It was one year ago today that my good friend Raymond Lambert and I debuted the book we wrote together, "All Jokes Aside: Standup Comedy Is a Phunny Business," at a series of events in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Two of the major highlights were a launch event at the Funny Bone comedy club hosted by WBNS 10TV anchor Jerry Revish and a book signing and author talk at the Barnes and Noble bookstore in the Easton Town Center shopping mall.
I have to give a big shout-out to Eric Troy, a mutual friend of Raymond and I who organized these events and generated a lot of great press and buzz for the book. I also have to acknowledge Agate Bolden Books Publisher Doug Seibold, who gave the go-ahead to the book proposal Raymond and I submitted and then patiently edited our manuscript.
"All Jokes Aside" tells Raymond's fascinating, multifaceted life story:
How he was shaped by his working-class upbringing in Wilmington, Del., raised by teen parents, and became the first in his family to go to college. Raymond is a proud alum of Morehouse, the venerable Historically Black College that is the alma mater of many African-American icons, including Dr. Martin Luther King.
While writing the book, Raymond and I found we have some things in common: He was among a handful of Black kids at the Catholic school he attended growing up and so was I. Raymond went to Morehouse; I graduated from Eastmoor High – nicknamed "The 'Moor House."
Raymond's stint as a Wall Street investment banker in the go-go '80s. Raymond eventually left the hustle and bustle of Manhattan to move to Chicago to work for Chris Gardner, the internationally renowned businessman whose life was the subject of the blockbuster movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" starring Will Smith.
How Raymond and Morehouse buddy James Alexander joined forces to break away from their secure, well-paying jobs in the financial services industry in the '90s to found the legendary All Jokes Aside comedy club in Chicago. All Jokes Aside became a "star factory" that helped launch the careers of Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, D.L. Hughley, Carlos Mencia and Oscar winner Mo'Nique, among many other Kings and Queens of Comedy.
In the past year since we launched "All Jokes Aside," I've learned a lot. One of the biggest insights I've gained is that even though the All Jokes Aside comedy club closed its doors around 2000, its legacy lives on and continues to have a tremendous impact on pop culture. Even after spending two years writing and researching the "All Jokes Aside" book with Raymond, I'm still amazed to learn about the far-reaching influence the club had and continues to have.
One day, my good friend and fellow author Andrew Miller emailed me a link to comedian Marc Maron's popular "WTF" podcast. During the podcast, comedian, actor and writer Deon Cole of "Blackish" and "The Tonight Show" fame talked about how All Jokes Aside helped him get his start.
And just a week ago, I was listening to one of my favorite radio shows, NPR's "Fresh Air," and comedian W. Kamau Bell mentioned working at All Jokes Aside early in his career. The funny thing is (pun intended), is that I almost turned the show off when Bell talked about interviewing white supremacists for his CNN show, "United Shades of America." I was offended by the concept of giving a platform to hate groups to spread their toxic message, but I figured I should hear Bell out.
Ultimately, I'm glad I tuned in long enough to hear Bell give "All Jokes Aside" a big shout-out.
To hear the "Fresh Air" episode with Bell (he mentions All Jokes Aside about 22 minutes in), click here.
And for more information about "All Jokes Aside" and to pick up your copy, click here.
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