#RolandMartinUnfiltered - #RolandMartinUnfiltered celebrates the life and legacy of comedian Paul Mooney

Episode Date: May 20, 2021

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I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that in a little bit, man. We met them at their homes.

We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you. © BF-WATCH TV 2021 This morning at 1015 a.m. Eastern, I received a phone call and my phone lit up and it said Paul Mooney. When I answered the call, it was his cousin Rudy Ely letting me know that two hours earlier, Paul had passed away from a heart attack.

Rudy said that Paul had asked him to make him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and then he went in to make the sandwich, and he came back and found Paul Mooney unresponsive. He then called paramedics, police, and fire. They rushed to the home there. Paul had been living with his cousin, Rudy Ely, because Paul had been suffering

from dementia the last several years. They were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead at the age of 79. There are no words to describe the comedic genius of Paul Mooney. So many people have talked about what he meant, his legendary writing for Richard Pryor and others, the roles that he played on screen, but also his unrelenting honesty when it came to the comedy stage. This was someone, if you want to talk about this show being Roland Martin unfiltered, then that certainly speaks to who Paul Mooney was. There was a reason why he watched this show, why he was a fan of mine. And in fact, Rudy said roland uh there's no other

person paul would want uh to uh break the news of his death that's how black paul mooney was even in death he didn't want white folks reporting about his death before anybody else uh joining us right now folks we have a number of comedians who are lined up to share their thoughts and reflections about paul mooney i have been getting text messages all day. Earlier, I communicated with Dave Chappelle. Of course, Paul Mooney wrote for his show and so many others. Joining us right now is George Wallace, Robert Townsend, and also George Wilborn. Glad to see all three of you with us. I saw Jackie Harris there as well. My apologies. I'm going to go. I didn't see Jackie there because George got that janky phone, so I didn't see him.

I didn't see you because George got that janky phone. George. This is my phone. This is my phone. This is my interview, and you've got to talk to me soon because I'm shooting a major project and I don't have long, and Paul don't hear me no way, so let's get this over with. We still have to be comedians now.

Yeah, I know. Because I did not, I purposely did not put out the peanut butter and jelly comment from Rudy. Because I knew, and when Cheryl Underwood called me about it, she said, ain't that something, Paul? So black, George Washington Carver and the peanut took his ass out. I said, see, right there. You can't. You can't. And she literally said it.

I said, Cheryl, come on now. We won't stop. We won't stop. So who are those other two guys you got on with you? No, no, no. We're going to go to the elder first, and that's you, because you said you ain't got that much time, and that's true. So let's just go ahead and just share your thoughts and reflections on Paul Mooney.

Well, I just want everybody to know, when I first got to California, Paul Mooney was young and writing for Richard Pryor. Actually, he and Richard Pryor looked so much alike, we didn't know who was on stage. Is that Paul Mooney? Because we didn't know. But he was such a prolific writer. He wrote for Red Fox. I also wrote for Red Fox. But we loved him. We loved working for him. And he was a real, one of the real kings of comedy.

Let's make that perfectly clear, okay? I was not one of his best friends because sometimes I didn't know who Paul, which Paul I was gonna meet. So... But he was a comedian. And all the comedians know that. Even my friend.

I'm shooting a big TV show right now. My wife is with me. You might know my wife. And it's Jackie. Say hello, Jackie. And about Paul. You know Paul. Hello. Yes, I love Paul. I spent three hours in a... Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. ...camp over with Paul. We had a layover when those bombs hit,

you know, in the crane crash. Paul told me about 200 jokes, and I wrote them all down. You know, he was a wonderful storyteller, and he could be very wicked, which I love, you know, but he was an original. I saw him do a roast of Tim Reed one time, and I never left his side whenever I wanted, you know, some good old shark-with-it comedy, you know.

He wasn't scared. He wasn't scared like Bernie Mackey. He wasn't scared. His famous joke, the joke that he first told when I got to California, would somebody please make that nigga stop saying nigga. I don't know what you can say the N-word on that. But I love Paul.

Oh, you're going to talk to the thing, huh? Yeah, I don't know what this is. You know, but that was Paul's joke, and that's what he said. And I'll tell you what, I don't know whether I lose you or not. Stay with me, because Paul, you know, last year we had John Witherspoon pass away, and now we've got Paul. And they said it comes in threes, so my ass, I ain't sleeping for a year.

I ain't going to sleep. I ain't going to sleep. Because I'm the next one of the statesmen, you know? I think I'm the next, I'm the oldest black comedian living out here. I know you are. I know you think you are the oldest black comedian. You know, Jimmy Walker. I know you are. I know you think you are the oldest black comedian. Don't let me change up on you now.

I'm blessing, God blessing you right now, but I'm sticking cuffs. I'm trying to figure out why that phone's so damn shaky. Damn. Because I'm holding it in my hand. I mean, I get that, George. I got my phone right here. Hell, this ain't shaking. It's steady. Hey, that was my

good hand. Oh, that's funny. Oh, no. That's your way next, baby, isn't it? That's why the show is called Unfiltered. I know y'all are working. Y'all don't have much time.

George and Jack K, I appreciate you. You're talking to them damn Republicans so long you made me mad. And Jim Jordan, don't you ever put Jim Jordan on your show. You understand? Some people got to give it up. No, Jim Jordan will never, ever come on this show. I'm way too black for Jim Jordan. You're way too black for Sheryl Underwood,

but that's a whole different story. George Wallace and Jack Kaye. Are you going to jump to George Wilborn today? Make sure you tell all the comics I said hello, because I'm the elder statesman now, and they're going to do what I say give you is. Well, look, I got George Wilborn. I've got Robert Townsend.

We got Damon Wayans, Huggy Lowdown, Chris Paul, Guy Torrey, Joe Torrey. We got a whole— Hold on a second. You ain't got no light-skinned people? You ain't got no light-skinned people? Well, Paul represented the light-skinned people. My goodness. Huggy Lowdown is the lightest one of us.

Jack ain't holding down for the light-skinned people. That's true. I'm holding down. All right, Jack, George, I appreciate it. Thanks a lot. We love you. There's absolutely nothing you can do about it because my love for you and everybody else does not require your permission.

I'm George Wallace. I'm out. I appreciate it, y'all. Thanks a lot. Love y'all as well. Take care. Bye-bye. Always irreverent and out of his mind.

Let's go to Robert Townsend, George Wilborn. Robert just shaking his head like, yeah, that's George. No, George is crazy as all get out, man. But, Roland, thank you for doing this and honoring Mr. Mooney tonight. This is really beautiful. You did a series of specials with Paul. Paul had this one skit where he described what it would be like to have a black newscast. I don't use the N-word, but let's say

it is hilarious as hell. He didn't care who he hit, Robert. That was that that was no such thing as that's out of bounds for Paul Mooney. No, you know, the thing that I would say is that when I came out to L.A., Keenan got out here first and then I came out and then keenan goes man you we got to go to the comedy store and watch this comedian named paul mooney and i just remember uh going to the comedy store and he would go on late at night and we go like hey man it's 12 30 he says no he's gonna go on and so it'll be like late and then the room would be packed with people. And when Paul, the first time I heard Paul, I think I laughed so hard, I thought I was going to die, you know, because he had no filter.

He said whatever came to his mind, he spoke his, his truth, his like hardcore truth. And so I was like, and then he would spend time with us and kind of break down and talk, you know, with us about comedy and the history and working with Richard Pryor and Red Fox and all of that. But he was rare. He was woke before anybody was woke. He was beyond woke back in the 80s. And it's like, and I think, when I think about the whole generation of comedians right now, he mentored all of us. All the comedians now and filmmakers that came out of

that era, there's a piece of Paul because he was so outspoken. So it's a big part. I don't think you could apply woke to Paul Mooney. Because he was on a whole whole different level he would i mean that that he talked about it that if i i was i did a series of interviews earlier radio interviews and a brother said that paul mooney told him when the white folks start getting up and walking out you you you you you in the pocket he He said, you bringing the heat.

And he would put it in his show where I got one of his CDs, and he was like, oh, look at him. The white folks are leaving. Goodbye. This is too much for you. I mean, he just did not. Most folks don't want people to leave their show. Paul was like, oh, oh, y'all leaving?

Yeah. I mean, he was just relentless. No, no, he loved clearing out the main room, clearing out the belly room of the Comedy Store. And we would sit there, and we would just see how much longer the people could put up with it, and he would just keep going. Oh, homie, oh, oh, I see you're leaving now.

Oh, oh, yeah, yeah i'm gonna break it oh he would just he would have a whole run that he would do but he loved clearing out the room he loved it he lived for it george um your reflections of um your reflections of Paul Mone. You know, once again, I echo what Robert just stated. Thank you for doing this. You know, it seems like until you die, do you get all of your posts and all of the things that people say and the pictures that you've taken with people. You know, they don't come out until you die.

So it's unfortunate in that sense. But he has reached across the aisle for so many comics, you know. And Townsend hit it, you know, on the head. It's like all of us was touched by his brilliance and his genius. But, you know, for comics like me who have been unfiltered and who have been known to say what's on his mind, you know, it was through people like him and Richard Pryor and Rodney Winfield and those unapologetic comedians

who said the art of comedy comes first. And truth has so much to do with that comedy. And nobody could tell that truth, you know, like Paul Mooney, to be honest with you. And so for me, like so many other comics, you know, like Paul Mooney, to be honest with you. And so, for me, like so many other comics, you know, I was blessed to have, you know, graced the stage with him and have conversations with him, you know, that I'll never forget, obviously.

But just for the young comic to watch this dude, man, to watch the mastery and to watch just how he commands what he's saying is something that, you know, only the legends like him can provide for a comic. And all of us, man, you know, to some degree have lost a part of us today, man. And you're gonna talk to a lot of comedians today, and that's gonna give you a lot of personal stories.

You know, and-and I'm no different, you know? Uh, my mentor, Rodney Winfield, you know, he came up and-and rolled with-with Paul and with, uh, with Richard and Richard and Reynaldo Ray and all those cats, man, left an undeniable mark on comedy. John Witherspoon, we lost him just, you know, shortly again, so I love him. I know he's up there cussing white people out,

if there's any in heaven. And I hope that he rests in peace. And all you niggas understand. You niggas know there'll never be another Paul Mooney. Motherfucker, stop trying. That was tremendous depth to his comedy. The thing that people have to understand, Robert, is that Paul Mooney, just like Dick Gregory,

in fact, I'm going to play a video later where I interviewed both of them in New Orleans, they read a lot, they studied. And so they weren't just tossing stuff out. I mean, when you say truth bombs, I mean, they were dropping bombs in that comedy. Yes. No, no, no. You know what's funny is that I think what we really love the most about Paul was that there was a lot of thought behind his comedy. I mean, so, you know, Paul Paul wrote for Richard.

Richard had a childlike way about him when he did his jokes, and so he would do his political stuff, but he kind of disarmed you, and Paul, and but Paul had no, he didn't put any sugar on it. Paul just come in and say, this is how I feel, this is what it is. If you had to say who put sugar on

grits, salt on grits, no. He would put strychnine on grits. He would put rat poison on grits. Right, he put that. Right, everybody else, let me salt shoe it. No, no, no, he would come in with like a bazooka.

Oh, salt shoe? No. No, Paul came hard. I mean, I think that's why we all loved him. I mean, like when the first time I was doing Hollywood Shuffle, I reached out to him and said, hey, would you be in Hollywood Shuffle? And he played the president of the NAACP. And then when I did Partners in Crime, my first special, I said, hey, I want you to close out the show.

Now, the funny thing was that some people didn't know who Paul was back then, and so I went from, uh, Franklin Ajayi to, uh, Tommy Davidson. I forgot the whole group, and then Paul closed the show. I think, wasn't Curry, uh, wasn't, uh, Curry on there? I thought, I got the video at home, so I got the DVD at home. show. Wasn't Curry on there? I got the video at home.

So I got the DVD at home. Oh, you know what it was? Don Reed. It was Don Reed, Franklin Ajayi, and then I think, but Paul Mooney closed the show. And it was so edgy that everybody was like, oh, but I wanted it to be a real variety show. And when Paul came with it, he just came with real knowledge

and hard-hitting comedy. And I think the whole room, but I think after that, I just know that it was a whole different time because that was one of the first specials on HBO. But Paul, that's what I loved about him, his edge, his edge, his edge, his edge. Damon Williams,

was there ever a time when even you watched Paul and went, damn, that hurt? Not so much. Because, see, we as comedians, we love to see people push the envelope and go further than we thought about going. Because we might have all had the same thoughts or something similar. But for somebody to actually say it, it makes us, it gives our hearts joy. I have a great story about Paul Moody. I was working with him in Oakland.

It was a day in the park of comedy. It was a Mark Curry event. And Paul was, they put us on the same, like they were shuttling us over. And Paul had me in the bus with him. And he happened to be talking about Richard Pryor's children fighting his ex-wife over his estate. And he said, well, you know what?

If you got to fight for your daddy's money, that's on your daddy. Your daddy didn't love you. He should have set it up perfect. He should have set it up for you. You know? And it was just so much. And I don't know why he was just talking

about that particular thing on the bus on our way over to a comedy show. But it made me, to this day, I went and got a nice life insurance policy that my son is the benefactor. Because I'm like, yeah. I want my son to feel like I didn't love him when I'm gone. So that was one of the biggest lessons I took with Paul. Get some life insurance and take care of your kids.

Because if your daddy don't leave you no money, that means he didn't care. Alicia Cooper, you are actually open for Paul Mooney. And it was a wonderful experience. When you're up in comedy, you're watching legends like Paul. Because, you know, before I even realized I wanted to do comedy, I would just go and watch comics. So I flew to L.A. in the mid-'90s,

and Paul was working a late spot in the comedy store in the original room. It was either between 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. And I'm just sitting in the room watching this genius at work. And I'm laughing so hard. I've never laughed that hard before or since listening to Paul Mooney. Because as they said here, white people just walking out. And every time they walked out, he'd comment on it and make fun of it. And, you know, he had that beautiful smile and that beautiful voice. And he was like the Paul Robeson of comedy.

Just a brilliant, handsome man. And I can still remember the jokes he was telling. He was like, all these white celebrities, all of them, the new thing is to have a little black crack baby. Every one of them got to have a little black crack baby. Michelle Pfeiffer got a little black crack baby. So he's naming all these people. And he said, so I did exactly the opposite. I went and got me a little white heroin addict. He said,

he said, he's out there in the car right now, just nodding. I was laughing so hard. Somehow I ended up on my feet. I don't know how I got on my feet. I must have levitated. I was laughing so hard that night. That's the power that Paul Mooney had. You never forget his jokes because they're so brilliant. I remember the joke he told about white people. They can get off with any kind of defense. They can just say they have multiple personalities.

And I'm like, I don't remember killing this man because I have multiple personalities. He said, let a Black person try that. Yeah, I killed him because I got multiple personalities. They were like, well, you better pick one of them personalities because one of them niggas is going to jail. In fact, all of them niggas is going to jail. Robert, he, on that particular point, and I wish CNN would post it. I actually was on CNN with Paul Mooney

being interviewed by Keira Phillips. This was after Michael Richards melted down on stage with his N-word rant, and we had this discussion about the N-word, and Paul was unrepentant. Paul, what was his joke? Saying the N-word made his teeth white? I mean, he wants a day.

Nigga, nigga, nigga. Makes my teeth white. Yeah, I mean, he just didn't, I mean, he didn't, he did not care. I mean, all of y'all know, so was there anything, did y'all ever hear Paul say, yeah, that's, yeah, that's going a little too far? No.

No. No. I think, I think Paul would always walk up to the line and then go across the line. And because- He would hopscotch, he would do a Chicago two step over the line. No, I mean, the thing, you know, I wrote today on a post, I said he was fearless, but it goes beyond fearless because there was nothing that he would not say.

If something came into his mind, he would say it. If something happened in the news, like what's happening in D.C. right now, he would be on stage tonight really talking about it and no filter. No filter. Yeah. George, final comment. It's not easy to do, you know?

You got to understand the times, you know? It wasn't easy then, and sure the fuck it's not easy now. But he was the type of comedian that cared so much about that craft and cared so much about the importance of what he was saying that you can't water that down. You got to tell that uncut.

You got to tell the truth. And, you know, Rob, you know, fearless is a word that's going to be continually used because it's really what the man was. You know, when it came to saying whatever it was in an attempt to make you laugh. And so much of that uncomfortable, hysterical shit was true. But who's courageous enough to say it? Even a comedian.

They say we get to say whatever we want to say it. Even a comedian, they say, we get to say whatever we want to say. Well, you know, there's plenty of comedians whose ass been cancelled that would disagree with that. Paul never gave a shit about that. And that worked off on a lot of comedians, and I believe it helped us to become, I know it certainly helped me to become a better comedian.

Robert Townsend, your final comment. You know, let me just say this. I pray and hope that his memory inspires a whole other generation of artists to find their voice and be their true, authentic self, because that's what he was. George, your final comment. I believe, you know, knowing Paul Mooney and having graced conversations with him, you get to know

a different level of his genius and of his level of compassion and his level of not give a fuckness. But to watch him and to know that he was responsible not for only his comedy, but the comedy of so many other

greats, lets you know just how unfunny of a day today is. Indeed. George Wilborn, Robert Townsend, I appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Thank you. Damon, Alicia, y'all stay right there.

Let me pull in right now. Y'all stay right there. Let me pull in Bill Bellamy and Michael Collier. Glad to have you here. It has been an extremely it's been a tough day for a lot of cats

in the comedic world. I've been texting with people, talking with people. They've been sharing stories. But look, and it's rare to listen to comedians talk about being sorrowful. Folks are used to making folks laugh. Bill, when I texted you this morning to give you the news, as soon as after I heard it, I mean, you just responded, again, responded how much this cat was a true OG. Yeah.

Yeah, I mean, can you hear me? Yeah, we got you, Bill. We got you. All right, what's up? So shout out to my boy Michael Collier as well. But, I mean, Paul Mooney meant everything to me because when I first got in the game, the first time I ever, Paul Mooney meant everything to me because when I first got in the game, the first time I ever met Paul Mooney was in New Jersey and I had this club. It was called

the Peppermint Lounge back then. And I was just a new, I was just a newbie. And I went up to Mr. Mooney and I was like, Mr. Mooney, you know, I've heard so many great things about you. And I was just wondering if there's any advice you would give me and I'll never forget what he told me he said what's your name Bellamy let me tell you something if you don't live it you don't eat it

you don't drink it if you're not bleeding it get the fuck out of it just like that that was like I thought he was going to give me some like nice and beautiful, and it'd be hummingbirds chirping and stuff. He gave me such a raw, um, idea of what it is to follow your dream, right?

And so with that in mind, it made me want to be a comedian even more. Like, I figured I quit my job. All the stuff that I had that was safe in my life. I got rid of all of that because of Paul Mooney, because he gave me the blueprint. It has to be your life. Like, it has to be the thing that you can't live without.

You've got to marry it. You have to be true to the craft. And he was he whether he was famous or not, whether the Hollywood game accepted his brilliance like black people had, maybe they did, maybe they didn't.

But no one can say he was untrue to who he was. Collier, your thoughts. How come I can't see anybody? Don't worry about it, man. Just talk, damn it. Man, I want to see y'all, man. Well, guess what?

Watch this shit on the replay. You'll see everybody. Okay, beautiful. First of all, hello, Bill Bellamy. Hello, family. Hey, man, first of all, Paul Mooney was my friend, and that's what I miss most of all. He was a real dude, you know?

I got my first money because of Paul Mooney. I went to replace Robin Harris. He used to do a gig in Cleveland once a month with some dude named Kenny Adams. Kenny still owe me money for that shit. Anyway, they flew me down on regular coach. Kenny picked me up in his car. The car was dirty.

Had a chewed up apple in the back, some drawers and shit. And I stayed at a room in his house, okay? Paul Mooney showed up first class. He was in a limo. When he got ready to eat, they stopped everything and took us to dinner. We got on that stage, and we both killed it. And he said, brother, the problem is they don't take you serious because you don't charge them enough. You need to charge them three times what you would normally get. Now you're going to get half as many people, but you can get twice the money and you're going to be all right.

I changed all my money then. I love Paul. He used to call me on Monday. I'd have a Monday night show. He said, oh, nigga, is it nigga night tonight, nigga? I said i say yes we're doing black night well i'm bringing eddie murphy and you're going to owe me twice so i saw him one day talk about um tom cruz because he's talking about white folks always trying to play other ethnicities tom cruz is the last samurai please they should do my story the nigga and let Tom Hanks play me. The dude was brilliant. He never bit his tongue, brother. He said it.

He gave it to you straight with no chaser, man. Hey, Michael, hold on one second. Yeah. Buddy Lewis, my ass is live on the air. I text you, said we gonna call you. Damn it, so wait. Michael Collier telling a great story. Bill Bellamy telling a great story.

Alicia Cooper and Damon Wayland, you interrupting us. Mike, buddy, we call you right back. See, that's what happens when you got omegas from Howard University, who don't know how to behave. Go ahead, Micah. I just have to say the beautiful, what I thought was the ending was pretty amazing. He told me last night that Rudy, his brother Rudy, told me last night that Paul asked him to make him

a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Yeah. So he went to make the sandwich, but when he came back,ul had had transcended so he tried to bring him back himself he couldn't do it so they sent uh the medics right so they had all these medics all of them was white and he said the whole time they kept saying man we got to bring him back man this is paul mooney we got to bring him back and i just thought that was so ironic and beautiful that white cats was putting all their heart into bringing this brother back who made his living making fun of them fools, man. I just thought it was beautiful and poetic, you know?

Absolutely. Bill, go ahead. Bill, Damon, and Alicia. I know since we're all comics, we all have had a moment where we wish that there was something that he said that we could have said, but we weren't bold enough to say it. So, one of my jokes that I loved about Paul Mooney, and it was so raw, but it was so funny, but... So, I'm at Caroline's, and Paul used to always do the late show in New York. So, I would do like the 8 to 7.30 and the 10,

and he would do the midnight show. Midnight. So he'd sit there. You know how he would sit back like this. He said, oh, my favorite movie. My favorite movie is Titanic. I love Titanic. It is the outstanding film. It's absolutely wonderful.

And let me tell you, a lot of white people died in that movie. He said, I tell you, every time. He said, I watched it every time just to count one more white person that drowned. One more. And, I mean, what would make you say something? I'm sitting there watching white folks leave Caroline's. They walk away like this, oh, God. I am not here to be telling me that I am going to drown.

It was, he walked out half the room. And he said to look at them. Oh, look at them. Look at them. Look at them. Run, run, run, white people. Run, run, run. Because see, David, he didn't care because he

already got their ticket money. But I didn't understand how he would do this every night, run out to 70 people. You just said you watched. David, go ahead. And that's the funny part because he didn't care. Yeah, that's the crazy part because he did not care. I mean, that was his goal, it was saying.

And it just goes to show you the irony that Michael just said that the paramedics, like, we got to save this one. We got to save him. It shows you that they don't care about all black people when they come to help him. Another thing I want to say is Bill Bellamy, man, we got to hang out more because if I got to be in passing anytime soon, I want you to tell my story because you tell the best stories at funerals and such.

You killed it at a Whistler's funeral. I'm telling people, hang out with Bill if you're feeling sick because he's going to tell the best story about you ever told. Oh, my God, bro. But I have so many true stories, you know. And the only reason that I have been able to just come up with these stories is because I've been working on my book. And so all these memories start popping back in my head of moments that I had

with all my fellow comedians, with different artists and just that and the other. And this thing about Paul Mooney, I wanted to say to you guys, and I want to give a special shout out to Dave Chappelle because Dave Chappelle gave Paul Mooney a platform and it was the biggest thing in his career to me. And I want to thank Dave, however that happened, where he got his flowers and he was finally able to be the star

and be able to get his flowers or his talent, that Dave Chappelle show provided the platform for him because to me, he was always one of the most super rated to the Black community superstar, but underrated to Hollywood. You know what I mean? Alicia Cooper, your final comment before I let two of y'all go before I bring in my next round, because we've got folk booked who all want to come on

and share their thoughts about the Paul Mooney. Yeah, it's just sad to know that he's gone because his voice is still such a needed, necessary voice. And I always say, Paul walks so that we can run. This man was just, I mean, I just can hear bits of his just over and over. I think about the one where he said to white people, you guys have a nerve to be racist, but don't shake your family tree because a nigga might fall out.

I mean, he just has so many hilarious lines and so many great jokes and was just a brilliant, brilliant person. I just, you know, it's just hard to believe that he's gone. And, you know, he's he left the comedy game really a couple of years ago as he started dealing with dementia. And all I kept thinking was Donald Trump dodged a bullet because we lost a whole lot of good Donald Trump material coming out of Paul Mooney's mouth. That man was so powerful. He did not care who he offended. He didn't care. He would take on titans of industry.

You could lose out on opportunities because of your proximity to Mr. Mooney. This man was a powerhouse. And we lost We lost something big We lost something big today Absolutely, Alicia Cooper, we certainly appreciate it Thank you so very much

Thank you very much I'm going to do, real quick, I'm going to do three of you Michael Collier, your final comment Then Bill, then Damon I've been sitting here 45 minutes You talking about a final comment I just got here Well, Michael, the problem is I got Buddy Lewis lined up.

I've got Guy Torrey lined up. Ricky Hughes lined up. Buddy Lewis and I already talked them tired of Buddy. I've got, and then I'm literally texting. I know, man. I'm playing with you, brother. Y'all got to mess with you. Bill, you did want to say, this is what David Chappelle said.

He's a hero of mine. I'm going to miss him very much. And I was just texting him to come on. He said, I'm at dinner right now. Can't get out. But we did reach out to Dave as well. Michael, go ahead. I just want to say, I'm honored that you let me come and say something,

because I love that brother. He was my friend. Not just a great artist, just a great man and funny and insightful. You know, it seemed like the wrong people died first. How could Dick Gregory be dead and Paul Mooney be dead and motherfucking Trump is still alive. It just ain't right. It ain't right. And I loved it when he said, oh, I love the word nigga. Nigga makes my teeth white. Nigga, nigga, nigga, nigga, nigga, nigga, nigga, nigga, nigga, nigga, nigga. I see it all the time. You can go to the comedy store and set

your watch by what time the white folks won't jump up and leave when he came in. You can tell it, you know? And I just, I honor the man. I'm sorry I'm not sad about him. His energy and his light still radiates throughout the universe. I'm proud to have known him. He was a blessing and he still

is. And I hope a lot of us continue to learn from that master and that king. Thank you for letting me be on here. I love Paul Mooney, man! Damian Williams. Yes. I just want to say, um, Paul has inspired us all. He touched us all. He gave us

a path to take where we didn't have to go as far as he goes, but we can still say what we want to say even now in this cancel culture. So his memory, his legacy lives on, and we will honor him by letting Whitey have it when it's possible. Damon Williams, always a pleasure.

Bill Bellamy. I would hope that his legacy would encourage the next generation, even our generation, to be more courageous about our comedy, to be more courageous about our comedy, to be true to our craft, to be honest and forthright with our attitude, because we got into this culture now, we're so safe, and everyone's so nervous

to talk about the other and this, that, and the other. Paul Mooney didn't care about none of that. He always brought the truth, and I'm gonna use his legacy in my career and in my voice as my comedy comes forward, my new special, to just be an example of what that is. And it doesn't have to be offensive. It just has to be right. It has to be truthful and come from the right place.

That's how I'm going to pay my homage to him. Bill Bellamy. Gentlemen, I certainly appreciate it. Thank you so very much for this special tribute to the late, great Paul Mooney. Thank you. Let's say to all of you, I had an opportunity to sit down and interview Paul Mooney

and Dick Gregory when they performed at a comedy show in New Orleans at Essence Festival. This was when I was hosting Washington Watch on TV One. Here is that conversation. Do not need a full page ad to sing the praises when I was hosting Washington Watch on TV One. Here is that conversation. Do not need a full page ad to sing the praises of Dick Gregory and Paul Mooney. I caught up with them between shows at the festival. When you hear post-racial,

what's the first thing you think of when you hear we're in a post-racial America? America's not in a post-racial. That'll never happen. It's habit, and white people are habit creatures. I think people misjudge white people in a lot of ways. I don't think race is a big deal with white people. I really don't. I think it's all a pretense. You know, because they created

that environment, the racial environment, you know, the jokes. I mean, if you watch white folks, old movies and old cartoons and old magazines and read their, you know, go read their books. And from a long time ago, they've always made fun of anybody who wasn't white. You know, they've always got a joke out of it. They always find it very funny. They always find it very comical. So when you flip it, you're saying. I just think basically they can dish, but they can't take it.

That's just how I feel about it. Or maybe they can take. Sometimes they confuse me. Sometimes they laugh. They don't laugh. You know, it all depends on what makes them comfortable, what time is, what fits for them, what works for them. When you talk about uncomfortable,

I want to bring in Dick Gregory right now. Now, here's somebody, Dick, come on in. The two of you can truly make folks uncomfortable. Yeah, I don't think so. I think we work well together. We do, and you know you know really what is uncomfortable You know You go back and you look at all the Bob Hope jokes

And you could tell when he's gonna talk about a black princess walking on street and saw this bee bopper the other day And so if you look you see people look at us But there's a slew of young white and black comics that's coming out. They don't care. They get up on that stage because what they're talking about is today's time. Today's time, a new rhythm. That's what they're talking about. But here's the genius.

He brings from back there all the way up to here and then go beyond. I just interviewed Ice-T about his new documentary, Something Out of Nothing, The Art of Rap. And he talked about it's an art. He talked about genius. This isn't just you just hop up on the stage and just start spouting stuff off. There's a real art to what you do. The greatest laugh you ever had in your life didn't come from professional comedians come from friends and relatives when you're talking about comedy that's a timing that's a timing and so when you look at what I teach on

rap rap go all the way back to Africa when it wasn't no instruments move confidence and if you look at the black folks in college doing the steps, the difference was in Africa, way back there, you rapped what was happening in the local environment. They had no instruments. And then all they wanted to come up and hear people talk about these rappers, what they talk like. I'm 80 years old. There ain't been a new cuss word invented since I was born. So where do they hear it? Comedians I talk to talk about your genius.

Who is it today you like to listen to, you want to hear do comedy? Today? Today. Nobody. Nobody. Him. Him.

So this current generation. No, no, no, no, reason I ask, I ask, because in your book you talked about Dave Chappelle being on the show, things along those lines. I'm just curious for you, who do you say, if I had to drop down $25, I want to go pay that cat? They're all dead, the ones I like. Yeah, and the other thing is, if you got time to go see somebody else's show, you ain't working.

But no, they're all dead. I mean, Flip're all dead. I mean, Flip Wilson's gone. Slappy White is gone. Yeah. Richard Pryor's gone. You see, I didn't like none of them. Richard Pryor didn't like none of them.

Slappy White was trying to behave. He come out with a white glove and a black glove. He had a white glove and a black glove. What's the other one that used to sell drugs in Vegas? He's gone. The big fat one. George Kirby. Yeah, he's gone. Yeah yeah they're out there yeah they're not there but you know came to me and told me he was charged well he didn't only sell do he still use them but you know it's like you you know what commentators do you like to listen to you

understand they're all different. See, when I was a little boy, I thought whiskey was whiskey. I didn't know it was bourbon, scotch, you know, wine. And then as you get up here, then you see the breakdown, and he's at the head of the class. Got to ask you this, and I did a piece in every magazine on the comedy issue. I said, who was the funniest person in your life who was a non-comedian? Who was just flat out funny. One guy talked about a guy who was a tailor he worked with. This dude was just funny.

Uncle Dudlow. We got them in, all of them's in the family. Uncle Dudlow. All of us have them. For you. Somebody, friend, family member, whatever. Never go on stage, but just funny. Just flat out funny.

Nigga Bob. Nigga Bob was real funny. And that is? He was just funny, cause he was Nigga Bob. And he'd just get up and talk about everybody. Anything. Yeah, just anything. You could drop a glass and he could talk about it for 30 minutes.

Gotta go political. If you had one question sitting in front of President Obama, what would you ask him? I need a co-signer for the new car I'm going to get. That's what I'd ask him, to be my co-signer. You said the one question. One question. I would say stop making white people mad. He pisses white people off. He just does.

That's his gift. That's his gift as a black man. He makes white people very angry, and he does it on purpose. You know that by the people he picks to be in office. Yes. I've made a prediction. I said he's going to make a midget head of the Army. I love it. I love it. Now, if I had my way, I'd tell him I have to dress him for you. I'd give him a conk and some shoes with bunion pads on them. You know, see, they're used to that. Last question for both of you. Is there any other thing that you would have liked to do in your life other than comedy?

Anything other than making you laugh right no not me no like what what would you suggest not suggesting just asking well remember we didn't choose it we didn't come up with i'm gonna be a comic you got people saying i'm gonna be a singer i'm gonna be a dancer right you know anybody ever walked out to create that first and second grade i'm gonna be a comic that reminds me when they asked Miles Davis He said if you had 15 minutes to live what would you do and he said choke a white man to death? That's a hell of a stick. I mean no I'm not this is true. I'm not making this up. I'm not that good Okay, also if you had 15 minutes to leave what would you do if at 15 minutes to live? What would you do?

I wouldn't choke somebody to death. would you do if that 15 minutes to live what would you do i wouldn't choke somebody to death i wouldn't do that but uh let me see how about drowning them okay teasing teasing your show is so serious teasing no no trust me we are not serious every single second. Y'all, I completely, I completely forgot. That was the last question. That was, wow. That was, see, that's what happens when you start going to your archives. And, you know, we ran it on Washington Watch.

Unfortunately, we did not have the greatest video, but it's all good. But I was so glad we were able to have that opportunity to sit down with those two legends, Dick Gregory and, of course, Paul Mooney. Joining us right now is Ricky Hughes. She's executive producer, CEO, Lemonade Productions, and also the greatest short comedian in history, Guy Torrey. He joins us right now. Glad to have both of you here. Ricky, I want to start with you. You are not a comedian. You're not on stage. And so you work with Paul in a different capacity. Yes, I've known Paul for many years and seen him.

I work on the other side as the producer. So it's always been interesting and he always challenges us nonstop. Like he would challenge our thought process, he would challenge our comedy, he would challenge everything. And you know, although it would drive us crazy in the process, it always made it for a better show. How would you respond to someone who's to say, well, Ricky, Paul's difficult. Let's get somebody who's not as difficult. Well, okay.

I have been known to work with some of the quote-unquote most difficult people there and kind of effortlessly. So for me, I think you always have to find a place where you find something great about them. And it wasn't hard to find something great about Paul. And when you lean into that, Eagle always takes over and you get the best out of him. And he always wanted the best. Like he wasn't difficult just to be difficult.

I felt like he was always difficult to challenge you. What about when he would push you to be better? Give me an example where you said that was good. You know, we were doing, I believe it was Who's Got Jokes, and that shit was Bill. And we had a whole setup for him where he was going to kind of surprise the comics and come out. And he was like, why would I do that?

I was like, well, cause you know, no one is expecting you and this will be great. He was like, what's great about that. You know? And so we just kept pushing till we finally got to a place where his appearance felt way more meaningful, but that wasn't our initial intent. You know? So he just would constantly push the envelope and question it. It made... It definitely makes a difference.

Um, fearless, um, man of conviction, uh, someone who had no problem speaking truth to power. We've heard every, uh, description of Paul Mooney. Uh, your memories about him. What is like he never felt he never was afraid to make white people uncomfortable in a world where black people were really striving to make people comfortable. Hmm. Guy. Hello. Guy, yes. Oh, me. Hey, man. Oh, man. Hmm? Guy? Hello? Guy, your ass on mute.

Hey, man, I'm on mute? Oh, man, hold on. Now you're on, now you're on. Okay, I'm good, I'm good. What's up, man? That's what happened when you got that cricket phone. Hey, man, hey, I pulled it from your little sister's purse. Oh, yeah, uh-huh, because you got the same purse.

No, she left it over here last night. Uh-huh, and guess what? I ain't got no little sisters. Might be a hunt trying to act young. All my sisters taller than you. All right. Share your thoughts about, again, the great Paul Mooney. First of all, I'm going to pour me some champagne

because Paul Mooney always drinks champagne splits on stage. So in honor of Paul Mooney, I got some champagne. Paul Mooney was always funny, telling me, don't be afraid to make people feel uncomfortable, but make them laugh at the same time. And I've always taken that from Paul Mooney. I remember when I first met Paul, I was with my brother, Joe was at the comic stores after a fat Tuesday. And Paul was telling Joe, Hey, look out, look out, Joe, look over your shoulder. Your brother got that Belushi syndrome. Belushi. I'm like, what Belushi? He said, he waiting on you to die, Joe, so he can blow up.

Like Jim and John Belushi. But Paul Mooney, man, had one of my favorite jokes, man, that, of him that he told was when, unfortunately, it was about two other deaths of two other legends. It's when Tupac and Biggie passed away, man. And Paul Mooney's joke was, well, we know they're both in heaven because they both had faith.

I don't think Faith Evans liked that joke, but that was one of my favorite jokes of Paul Mooney. It's like, wow. I would have never gone there, but he was fearless. But you're just saying something that when you said, I would have never gone there, but he was fearless. But you just said something that when you said I would have never gone there. We had a bunch of other folks on earlier. And that's the thing. Paul Mooney did not care about going there.

He would crack on Oprah, Gayle King. It didn't matter. Nobody was off limits. Right. And you know what? After that, I started going there. Before then, I was a limits. Right. And you know what? After that, I started going there. Before then, I was a little timid. You know, I didn't want to talk about celebrities and things like that.

But after hearing Paul Mooney and Pryor and the things they said, you know, and my homie St. Louis and Dick Gregory, man, I started just like, you know, taking the filter off. And now there's no filter at all. Ricky, Just Do. Let's talk about that. Um, a lot of people said that Paul has not gotten his Just Do as a comedic giant. Mm.

He has not. And I hope, you know, I hate for it to have to come to a place where, you know, his death is the first time that we get to see this. But, you know, I would for it to have to come to a place where, you know, his death is the first time that we get to see this. But, you know, I would argue that some of our greats, he pushed them to be fearless on that stage. And one thing, you know, Paul always did was he fought to protect the integrity of the stage. That you, that place had to be sacred. Comics had to be able to be able to say and have the social commentary that they needed to say without being filtered and censored.

And when you speak about his just do, the power of that stage, I think you have to give it up to him. Guy, same question. I mean, he was one of the greatest. I mean, he wrote for the greatest, you know, and prior, wrote for great shows. And it just shows that he was the godfather of comedy. People don't know that he was originally supposed to have been

the host of the Comedy Act Theater. And he turned it down and suggested that it would be Robin Harris. You know? So he wasn't afraid to say no to great opportunities because he knew where he was. And he had a home. He was one of the few blacks at the comedy store at that time, him and Richard. And Marshall Warfield, at that time, that's all they did was wanted to wait and see Paul and Paul go on stage.

Paul had that last spot, that 12 o'clock spot. He loved that spot so that he can go on stage and say whatever the hell he wanted to say. And people would stick around and wait for Paul Mooney. Now he said he told Obama to quit making white people uncomfortable. That's what all Paul did was make white people uncomfortable. That's all he did. That would be in his show, then pop up like Toastman Paul. Not that he wasn't funny, the fact that he was real.

And he was in it with that truth. And that truth paste hurts when you brush your teeth with it. Ricky, were there moments where you said, damn, Paul, that hurt? All the time. What do you mean? If you didn't have that response, he was like, I got to keep going because you have to get there. I mean, I remember not too long ago, we, Dave and I, Dave was performing in the Bay Area. And Paul had come out to see the show.

And he moved up and they moved him right there next to me. He's like, if you don't get up right now and move right over. I felt like I was immediately in trouble. And I was like, I'm a grown woman. But Paul would have that effect on you when he would just say anything and it was OK. He was a guy. He was the thing.

Looks like we lost guy. Looks like we lost guy. I told you a guy had that crooked phone. The thing, Ricky, that was, you know, Paul could be extremely intimidating. Again, you had to be a confident person because he would show you that look and respond to you in a certain way.

So you had to, like, say, dog, who you think you talking to? Because I remember, like, when we had the interview, I was like, say, bro, don't get this twisted. Don't think I'm the newest guy. I'm not going to fire back at your ass. But he loved that. Paul relished in that mental joust. Like, he loved it more than anything, I think,

just to be able to have that. It went beyond a wedding repartee, for sure. And, you know, you just got to love him for it. But you always run your toes when you're around him. That's for sure. And he made you think. Indeed. He definitely made you think.

Indeed he did. Ricky Hughes, I certainly appreciate it. Thank you so very much for sharing your thoughts and reflections about Paul Mooney. Thanks for having us. Thank you very much. Guy Torrey, Guy had to go. We thank Guy as well. There was another time I interviewed Paul Mooney on News 1 Now.

And here is that conversation. Yes, you know him quite well. He's been in movies, television shows. He's written for Richard Pryor, red fox, in living color, Dave chapelle, one of the baddest brothers out there. No need for a long introduction. He is simply the legend, Paul Mooney. Paul, how you doing?

Welcome to news one now. Yeah, how are you? Well, welcome back. Yeah, how are you? Welcome back. Last time we chatted with you, I was in New Orleans with Dick Gregory and you guys were performing at essence music festival. Paul, rolling out did a story on you saying you have stage four

prostate cancer. They talked to your brother. The story was out on social media. What's the deal with that story and your health? What do you mean? Well, that's what they reported. Is it true? Your brother called me last

night and said, oh, this is nuts. This is crazy. The story is not true. Paul is not sick at all. No, I'm dead. So where did Rollout even get that from? People who have stage four are

dead. Look it up. Either they're dead or they got one foot on a banana. I'm not going to get that from you. I'm going to get that from you. I'm going to get that from you. Where did that roll out even get that from? People who have stage four are dead. Look it up.

Either they're dead or they got one foot on a banana. So the rolling out story was a piece of crap? Well, of course. I can't be in two places at once. I can't be at the graveyard and sitting up here talking to you too unless you're dead too. Maybe we're both dead. No, no, no, not dead at all. Well, first of all, Paul, how is

your health these days? You see these folks say you're on a city hall show and didn't go well. I thought you were great. Aren't you doing a movie or something like that where you're supposed to be dead?

So why are you acting crazy? You're doing a film? You might be dead too. I don't know why you're acting crazy. You're doing a film by you. You might be dead, too. I don't know why you're laughing so hard. No, because, again, first of all, we're live.

We're certainly not dead at all. So we're absolutely live. You don't know that. Paul, I got to ask you a couple of things. Arsenio Hall, you were, you wanted to. See, I scared you.

That's why you keep on talking. Go ahead. No, no, no. You don't scare me. I were, you were on. See, I scared you. That's why you keep on talking. Go ahead. No, no, no. You don't scare me. I've interviewed you many times, so you never scared me. No, I'm not. I'm talking about being dead. I ain't talking about scaring you personally.

Oh, no, no. I'm fully alive. All right. Okay. You're alive. Okay. Go ahead. Yeah, I'm fully alive.

Yeah. All right. So let me ask you this question. You were on the Arsenio Hall show, and you cut right to the chase. As always, your comedy is raw and of the show. You're a big fan of the show. You're a big fan of the show. You're a big fan of the show. You're a big fan of the show. You're a big fan of the show. You're a big fan of the show.

You're a big fan of the show. You're a big fan of the show. You're a big fan of the show. You're a big fan of the show. You're a big fan of the show. You're a big fan of the show. You're a big fan of the show. I'm not surprised at all. I'm surprised at all. I'm surprised at all. I'm surprised at all. I'm surprised at all.

I'm surprised at all. I'm surprised at all. I'm surprised at all. I'm surprised at all. I'm surprised at all. I'm surprised at all. I'm surprised at all. I'm surprised at all. I'm surprised at all. I'm surprised he's not talking to me.

I've known him for a long time. So you weren't surprised at all with the words he spoke on that recording? No. No. I wasn't shocked at all. He's always talked like that.

He thinks he's a comedian. Why do you think he keeps going after magic Johnson? That interview with Anderson cooper was pretty strange. Well, that's because he gives Madison Johnson money. Donald Sterling gives money to lots of black people. So NAACP got into some issues there. The president, he quit because Donald Sterling supported the NAACP president. And that, of course, got them a lot of trouble there in Los Angeles. Should they have given Donald Sterling a Lifetime Achievement Award? the president of the United States. He's the vice president of the United States.

He's the vice president of the United States. He's the vice president of the United States. He's the vice president of the United States. He's the vice president of the United States.

He's the vice president of the United States. He's the vice president of the United States. He's the vice president of the United States. He's the vice president of the United States.

He's the vice president of the United States. He's the vice president of the United States. He's the vice president of the United States. He can buy me. So you have a tour right now. Will Donald sterling, will other issues of race, the treatment of the president, attorney general Eric Holder, will those issues

be a part of your tour? Well, of course. I've known Donald sterling for a very long time. He gives a lot of money to black people. A lot of money. So, Paul, where is your

tour taking you across the country? He loves black women. He loves black women. He loves black women. He loves black women. He loves black women. He loves black women. money to black people. A lot of money. So, Paul, where is your tour taking you across the country? He loves black women. He loves black women. There's always a black woman in the background.

Whenever Donald comes around, you'll see a black woman somewhere. So let me ask you this question. You're traveling around the country. Where is your tour taking you? How many cities are you hitting? Oh, we're going everywhere. How many cities are there in America? So you're hitting all of them?

Oh, all of them. Mm-hmm. So are you just performing, or is it you and Dick Gregory performing again? Oh, yeah, it's me and Dick Gregory. Some places, and then it's me and somebody else, some other places. And then the locals, you know, they have locals. Right, right. So, Paul, let me ask you, I had some comedians on

the show last week, and they were talking about you. Several of them praised you for your work. But one of the things they all said is, they said, man, Paul Mooney is so raw that he even makes me uncomfortable. I've never heard other comedians get uncomfortable. Well, they just say that because somebody white is telling them to say that. They're being paid to say that. I don't make black comedians uncomfortable. You don't? No. They just say that to get attention. Heck no. How can I make them uncomfortable?

If it wasn't for me, they wouldn't be on TV. So why would I make them uncomfortable? Well, that is an absolute great point. Yeah, that's just to bring attention to themselves. Well, Paul, first off, it is good to see you looking well. Good to see you on the show. Glad that you have blown up those reports of bad health and rolling out, put out there. Good luck with your comedy tour all across the country.

And hope to see you in one of these cities that you'll be popping in. What city I'm going to be in the city tonight. I'm going to be in the city tonight. I'm going to be in the city tonight. I'm going to be in the city tonight. I'm going to be in the city tonight.

I'm going to be in the city tonight. I'm going to be in the city tonight. I'm going to be in the city tonight. I'm going to be in the city tonight.

I'm going to be in the city tonight. I'm going to be in the city tonight. I'm going to be in the city tonight. I'm going to be in the city tonight.

I'm going to be in the city tonight. I'm going to be in the city tonight. I'm going to be in the city tonight. I'm going to be in the city tonight.

I'm going to be in the city tonight. I'm going to be in the city tonight. I'm going to be in the city tonight. I'm going to be in the city tonight. I'm going to be in the city tonight. Absolutely. When does your movie start? I have no movie. Somebody just said you were making a joke? No, I have no movie. Kevin Hart's in every movie involving a black person. Oh, okay.

Well, that's not true because that's why I love Obama. Obama is living proof that all black people don't look alike. I love it. I fully understand. Paul Mooney, it's always good to see you, sir.

You take care, and you have a great one. You, too. All right. Okay. How did I end up talking to Paul Mooney twice about death? Okay, that's, again, I told y'all, we go into the vault. I totally forget some of the stuff we talk about. Y'all saw the irreverence.

He asked a question. He's like, so? That was Paul Mooney. All right, y'all uh got a couple more guests right now joining us to talk about uh the late great paul mooney uh we have comedy writer uh and uh budding comedian buddy lewis uh comedian jay smiles how you doing i am fantastic how are you rolling uh i am fantastic. How are you, Roland? I am doing great. I just want to get just your thoughts on, again, the amazing Paul Mooney.

My thoughts are numerous. I have to tell you, he is absolutely a legend that defies all logic. And I've been watching and hearing what some of your other guests have said, and he has never gotten his just due. He didn't get his roses before. I certainly hope he gets them now.

Yeah, he wrote for the best and the brightest. The fact that the people who have been celebrated, white, black, and everything in between, turned to him when they were at their zenith, right? They wanted him to write for them when they were at the top of the charts on TV, on radio, in movies. They wanted him at their side.

And the fact that he always pushed the envelope and did not care what happened. That's tough. That's a tough, tough place to be. But that's just how much he loved the craft. And he really, I mean, by the footage that you've shown, and thank you so much for always having a camera. I've known your story enough to know that since you were in high school, dude, some kind of way you had a camera or a recorder somewhere since Texas to make sure that you were documenting things, and we are all so grateful for it.

But in my comedy, I'm known as the conscious comic, and one of the most celebrated moments in my career, as young as it is in comparison to the grace that you've even had on your show, it was a guy that was older than me, and I was doing a special for Juneteenth just a few years ago, and when it was over, he came up to me and he said, you remind me of what Paul Mooney and Dick Gregory used to do. Roland, I started crying. Real talk. I am not exaggerating.

I couldn't believe that he even kind of mentioned my name with those two. I got goosebumps. And so the fact that he had the heart to do what he did, when he did it, we're talking about the 50s, 60s, 70s. Are you kidding me and he was never killed um by racist bigots let's talk about that i mean we don't have to get that deep and that heavy but his his his language was so tough and so strong that they eat food with him they let him say it right so anyway um forever forever he uh will will rest with me and rest in the pen and in my mind and in the jokes that i write buddy lewis there are folks who obviously talk about uh

paul mooney being on stage but i mean he was as a as a comedy writer. That's really where he also shined. You wouldn't know anything about writing. You wouldn't know a thing about that apple head, man. Let me explain. Considering I've only written three books and all you know about pictorial books. Oh, excuse me. Nobody cares about your little terrible-ass books. I've seen better writing in a Braille institute.

And anything authored by Buddy Lewis was written in crayons. What's up, man? Man, I'm going to tell you, you know, this hurts, man, I'm gonna tell you, uh, you know, this, uh, this hurts, man. I mean, I knew both, um, Weatherspoon and Paul Mooney were, uh, I considered them friends in the business. And, uh, and Paul, uh, was, um, the one thing that I think everybody loved about Paul is his ability from the beginning to speak truth to power. And he had a reverence and a duty.

He felt like he was duty-bound to tell the truth. And he didn't care whether he hurt feelings or poked fun at people's political leanings, their mama, their daddy, whatever Paul said, he meant and he said it and he stood by it. And so as a comic, there's something freeing and something real that comes from being able to say whatever it is you wanna say and live with the consequences.

And that's what he did. And that made him a figure that we all revered. Because a lot of comics edit themselves, and especially now, Paul was uneditable. I mean, he would say it and mean it, and that was it. And, I mean, he sometimes hurt feelings and did some things that were, you know, like, hey, man, only Paul. There's a story of him being asked to do an event for Mayor Tom Bradley, I think, when he was running for governor.

And they brought Paul to, I guess, do a stand-up act. And he did his act. And, like, the first word out of his mouth was N-word. And there are all these, oh, oh, you know, all these. And Paul was like, what? Y'all ain't seen my act? That's what he did, man. And I mean, everybody has great Paul Mooney stories.

Like my favorite, and we laughed about this to the past. I saw him probably a year ago. We talked about this time I was in the store and I had my back to the... I was in an aisle in the store and I'm rummaging through stuff and I see this white woman walk by. All I see is

the white woman walk by and somebody from... some voice from the back goes, move, nigga. And I looked around and I was about to go, I was like, I know this white lady just didn't call me nigga in the store. And Paul goes,

got you, huh? You was about to punch that white lady, weren't you? We were in an AM, PM and it was so freaking funny. And every time I saw him, I said, man, you got me so bad. He's like, oh, oh, homie, you were, you were about to sock that poor white lady. That white lady didn't know what was coming.

But Paul, man, always was, I mean, he was a, he was like, if there was the title that could be given, he was the godfather of comedy, man. Everybody wants to be Paul in a way. And what I mean by that is everybody wants to be free, to feel like they can speak without ramification and say what they want to say and do what they want to do. And in this cancer, cancer, I mean, a cancel culture that we have right now, Paul was a, he was, he was, he was a man among men when it came to that. He didn't care. And, and so I think that's what,

that's what made us all as comics love. Chase Miles. The thing about what Buddy was describing there, And so I think that's what made us all as comics love it. Chase Miles, the thing about what Buddy was describing there when he said everybody wanted to be him, but the reality is that folks were afraid of the repercussions. He wasn't. And when you look at the movie Bamboozled, I think that great scene with Damon Wayans where he's performing in this small club

and he's got his alcohol and he's performing, you know, in, you know, this small club, and, you know, he's got his alcohol, and he tells them, I didn't sell out, and I refused to do so. His pride was more important than pulling punches in order to get greater acclaim. Yes. All the time. And he kept that his entire career. And it wasn't he didn't have a short career. You know, some people have been in the game for 50 years and their stardom came in the last five years or some people got in the game late.

Paul had critical acclaim very early in life. And through every decade, through the golden years of comedy, he said, nope, I'm staying true to that inner voice. And there are not a lot of people who do that in any walk of life. In the walk of life, preachers, teachers, doctors, lawyers, Indian chiefs, you name it. The one time I met him, I was very new to comedy. He was at a club and I was fortunate enough to get to the green room. And he basically said, I cannot do justice to Buddy's interpretation of his voice. I'm awful at impersonations. But he basically said, young lady, why? Why? You look like you got a good head on your shoulders and you're kind of cute why the hell you want to do this and i said once it bit me mr mooney i can't let it go he just shook his head

he said i understand and the thing is the purity that he used with it it's the same that I see and I felt in the learnings of, say, Gandhi or Dr. King or Muhammad Ali. Right. It is a passion and a purpose that goes well beyond the money and the plaques and the awards. And I was so I feel so fortunate to have met him once. And I just pray that his closest family and friends are somewhere receiving peace from his spirit now. Is Rodney Perry still there? Yeah. Okay. All right.

So let's get, we're going to put Rodney on a second. Buddy, final comment. I just want to say, man, you know, my condolences to his family and many friends and people that really knew him, man. I wasn't, you know, there's some people that are associated with people

more than they are friendly out here in Hollywood. And I can say with all due respect, he was a friend of, I felt like a friend of mine. And he treated me with love and respect. And whenever he was around and he would come and visit my room, and Kim and I had a comedy room out in the Valley,

he would come in with Eddie Murphy and Miguel Nunez and a crew of people, and he would get on stage and perform. And he didn't care where it was. That was another thing I loved about Paul. He didn't care where it was. He would get up and perform from the smallest little dank little places like Mama's Memory Lane to the Apollo West out here. He didn't care. And he would go in there and he would rip a stage and leave. And he was a true veteran and an icon, especially for a lot of us who started out in the game. We saw Paul at the Comedy Store.

He's one of the few Black folks that worked at the Comedy Store on a regular basis. He had his own night. And so we revered Paul Mooney like we did Robin Harris and some other guys in the business. Paul was, he was the man and he will be greatly missed. His talent and his energy and his gift will be missed. Buddy Lewis, J. Smiles, we certainly appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Thanks. Thank you, Roland.

Thank you so much. Just say this, Roland. Choke yourself with an ascot. Half the university is the real HU. Shut up! Boom! See? See? See?

Bring it back up. See? See, buddy? I ain't want to go there. Buddy, call me. Buddy, call me. We got to finish our show. You know what? I ain't talking to this fool. He know better. We got to finish our show. All right, buddy. Bye, y'all.

See, that's called a stab in the heart. Yeah, that is. That hurt. That hurt. That hurt. I wish you could have done it. Right. And see, and I ain't even going to talk about it. That little youth group he's a member of.

Come on. Come on. Matter of fact, matter of fact, buddy says you talking. Do I need to play a certain video? Come on. Come on. Matter of fact, buddy says, you talking. Do I need to play a certain video? Come on. Oh, God. You know what, Roland? You know what, Roland?

Pull up your little, I keep trying to tell you, every video, even police recordings, you never see what happens five minutes before. Oh. Five minutes before, sometimes there's a little stuff that you go, ah, what happened? What brought this on? And so that's all I'm going to say.

You know, you've got a little half-ass, half-baked recording that don't tell the whole story. You know what? It sounds like somebody's protesting a whole lot. I'm not protesting. I'm just telling you the truth. I mean, when you start sitting here, something happened before,

something happened before that you didn't see. And see, J. Smiles, here's the problem with what Buddy is saying. Here's the problem with what he's saying. There's an intro. Okay. There's like a literal intro to Buddy. So it's kind of hard to say what happened before

when there's an intro. I'm sorry. Control room. Uh-oh. Ugh. Ugh. These stories are so long-winded and terrible and old. So we're also.

Where's Rodney Perry? Oh, yeah. There are other comments that need to talk. Right. So I ain't even going to play the audio. I just want everybody, while Buddy's talking, he's going to provide some commentary. Jay smiles.

So he's going to see what happens when an alpha shows him how to step. See, he can't hop. See, Buddy did. I did a 360. Buddy did. Buddy did more like a 180, a 270. He couldn't get all the way around. Buddy, is it true?

Buddy, buddy, tell me, buddy. Come on. No, I'm going to tell you the truth. But see, like I said, all I'm going to say is, all I'm going to say is... Wait, buddy, is that that day? Buddy, is that the day that you just had your ankle hurt? I remember that was a week when your ankle was hurt.

I'm not making no excuses. All I'm going to say is this. You know what happens when Atomic Dog comes on. I do. Brothers jump out and they start stepping. I do. Absolutely. Well, what happens is I'm stepping for five minutes, five, seven minutes.

Roland goes in, let me show you how to do it. Let's start over. Chris Spencer pulls out the phone again and goes, let's start over. See, here's why he lying. I'm happy with it now. Here's why he lying. I'm happy with it now. Here's why he lying. Because the video. So you were already seven minutes in.

The video starts at the intro of the song. Buddy, stop lying. But the video started over rolling. No, it didn't start over. He lying. But buddy. The bros will start the song over. The bros will play Atomic Dog 17 minutes. But here's a buddy. We'll start the song over the brother play atomic dog, but everything you know here's the deal

What that shows you is he ain't got enough breath in his body. He could not sustain the second song 52 and I can still step I can still have I got six years on you. And plus, your pledge period wasn't half as long or hard as mine. Oh, so now you're trying to admit. Uh-oh. No, but hold up.

We also know y'all didn't spend that long in the study hall and library either. But we know that. I didn't mean it. We know that. I didn't mean that. You know that. You know what? None of my academic achievement was your line. Whatever. We know that. I didn't mean it. We know that. I didn't mean that. You know that. You know what? None of my academic achievement was your line.

So we know that. I mean, you ain't never. Come on now. Come on now. The Alpha Chapter Bros do believe in scholarship. I was there with some of them. Thank you. Right.

We also believe in giving scholarships to needy children like Buddy Lewis's offsprings. Buddy, always remember, you see that? That's that 30th anniversary ring I got for myself. Kiss the ring. I got to go, y'all. I got to go. It's been real. I'm done dealing with 58-year-old children.

Yes, J Spouse, I appreciate it. Absolutely. Thank you. Buddy Lewis, thanks for joining us. We appreciate you and that cricket cell phone playing you got. Thank you so very much. Anytime, Roland. Yeah, anytime. Anytime.

Uh-huh. Right. Right. That's what your girlfriend said, too. I'm rolling. This will not end until I get my revenge. That's why you've been hiding and then came to L.A. You don't want me to get, you don't want to be in another step off, son. No, I haven't

come to LA because of a thing called COVID. You don't want this. Hey, dog. Well, you know I'm not coming to Texas. Hey, I'm ready to whoop your ass twice. I'm not coming to Texas. Remember, who's your daddy? Alpha. I got to go. J-Smile,

I'm going to holler at you later. Buddy, say bye to your daddy. Alpha's your daddy? Alpha. I got to go. J-Smile, I'm going to holler at you later. Buddy, say bye to your daddy. Alpha is your daddy. Get off the phone. I got to talk to Rodney Perry. Y'all, here were some of the tweets that people sent out today celebrating the life and legacy of Paul Mooney. I want to read some of those right now and show those to you

while you're getting Rodney Perry on. So pull those up, please. This came from actually the official account of Paul Mooney. People will always show you who they are. When you have quiet time, it comes to you, how to prepare your shield. Always be you and put your best foot forward is your shield. And so that's what was sent out today. That was Paul Mooney's last tweet.

Sherri Shepherd sent this. So sad to hear that comedy legend Paul Mooney passed. That was Paul Mooney's last tweet. Sherri Shepherd sent this. So sad to hear that comedy legend Paul Mooney passed. Paul used to give me so much encouragement. When I became a regular at the comedy store, I'd watch him night after night on stage. I will always treasure his advice. He was a comedy innovator and a trailblazer. R.I.P. Paul. This is the daughter of Paul Mooney.

Give me a moment. My best friend just died and my world is forever shook. I really can't put it into words right now. My feelings know that I love this man and I am broken. She sent that about an hour and a half after I had posted the news of his death. And so it was still very raw for his family. Stephanie Mills. I'm sad to hear about the passing of one of my favorite comedians who always said what he wanted

and was so proud to be black and never sold out to achieve greatness. RIP to the legendary Paul Mooney. His comedy intellect and humor was so profound. Valo Davis, aww. RIP comedy legend Paul Mooney. You were both funny and poignant, so happy to have witnessed your genius live.

Rest well, pour down some laughter here. We need it love alonzo bolton r.i.p paul mooney thank you sir for all the laughs it was an honor to know you r.i.p paul mooney reverend alice trotter and i am certain to hear about the passing of a comedian paul mooney an extraordinary humorous and passionate community activist we spent many hours in fierce and fiery discussions that i always remember may he rest in peace and power abel duvernay paul mooney a comedy giant i recall listening to his race album in college and how formative it was yeah the jokes but more so the freedom he spoke freely and foolishly about feelings and experiences others found difficult to express may he truly be

free now rest sir uh debbie allen Allen tweeted this. Paul Mooney, the comedic genius that fueled Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy, made his transition to a holy place this morning. We will miss you, homie. We will forever speak your name. And then Dion calls. So I knew Paul was an iconic writer for Richard Pryor. And when I became a writer for Conan, I told him I was. And he said to me, good for you. They got a can of moose hair gel with your name on it, too. Don't use it. And I understood instantly what was up. R.I.P. Paul Mooney. Folks, George Wallace, of course, we had him on the show. So satin by the loss of a real comedy king, Paul Mooney.

Total respect for my elder, Witherspoon, last year. Now this, they say it comes in threes. I ain't sleeping for the next two years. Of course, we heard him actually say that. And iced tea, another great loss, Paul Ely Mooney. Too black, too strong, R.I.P. Jeffrey Wright, Paul Mooney. Whoa, my dude, Inspector Kane, man, R.I.P. Jeffrey Wright, Paul Mooney. Whoa, my dude. Inspector Kane, man, R.I.P.

And Matthew Cherry, the director. Rest in peace, legend Paul Mooney. Folks, there were so many people we have been communicating with. Lots of lots of comedians we've been talking to, talking to his family as well. We've been sharing these stories and there's so many people who wanted to reach out. Like I said, we've been talking to Dave Chappelle, Rodney Perry, I mean, my goodness, Chris Tucker, Jamie Foxx, so many others. And Rudy Ealy, who was Paul's cousin,

he sent me this video and they were in the car listening to music, and this was Paul Mooney sitting here, go ahead and get down, in the car, so doing his thing. So that video, folks, was shot not too long ago. Rudy said that there were good days and bad days for Paul because he was suffering dementia. There were some days he would remember and some days he didn't. But we are certainly blessed by his comedy.

I appreciate Paul always reaching out to me, texting me. The last time he texted me was wishing me Happy Thanksgiving. He would send me texts in the middle of the night with some of the funniest stories, different videos and stuff. He was that kind of guy. Folks, let me say this. Let me also say this here. When he was there in New Orleans with Dick Gregory, so when the, when they were in between shows,

and so there were people who were coming out, and they were sitting in between, coming out and they were, they wanted to take pictures. And he was like, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. We ain't taking, nope, nope, no nope nope we ain't taking nope nope no selfies you ain't buying the cd and so at one point paul was sitting he took the cd and he had up to his face and people taking pictures he was blocking their pictures and so dick gregory was sitting to his right uh and dick gregory dick gregory didn't care dick gregory was sitting here signing

autographs and uh he was over there uh sitting here just taking pictures. And so Paul sits here and grabs Dick's CD, and he's holding the CD in front of Dick's face, and he's holding it in front of his face, and he's like, nope, nope, buy a CD. Nope, nope, we ain't taking no free-ass pictures. Y'all, I was just sitting there cracking up laughing. Paul Mooney did not care. And you heard us in the video, and he said he would come to D.C. I wish I'd seen the

show. And I'll end this way. Folks, take the time. We don't know when folks, how long they are here. We don't know when they pass. If there's someone you haven't talked to, you haven't called, give them a call. Tell them, tell them thank you. Give them a shout. It's always important because, again, no day is promised is promised no hour no second is promised and so when we're able to celebrate life and be able to enjoy ourselves and spend time with loved ones and our favorites whether they're actors and musicians you get a chance go see them perform send them a tweet send them an email reach out to them tell them thanks a bunch uh and uh please do so we do these folks because uh it's

important we celebrate our own we celebrated you heard me reference in that video when i had some comedian comedians on talking about paul mooney so we did celebrate him in life not just uh when he now moves on to join the ancestors uh paul mooney the great comedic OG, the serious truth teller, now up in heaven, having a hell of a conversation with Dick Gregory and others. They're at the age of 79. Paul, we absolutely missed you. You were fantastic. You left us a whole lot to think about and to remember. I'll see you tomorrow. © BF-WATCH TV 2021 Субтитры создавал DimaTorzok A lot of times, big economic forces show up in our lives in small ways. Four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding. But the price has gone up, so now I only buy one. Small but important ways.

From tech billionaires to the bond market to, yeah, banana pudding. If it's happening in business, our new podcast is on it. I'm Max Chastin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here's the deal. We gotta set ourselves up. business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. To reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position. Pre-game to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at thisispretirement.org. Brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council.

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