Deon Cole is paying attention

The Chicago native talks inspiration, the craft

Deon Cole Color 1 Photo Credit Ashley Brown.59654ef19f78c
Photo credit: Ashley Brown
MAN AT WORK: Deon Cole performs at Atlanta Comedy Theater July 14-16.

Comedian Deon Cole is one of the busiest people in Hollywood. He stars in TBS’s absurdist comedy “Angie Tribeca” and ABC’s hit sitcom “Black-ish.” This fall, the former “Conan” writer adds BET game show “Face Value” to his resume, and in 2018, he takes on a lead role in “Black-ish” spinoff “College-ish.” Cole’s new half-hour special on Netflix’s “The Standups” premiered on July 4, and he’s spending the summer hitting up comedy clubs around the country. Ahead of three nights at Atlanta Comedy Theater, July 14-16, Cole took a break to chat with CL about all that keeps him busy.

Who are your comedic inspirations?

Besides the obvious, Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx and all of those ... Also, it’s Ellen DeGeneres, George Carlin, Steven Wright. A few comics in Chicago that never really made it but were very influential: Kenny Howe, George Willborn

How’d you hone your craft, making sure your timing, your delivery and your facial expressions are all in sync with one another?

In Chicago, we pride ourselves on being original and being different, and we’ve always been that way from Bernie Mac to Robin Williams, Robin Harris to a lot of great comedians ... We always pride ourselves on being different. I’m really big on less is more, and I knew that a facial expression can be just as great as a joke. I think I would’ve been a great silent movie star. If I lived in that era, I would be Charlie Chaplin all goddamn day.

What has reception to “The Standups” been like so far?

It’s been crazy. Way crazier than I thought it would have been. Every day has just been, like, people saying how much they love it, how much it’s refreshing and different and they love it and how much fun it is and they can’t wait for a whole hour. I can’t wait to give them a whole hour. I’m ready to give it to ‘em, I’m ready to film right now, if it was possible.

You have a joke about Caitlyn Jenner in the special, but it’s not the kind of joke people would expect. How’d you come up with it, and why was it important for you to tell it?

That joke came up because of the situation at hand. It was to a point where ... I don’t understand why this was such a big deal. It’s plenty of transgender people ... Why don’t they get the praise? So I was bringing it up going, “Hey, if we’re going to do this and we’re going to say this is the new normal, I’m cool with that. But we changed our bathroom laws because of Caitlyn Jenner.” Why didn’t Chaz Bono get that? I just was trying to ... shake up thoughts. That’s what comedy is to me. It ain’t all just buffoonery. I always like to do some type of thought-provoking type of stuff, and we’re in an age now when you can’t even be a real comic no more because you gotta watch what you say.

How have people responded to it?

I had somebody leave a comment on my Twitter page like, “The Caitlyn Jenner joke was so well-written.” No one has said one word to me like, “How dare you talk about Caitlyn like that?” I’ve done this joke several times before I did it on the special, so I know the reaction. I’ve rewritten the joke several fucking times in order for me to get it right where I need it to be. So I knew the reaction I was going to get. But I also knew that I’m dealing with facts, and you cannot fight facts.

How do you stay fresh when working on so many different projects?

That you have to ask God about. When you go to sleep tonight, just ask God about that, “And thank you for my food today, Lord, and one more thing, God, how does Deon juggle ... ?” I have no idea. I just know that I remember comedy is going to be first; it has been first and it will be first. Everything else I love and I’m grateful, grateful, grateful, grateful, but comedy is first. I wouldn’t even have none of these other avenues and outlets if it wasn’t for comedy. So I make it my business to definitely stay in comedic mode. Just being aware of my surroundings, being aware of situations that’s happening, and not overlooking them. I pay attention to myself constantly, and that’s how I write material. And then I study scripts. That’s my regimen. I try to sneak in a little CNN, a little “Forensic Files” every now and then.

You left “Black-ish” for a while, but now you’re back, and you’ll be on “College-ish.” What was the reception like to your absence and to your return? What can we expect for Charlie on “College-ish?”

It was more of an uproar than I thought it would be when I left and came back. But I had to leave because of my other show, “Angie Tribeca.” They allowed me to come back after I finished that. “College-ish” will be buffoonery at it’s finest. But also a learning curve, because that’s just who Charlie is. Charlie got us into a lot of mess, but he’s gonna always get some lesson out of him.

You’ll be hosting Wanda Sykes’ “Face Value” on BET this fall. Can you give the people a sneak peek of what to expect from the show?

It’s just a fun show, man. It just deals with stuff that people do all the time anyway, like people profile people all day long, that’s just what they do. It ain’t about to change the world or bring peace to people. It ain’t none of that. It’s just a fun game show. It’s just sitting back and profiling people. Shout out to Wanda Sykes and Tiffany Haddish.

Any advice for up-and-coming comedians?

I think a lot of comics let a lot of good material go by the wayside that they run into or think of every day. They don’t take the time to pay attention to themselves and what they’re saying and what they’re doing. Well, I’m here to tell you you are a comedian, and that’s your job to write that down. It’s your job to pay attention to the world and pay attention to yourself. Everyone’s being a comedian, and it’s like, we’ve seen those. Who are you, though? You gotta give us a piece of you.

What can Atlanta audiences expect from your shows at Atlanta Comedy Theater?

What people are going to see is a whole new set. They’re going to see an hour of all new material. It’s going to be original. I like to speak truth, I like to teach, I like to learn as well. It’s not just kick in the nuts shit with me. With a platform, any platform you have, you gotta use it to change as well.

You spent quite a bit of time here filming Barbershop: The Next Cut. What are some of your favorite spots around town?

It’s this restaurant, I can’t remember the name of it at all. It’s a diner. I go there every time I’m in Atlanta, and they have the best food ever Landmark Diner in Buckhead. I love the seafood at Legal Seafood, I’m always there.

Deon Cole performs at Atlanta Comedy Theatre, 4650 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Suite 114B, Norcross. Fri., July 14, 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.; Sat., July 15, 7:30 and 10 p.m.; Sun., July 16, 8:30 p.m. Tickets.






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