Chris Redd lives by the words “Work hard at what you love
and you play forever!” Chris’s mantra has earned him the nickname, the “gym rat”
of comedy. Chris Redd does it all: Rap, stand up, improvisation, sketch,
writing, producing, acting, and even drama! In fact, he is part of the new
television series, Empire, starring Terrence
Howard and Taraji P. Henson. Despite Chris’s super busy schedule, he was generous
enough share his wisdom to talk about comedy, work ethic, rap, stories from his
troubled past, and what it is like as a comedian to work in drama television.
DO WORK!
COMEDY OF CHICAGO:
You’re one of the hardest working comedians out here. Explain your work ethic.
CHRIS REDD:
Work is my priority. I say this with no malice. I outwork everyone around me,
all the time—in a fun, competitive way. I’m very competitive. I’m always trying
to do more, because I always want to do more. I have that Malcolm Gladwell
10,000 hours approach. There’s some truth to it! I feel like if you work at
something hard enough and smart enough, you will achieve what you want to
acheive. Your path will open itself up. You will see your opportunities and you
will seize them.
CR: I
would go out A LOT—every single night, as much as four times a night. I would
do mics, I would do improv jams, I would go to sketch writing meetings...I
would do that for YEARS. I never stopped. It was all about the work, for me. It’s
all about getting out every night.
COC: How about
hanging out, and all the social aspects of comedy?
CR: The
way I did it was: Work first, friendships later. So, in my first three years of
comedy, I never hung out. If it wasn’t a mic or it wasn’t anything that had to
do with where I was going, then I wasn’t doing it. And not like, “Fuck you!” I
was just in my zone. I would do my set, stay for a few comics to pay respects,
because I didn’t want to be the guy who did a mic-and-dash, and then I would go
to the next spot. My focus was on improving my craft.
COC: Advice for
comics who want to make their work ethic stronger?
CR: Work
hard, and you’re gonna see improvements. Period. And if you don’t, then do
something else. [laughs] But you
should be progressing, you should be focusing, you shouldn’t be getting too
drunk, you should be studying. Find what moves you creatively. Something’s
gotta work for you. There’s a reason you are here.
COC: What was a
terrible mistake you made early on that you still remember to this day?
CR: One
time, I did Jamie Campbell’s open mic, and I made fun of this big dude in the
front row. I said the most dickish thing to him about his weight, that I still
regret to this day. And I was so arrogant, I was just like, “This is comedy!
This is why we do this!” [laughs] And
Jamie ripped me a new one telling me, “No! You fucking dick! We do this for the
art!” [laughs] That was my learning
experience. But, Jamie’s a good friend of mine now. I don’t even know if he
remembers it, but I definitely needed that. Because comedy is not about
pointing out other peoples’ flaws, it’s about finding your own flaws and
celebrating them, and connecting with people through them.
COC: You also do
improv and sketch. How has that helped you with stand up?
CR: I know
a lot of stand ups say shit about improv and sketch, but I love it because I
love to write all forms of comedy. I also love it for the comfortability level
it brought me. I was more comfortable on stage before my jokes were even ready!
[laughs] In the beginning, I was
relying on my comfortability on stage instead of the art of writing a joke. As
soon as I started focusing on that, my sets got better.
COC: Describe your
writing process.
CR: I go
into a mic and I’m not nervous about it. I go in there like, “OK, I’ve got 16
jokes that I want to try in these 3 minutes, how many of these mu’fuckas can I
hit?” I star my favorites, and then I leave some room to riff. I never put too
much pressure on trying to work every single joke. Which is why hitting 4 mics
in a night is good, because then you get to try the jokes you didn’t get to
try. Just because you can’t get on showcases, doesn’t mean you can’t get on
stage. You still have the mics!
COC: Advice for comics
who want to get into clubs?
CR: Being
visible is what’s most important. All these clubs are very cautious about who
they book, and they should be because they run amazing shows there. They have
to hear about you. If you’re doing the work in the streets, they’re gonna know.
Everybody’s looking for the next new person to book. They have their go-to’s,
and they’re always looking for the next one who’s killin’ it.
RAP
COC: You were a
rapper before you got into comedy. What was that like?
CR: Rap is
very different ‘cause it’s all about ego—at least for me it was. And comedy is
all about discovering yourself, tearing down that ego, showing your flaws and
celebrating them. And that was hard for me. It took me 6 years to understand
that, to discover myself, to get comfortable knowing who I really am.
COC: What are some
things you learned from rap that you applied to comedy?
CR: Comedy
is my second dream and it’s ACTUALLY working because of what I learned from my
first dream, which was rap. Therefore, I’m able to disassociate certain
feelings. I don’t get mad or jealous when I see somebody get something. Now, I
won’t say NEVER... [laughs] It has
happened, but I don’t spend longer than a second on it. I’m blessed enough to
know that I really don’t feel it as often as others. I’m confident that
everybody’s path is theirs. And also, not paying so much attention to what
other people are doing—Facebook culture—showing you what everybody else is
doing. You can either take it as motivation, or you can take it as, “Why the
fuck did they get that?!” Which, I feel is a very toxic situation.
COC: With the
success that you’ve experienced thus far, how have you been able to embrace
these things without letting it all get to your head?
CR: Don’t
let your ego get in the way of your work. I don’t do this for the accolades. I
do it because I just love doing it. I’ve been through a lot and I’m lucky to be
here. I’m lucky to be able to eat and pay my rent off of something that I love
to do.
COC: When you said
you’ve been through a lot...like what?
CR: I just
made a lot of bad decisions growing up. I went to school in the burbs, but I
was infatuated with bein’ hood. I wanted to be hard, I wanted to be tough, I
wanted to prove myself. I would shut down and skip school to go gang bang and
be that.
COC: Did the “hood
life” accept you coming from the burbs?
CR: Na
man, “silver spoon” all the time! [laughs]
I spent a lot of time proving myself and trying to prove that I was another
type of person, but I had no business near it.
COC: Did you get
into any serious trouble?
CR: I’ve
seen friends die, seen friends get shot... I’ve seen a lot of shit that someone
from the family I’ve come from probably wouldn’t have to see. And when one of
my good friends got shot up, that was my wake up call, like “Holy fuck that
coulda been me! I really had to get it together and stop doing the bullshit I
was doing—stealing, selling drugs, all that.
COC: Damn. What
were you stealing? What were you selling?
CR: Ahh
man, all this is going in the interview?? [laughs]
When I was high school, I’d sell weed and coke, and I’d steal liquor from
stores and then sell it to the kids I went to school with. And it sucks to look
back on it, because I’m such a strong person now, but back then I wasn’t. I wanted
to be somebody else. I was a wannabe, man.
COC: How did you
get away from it and turn your life around?
CR: Comedy,
man. Comedy saved my life. Comedy taught me about ME. What turned it around for
me was that rap wasn’t working out the way I wanted it to. I had to find myself
and figure out what I was gonna do.
EMPIRE
COC: You do a
great bit about working with Terrance Howard on the TV show Empire. How has that experience been for
you?
CR: It’s
been great! And I know I make fun of Terrance Howard, but man, he’s amazing to
watch. You watch that man for a second and you’re like, “Holy shit! This is why
you do what you do!” It’s crazy to watch him, he’s SO talented! And Taraji P.
Henson, good gawd!! [laughs] She’s an
angel of a person! Let’s take a moment of silence! [laughs] The whole thing is real fun, it’s a great cast, and
they’re SO good at what they do.
COC: The show is a
drama. What is that like for a comedian?
CR: I
hadn’t been around so much drama before. I improvised serious lines which was
so different ‘cause it’s like, “No payoff?? So...is it good?” [laughs] I learned a lot from it that I
will always keep as far as how to approach a character, or watching people
talking in character when they’re OFF set—it was weird! [laughs]
COC: Wait, actors
hang out off set and talk to each other in their characters??
CR: Yeah! I
was talkin’ to this one girl and I didn’t even know she was in character! The
whole time I’m thinking we were having a real conversation! I was just like,
“Wow! This conversation is deep!” [laughs]
But it paid off, ‘cause I saw the scene and was like, “Ohh that’s why you do
that! You’re good at what you do!” I’m a big fan of those people, and I wish
that show great success, and hopefully they’ll call me back!
COC: What would
you say it takes for a comic to find their voice?
CR: Do
what you do, what you think, and what you believe in. Be selfish about your
craft—you have to be, because comedy is a selfish craft. There’s too many
things that you need to worry about for yourself. You have to figure out so
many things: Find out who you are, what you want out of comedy, why you do it,
what pisses you off, what drives you creatively...and you have to do it all
yourself! Just work! Work, work, work! And everything else will reveal itself.
COC: What about
the business side of comedy?
CR: Know
the business. Know what is right and what is wrong. Don’t do everything for the
money. Also, know when it’s time to do things for money! [laughs] If it makes your soul die, don’t fucking do it. But, you
have to eat. You have to be able to put a price on yourself. But, don’t do it
too early or you’ll look like a fucking douchebag!
COC: How do you
know when it’s time to put a price?
CR: When you
get that first official gig—that is your price. So if you got a legitimate gig
and they paid you $100, now you know you can charge $100. But, that all comes
from working harder than everybody else. And not in a malicious way, just work
harder for YOU.
COC: Final
thoughts / Words of wisdom?
CR: Know
that you are always a student of the game, and it’s never gonna stop. There’s always
levels that you’re learning. There’s always a reset. This game is all about
rinse and repeat. And, I always say, “Do it quicker than somebody else.” If
somebody did something in 5 years, I wanna be able to do it in 4. Set goals for
yourself that you constantly work on. Constantly look at your flaws and try to
up ‘em. Constantly look at the things that you’re good at and try to
evolutionize those. Always work harder than the person around you. Always be
true to yourself.
By Staff Writer: David Gavri
David Gavri is a stand-up comedian, writer and founder of the online comedy sites Gonzo Fame and Comedy Scene in Houston.
By Staff Writer: David Gavri
David Gavri is a stand-up comedian, writer and founder of the online comedy sites Gonzo Fame and Comedy Scene in Houston.