. Some of us were
watching the movie, and we were like, "Hey, our plane can do
that!" All these things the plane had, like projecting false images,
avoiding radar, we were laughing and saying, "This isn't science
fiction. We do this every day!"
XMFan:
Any good top-secret things you'd like to
tell us about the Stealth?
Zo: I don't want to end up
in Leavenworth, so we'll just keep that classified.
XMFan:
You have appeared in numerous shows as an actor, as well as shows like
Conan O'Brien and Craig Kilbourn as a comedian. Do you
prefer acting or stand-up?
Zo:
I prefer stand-up. That's my first
love. Acting pays better, and more people probably see it, but stand-up
is my passion. I'm trying to branch out into acting - my last couple of
roles have been as a bouncer - and I've moved on to being a convict in a
film that's going to be released this summer. It's still untitled, and
produced by the guys who write The Onion. It's a sketch movie,
kind of like Airplane or Kentucky Fried Movie.
XMFan:
So, which requires more preparation, the
acting or stand-up?
Zo: Acting. Acting is
harder work, because I'm using someone else's words. Stand-up is me
being me. Actors always say stand-up is scary, because they are
standing out there by themselves, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
XMFan:
Time for some word association. Donovan
McNaab.
Zo: Great. I love the way
he came back and made Rush Limbaugh look stupid.
XMFan:
Clothes shopping.
Zo: Love it.
XMFan:
The 1990's.
Zo: Switched careers, found
my calling. Gave up honest work.
XMFan:
John Belushi.
Zo: Hilarious. He was so
funny his brother got a career out of it.
XMFan:
Frosted Mini-Wheats.
Zo: Yeeecchh…
XMFan:
BET (Black Entertainment Television).
Zo: The plantation. (laughs)
The thing about BET, especially back when I did it, is they treated
comics in a way that if a white network had done it, there would have
been a "Million-Comic March."
XMFan:
You have proven it's still possible to
be funny without using obscenities. Is that a skill that has faded over
the years?
Zo: Well no, I don't think
it's a skill that has faded over the years, and I don't consciously
not curse. I'll curse a bit in my act, just in talking, but they
taught me when I started that "F***" is never a punch line. I'm not
bothered by obscenities; it's much more a part of language now than it
used to be. There are some comics - Doug Stanhope comes to mind - who
is dirty and hilarious. It's not because he's dirty. If you
took out all of the curses and just listened to the message, you'd still
laugh. It's just the way he talks. The first one to do that was
Richard Pryor. So I'm not pro or anti-obscenity, I'm pro-fun.
XMFan:
Any comments on the USO Tours
you've taken around the world to entertain our troops?
Zo: I love 'em. When you
get to see what the troops put up with it's really unbelievable, the
conditions they work under in a lot of places. They love and appreciate
us more than anyone else, because how much entertainment are you going
to get in a desert in Kuwait? Or up in Greenland? They're really happy
to see us, and the guys are great. I'm 100 percent for them and would
like to do more of them.
XMFan:
How does it feel to walk onto the stage
of The Laugh Factory in Hollywood, as the headliner, with all
eyes on you?
Zo: I love it. That's what
I've been working for, you know? You walk out there, and it's kind of
hard to explain the energy you feel when you come out.
XMFan:
Your first album, Seemed Like a Good
Idea at the Time…, contains eleven hilarious bits which are
frequently played on the XM comedy channels. What are a few issues you
"explore" on the album?
Zo: I think the first thing
I talk about on the CD is race. That's because the race issue is so
funny to me, in that I'm a big black guy and it's intimidating to some
people, based just on the stereotype. That's the thing about racism,
and the stereotypes that are involved, because I'm really not like
that. I'm not an intimidating guy. (Pauses) Well, I might be
intimidating to look at, but you know, I'm not looking for
trouble. I'm from the suburbs.
Then I talk about sports, which is
another personal favorite topic. I think athletes getting into trouble
are hilarious. Daryl Strawberry personified the athlete in trouble,
with two World Series rings and half-a-dozen rehabs.
I love talking about the man-woman
issues because I really do have a ton of women friends. I hear so much
from their point of view, and the funny thing is they never really think
of me like a guy but just a friend. So, it's frustrating and it's fun
at the same time.
XMFan:
Can XMFans buy the album directly from
your website?
Zo:
Yes they can. Just logon to
www.alonzobodden.com, or
www.uproarcomedycd.com.
XMFan:
Does your website also list your tour
dates?
Zo: Yes, the website lists
the dates. Also, the thing I'd love people to get involved with is my
message boards - talk back to me. Tell me what you're thinking.
There's a place there for topics that fans may want to send in, and I'll
make it funny for them. Free of charge.
XMFan:
You already touched on this a bit, but
are you involved in any current projects?
Zo: Actually, I am. The
Onion movie I talked about, and I'm scheduled for an appearance on
The Tonight Show. We don't have an exact date, but it will be
sometime between now and July. I'll probably be doing another album
this summer. I have enough new material to do the CD, and people can
hear some of it when they come to see me live. (Alonzo is scheduled to
appear at several comedy clubs in the near future. Please check his
site.)
XMFan:
What advice would you give to other
aviation mechanics wishing to pursue a career in show biz?
Zo: Save your money. The
first five years as a comic you're going to make about eight thousand
bucks total, so you might want to have some money to live on. Don't
joke too much about airplanes because it scares the crowd… Do
the funny stuff.
XMFan:
Well Zo, we appreciate your taking the
time to come by today.
Zo: Sure. Oh, by the way…
Let everyone know I'm gonna do like most pop stars - I've put one CD
out, and now I'm gonna do my greatest hits. Isn't that the formula?
You record one song, then put out the greatest hits? Then I'm gonna
come out with the live album, so you'll get three versions of the exact
same thing.
Alonzo Bodden can be heard on XM Comedy
and Laugh USA.
|