WTF with Marc Maron Podcast - Episode 1253 - Marlon Wayans

Episode Date: August 16, 2021

Marlon Wayans and Marc spent their time on the set of the movie Respect cracking each other up and that dynamic continues in the garage. It's a situation that's familiar to Marlon, growing up with nine funny siblings and hanging around legendary comedians since he was a kid. Marlon also talks about accessing his serious side in films like Requiem for a Dream and harnessing the grief over his mother's death when he got back on the stand-up stage. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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When I die here, you'll never leave Japan alive. FX's Shogun, a new original series streaming February 27th, exclusively on Disney Plus. 18 plus subscription required. T's and C's apply. Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly, host of Under the Influence. Recently, we created an episode on cannabis marketing with cannabis legalization. It's a brand new challenging marketing category.

legalization. It's a brand new challenging marketing category. And I want to let you know we've produced a special bonus podcast episode where I talk to an actual cannabis producer. I wanted to know how a producer becomes licensed, how a cannabis company competes with big corporations, how a cannabis company markets its products in such a highly regulated category and what the term dignified consumption actually means. I think you'll find the answers interesting and surprising. Hear it now on Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly. This bonus episode is brought to you by the Ontario Cannabis Store and ACAS Creative. Lock the gates! store and ACAS Creative. What the fuckers, what the fuck buddies, what the fuck nicks, what's happening? I'm Mark Maron, this is my show, WTF, welcome to it, how's it going?

Today on the show, Marlon Wayans is here. Marlon and I had a pretty fucking good time shooting Respect Together, a lot of laughs. He's a good audience, I can make Marlon laugh, and I like to make people laugh. There are certain types of people that I can make laugh right to their face by even being, by busting their balls a bit. And Marlon's kind of like that. So we, this is a fun conversation. It's, I don't know how informative it is, but we definitely had some laughs. He's in respect. He plays Ted White, who is Aretha's abusive husband. and he's great he's great he also has a new stand-up special Marlon Wayans you know what it is which premieres this Thursday on HBO Max also I will be coming to New York City in November for the New York Comedy Festival Friday

November 13th 7 p.m at Town Hall there will be a pre-sale that starts Wednesday, August 18th at 11 a.m. Eastern and goes through Sunday, August 22nd. Pre-sale code is nycf at nycomedyfestival.com. All right. So that's going to happen. The general on sale is Monday, August 23rd at 10 a.m. One show at Town Hall. I believe it will be enough. I believe that to be true. I had plans, man. I had work to do. I had work to do in the car. I'm losing my mind. You know what I mean? Some days it's very hard. I can't, I don't even know what day it is half the time. I don't know what day it is. I did comedy last night. It was a little tense. Maybe I should, maybe I should re-engage with the, with the therapist. So I was in Phoenix for two days at the Vax Only shows that I, it felt, it's weird when you're in a place like Phoenix, which is a sort of hot crucible of dumb fuckery politically and socially, a barely purple city. I like, you know, this whole sort of blue city thing. We're a blue city surrounded by red. Yeah. And you live in fear. I know it's a pride point, but I don't know, man. It's like, no, it's okay. We just don't

talk about things. Oh, well, that sounds good. But Phoenix is, I have a lot of history in Phoenix. It's sort of on some level, a return to where some of the trauma occurred. I got married in phoenix my first wife was from phoenix my brother uh lived in phoenix as i got a lot of phoenix experience i know phoenix fairly well but uh the vaxxing element of the show the fact that people were vaxxed or tested given the current political climate felt like it was a fucking secret meeting and i didn't know how it would go because it's a big corporate club stand up live you know it's a big it's almost like an improv i think the guy i don't do improvs because i don't owe them anything but i think the guy

who owns stand up live has a piece of some improvs but i don't know somehow or another i've made an exception and it's a big room but we sold out all the tickets that they were selling. And the shows were great. I think the step up from not it's not a step up, but the the kind of evolution of where the set is going from Dynasty Typewriter to the Denver Comedy Works and then to a bigger corporate environment and then to Salt Lake, which I think is politically going to be the most divisive city I've been in. Well, that St. Louis, but that's a blue city in a red state, a borderline theocratic red state of Missouri, where people proudly live in mild fear. But the desert drive was nice. I always like, and I really, this time, like a lot of times I'm like, I'm just going to drive and I'm like, why the fuck did I drive?

But this was perfect. Five and a half hours straight east through the desert to Phoenix. I got some work done. I did. I got some work done. I did. the drive and learning the songs that I'm going to be singing and playing at the Largo show on August 26th with Sold Out. That's Sold Out. And I kind of did that. And I did some writing and I did some thinking and I did some listening to music. And I just, the desert, man, driving through the fucking desert is very satisfying Though my back hurt a little bit i'm falling apart man I feel my shoulders. Does anyone carry tension in their shoulders used to be my back? But now my shoulders are tight. Is it the thing for my nail? Is it already too late? God damn it, man

I'm telling you man I'm telling you When you live in the shadow of somebody getting sick and dying in your house It's a fucking heavy thing because you realize on some level that just can happen that can just happen and it's going to happen You just hope you Had a nice full run, you know Anyways, I don't want to get dark or grim Uh, the feedback on the movie respect has been great

I'm, very proud to be in it. I got this weird box of merch from, I think, the Aretha Franklin estate. No card, no nothing. Didn't ask for it, came to the P.O. box. Five or six T-shirts, a mug, a shopping bag, a patch. Aretha stuff.

No note. I think it came from the estate, but it was sort of like, I almost took it as like, suit up. You're on Team Aretha now. Suit up. Suit the fuck up.

Marlon and I were kind of, we caused some mischief on set. We were having some laughs. And I got to be honest with you. We had some laughs at some other people's expense. Privately. That's okay, right? Can you still do that privately if it's just two of you giggling at some bullshit at the expense of someone else? Is that OK? Or is that kind of some grade school bullshit?

So Marlon, his comedy special Marlon Wayans, You Know What It Is, premieres this Thursday, August 19th on HBO Max. He's currently in the movie Respect with Jennifer Hudson and me, which is now in theaters. This is me talking to Marlon Wayans. It's winter and you can get anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. Well, almost, almost anything. So no, you can't get snowballs on Uber Eats. But meatballs, mozzarella balls, and arancini balls? Yes, we deliver those.

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So if your policy is renewing soon, go to Zensurance and fill out a quote. Zensurance. Mind your business. It's all audio? It's all audio, yeah. Oh, no video? No video, dude. Oh, perfect. Yeah, isn't that nice? It's relaxing. What happened. Oh, no video. No video, dude. Oh, perfect. Yeah, isn't that nice?

It's relaxing. What happened? I thought you used to do... Never did video. Really? Never. You should. You're funny as fuck.

I know I am. I love you. You're the craziest little guy in the world. I'm so fucking funny. You're crazy. I watched your whole fucking special. I'm sorry about that. I know.

You ought to be sorry about it I'm like Out of respect I'll try to get through this mess Probably not your cup of tea What do you mean? I've been doing comedy Most of my life

Yeah but you don't like That funny stuff The guy that don't want to say He's whack You just don't like funny stuff no i i know i i liked it i thought it was some nice there was some nice uh you know construction some nice through lines you had the uh outie belly button callback sure sure and uh you know what this is you know what it is you know what yeah yeah i'm that you know it's funny, like callbacks, people underestimate how long it takes.

But it takes you so long. To find them? Yeah, as a comedian. But once you find a couple, you're like, oh, God, this is so great. I couldn't even think that way. You're so great. Like 10 years ago. I mean, five years ago, I couldn't think that way.

Well, you get hooked on them. I don't want to do that. I don't want to be that guy either. No, but I mean, once you learn the device, the first time you do a callback and you realize the audience is just like, Oh, my God! That's from the older, that's from the Joker! You're like, they're just like crazy.

You're like, I got to figure out how to at least have one of these or two in an hour because the audience is just every time like, That's from the other Joker! That's so true. Oh, they love it. I called back like five times. I know. You know it works.

It's like, all right, here it comes again. Bow. Yeah. The last one, that one, that was good. I didn't know how you were going to save that bit. Callbacks, man. I know. That's how you save it.

How is he going to close? It looks like the time's almost out. This bit's going nowhere. You got a little too truthful. You ever tell that much truth that you don't know how to get out of it? Oh, every time. At that point in the show, the audience went from loving me to fucking hating me. That's the name of my new special, Too Much Truth I Can get out that's it i can't get out that's my new special

call back save me yeah yeah but that's why i kind of it was kind of funny about that like you you're sort of like this self-aware dude and you're laying it out with a good father shit and you know like you're trying to be a good guy and like how you treat your kids and then you got the big statement just followed by just garbage just like yeah just all of a sudden it's like how'd we get here i thought he was really revealing himself he's like couldn't stay in it couldn't stay in it now i gotta pick up i gotta fuck the stool i gotta put it on my head i gotta i was gonna call the special hot boiling mess. I don't know. Because I feel, I think I have good intentions, but I am crazy.

And I just, I think differently. And I say good shit. I say nice things wrapped in a turd. Right. Yeah. No, you like to do that. It's like, oh, wow, this is nice. And like, where are we now?

I make you dig through shit to get a good sentiment. I know. And maybe I'm being a little too hard on you, and I apologize, but you did, within five minutes, have a stool on your head and your ass out. Within five. I'm like, his ass is out.

It's five. Don't you close with the ass out? It was seven. It was seven and a half. To be fair, Mark. Maybe that's true. Let me ask you a question. I don't even want to perform in Florida.

What made you go like, I'm going to be outdoors in fucking Miami? They were the only motherfuckers open. It's either that or Texas. I'm going to choose Miami. I'm sorry. Oh, so you shot during the pandemic? Yeah. Oh. I'm going to choose Miami. I'm sorry. Oh, so you shot during the pandemic? Yeah. Oh.

I shot in May. And nobody was, there was all these regulations. You had to do outdoor. Yeah. I don't want to film an outdoor special. I had to film an outdoor special. I couldn't believe it. It's hard because-

It looked hard. It's fucking impossible. Yeah. You got helicopters flying over, airplanes. It's right by the airport. It looked like a big crowd. It was a carnival. Did you even sell tickets or just put signs up? I gave them up. It's right by the airport. It looked like a big crowd. It was a carnival. Did you even sell tickets or just put signs up?

I gave them up. I gave them up. I could have sold tickets. When I did my special- Just like, park's open for Marlin. Is that what you did? How did you get the audience? Don't feed the animal.

Just wandered in? It looked like there was a- It was an amphitheater. Oh, so it was enclosed? I couldn't tell. It was an enclosed amphitheater. It looked like you just set upitheater. Oh, so it was enclosed? I couldn't tell. It was an enclosed amphitheater. It looked like you just set up shop. You built a platform.

You put your initials on it and you waited for people to come. Charlie Barnett. Yeah, yeah. Right, right, right. Charlie. Wow. Yeah, man. I haven't heard that name in a while.

Yeah, man. I've been around. I'm older than my face looks. Do you remember Charlie in New York? Yeah. I remember when he was the Nook Man. Remember, the nook man yeah yeah yeah my brothers i was going to comedy cellar and around that neighborhood like damon would take me and sean out when we was like oh he was when he was in washington square park yeah yeah we used to go by there and you know

and then i saw him him and chapelle out time. Right. And so, look, here's the beauty of comedy. When Chappelle was the resurrection of Charlie via Chappelle. You can't make Charlie anything but Charlie, though, it turns out. Yeah. Yeah. But he tried. Yeah. Here's the thing.

But as a comedian, you know, you can perform literally anywhere. I've seen you at some weird fucking places performing. I've seen you at coffee weird fucking places before me. I've seen you at coffee houses. Yeah, sure. Coffee shops. I don't like it though. I think you bumped me. You bumped me a few times.

No, I did not. Why would I bump you? You had a lot to say. I never bumped you. You were mostly at the improv. No, you know what's funny? When I first started, I would go to the coffee shops. You did?

I'd go to the coffee shops. I'd go to this little weird place. It was like in, between like Santa Monica, not, Santa Monica Boulevard. It was like in this little like, it was like a, I don't know,

a fucking, a stage. Was it like the Uncabaret? Yes. Was it that place? Like off Robertson? No, this was further east.

Oh. And then I seen you downtown. I always see you at these weird places and everybody be so excited. When I first got here. No, but you were so funny. Like, you could talk though. Yeah. see you at these weird places and everybody be so excited. When I first got here. No, but you were so funny. You could talk though. And you were smart. This nigga reads the newspaper. He don't

watch the news. This motherfucker reads the paper. I'm doing the thinking, man. I'm doing the big thing. And I noticed that I saw that in the special for Miami. He's kind of doing me a little bit. He's like, you know. It's when I pull my ass out. He's thinking. He's like, he's kind of doing me a little bit. He's like, you know, he's thinking. He's thinking.

You know, he's like, he's like halfway to having some good thoughts, this guy. I'm not a thinking man. I'm just not. No, you are.

You are. I am, but different. Here's the thing. Like, you know, I like the best, though,

is when you're like, you know, you made it seem like you're like, like, you know, when you're telling the story about,

you know, getting busted for, for cheating, for cheating. You're here you're here so like am i gonna do this am i gonna tell you guys yeah you know what i'm gonna do like wow he's really gonna lay something out here he's really he's finally gonna tell this 10 year old story and then the quicksand hit. Hey, let me tell you something. It could be 40 years old. When you get caught cheating, I still hear,

it's like it happened yesterday. I can't get over it. The kids can't get over it. I'm like, come on. What was that like? Fuck, I'm not even with the bitch anymore. It's 2013 or 14, long time ago. I knocked it out of my memory.

So anyway, so you started doing those. As far as I'm concerned, it was yesterday. No, I get it. When my memory. So anyway, so you started doing those. As far as I'm concerned, it was yesterday. No, I get it. When you do something embarrassing and stupid and you don't get away with it. It's the dumbest shit ever. It was funny. You thought you had it though. I mean, you're on a boat.

I'm on a boat, but I got like, what's those things? Floaties. I can't swim that good. What's those things you put on a kid's arms? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know what that is. A tubey or some shit. I look so not cool it was just that was i don't know the picture i know i'm not up to speed on it happened a long time ago you gotta get you gotta watch see the pictures oh yeah they're good

huh proud proud moment and i can't i can't erase it i've been trying to get it off that when you google marlon wayne's yacht if you ever do it that picture they're all there all the time so but wait you where'd you grow up speaking of segways yeah yeah because we're talking about new york i'm good at this man i'm just trying to get off the yacht you know trying to go back to the beginning i kind of like the yacht like i like staying there does it. You feel that uncomfortableness, Mark? Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. Now you're feeling it. Yeah, yeah.

Now, this is why I pull my ass out and put chairs on my head in the first seven minutes. You fucked a chair, too. You fucked a chair. I'll fuck many chairs. You look here, Tracy Morgan gets him pregnant. He gets everything pregnant. He's got baby chairs. He's got a whole world of baby chairs around.

He don't care. He's like, I got Walmart money. I got Target money. I swear, when that happened, I was like, fuck. Is it Target? I thought it was Walmart. I wonder how much Best Buy would pay. He's so fucking funny.

Crazy. Yeah, he's definitely crazy. Sometimes you sit down with him and you're like what are we gonna what's gonna happen bro I did a movie with Tracy

which one we did Little Man yeah and I didn't know he got naked in every club he always had his shirt off and he'd walk around

and he'd I'm gonna get you pregnant I'm gonna get you pregnant and he'd start fights and I'd just be like Tracy I just wanna cage him cause I was like yo we're producing a movie I'm going to get you pregnant. I'm going to get you pregnant. And he'd start fights, and I'd just be like, Tracy. I just want to cage him, because I was like, yo, we're producing a movie.

We got to get you to work tomorrow. You can't reason with him, though. Fuck no. At a point, you just got to join him. I took my shirt off. I was like, let's go get people pregnant. But I grew up in New York, Manhattan, 16th Street and 9th Avenue. See, I didn't realize that.

All you guys did? Yeah, right. In the 16th Street and I didn't realize that all you guys did yeah, right in the 16th Street 9th Avenue across from cat steak back in the day was the ghetto teeth and 9th 16th tonight now It's the meatpacking district Right it was a well it was the meatpacking district, but it was it was the hood wasn't cool No, it wasn't cool. It was actually meat it was It wasn't a fancy clothes shopping and in upscale eateries it was just like guys moving carcasses around right with bloody smocks on and it smelled like death yeah and that's what we grew up. But now it's fucked up.

I don't have no street cred. I tell people, Nick, I'm from Chelsea. Like, motherfucker, the meat patches. Shut the fuck up. I went to a nice restaurant in Chelsea. So, but we're, how many are there? Ten. Five boys.

Do you know them all? My brothers? Yeah. Yeah. Dwayne, Kenan, Kim, Deidre, Nadia, Devon, Elvira, Damon, Sean, Marlon. And Shantae's Elvira's daughter? Shantae is Elvira's daughter. Yeah, I interviewed her.

She's funny. Oh, she put Shantae on before me? I did. Wow, that's fucking crazy. I probably tried to get you, but you know, like- You put my niece- Actually, this was scheduled for three days ago and you just made it. But I did that on purpose.

You know, there's a great buddy comedy team buddying here. You don't even see it. I know. You refuse to acknowledge. I'm the straight guy. I'm the straight guy. Yeah. No, you're the annoyed guy.

Yeah, right. You're crazy. I'm Abbott. Oh, you're Abbott. I'm Costello.'re crazy i'm abbott oh you're abbott i'm costello yeah that's right this is lauren hardy yeah who's on first who's on i'm laurel who's on first let's do it you want me to get the script up so were you ever did you but so you were when they were went to la you were still in new york they so York so there's a big difference in age right? 15 years between me and Kenan 13 between Damon and I and

only a year and a half between me and Sean but Sean you would think was 25 years older than me for some reason what's he doing? just bullying me around really? yeah still? yeah he's gonna do that for the rest of his life no matter what happens he always knows he can punch me in the chest.

And I stood up for myself one day, and I was like, look, enough of this shit. You can't punk me in front of my son. He was like, go get me some water. Nigga, I got my son. You can't punk me. Do it before I punch you in the chest. And at a point, I told him I can't disappoint my son because I go, hey, clean your room. And he's like, yo, shut up.

Uncle Sean will punch you in your chest. I'm like, you're emasculating me in front of my fucking kids. So, I mean, I love, love, love my son. When was that? Like a couple weeks ago? No, it was about two years ago. He still bullies me. And it's okay.

But I guess that's just brother shit, right? I have an inherent fear. I actually got up and weighed one year. I did GI Joe. brother shit right i have an inherent fear i actually got up and wait one day one year i did gi joe and i put on i went from 170 pounds to 225 pounds muscle uh-huh wow and i dared sean to fuck with me really and he was like yo you look good he would compliment you look great yeah man abs a nice yo man good great size for you yeah and. And he waited me out. Yeah. Because he knew that I was only going to carry that weight the duration of the film. Right.

And my next movie was like Requiem for Dreams. So I had to lose all this weight and get small again. Yeah. And he started bullying me. He waited, though. He waited me out. So are you So you're the youngest? I'm the baby.

Six out of ten. And you're, like, why so many kids? I don't fucking know. Was it a religious thing? No TV. No, my dad's Joe Witness and my mom is Baptist. So I don't know. And they couldn't afford the kids.

It's one thing. It's like, you know and they couldn't afford the kids oh there's one thing it's like you niggas couldn't afford 10 kids if you had two who can they would struggle too but 10 i'm surprised we're alive like we should have ate each other like cannibal like a airplane that crashed in the fucking mountains what did you what did he do your dad um he sold he quit nice paying jobs that had benefits because he used to work at jake's drake's cake yeah and he worked at guinness um guinness stout yeah and he was a um like a rep like he was making money he was an executive right and um he quit because they asked him to go entertain and take some clients to a strip club. Yeah.

And my dad, being religious, was like, nah, I'm not doing that. Yeah. And that was it? And my mother was like, Nick, if you don't take these motherfucking dumb niggas to this strip club and get that money. Why didn't you just send one of you to take them? I would have, too. I was too young to get in at the time. He quit, and he started his own business.

He started selling sunglasses and condoms and, you know, the Venus and Serena beads? Yeah. He sold beads. He would buy them wholesale, put them on a card, and sell them to all the bodegas. Yeah. Sunglasses. So he was hustling. Hustling.

My mother called him Benny the B-Man. Did they stay together? Yeah. Yeah, that's great. Here's the beauty. They stayed together 63 years. And they argued every fucking day, multiple times. Yeah.

Sometimes my mother did a marathon where she cursed them out for 24 hours straight. And so 63 years of marriage. My mother calls me up one day. She goes, baby boy, you sitting down? Yeah. I said, yeah. She goes, I got some terrible news for you. I said, what, ma?

She said, I'm divorcing your father. I said, bitch, about time. You should have did this so many years ago like literally like that was set and I'm like why did you wait till 63 years I'm like you only got like she was 80 at the time like you got two years left ma she's like I can't wait it out I don't want that nigga to die

and leave me with his bad credit is that what it was and did are they around either no my mom passed bad credit. Is that what it was? Are they around either? No, my mom passed. Right after we did Respect, my mom passed. Oh, really? I'm sorry, man. Was she sick? Yeah, my mom had, well, she's sick. My mom had everything. My mom had diabetes, high blood pressure, no kidney, cancer. At a point, God was just like, you know what?

I'm going to do this shit myself. He came down and just snuffed out. It was hard. That's one of the reasons why I started doing stand-up again. She was 83 when she passed, and I was born on my mom's birthday. So we used to share birthdays together. There was always a big celebration. And now that she's not here

it's the loneliest fucking day really I haven't I haven't smiled on a birthday yet I cry do you

I have two cakes one with her name on it no you it's so sad do you I fuck yeah I'm dead serious I was

I went to a strip club in Miami for my birthday this year did they bring your mom serious I went to a strip club In Miami For my birthday this year Did they bring Your mom's cake out At the strip club No Okay

But how sad Would that have been But I had all this money And I was giving it To the strip To the dancers And I was just like I was fucking miserable

Yeah I had all these Beautiful women around me Yeah With their vaginas out And the only Vaginas are out too Yeah their vaginas out and the only vaginas are out too yeah it was at 11 and the only vagina i cared about was the one that i came out of

and so i left this for the next special no but let me write it down is this your opening did it make you uncomfortable no i'm all right yeah then it's not gonna work no no i i. I like that you have no boundaries in talking about your children's genitalia or your genitalia. I don't mind. I like it. It's relieving. You know what it is? What?

For me, it is relieving. I like taking me and making fun of me and the things around me because that gives me a smile i i learned like talking about the world is fine yeah but i'd rather talk about my damage to give myself yeah some kind of therapy or not you know a bit i like to just have fun uh the uh the getting robbed bit by fans oh the you know what it is, the first time you do that. That was very funny to me. The guys were like, you're the guy in far away. Nah.

I like his shit, but him off niggas be holding me right now. Yeah, you know what it is. So you actually like some of it, Mark. I like you. I like it. I thought it was funny. Thank you, man. I appreciate that. Yeah, I just am busting your balls. No, Mark. I like you. I like you. I thought it was funny. Thank you, man. I appreciate that. Yeah.

I just, I'm busting your balls. No, it's only number two. I'm still really young in the stand-up game. I've only been doing stand-up 10 years. Is that true? I started when I was 38. Why do I feel like I saw the two of yous doing it when you were younger? I dabbled in it when I was younger.

With him, right? With Sean? With Sean. Sean stayed consistent. Oh, okay. the two of you was doing it you know when you were younger I dabbled in it when I was younger with him right with Sean Sean stayed consistent oh okay I would go to the comic book you were like the actor I was the actor and now you're like

I can get in on this they've lowered they've lowered the bar any weigh-ins can do this now I just I just gotta put some shit together it doesn't fucking matter. You're a dick.

Oh, my God. You're such an asshole. But wait, man. So, but I saw you. By the way, you're getting really good. They're talking really well about you in respect. Are they? Mm-hmm.

I feel like you're probably thinking, like, you know, I got a shot at the statue, right? No. I don't think. I don't. I've been in this industry for 30 years of my life. Are you surprised you haven't won an Oscar for one of the scary movies? I get mad. Nigga, this is how bad it is. I can't even win a fucking Razzie.

You're telling me. I get nominated so many times. Can you fucking just give me one? Just to win anything. I get nothing. I haven't got an Emmy nod. I have over 150 episodes of television. I got not one Emmy nod. Nothing for Requiem?

Nothing. Here's the one award I got. Best Weed Head from High Times Magazine for a scary movie and Don't Be a Menace. That's not nothing. I mean. It's no Oscar. But I think you were overlooked for the white girls movie.

I really think that is. I will say this. Yes. Okay. People sleep on how much work something like that is. I don't know. Do they? It made money.

I mean, what do you mean they sleep on it? Do you know how much work that was? Do you know how hard it is to be- I can't imagine to put that fucking makeup on. Seven hours of makeup. Then we work 14 hours. No, it's crazy. That's a 21-hour day.

Yeah. Then it takes an hour to take the makeup off. So we got to perform on two hours sleep for 65 days. It's fucking impossible. But it did well, right hours sleep for 65 days. It's fucking impossible. But it did well, right? Killed. Yeah, so I mean, no one sleeps on it. They're just not going to give you the big awards. We got nominated for five Razzies

and didn't win. Sad. Yeah. No, but I thought that this movie, I thought you were great in it. In respect. Thank you, man. Even the scenes we did, and then I saw the movie. And I think that that character, the guy who doesn't know he's like a clown in a way.

Yeah. He's sort of got these anger and jealousy problems. It's not that he's a comic character, but he's ridiculous. Yeah. Right? Yeah. It's kind of sad. He that he's a comic character but he's ridiculous yeah right yeah it's kind of uh it's kind of sad he thinks he's in right power and control when really he's not and you know all he does is really he's a catalyst he helps her find how powerful she is because she relinquished power and gave it to him yeah Yes. But empowerment, and that's what that movie's really about, is about female empowerment.

She takes the power from him and empowers herself, and you see she's the queen. Right. Well, it's interesting, that whole thing is that. How much did you study him? I mean, they don't... Ted, right?

Yeah, Ted's not Aretha. No, but there was some footage, right? It was like a minute and a half where you could kind of study the pentameter and how he spoke. But I didn't get much. The great part was, and I didn't get a lot of text, I got what was in the script. Yeah.

And I was able to build a character based on what people were saying about him, based on the situation. So I kind of made an original kind of piece, and I could give him layers and texture. I kind of made an original kind of piece and I could give him layers and texture. And, you know, instead of playing him as an abusive man, I just played him as an insecure dude. Right. You know what I mean? Right. A guy would, you know, damage people.

You have to be in a really bad place to hit a woman. Yeah. You know what I mean? I was taught walk away no matter what. Don't engage. Right. And, you know, that takes a certain security as a man an insecure man lays his hands on women and thinks that's power it's not so he had to be really damaged so i that's

what i i built for him you focused on that yeah yeah well i mean it's it's sort of interesting that the way jennifer was playing those scenes when she was still with you it's almost like she's in a trance because she you know she's just beholden to whatever. She's got no power. But you know that. I knew that from watching that old footage of Aretha that that's what Jennifer was doing. Right.

Just flatline. And how amazing is she in the movie? It's great. It's great. There was days of people like, what are you doing today? I'm going to work to watch Jennifer win a couple Oscars oh when she sang when she sang

man it was crazy people don't understand that was live it was crazy that was live like think about if all day long

you're singing all day long she never got hoarse yeah never asked for lemon water or tea yeah

this woman is a machine yeah I was just like yo there were scenes I would, we'd drop our character, like, oh, did you hear that? No. She's amazing, man.

She's amazing. By the way, you're the best. I love you. If you ever get a chance, please work with Mark. We had some good times. You're crazy. How about the lunch? Okay, so.

Yeah, what do they do? I can't remember. So we're at lunch. Yeah. And we're all eating together. Mark's like, we're laughing and talking shit like Mark does. And a guy walks over to the table and he starts talking. Yeah.

And Mark turns around and goes, who the fuck are you? And he's like, I'm the producer of the movie. Oh, yeah? What's your name? And what kind of producer are you? Story? What kind? The money guy?

He goes, kinda. I'm the head of the studio. And Mark goes, oh. You are? And he doubles down like, yeah, I bet you are. Good job you're doing. And he turns to me and goes, didn't this guy get canned this morning? He did.

He did. You're the worst. That's terrible. You're the worst. You're crazy. But I didn't know. I had to stay in it. I had to stay in it. You did. I was terrible. You're the worst. You're crazy. But I didn't know. I had to stay in it. I had to stay in it.

You did. I was just like, pull out of it. Pull out. It's like that uncomfortableness when you're watching me on my special. You know what it is. You know what it is. He was taking it, though, man. He was taking it.

He knew he was finished. He knew he was finished, Marlon. There was nothing he could do. But you kept tumbling down. I know, but he'll come back in another position. Who the fuck are you? Like, who told you to sit at our table and give them beans? But I was being funny about it. I know.

I forgot about that. But you wouldn't back down. He was like, oh, yeah. I had to save face. I had a studio. Like, what kind of producer are you? But I just thought I'd stay in the tone. Yo, you did shit on the set.

Oh, God. That would make- Thank God he had been fired. What was he going to do, though? What are they going to do? It's not the fucking 70s. He's like, I want that Jew off of this set. But he's playing the main Jew. I't give a shit we'll get another Jew

Oh my god We had some laughs man That one time Watching the guy I hate you Doing the business It wasn't really mean but we were getting a kick out of it. All right, so we're on set.

No, no. Yeah. And we're filming a scene in the movie. Yeah. And there's a guy who has a role. Yeah. He's not talking, though. He's not talking.

But he's an important character. He's an engineer. Right. And so he's doing his stuff. And it's his before his take. Now he's rehearsing. The camera's on other people. But this guy is doing all kind of stuff.

He's like, you know. Pencils. Pencil. Writing things. Changing notes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Walking over to the band members And telling them

What Pointing What key to play in Yeah yeah And he grabs the guy's guitar And plucks in a couple Tunes his guitar Yeah he's got a lot

A lot of business Mark Turns over to me And he goes This guy got a lot of business huh And he says this to me while we're filming and I look over and I'm watching this

guy and for the rest of the day I can't unsee it I fucking can't unsee it cause then it seems like he gets more business he's gotta make it interesting I fucking can't unsee it, because then it seems like he gets more bits. He's got to make it interesting.

I mean, I understand it. You know what's really weird about that, dude? Is I watch some of the video, some of the old footage of that guy he's playing. And it works? Well, no, but when he's conducting, remember? I'm like, oh, my God, he's doing the guy. So the only people that are going to notice that is going to be like, that guy's daughter. It's like, oh, he got...

The essence of dad. Exactly. With the hip sway. He did good. He did good. Everybody did good. That was the level of commitment on that set. Like everybody was committed.

The best thing, the best choice I ever made. It was just there to clown on everybody. You're the worst. I know. We just were having some laughs you're crazy i can't do serious scenes and you tell me stuff like this guy got a lot of business look how much business he got boy is he busy and you kept saying it yeah it was i it could have been mean but i don't think it was my the best choice if he heard it it would have been me yeah the best choice that i made in that when i watched this in the movie you remember when you get in my face yeah i don't fucking move that was the best choice

ever because i'm thinking about that like i like if that were mark i would have been like what's up man drop back but jerry you just stood right there you come right up into my face I'm like what is it you didn't flinch you didn't blink nothing he's just like nothing nothing because I think your character knew that this shit was temporary and you was just so frustrated and also that you were full of shit can I say shit sure

yeah I was full of shit and that he was insecure and you're like alright whatever Aretha let's not deal with this fucking guy exactly yeah yeah it was exciting man it looks so fucking good the movie yeah right and he was insecure and you're like, all right, whatever, Aretha, I got to deal with this fucking guy. Exactly, yeah, yeah. Okay, yeah. Yeah, it was exciting,

man. It looks so fucking good, the movie. Yeah. Right? Liesl's amazing. Jesus. Everybody,

all departments. I've never worked on a movie where every department showed up and gave their agent. Yeah, yeah. That's why I can't be mad

at the guy, the conductor or the engineer that had all the business. It's great. Because we all had business. Well, that's the thing is like, you know, I was just being funny because it's funny on the set.

But like in order to make, and that guy's a real actor, in order to make acting interesting and not just sort of like, because it's a lot of waiting around, right? And it's a lot of repetition. So like, and I'm just learning this shit. Like in order to make it interesting, you've got to immerse yourself in it or else it's just going to be like it's going to feel like a

tedious waste of time right i mean you must have done roles in your life where you're like oh my god um no because i i think i've always given myself a story yeah what leaves always tell us oh really you have to give your character a story what's your story in this scene because everybody has a function in the scene so when she came to us oh when did you get the lesson how come I didn't get the lesson you're too busy you're too busy watching the guy's business yeah she just told me to just do the business I'm doing but you got I got some good business going no then you started doing business. You would turn to me and go, hey, mom, look, I'm doing business.

And you started turning knobs and shifts. It reminded me that I need to get my pencil. You was dropping a pencil. You drank some water. No, you started doing that. And then I started looking at every time I would look at you and you was doing business, I would laugh because I look over at him and

he's doing business. Business on both sides. What business? Tell me about this story though. I want to learn. Oh, you got to give yourself a character story. In every scene. Yeah, what's your character going through? Even if you don't have lines. The scene that the guy had the business. I had a story. When she was singing, what she singing about i was feeling powerless i was watching her

and her family bond again ted was watching you know the destruction of his empire and his control on aretha right and so those words was resonating to him and that's why when he jumped back in to take center stage again he's a clown right and he's coming from an insecure place and when the camera comes to him that's all that's going on in my my mind because the actors when they come in for that close-up they're looking into your soul right so they need to see that story that insecurity yeah yeah informs your your face your your your your brows your you'd be be surprised when you give yourself the story, how it informs the audience of what your character's going through.

And you always did this? Or did you not call it that? I didn't call it that, but I've always done it. But when Liesl said, what's your story? And every night I would go home, and if I had a scene where they had lines or not, I came in with a story. And then she would be like, no, that's the wrong story you're telling. This is your story.

Really? Yeah, sometimes. So you had that thing with her? Like, I never know. What would she tell you? Just go, Mark, be Mark. Well, she's like, you're doing great. You know, I'm like, do you want anything?

She's like, no, it's great. But that's what's great about her. You didn't need it. Yeah. Right? Yeah. You was hitting it's great. But that's what's great about her. You didn't need it, right? Yeah. You was hitting it. Yeah.

You had a tough demeanor. Like, you believed in the girl. Yeah, that was right. You was spot on with your character. Yeah. And I think, for me, it was a lot more complicated. You know what I mean? The character, he was abusive.

Why was he abusive? He was married, but he was a player. There was a lot of conflicting things going on. And the whole history with that guy. Yeah. From when she was younger. He was around. Yeah.

You know who I heard from? David Hood, the guy who played bass in the Real Muscle Shoals band. Yeah. I know his son, Patterson, who's in a band called Drive-By Truckers and does solo work. But he texted me yesterday and said that David went to the premiere of the movie. Really? His dad. And said that I nailed it.

That Jerry was like a father to his father. Oh, dope. And he said that. And I'm like, that's pretty good. Did you look at footage? I looked at it. Yeah, no. I read his autobiography.

Okay. And there was a little bit of footage. Not a lot. But there was a little bit of footage, not a lot. But there was a weird interview on YouTube of him as an old man. And then there was some of the, in that chunk of, from that TV show that they depicted in the movie. There's stuff from that. That's beautiful, man. I didn't get, I wish I had that.

Yeah, no, no. Ted ain't had no book. And everybody called to talk about Ted. You get, I don't want to talk about that nigga. Really? So you were in touch with family and shit? I tried. And they was like, hmm.

He's dead though, right, that guy? No, he's still alive. Is he? Yeah, I tried to reach out. I called Glenn Turman to get some information. Because Glenn went to perform at our Thai school. I've known Glenn Turman and, you know, to get some information because Glenn went to perform in our high school. Yeah.

I've known Glenn Turman. We worked together on Sex Supports. I love Glenn. Yeah. So I called him up. I was like, hey, Glenn,

do you know anything about Ted White? Oh, you know, I really don't know because me and Rih and he started going to me and Rih, Rih,

the way we were. And hey, nigga, I ain't calling about y'all relationship. I need to know about the nigga before you. Oh, I don't know shit about him. So am I in the movie? Nah, you were actually a good nigga in her life,

so you didn't make the movie. Oh, I guess no news is good news. Glenn Turman, wonderful actor. Yeah. Wonderful actor. Jehovah Witnesses. Were you brought up Jehovah Witness? Yeah, my dad's Jehovah Witnesses. No, do we brought up Jehovah Witness?

Yeah, my dad's your witness, but so you brought up with it my father I get it, but did he make you do it? I'm a mama. They play that shit, right? So my mom was like mm-hmm my father says have to sneak Bible studies when my mom was out He'd like the quick 20 love lovers. Okay, bye mom coming What you doing? Ah, just watch some TV. My father never, my mother didn't play that because my dad. How could you have been creative if you had, isn't Jehovah Witness very restrictive?

Yeah, very. My mother. My mother was like, you know, put it this way. They let you dance. It's not a cult. They let you dance, but they just don't celebrate Christmas. Okay. But my mom, okay, put it this way. My dad let you dance it's not a cult they let you dance but they just don't celebrate christmas okay and and but my mom okay put this way my dad didn't want me to go to perform in our high school right our audition my dad said no you can't go yeah and i was like why he goes because you got to wear

tights and there's a lot of kids there and you know they're kind of you of a little weird with homosexuality. And so he was afraid that I'd be exposed to that being at that school. Yeah. And he said he didn't want me to go. He was afraid of you turning gay at the performance arts high school. And my brother Kenan was 260 pounds of muscle, and he said, you're not going to do that to my little brother's dreams he's gonna go on to have an audition and if he gets in the school he's gonna go and if not you're gonna talk to me and my dad was like all right you can go to school but you can't wear tights

and so i was the only kid in performing arts high school in sweatpants when everybody else was in tights i made a deal with my teacher mr Mr. Treitler, that I cried to him. He said, I'll tell you what, Marlon. If you, in fact, come to this school and you do great things, I will let you wear sweatpants. And, you know, that's why I'm working as hard as I am. And one day when I get something beside a Razzie, I'm going to thank Mr. Treitler for allowing me to come to school without tights.

It's funny because on this new special, you're kind of wearing tights. That's a fuck you to my dad. Don't tell him. Actually, just tight leather pants. Yeah, I know. It is kind of tight. It's not that big of a deal. Finally, you're just tight leather pants. Yeah, I know. I know. It is kind of tight. It's not that big of a deal. Finally, you're wearing tights.

Finally. You finally feel free to wear the tights. At 49. Yeah. So wait, but at that point, Kenan, like, was Kenan still in New York? So you knew him when he was, like, doing the improv and shit? Well, I mean, he's your brother, but I mean- Did I know Kenan? No, but you remember? Yeah. Kenan doing the improv New York, so you knew him when he was doing the improv and shit? Well, I mean, he's your brother, but I mean- Did I know Kenan?

But you remember? Yeah. Kenan doing the improv in Hell's Kitchen. The old improv, yeah, on Hell's Kitchen. Yeah, him and Damon. Yeah. I was too young to go to that, but once they moved to California, I was about eight. You know, Silver's still alive.

Really? Silver Friedman. She lives with Zoe in the back house. Really? Yeah. Crazy. And they still get 5% on the improv. Every set I do.

No, they get 5% on improv Brea and Irvine. But that's Bud, not her. Oh, it's not. They're not together. Weren't they married? They were, but I think the deal on the divorce was Bud got everything west of 46th Street. West of 46th Street. Silver could have that block, that improv, and he got everything out.

What's crazy is there is no east and west on 46th Street. What, does that run north and south? North and south, yeah. Is that true? It works. It's funny. It's actually funnier. No, I think that 46th goes east and west. Don't the avenues go up and down north and south, yeah. Is that true? But it still works. It's funny. It's actually funnier. No, I think that 46 goes east and west. Don't the avenues go up and down, north and south?

Yeah, but you said east of 46. Oh, yeah, right. So it keeps going. Right, so it would be east. So she's got- East of 9th Avenue. West of 9th Avenue. Right, got it.

Yeah, yeah. It was right there, 9th and 46th. That was where it was. That's where it was? Pretty much, right? I went to Fort Worth High School right on 66th and 46th. That was where it was. That's where it was? Pretty much, right? I went to performance arts high school right on 66th and 11th. But you couldn't go see Damien at the Improv or Kenan? Not back then.

But when they came to California, I used to come. I was eight years old. And I actually went on stage with Robert Townsend, me, Sean, and my nephew Damien one Christmas. Yeah. And Robert was telling us Christmas. He did this Christmas time Christmas character. He was a really great comedian. Really smart.

I mean, really- Smart guy, clean guy, nice guy. Very clean, yes. You know, like no menace. No. You know, I remember Keenan, a lot of people don't know his standup. Keenan was extremely funny.

Yeah, but it was sort of straight up joke stuff. Right? It was jokes and stories. My family, we all like, we have a kind of twisted like sense of humor. Yeah. And we like to joke about ourselves, joke about lives. Yeah. Joke about our lives, joke about things that happened to us.

You know. I think I saw him when I was a doorman at the store right when he was done. Like, you know, right towards the end of him doing stand-up. No, but he still, we all did a tour together. Me, him, Danny, and Sean. And all of us. Night to night, man. Night to night, I'm saying.

What do you mean? Like going out every night. Oh, yeah. He got tired of it. Yeah, yeah. Fuck this. I'm going to create me a TV show. Yeah, he did.

But he took all the things in stand-up and he he keaton's like such a visionary like some people like living color was his vision he's a he was a visionary and damon was like his right hand yeah and the two of them did some amazing shit and inspired my entire family for sure he was in wasn't he in townsend's movie he keenan was he co-wrote and he was in the hollywood shovel curl curl do the jerry curl oh yeah yeah came back my activator you understand i'm in high school when this i was in performing out to high school ninth grade yeah when that movie came out then he did i'm gonna get you sucker yeah and i flew out to california to to to actually to be in the movie but I came out too late.

I was supposed to do Chris Rock's part, but I came out too late. One rib. I was supposed to do that part, but I came out too late because I was still in school. So when I came out, he put us in the Fly Guy scene. When Fly Guy was walking down the block with the goldfish shoes and his shoes broke, me and my brother Sean are in the background laughing at his shoes. So that was the first time I was on camera. Yeah.

And when I was a doorman at the store, I used to watch Damon all the time. Damon taught me, don't give a fuck about the audience. He didn't. You say what the fuck you're going to say. Because as a performer, you have to be free enough to do whatever the fuck you want to do. And everybody, especially nowadays, they're so judgmental. And when Damon felt you're judgmental, he'd fuck with you. He wouldn't even give you jokes.

He'd sit on stage and he'd fart in the mic and go, this room stinks. And he would leave. I've seen him leave the stage. One time he went on, he did the Invisible comic. Because the audience was being weird. And he went behind the curtain and he did his whole act audio Yeah, and it he was just free man, and you would think he was high on something But he wasn't no the thing was great

Is that like when he felt it like when he was just riffing in one of the weird characters that he would do just keep Go yeah Yeah that he would do. And just keep going. Yeah. Yeah. And keep going. And just watch it. Just like, watch it. I just feel like, what is, how far is this gonna go?

But you know what? That's all of us. That's all comedians. I used to watch Sam Kinison bomb. I was a kid going to the comedy store. Sam Kinison bombed

literally every night until one day he hit this note. Yeah. We hit the anger. Something happened. Sure. He got angry. And he hit this note. The anger. Something happened. He got angry. And he

became hilarious. At first, people didn't know what to do with it. He can still bomb. Yeah, but sometimes when you stay in it, you find the joke. Paul Mooney helped white people tap into their white guilt. That's right.

He would make you sit there and say, oh, you know what you did. Paul Mooney helped white people tap into their white guilt. That's right. He didn't care. And he would make you sit there. Oh, you know what you did. The most liberal white dude. Oh, you know what you did. Oh, you think you're somebody special because you have a black friend. Oh, I have a nigga quota. Oh, there's a nigga friend.

Paul Mooney, but I watched him close the comedy store. Every night he closed, and he would just stay in it, and stay in it, and stay in it. And that's what made him brilliant, because the things that you thought he bombed with is the things that he absolutely killed with that really made his career. So you were watching all this stuff because you're hanging around, but you still weren't, you just wanted to act? I was scared to do stand-up. I really was.

Because you understand, when you do stand-up, sometimes, in my family, we pull from our life. And when you got Kenan, Sean, Damon, Kim. Everything's been covered. What the fuck am I going to talk about? All them. But that's what you realize. Yeah.

And that's the beauty of comedy, right? right is it doesn't matter who goes on doesn't have how many comedians there are we all have our own point of view it don't matter how we do trump jokes everybody has their own point of view about themselves right in the world or anything that ever happens to you and so that's for me the most freeing thing, and it's the thing that I learned doing stand-up over the last 10 years, is there's always something to talk about. As long as you're truthful and you talk about you and what's your point of view, we're all trying to gather what our point of view is.

Because in the math and the science, after doing the repetition, it comes and it processes into your brain, and it spits out the way you spit it out. Yeah, and then you figure out how to make it funny, you know? And you know, sometimes you're talking truth and you're talking seriousness and you feel uncomfortable with how serious Scott and then you, and then you, you know, you, you fuck a chair when all else fails. Fuck the stool.

No, but you know, like it's funny cause I've watched yeah i've my brother damien say don't be afraid of silence no yeah if they're listening then they'll learn to then they'll laugh when you hit it and i've seen you go on i know you'll talk for literally two hours yeah i thought it was a science class yeah i know but when you hit, it's like, boom. That's why I'm doing this free set. I'm here because I'm trying to find the funny. Anybody just writes a set and then goes, I'm going out to do a special. No, we have to tour it.

We have to work it. You got to, I mean, literally. I know. I'm going to Denver on Thursday for five shows in the club to work it. Which one? Comedy Works. I love Comedy Works. Downtown's the best.

No, but it's just like I've been working out this new hour trying to figure it out. You know, and I've been doing these sets downtown at the Dynasty Typewriter, doing an hour and a half. That's what I saw you do. Just riffing it. You know, and, but I like it. I mean, I feel grounded. I'm not afraid.

But, you know, I still like I need to, you know, things need to be delivered. When you do it like that, you're basically cornering yourself. You know, you're making, you have to be funny because you put it out there. And now either it's going to be delivered or it is not. When it's not, that keeps you up all night. What did I do wrong? The other night I was at the store, dude, and I was being funny, but I could just feel I was doing that Damon thing where I was creating all this tension.

And it was making me want to cry. Because the tension was so thick, and I'm like, I don't know. And I just said to him, I put my hand on my face and I was like, I don't know why I'm doing this to you. I said, it's hurting me what I'm doing and I don't even know if it's comedy anymore but I don't know how to get us out of it and they started

laughing at that and I was like thank god I just told the truth and it got me out but that's what's beautiful, man. The fucking truth. And that's why we sit in those clubs and do that time. And that's why you tour. And that's why you work it and work it and work it. And, you know, like I filmed an hour and a half.

My other special, I filmed an hour 45. Next one, I'm not doing it. I'm going to go, this is it. It's just that I can't account for when i improvise just do 70 minutes dude i know okay i saw you there where did i just see over at the press thing and you tell me about the the special and you're like i already got another one i'm like do you i do though here's why no you ready no here's why all right because the one i was gonna do i decided i didn't want to do because I felt like it wasn't appropriate for me

to do a special like that now, because it was about me and my brothers and growing up in a household. And I was like, no, I want the audience to know a little bit more about me. And I discovered more about me as a parent, me as a person, me and my fuck ups before I do something about me and my brothers.

I'm stepping out of being just the baby Wayans, and I don't want to lean on that crutch. I'm trying to create my own identity as a model. That was the Miami special. Yeah. So now this next one's a family special. Well, no, this next one, my mom died. So I think I'm going to talk about all the tragic shit that's happened to me

in this last year and a half. Yeah. That sounds fun it will be i mean i'm doing it and my girlfriend died and i'm trying to figure out how to do it we went through the same shit your girlfriend died yeah and the girl i was dating had a brain aneurysm she lived so that's all right yeah she's she's healing man she's healing i man. She's healing. I was. That's tough. That happened during Respect. Yeah. We was filming.

And Liesl, God bless her, gave me, changed the schedule around. Yeah. And let me be by her side for like a week and a half. Oh, just out of nowhere, dude? Out of nowhere. She was on a plane. Just came for visiting me. Just.

Wow. You guys still together? Yeah. Oh. Just such an amazing person. I, wow. Are you guys still together? Yeah. Oh. Just such an amazing person. I'm glad she made it through, man. Yeah. She's a gift.

God is good. It's hard to do the, you know, like, it's challenging. Like, because I know I got to talk about it, and I don't know how to talk about it, but because I'm improvising, I found ways. And, you know, the trick is to, and I think you do this well, is that, you know how to talk about it but because i'm improvising i found ways and you know the the trick is to and i think you do this well is that you know to to embrace the humanity of it and the vulnerability of it and not be disrespectful to it which i'm not sure you're great at but uh the but that's but see that's my thing my thing is disrespecting it yeah because i need to

disrespect it because that's the way I process it. Right. That's funny to me. The dark things that I'm saying, it may be a little offsetting to you, but some of this shit, I need this shit. No, no, I know. Yeah, I'm not saying it's not funny. It's crazy, but I love the fact that you're talking about that because so many people are trying to act like, oh, that never happened. No, it fucking happened.

It fucked me up yeah well yeah i mean it's like to me it's just i don't want to like i want to get off stage and you know i don't want to feel the weight of the disrespect you know and i'm like what i don't respect anything you know i'm i'm you know i'm a pretty selfish guy but when you're talking about someone's memory you got to figure that out right because you're going to be talking about the grief you're going to be talking about someone's memory you got to figure that out right because you're gonna be talking about the grief you're gonna be talking about the loss and you don't want to you know make fun of the dead in a way that isn't balanced for me do you know what i mean when you looked at me i was like i don't know what the fuck you're talking about. You don't? Here's why. When my mom passed, I had to get on stage because that's the only thing that healed me. There's been times I've been on stage.

Yeah, I feel that too. And I literally left the stage and cried. Yeah. Mother's Day, I performed. And I did a whole set just about my mother, just dedicated to my mom. I just talked about my mom, what was funny about my mom. I did a whole fucking hour about death, my mom. Yeah. talked about my mom what was funny about my mom i did a whole fucking hour yeah death my mom yeah and i said some respectful things i said some disrespectful things but

the audience laughter made me feel good about the memory of my mom like people like not giving a fuck i've learned when when we did scary movies and, yeah, I can be juvenile. I can be political. I can be all that shit, but I'm always going to be a little bit juvenile because that's who I am as a kid. I mean, I've always been ridiculous in nature. Why think about things in between? Let me go all the way there, push the envelope all the way, and then I'll come back and try and find those other things later. Yeah, no, I get that.

And I respect that, and I do that as well in my own way. But it's sort of interesting because your reputation is built on, there's something ridiculously hilarious about doing scary movies, right? I mean, it's just, those are like, it's a certain type of comedy. Zucker Brothers. Airplane. I'm thinking about it. Some of the greats, Carl Reiner.

Mel Brooks. Mel Brooks. I mean, it's an underappreciated art form. But you want big laughs? We know how to get those big laughs and it did it takes just as much thought science yeah and and and and and nurturing to create that and balls to create that than it is to sit down and and write something you know yeah thoughtful and dramatic yeah yeah when requiem happened i mean how did you because that role that movie, like what did you think of that script and like how did that all happen?

Because I know it's a long time ago, but that was a dark fucking weird ass movie, dude. It was crazy. Based on an amazing book. When I read the book, I read the first, my agent sent me the script and I got pissed off. I mean, who the fuck sent me some shit like this? This is 1990. why is a black man still talking like he's in the 70s you dig and smack us what the fuck out of you and then they said no no no that's just the way the character talks i said all right he goes listen the director

is amazing and they sent me pot yeah and i sat down and i watched pie yeah yeah and i immediately said oh i get it i get it this this dude is a visionary yeah he's gonna do it in a whole nother way it's not then i read the book yeah then i met with darren and then darren explained to me what he was planning to do with the with the movie yeah and i was like great i want to be a part of it he said perfect but i don't want somebody on the wb in my fucking classic yeah and so he said no i said let me audition for it and i auditioned for it five times and finally um i guess i just warmed down and i got the role and see but people don't know about me as i went to perform high school i choose comedy because I know how difficult comedy is. Fucking acting, drama, I do that.

That's what I went to school for. I didn't go to school for comedy. I went to school for the dramatic arts. You grew up in comedy. I grew up in comedy. I did. I grew up in the comedy clubs. I'm seeing people, Sam Kinison and Paul Mooney.

Did you see Richard? I saw Richard. Towards the end? I saw Richard. Towards the end? I saw Richard perform towards the end. Before the wheelchair, though. I seen him perform in the wheelchair.

Yeah, yeah. But when I was at doorman, I saw him before he got sick. You're lucky. How was that? It was intense, man, because it was a weird night, dude. And he didn't come around much.

So I'm a door guy there at what, 87? 86, 87-ish? And he just started coming back around. weird night dude and like he didn't come around much so i'm a door guy there what 87 86 87 ish and he just started coming back around it was after he burned himself up and yeah it was you know and he was vulnerable you know but he was always vulnerable you know and i just remember watching him one night in the original room and he couldn't get a toehold in you know there was some there's some people in from i remember it specifically there was a band there were some women there who recognized some people who were in a rock band like cinderella or something they were in the room and and they were talking they were like oh my god and richard

couldn't get a handle on the room and i just watched him struggle and i was like what the fuck is happening but you know he was just trying to get back on the horse man but imagine being richard you're the biggest star in the world and now you're coming back to a little smoky comedy club oh it's great and you know it was amazing you have but it was this noise yeah it is sad but he can't he stayed vulnerable yes like you know, he stayed in that, in his heart. He didn't get mad. You know, he just was sort of like polite, you know. But it was hard.

It was a little hard to watch. It was a little hard to watch him in a wheelchair talking about his MS. And I thought it was the bravest shit I ever seen. And he was talking about how his, you know, his dick don't work. Yeah. You know. Yeah. You know, and I just, I was amazed at how he could still find a smile in his own tragedy. And that's always, for me, that quality in a comedian I fucking love. To find your own smile and your own tragedy is just

it's fucking beautiful to make others smile with your pain that that that's a gift that we have and it's also healing for ourselves and it's the bravest shit you can do if you get there i mean i don't know that everybody you know takes you know you know rises to that i don't know i mean i i think that's at its best that's when when it's good. I love the fact that you're talking about this right here. Like you're talking about you're losing the woman you love. Like it seems dark, but I understand. Like when you find that, that's to me the dopest comedy. Yeah, no, for sure.

Political shit. It's easy to talk about the world. It's easy. That's easy shit. Nigga all day long. Just give me the dopest comedy. Yeah, no, for sure. Political shit, it's easy to talk about the world. It's easy, yeah. That's easy shit, nigga, all day long. Just give me a newspaper. Yeah. But when you start talking about yourself, when you start talking about your pain,

start talking about your trauma, start talking about what hurts you, and sometimes it's hard to even get through. I've left stage when I had to talk about my mom sometime. Really? I couldn't say the joke, because I lost my mama, you know? And there's nothing more painful

than losing your mother. Yeah. I try to tell people all the fucking time like nothing compares. I mean, people try to compare the two. Yeah.

I'm grieving. I feel so bad. You know, my uncle died. Fuck your uncle. I'll be touching your dick in your sleep. I lost my mama,

motherfucker. Not my mama, brother. But the weird thing is that as much as it is not talked about or handled, it's the most common thing. Everybody dies. Everybody deals with death. But it's hard to deal with. It's hard to talk about.

I know, but it shouldn't be because it's one of the most common things. But it's one of the things that we're all afraid of. You don't want to die. And you think if you talk about it, you're going to be closer because it's one of the most common things but it's one of the things that we're all afraid of yes you don't want to die yes and you think if you talk about it you're going to be closer to it but that's why you're courageous that's right talking no i think it's good you got to disarm it there's a lot of people walking around the world carrying a lot of grief and i think it's corrosive and i think it's at the core of a lot of problems un-fucking-processed grief right and if you can laugh and it comes out like that,

I love that laughter that should be crying. Right. Yeah. That's the best kind of laughter. I agree. People are like, I've had people,

I was on my mom's Mother's Day show, I had people come up with tears in their eyes from one left side from crying and the other side from laughing. Yeah. But because, you know, they've lost it too and they understand the shit. Everybody loses people.

It's like it's how you get to that place where you're talking about, you know, getting humbled enough to allow yourself to talk about it. You know, like I was a brittle guy for years on stage, you know, just aggravated and angry. And it, you know, it took life beating me down one way or the other to get grounded in myself, you know, because I didn't know who I was,

you know, and it takes that shit, whatever it is, heartbreak, pain, you know, it just, it's going to wear you down. Either you're going to continue

fighting it and look like Ted or you're going to, you know, surrender a going to wear you down. Either you're going to continue fighting it and look like Ted, or you're going to, you know, surrender a little, you know? But the more you fight when you're losing, it's no... Yeah, but you've matured, like, in the past 20 years. Your best years is now. I think that's true. This is the fact that you haven't drank or had any crack.

Like, you know how badly I want to get you high? I know. You're doing that on set. You're like, come on. Let's have a fucking drink. Just some whiskey. Me and you one night. One night.

And you wake up going, boy, that was fun. And where's Mark? No one knows, man. What did you do? You fucking devil. I just told you to take one drink. We lost him, man. What did you do? You fucking devil. I just told you to take one drink. We lost him, man.

You don't got no drunks in your family? Not like... Not sober people. I'm a drunk. My dad... My dad's a... I won't call him a drunk, but he likes to taste. But he's a happy drunk. You know what I mean? I've never had the abusive, like, I'll kill you. Everybody get, no.

My dad, I get drunk with my dad now. We have a good time. He's still around? Yeah, my dad is 85. I'm gonna go check him out. He's in New York. I'm gonna go check out. I'll come over there, I'll bring him some wine.

He drink till his feet stinks and then he falls asleep. Yeah? That's wild. I guess, yeah, my dad's 83.'s 83 i guess you know they're still around no my dad uh no he doesn't drink anymore he doesn't do much anymore i think his brain's going okay yeah so that's a whole other ball of wax well hey i'm trying to do bits about that in a special i'm doing it i said i said like i because the bit i'm doing about that is like um oh you'll like it because i'm like he's just starting to get the alzheimer's you know yeah and my dad was sort of a difficult kind of a kind of an asshole and difficult guy you know like

uh but now he's got he's got the alzheimer's and he's still got his old memories but the new memory is not so good and he can't follow through and it's like he's kind of like he's forgotten how to be an asshole and i guess what i'm saying is like if you have a family member that's got alzheimer's like don't don't miss the sweet spot it's right at the beginning i think and then i say uh i say and i know like eventually like he's gonna forget who i am and then i look at the audience and I go, and I will be truly free. It's a hard sell, dude. But I'm trying. But I love it.

Yeah, I love it too. That's, to me, the best shit, bro. The only problem is a lot of people don't have that experience with Alzheimer's. It's just a shit show. But my dad is very sweet right now. And I know it's going to get bad. And I know he's probably difficult he's difficult with his wife. But with me,

you know, it's all very, you know, he knows what's up. I don't know where Alzheimer's, like that type of stuff, it's hard to deal with. But I mean,

we have a sick family. So we always find it funny. What do your people die of? My mom, she had diabetes. But she lived until 80 something, right? Yeah, she lived. That's good. Good life, right? She's a strong had diabetes. But she lived until 80-something, right? Yeah, she lived. That's good. Good life, right? She's a strong black woman. Diabetes.

This woman had 10 kids before anesthesia. Back in the day, when there was no anesthesia, she says, give me that wallet. Pass me the wallet and the whiskey. I got to bite down on it. Do all you guys get along? All the siblings? Yeah, man.

I love my brothers and sisters. I have a close relationship with each one. Yeah. That's good. Are they most of them out here? Because they've all choked me at some point in my life. You're the one. Yeah, you're the one.

Keaton, I'm a little scared of because he spanked me when I was like 10. He kind of stood in for the old man sometimes? No, my father spanked me too, but he kind of doubled up on it, so I'm a little pissed off at him. Give me a shot. Pass him over here. They just passed you around to spank. It's hard being the youngest, man. I guess, man. I got fucked up because

most families... No new clothes. I got everything hand-me-down. Everything. At one point, I had Damon's fucking sneakers, Kenan's pants, and my father's underwear on. Like, nothing was mine. And I'm the butt of every joke. There's the name of the special.

Nothing was mine. You're really good at that. Coining the phrase. I just want to write that down. Nothing was mine. And then you work towards at the end, at the end, the callback, you're like, and that's who I am now.

You know what it is. That's coming out August 19th. You know what it is. Is that what the name of this facial is? HBO Max. Is it called You Know What It Is? You Know What It Is. You give away the whole thing i didn't want to hbo max and they we love it i was like but you're giving the joke a what i don't know if it does we love it there's

so much to it there's so much more to it well you have to know what it is and then you go oh i get it yeah yeah yeah i don't want to i wanted to call it. I don't want to. I wanted to call it, what did I want to call it? I wanted to call it Yachts, Mermaids, and Alley Belly Buttons. That's good. Or I wanted to call it Boiling Hot Mess. Nah. You know? Nah.

Yeah, you know what it is, isn't it? I like you know what it is. Wait, let me tell you the titles. We actually have an email. I was surprised that the bringing around the mermaid story worked. It was good. It did, though. You were surprised.

You're an asshole. Someone's got to do it. You're the worst. Someone's got to do it. You're the worst. I know. All right, that comes out August 19th. Respect. August 13th. Watch it.

I'm in it. Marc Maron steals the show. No, no. I was blessed to share a screen with this man. You're really funny. You're a lot. You're a really solid actor, bro. Oh, thanks, buddy.

You are. You're good. Some people, you're really good. Oh, thanks, buddy. You are, you're good. Like, some people, he's just like, you know, you're really good. Oh, thanks, man. I appreciate it. You still should do a buddy comedy. Okay, write it. You're the guy.

You won't do my jokes. I'll write my part. Put me in one of your $100 million movies that kids like. Give me some back end, and there we go. That kids like. I hate you. Good talking to you. I love you, brother. Love you, too. Give me some back end And there we go That kid's like I hate you Good talking to you I love you brother

Love you too Marlon That was fun That was fun I like guys who I could Poke at Anyways The movie Respect

Is out now Marlon Wayans You know what it is Premieres this Thursday, HBO Max. That's August 19th. Okay, let's play some desert guitar. Thank you. Boomer lives. Monkey. La Fonda.

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