Comedian Mark G | Interview
Stand up comedy holds a special place in my heart. Being glued to the television set at the tender age of five watching Eddie Murphy’s RAW was a turning point in my life. We played that tape over and over. I would also sneak my dad’s Polo Polo tapes out his room. Polo Polo is a raunchy stand up from Mexico and my mother would forbid me from playing his material but Tolo had other plans. Comedy also got me in a lot of trouble, growing up a fat kid is no easy task in grade school so I had to equip my verbal game to dismantle these verbal peasants. I would roast the gentiles that had the same lame jokes “hey fat ass” “how many rolls do you have”. My happy place was when I made these jerks cry just with words they couldn’t handle the vicious onslaught I would prepare for them the night before.
The Tempe Improv is a place almost every legendary comic has performed at. We went out on an open mic night to get to know some of the up and comers of comedy, most of them were so-so but one of them really stood out. I go out to the green room after his set to find the man Mark G to be exact. With no signs of him inside the building I decide to hit the parking lot to smoke a blunt and ended up running into him and his manager. After a few puffs I get to know a little of his back story and just a few weeks later we end up having a great podcast together he showed up to the session with a bottle of Henny and a bottle of E&J. The night at the Improv turned out to be a crazy one needless to say Tolo and Chorizo are now banned for life from the club but that’s a different story for a different day.
You from AZ?
I’m from Flint Michigan we moved to Cali in the late 80’s
How long have you been doing the comedy thing for?
I been doing it for a long time but really started taking it serious about a year ago
What is you writing process?
I don’t write the promoter was getting to me about that shit like write some more, man i just go off the top of the head. Whatever happens in a run of a day to me whether is the wifey pissing me off, to the kids pissing me off im talking about this shit. I aint like everyone else in the greenroom with the notepads and all that shit, so im coming from the head that’s the best way.
Do you have a set?
I don’t have a set I just go out there and freestyle.
Do you ever repeat jokes?
Never repeat jokes, the only thing I do repeat is clowning on the homeless always got to give a good homeless joke but after that fact everything is brand new you’ll never hear the same shit over and over
What inspired you to take that direction instead of writing?
To be honest with you I did try to write a couple of times but you know I forget shit and it’s just like a test.
When did you figure out that you had this talent?
A long time ago I was getting a lot of ass whoopings but if you can make a motherfucker laugh everything else goes away.
Me and brother where coming back from Vegas one night and we were talking about this shit and it was more of a dare like “i dare your ass to get up there and do this shit” I was like you know what fuck it! If i get booed off stage it don’t matter because I don’t have to see these motherfuckers again ain’t no sweat off my back.
Have you ever bombed in front of an audience?
I’m not going to lie to you I did a set one time it wasn’t really a bomb it was the way the promoter set up the show I was the last comic on stage, the last comic standing when I was about to hit the stage at the Improv there was like ten motherfuckers in the audience that shit pissed me off I wanted to drop the mic and just walk off stage. But I said you know what i’m going to just go with it.
Do you ever get into it with hecklers?
No honestly when we go into a show we’re kind of deep you know what I’m saying? It’s a respect thing I just do my thing and keep it moving. I’ve had some people kind of look at me and i just kind of give them that look like don’t go there with me.
What are the groupies looking like?
Aww man I stay away from the groupies. Real talk after one of my sets some white girls came up to me and you know the first time a brother see some white girls I’m like nah fuck that I ain’t the 2018 O.J. They were like, we like your set we want to take some pictures with you I was like ok cool. But that was it after my sets like I said i go and kick it with the family.
Who are your favorite stand up comics?
You know the original Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, Murphy
Do you remember the first special you watched.
Hell yeah Eddie Murphy RAW
You talk about your family and life on stage, what’s a crazy story you remember?
One of the craziest things you know my pops he from Chi town he came out here like in 05-06 around that time. Pops was bouncing back from a little drug addiction problems I talk about that shit all of the time. He was down on his luck he was downtown as a matter of fact at Cats so I go down there with him to hang out and it’s some crazy shit right here he was fucking around with some broad down there and I guess she was cheating on him. So we’re in the car together and he tells me to pull over right here this bitch over there cheating on me. I was like who? Looking around i’m like what bitches? I just see a bunch of hoes bouncing around. He’s like you see the bitch over there sleeping in the sleeping bag with her little tit hanging out. I was like what is this he got me over here on Cheaters Bum Edition or some shit! I mean it is what it is me and pops real cool he’s locked up right now he’ll be coming home by the end of this month. Pops is wild as hell we all have a good time when we hang out sometimes the kids become the adults, and the adults turn into the kids. It’s all good man!
Big Thanks to: Mark G
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