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My friend, I am such a big believer that your mindset is everything.
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It can really dictate if your life has meaning, has value, and you feel fulfilled, or if you feel exhausted, drained, and like you re never going to be enough.
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Our brand new book, The Greatness Mindset, just hit the New York Times Bestseller back-to-back weeks.
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And I m so excited to hear from so many of you who ve bought the book, who ve read it, and have finished it already, and are getting incredible results from the lessons in the book.
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If you haven t got a copy yet,
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You ll learn how to build a plan for greatness through powerful exercises and toolkits designed to propel your life forward.
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This is the book I wish I had when I was 20, struggling, trying to figure out life.
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10 years ago at 30, trying to figure out transitions in my life and the book I m glad I have today for myself.
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Make sure to get a copy at lewishouse.com slash 2023 mindset to get your copy today.
0
SPEAKER_00
Again, lewishouse.com slash 2023 mindset to get a copy today.
0
SPEAKER_00
Also, the book is on audible now, so you can get it on audio book as well.
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And don t forget to follow the show.
0
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So you never miss an episode.
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Don t ever try to convince people to like you.
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Be you, and then they ll decide.
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And if they like you, cool.
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If they don t get you, cool.
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But be yourself is gonna be your best way, and that s been one of those, like, flagpole things that I live off of.
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Like, forget about it.
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Like, just don t worry about it.
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Just go up there and be yourself.
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If that don t work, then that s different.
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But you trying to change, thinking you re gonna fit it,
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so that they are going to get you and they re going to love you because you changed your little way.
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Welcome to the School of Greatness.
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My name is Lewis Howes, a former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur.
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And each week we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness.
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Thanks for spending some time with me today.
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Now let the class begin.
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Welcome back, everyone, to the School of Greatness.
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Very excited about our guest.
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We have the inspiring, the iconic Cedric the Entertainer in the house.
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My brother, what s going on, man?
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Good to see you, man.
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I m so glad that you re here because I told you this when we had dinner months ago through a mutual friend of Ruben.
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Yeah.
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That I was living in St.
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Louis for six years during
0
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kind of the golden era of St.
0
SPEAKER_00
Louis, where it was Nelly, it was the Rams, and it was Cedric the Entertainer.
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And for me, being in that city during that time, during the late 90s, early 2000s, was so exciting.
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SPEAKER_00
And you were such a, at that time, really exploding onto the scene in a massive way and making a name for yourself in a big way.
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I told you before that I was a massive fan of Kings of Comedy and I think I watched that probably 20, 30 times.
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And the way you deliver your comedy, the way you communicate, the way you entertain is so magnetic.
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and how you ve consistently showed up with a positive attitude, a positive energy for a few decades now is so inspiring to me and so many people, so I m so grateful that you re here, and I appreciate the work you do, and thanks for putting St.
0
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Louis on the map.
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Let s go, S-T-A-L, baby.
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I love it, man.
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SPEAKER_00
I m curious, you ve got a number of things that you ve been working on lately.
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One is your book, Flipping Box Cards, which I want to get into.
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You ve got six seasons of The Neighborhood on TV right now.
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You ve got Kings of Barbecue on A&E.
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You ve got so many different brands and businesses going on.
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But I want to ask you about the transition from a career as a state farm insurance agent
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into comedy because when you told me this story, I was just blown away that you used to be in insurance.
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And did you ever think that you would go beyond kind of a traditional career, worked with an insurance company and being where you re at today?
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And how did you make that transition and have the courage to, it wasn t like comedy back then was like a big moneymaker.
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Whereas there s a lot of younger guys today figuring out with podcasting and touring and making a name for themselves with social media You didn t have social media then and you went for it.
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How did you make that transition?
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SPEAKER_01
You know, you know, that s it s really interesting because I grew up in a time where you know generationally that was the motivation your parents tell your kids to go to college you get a good corporate job and
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And then you live your life, you know, going up the corporate ladder.
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So, but that was basically the steps I followed.
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My mother was a school teacher, you know, so education was a big part of our household.
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And so I have a younger sister who is a professor at Pepperdine.
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And so that education was kind of like our vibe.
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And then, but I was always kind of creative, you know, again, probably being the only male in the house, I was that, you know, that dude trying to like figure it out, you know, like, you know, so, you know, so I was always funny, witty, you know, in high school, I was, I wasn t necessarily a class clown, but I was what they, you know, I would call the,
0
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what they used to call it, joning or bagging on people.
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If you was in the lunchroom and it was going down, you won t be on your side.
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I was like, rap, rap, rap.
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So I was known for that, of course, having a witty sense of humor and all that, but never really knew I could do it as a business.
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So my thing was to go to school, follow my mother s instructions for my life.
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So I went to school, got my degree, and worked a couple of different jobs.
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Worked at selling fax machines for Ricoh Corporation, a little division of their company.
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And then landed at State Farm and became a claims adjuster for State Farm.
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And right around the same time, I discovered I could do stand-up.
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I had a friend that was another stand-up.
0
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And he was doing it for a living, and basically told me I could do it.
0
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He was like, you could do this.
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Really?
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He was making a living doing it?
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He was out.
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I mean, I got my corporate job, feeling good about myself, got my little tie, got a little cubicle at work.
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But he was like, yo, I made $1,100 this week, and then I made $1,400 last week.
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And then I m like, whoa, doing what?
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He was like, I do comedy.
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I m like, yo.
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He s like, if anybody can do this, you can.
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So.
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Was he funnier than you?
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Was he talented?
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I mean, he s a talented person, you know?
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Like, see, he was a pro.
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That s what I would say more than anything.
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Like, show off consistently.
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Pro, know how to deliver a joke, know how to make a crowd laugh, you know what I m saying?
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And it was one of these guys that knew how to do the job, right?
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Knew how to stand on there and deliver and be, you know, a professional comedian.
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So, you know.
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Was this back in St.
0
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Louis?
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St.
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Louis, yeah.
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What year, what year is this?
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This is like, I m gonna say this is 80, 75, somewhere in there, like 87, 88.
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So he s making a thousand bucks a week maybe doing stand-up.
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Chilling it.
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And back then, that s great money.
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You re rich.
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You re rich back then.
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St.
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Louis, too?
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You re rich.
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So he said, all right, you can do this.
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SPEAKER_00
Yeah.
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And did you think or believe you could do it, or were you doubting yourself?
0
SPEAKER_01
Well, you know, I always loved the idea of entertaining.
0
SPEAKER_01
Like, you know, I definitely did the school plays and talent shows, but mainly singing at that time.
0
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Back in those days, I would sing.
0
SPEAKER_01
You were singing back then?
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I would sing in groups and be a singer and go on stage.
0
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One of my first big jokes was Luther doing the alphabets because that was a little warm-up thing I used to do.
0
SPEAKER_02
Like when I was like, you know, trying, you know, when we work out in the group and I would A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P.
0
SPEAKER_01
So, you know.
0
SPEAKER_01
Wow.
0
SPEAKER_01
So you d warm up on stage?
0
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, that would be like a little warm up fun thing I would do.
0
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And I would do that on stage, you know.
0
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And then I d say, that s how Luther got his weight problem.
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Because all the girls would be giving him snacks.
0
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Like, Luther, you re in the third grade.
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You want to sing?
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I ll give you my peanut butter sandwich.
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SPEAKER_01
Oh, man.
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Yeah, so.
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So I had a lot of little jokes like that where I would vocalize and then the same guy helped me shape up my set and I got in a comedy competition and the first time I ever did it I won $500.
0
SPEAKER_01
And that was it, bro, I was hooked.
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SPEAKER_00
I was like, yeah.
0
SPEAKER_00
Comedy at that time, it s been like, this is incredible.
0
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, and then so, you know, bit by bit, just step, kept the job, kept working at State Farm and then finding places to be, do comedy at night.
0
SPEAKER_01
So comedy was the side hustle back then.
0
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, exactly.
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SPEAKER_00
And when was the transition where you said, okay, I can make more than my main job and I m going to go full time in comedy?
0
SPEAKER_01
You know, it was a strategy, you know, like again, I think, you know, I kind of, I definitely
1
SPEAKER_01
related to, you know, having, you know, going to college and, you know, kind of thinking about things in a more strategical way and not necessarily just wanting to, you know, kind of believe that, oh, you know, this is what I do now, you know, so.
1
SPEAKER_01
It was a comedy club based in St.
1
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Louis, The Funny Bones.
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They used to have 22 clubs, and you can go twice a year.
1
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So that s 44 dates.
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But you had to qualify for that.
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You had to get in their system, and they book you, and if they book you, then you know you got at least 44 dates this year.
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SPEAKER_01
And so that became my goal.
1
SPEAKER_00
And how much did you make on one show?
1
SPEAKER_00
Have you got 44 dates, like an average?
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SPEAKER_01
This is kind of to your point right here.
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SPEAKER_01
Back then, the opening act, $350 for the week.
1
SPEAKER_01
$350 a week for one night or for every night?
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SPEAKER_01
For the week.
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You go and you do nine shows.
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Nine shows for $350?
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Come on, man.
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That s what it was.
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Was you happy?
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You a part of the system?
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and you got it every week, and you know you got this 350, and you would have to drive.
1
SPEAKER_01
So the only top of that, it was all around the Midwest, so Davenport, Iowa, Des Moines, Cincinnati, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Ohio, all that run, man.
1
SPEAKER_01
So that was every night you were driving a new plane?
1
SPEAKER_01
Well, you stay in the city for a week.
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SPEAKER_01
So you go there for the week, yeah.
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And then you drive to the next one.
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Man, that s a grind, though.
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SPEAKER_01
That s a grind.
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That s what we call the road.
1
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, and most of them weeks, you know, like you stay out because it goes from week to week, and you got like maybe three days in between, right?
1
SPEAKER_01
So that became another hustle because, you know, the shows usually started on Wednesdays or Thursdays, and then you got, so if it starts on Wednesday nights, then you got Wednesday, Thursday, two shows Friday, two shows Saturday, one Sunday maybe, and now,
1
SPEAKER_01
Monday, Tuesday, you gotta figure out what you re gonna do.
1
SPEAKER_01
What are you doing that?
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You can t stay in the condo no more.
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SPEAKER_01
That s over.
1
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Whatever, wherever they had you staying, that s over.
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So now you re trying to either drive to the next city, find a friend.
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Sleep on a couch or something.
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SPEAKER_01
Sleep on a couch, pick up a random show.
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SPEAKER_01
Somebody s doing a comedy night somewhere along the way.
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SPEAKER_01
See if you can go in there and get $75.
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SPEAKER_01
See if you can go in there and get $100.
1
SPEAKER_01
So somebody s got a Tuesday night in New York.
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SPEAKER_01
in Louisville.
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You drive all the way to Louisville to get a hundred bucks, then drive back to Indianapolis.
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SPEAKER_00
You know, that kind of thing.
1
SPEAKER_00
Were you like sleeping in motels at those nights?
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SPEAKER_00
Or was this you have enough money for hotels?
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SPEAKER_00
Or is it more like sleeping in the back of your car?
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SPEAKER_00
What s happening?
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SPEAKER_01
I slept in good hotel parking lots.
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That was my move.
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So my mother used to be so worried about me, you know.
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So I had my little Ford EXP Escort.
1
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So the little coupe, the two-door.
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So I felt like I had a sports car.
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SPEAKER_01
I had some rims on it.
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SPEAKER_01
And I had some speakers.
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SPEAKER_00
They spin?
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SPEAKER_00
They spin?
1
SPEAKER_00
No, no.
1
SPEAKER_01
They wasn t doing the spinning wheels.
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SPEAKER_01
That was too silly.
1
SPEAKER_01
The spinning wheels came way out there.
1
SPEAKER_00
90s.
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SPEAKER_00
Yeah, I was, yeah.
1
SPEAKER_00
Too sourly.
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SPEAKER_00
Before that.
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SPEAKER_01
I was before that, just, you know, as a matter of fact, I had like some 12s and that was considered rims at the time.
1
SPEAKER_01
You know, because people didn t have, you had 12s or 14s on your car, the inches, that was like, ooh, 20 inch wheels, that was out of them.
1
SPEAKER_01
That seemed ridiculous.
1
SPEAKER_01
You know, so, but, and then I had like some little speakers, had a little subwoofer, the Clarion.
1
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, with the small subwoofer, the little Clarion speakers.
1
SPEAKER_01
Come on, man.
1
SPEAKER_01
All right.
1
SPEAKER_01
Pioneer.
1
SPEAKER_01
The system.
1
SPEAKER_01
Come on, bro.
1
SPEAKER_00
We have a Sony of the Pioneers.
1
SPEAKER_01
Come on, baby.
1
SPEAKER_00
Let s get it.
1
SPEAKER_01
With the full out.
1
SPEAKER_01
Of course, man.
1
SPEAKER_01
So wait, so you were sleeping at the back of the hotel?
1
SPEAKER_01
So I would sleep in the parking lot, you know, and I would let my mother... You d just lay the seat back?
1
SPEAKER_01
Lay the seat back, you know, had my blankets, had everything I needed in the car, you know, would sleep in there.
1
SPEAKER_01
We had my windows tinted, so I would just, like, find, like, a cool hotel parking lot and just, you know, act like... Security wasn t trying to kick you out or...?
1
SPEAKER_01
I never really ran into that situation because, you know, it just always kind of felt like
1
SPEAKER_01
Maybe one time a security guard came and was like, yo, you gotta roll.
1
SPEAKER_01
How many nights do you think you slept in your car?
1
SPEAKER_01
Oh man, through that run, maybe 14, 15, 14 to 20.
1
SPEAKER_01
I don t know, there s a blind number in there.
1
SPEAKER_01
In that first kind of run?
1
SPEAKER_01
That first little run.
1
SPEAKER_01
You ever have to do that again?
1
SPEAKER_01
No, luckily, and it was interesting because timing is everything in business and in life.
1
SPEAKER_01
that I didn t even get to do the second run of that because, you know, shows like Def Comedy Jam started to happen, you know, evening at the, not evening, but Showtime at the Apollo.
1
SPEAKER_01
It was another show that shot in New York called Uptown Comedy, something like that.
1
SPEAKER_01
Uptown Comedy was another show.
1
SPEAKER_01
So opportunity for urban comedians to get on television
1
SPEAKER_01
And be urban, like you didn t have to switch your setup and try to fit in.
1
SPEAKER_01
Those things became important.
1
SPEAKER_01
And then so that was also the rise of the kind of all African American comedy clubs too.
1
SPEAKER_01
So clubs like Comedy Act Theater, All Jokes Aside in Chicago.
1
SPEAKER_01
It was Comedy Act Theater in Atlanta and here.
1
SPEAKER_01
And then Steve Harvey did a club called Voo Koo Ray
1
SPEAKER_01
in Dallas, and that s where we met in the first part of my run.
1
SPEAKER_01
I met Steve, we became partners, he took me under his wing, and then I was just on a different trajectory from there.
1
SPEAKER_00
So you did kind of half the tour leg, and then you started to get opportunities.
1
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, bigger opportunities.
1
SPEAKER_00
So you met Steve at that time, and he said, hey, let s get you on this TV show, or let s do this other thing.
1
SPEAKER_01
Well, he was just, you know, he kind of introduced me to the bigger world of stand-up, you know.
1
SPEAKER_01
So it was like, so I went from $350 to $1,000 guy, you know.
1
SPEAKER_01
Wow.
1
SPEAKER_01
You know, so because even when I was doing the $350 shows, I was getting moved up, you know.
1
SPEAKER_01
I was surprising the club owners that like, oh, you re like really good.
1
SPEAKER_01
You re better than
1
SPEAKER_01
You know the position you re in.
1
SPEAKER_01
So we re gonna flip the, we re gonna at least flip you to the middle and then so you go to 650.
1
SPEAKER_01
But that was good and it was totally different but then you know.
1
SPEAKER_01
On the black comedy side, I was a big deal.
1
SPEAKER_01
I was a bigger deal, more like 1,000, 1,500 to come do a show.
1
SPEAKER_01
For one night?
1
SPEAKER_01
No.
1
SPEAKER_01
Well, this was, again, multiple shows.
1
SPEAKER_01
It was comedy club work.
1
SPEAKER_01
But then, of course, the one-night shows started to come after Def Comedy Jam came out.
1
SPEAKER_01
Then Hoppy and Concerts became the
1
SPEAKER_01
How many people are going to those?
1
SPEAKER_01
What s the audience size?
1
SPEAKER_01
That s like, you know, anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000.
1
SPEAKER_00
So how quickly did this happen from going to the first comedy show, from winning the $500 competition to...
1
SPEAKER_00
3,000, 5,000 person arenas, essentially.
1
SPEAKER_00
How long that time was?
1
SPEAKER_01
It was probably about five years.
1
SPEAKER_00
Okay.
1
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, it was probably a good five year kind of space in there, but again, that s fast.
1
SPEAKER_01
People don t recognize that, but that s fast for comedy because
1
SPEAKER_01
you know, if you re just building it up in the comedy club system, you gotta run that ring.
1
SPEAKER_01
I would ve had to stay the opening act that whole run.
1
SPEAKER_01
Then I would ve, you know, they moved me to a middle in a couple of spots, but for the most part, I was hired as the opening act.
1
SPEAKER_01
So they would ve, and then I would ve had to.
1
SPEAKER_00
What is that, 15 minute set?
1
SPEAKER_00
Is that a 10 minute, like how long?
1
SPEAKER_01
That s a short set, that s like seven minutes.
1
SPEAKER_01
Seven minutes?
1
SPEAKER_01
Seven minutes, five to seven.
1
SPEAKER_01
is your max, but you re the MC2.
1
SPEAKER_00
But if the club sees that you re killing it, and you re just getting the most laughs out of them all night, they re like, all right, let s move this guy, give him an extra 12 minutes or something, right?
1
SPEAKER_01
That s what happened.
1
SPEAKER_01
They ended up moving me to the middle, but you can t really knock the headliner out, nor did I have that kind of time either.
1
SPEAKER_01
Like, I was funny, I had a really good, you know, 12 to 15 minutes.
1
SPEAKER_01
You didn t have a 30 minute set.
1
SPEAKER_01
No, I would have panicked if I would have.
1
SPEAKER_01
Which happened to me one night because in one of my first opening act gigs, Sam Kennison was the headliner.
1
SPEAKER_01
And so it was a middle act.
1
SPEAKER_01
It was a dude that was the middle.
1
SPEAKER_01
And Sam Kennison was the headliner.
1
SPEAKER_01
He was the rock and roll Sam Kennison at the time.
1
SPEAKER_01
I don t know if you know who Sam Kennison is.
1
SPEAKER_01
So he s the, he was a very famous comedian that was like, yells at people, but funny.
1
SPEAKER_01
But it was a rock and roller, like Trump, getting lit, girls everywhere, wild men.
1
SPEAKER_01
So he was the headliner and I was the emcee and then it was the middle guy and the middle guy, you know, struggled.
1
SPEAKER_01
And then, so I had a good set and the middle guy struggled and then Sam was in the car, out in the parking lot drunk, couldn t come in.
1
SPEAKER_01
So they needed you to fill in.
1
SPEAKER_01
So they need me to fill in and man, I m up there just... Where you guys from?
1
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, that whole thing, like just...
2
SPEAKER_00
You know, and that s not really my brand.
2
SPEAKER_00
I m not like a look at just, you know, look at your shirt and being able to like pull a joke out of it.
2
SPEAKER_00
But that night you just having to dig, dig, dig.
2
SPEAKER_00
And then I m making it happen.
2
SPEAKER_00
And then he finally comes walking through the front door, not the back.
2
SPEAKER_00
He comes walking through the front door.
2
SPEAKER_00
I m like, oh, there he is, ladies and gentlemen.
2
SPEAKER_00
And then they like walking him.
2
SPEAKER_00
It s looking like, I don t know what s going to happen.
2
SPEAKER_00
They walked him up on stage and them lights hit and he was magic.
2
SPEAKER_00
It was crazy.
2
SPEAKER_00
It was crazy to watch.
2
SPEAKER_00
Like he was like, you, you saw him like, oh, and then they like, boom, walked him up on stage letting Sam kiss him.
2
SPEAKER_00
Wazzop.
2
SPEAKER_00
Boom, boom, boom, jokes, joke, crazy.
2
SPEAKER_00
It was one of those wild things, one of the moments I was like, that s wild to watch.
2
SPEAKER_00
That d really make you love it, though.
2
SPEAKER_00
Somebody that s got that kind of spirit, kind of Chappelle-esque, like a person that can just walk in and just figure it out once they get there.
2
SPEAKER_00
Sure.
2
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
2
SPEAKER_01
What was the moment where you realized, I can actually make it big in this world?
2
SPEAKER_00
I went to Chicago.
2
SPEAKER_00
And so, you know, from St.
2
SPEAKER_00
Louis, Chicago, of course, second city, known for comedians, you know, and it was a big comedic town with a lot of great comedians that came from there.
2
SPEAKER_00
And they had a competition called the Miller Genuine Draft Comedy Competition.
2
SPEAKER_00
And you would win $3,000.
2
SPEAKER_01
That s big money back then, man.
2
SPEAKER_01
That s big money now.
2
SPEAKER_00
I ll take three grand.
2
SPEAKER_00
You win $3,000 plus your picture would be in a magazine.
2
SPEAKER_00
You got all these kind of extra perks.
2
SPEAKER_00
You got a bunch of Miller Genuine drafts show up at your house.
2
SPEAKER_00
All these kind of cool little perks, right?
2
SPEAKER_00
But I won that.
2
SPEAKER_00
But it was inside that metropolitan area of going to St.
2
SPEAKER_00
Louis, I mean, going to Chicago, performing with all these great comedians, people that have grown up to be legendary comedians themselves already, killing the game.
2
SPEAKER_00
And you realize like, okay, I was able to hang and shine and win in that environment.
2
SPEAKER_00
So now I believe that I got what it takes.
2
SPEAKER_00
And so that s when you start to really like, kinda just like, all right, cool, this is it.
2
SPEAKER_01
What year or how long into the career was that?
2
SPEAKER_01
Was that three years in, two years in?
2
SPEAKER_00
That probably was like, that probably was more like two years in.
2
SPEAKER_00
Okay.
2
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, somewhere in there, two to three years in.
2
SPEAKER_01
How much did it increase your confidence to say, I can do anything I want in this arena?
2
SPEAKER_00
Oh, I don t mean that, you know what I mean?
2
SPEAKER_00
But that s it, because once you start to play, you know, I would imagine like for any kind of, you know, sports, same guy that plays basketball, once you kind of go outside your neighborhood and test your skills with the best in the city and you realize, oh, I can play with this guy that they say is the best,
2
SPEAKER_00
That s when you start to be like, okay.
2
SPEAKER_00
And that was good.
2
SPEAKER_00
That s what I, you know, that was the thing.
2
SPEAKER_00
But even being able, for me, like, even for somebody like Steve to, like, embrace me and we would have, like, we would do these freestyles on stage sometimes because
2
SPEAKER_00
he just liked to come up and it was his club.
2
SPEAKER_00
So he would come up and just be talking and you d be like, yo man, you about to take the audience away from me.
2
SPEAKER_00
I ll go back on stage.
2
SPEAKER_00
And we had many a nights up and just me and him doing these one, you know, one, two tag offs.
2
SPEAKER_01
Were you up at the same time?
2
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, at the same time.
2
SPEAKER_00
Like just, you know, and it was just a unique
2
SPEAKER_00
you know, kinship, partnership that we developed.
2
SPEAKER_00
And so, you know, that was one of the things.
2
SPEAKER_00
Once he, you know, he started getting TV shows, you know, he was, you know, I was just always his guy.
2
SPEAKER_00
He would look out for me.
2
SPEAKER_00
Like, you know, so when he got to Steve Harvey s show, he was like, I wanna see it.
2
SPEAKER_00
You know, like, so that was that.
2
SPEAKER_00
You know?
2
SPEAKER_00
Wow.
2
SPEAKER_00
What s the biggest lessons you ve learned from Steve Harvey?
2
SPEAKER_00
You know, probably my greatest lesson, I tell this lesson all the time was, is that,
2
SPEAKER_00
I d gotten in the Steve Harvey show and we went to New York to do the big showcase and so all the agents and the big power players, the advertisers are there.
2
SPEAKER_00
And so I decide to change my set because I see the room is kinda like all white, it s all executives, so I change my set.
2
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, button it up and I bomb.
2
SPEAKER_00
Really?
2
SPEAKER_00
I bomb, like bomb.
2
SPEAKER_00
And it s... No one s laughing.
2
SPEAKER_00
Nobody.
2
SPEAKER_00
And it s hurtful because one, he went to bat for me.
2
SPEAKER_00
Oh no.
2
SPEAKER_00
I know he went to bat for me.
2
SPEAKER_00
And one, I know that I m funny for real, but I m trying to do something else.
2
SPEAKER_00
And Steve comes up.
2
SPEAKER_00
comes up you know like I m like kind of getting like I see it s going horrible and I m like let me just kind of like wind it down.
2
SPEAKER_01
Oh man how long was this for like five ten minutes?
2
SPEAKER_00
It was supposed to be it was probably supposed to be a little 10 minute set.
2
SPEAKER_00
And you kind of bring it down to seven.
2
SPEAKER_00
Yeah I m like yeah all right y all coming up next.
2
SPEAKER_00
It s crazy this is wow man let s get out of here so how many how many mothers in the house gotta give it up for the moms.
2
SPEAKER_01
Okay, so you re whiting and you re bobbing.
2
SPEAKER_01
Bob, so.
2
SPEAKER_01
How many people are watching?
2
SPEAKER_01
I m gonna say it s a room of 300 people.
2
SPEAKER_00
And these are like executives, decision makers.
2
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, like, you know, people like New York, any New Yorkan.
2
SPEAKER_00
Oh, man.
2
SPEAKER_00
Everybody s feeling very cosmopolitan.
2
SPEAKER_00
Steve goes up and he just rips them, you know, like, talk about their suits and their little shoes and how they think they special and your little BMW.
2
SPEAKER_00
Oh, he murder him.
2
SPEAKER_00
They dying.
2
SPEAKER_00
They re laughing.
2
SPEAKER_00
They re dying.
2
SPEAKER_00
He s not, he s not, he cussing.
2
SPEAKER_00
He not being nothing but himself, right?
2
SPEAKER_00
Like, he never, he s not trying to fix it.
2
SPEAKER_00
So he comes off and he tells him, he s like, man,
2
SPEAKER_00
You already earned it.
2
SPEAKER_00
Don t ever try to convince people to like you.
2
SPEAKER_00
Be you, and then they ll decide.
2
SPEAKER_00
And if they like you, cool.
2
SPEAKER_00
If they don t get you, cool.
2
SPEAKER_00
But be yourself is gonna be the best way.
2
SPEAKER_00
And that s been one of those flagpole things that I live off of.
2
SPEAKER_00
Forget about it.
2
SPEAKER_00
Like just don t worry about it.
2
SPEAKER_00
Just go up there and be yourself.
2
SPEAKER_00
If that don t work, then that s different.
2
SPEAKER_00
But you trying to change, thinking you re going to fit it so that they are going to get you and they re going to love you because you changed your little way.
2
SPEAKER_01
It s kind of like, you know, it s better to bomb being yourself than bombing someone else.
2
SPEAKER_00
It s the only way to do it.
2
SPEAKER_00
Right.
2
SPEAKER_00
It s the only way to do it.
2
SPEAKER_00
It s kind of, you know, like when you re dating or you see when people put on the false fronts, you know, they kind of, they re gentlemen and they do all the things.
2
SPEAKER_00
I got a daughter, I got daughters, so I always tell them, like, be very careful of the false front, you know, where this, you know, I m this kind person, but look for them little keys that,
2
SPEAKER_00
If a dude a yeller, if he a whiner, if he go, you know, he don t ever wanna pay, or any of these little things, these are telltale signs of who that person is.
2
SPEAKER_00
Wow.
2
SPEAKER_01
What do you think was the biggest mindset shift you had to make through your career of transitioning from, again, State Farm Insurance, go to school, get this career, what was the mindset shift for you, and is it still the same mindset today as it was back then?
2
SPEAKER_00
I think probably me, probably one of the greatest mindset shifts was to think of, not to think of yourself as this kind of monolith that s outside the system.
2
SPEAKER_00
That, you know, you re so far outside that nobody else can see you, right?
2
SPEAKER_00
I think we all feel like, I used to always kind of feel like you never can make it from St.
2
SPEAKER_00
Louis.
2
SPEAKER_00
You can never, you know, you know,
2
SPEAKER_00
Oh, you know, I m not the, you know, I m not the shiny suit dude that s gonna be, you know, like, so you start to see yourself like, ah, you know, I only, I m only gonna be able to, you know, knock down these doors.
2
SPEAKER_00
And as you kind of go, you recognize that the world is big.
2
SPEAKER_00
It is truly an audience out there for everyone and you earn them.
2
SPEAKER_00
You don t get it automatically because you feel you deserve it.
2
SPEAKER_00
You earn it.
2
SPEAKER_00
And so that s truly one thing that I keep.
2
SPEAKER_00
to this day.
2
SPEAKER_00
I literally am willing to work for, go grab, go hustle for, and build every little thing that comes my way.
2
SPEAKER_00
I m not resting on any laurels.
2
SPEAKER_00
I m not resting on any hubris.
2
SPEAKER_00
You can give me all the accolades of everything you loved.
2
SPEAKER_00
That s great.
2
SPEAKER_00
Thank you.
2
SPEAKER_00
and right now I m here to do a job today for you.
2
SPEAKER_00
Like to get that, whoever s paying the money, I m here for you, let s go.
2
SPEAKER_00
You still feel like you gotta earn it.
2
SPEAKER_00
I earn it, I wanna earn it.
2
SPEAKER_00
Wow.
2
SPEAKER_00
So that s the thing that I take, I take as, you know, and I try to teach that to my kids too, is that, you know, you can be great, you know, you can get a lot of things that s gonna come your way that s gonna feel like, hey, you know, and after a while, your celebrity, your stardom makes you feel like,
2
SPEAKER_00
that is, this should be mine automatically.
2
SPEAKER_00
And you gotta recognize that that s not a.
3
SPEAKER_01
Did that ever hang you up over the last, you know, decades where you became more of a celebrity and had bigger opportunities and got the bigger paychecks?
3
SPEAKER_01
Did you ever catch yourself thinking you were better than or now you deserve something and you had to wake up and say, oh, I actually got to keep working for this?
3
SPEAKER_00
Oh, of course.
3
SPEAKER_00
I mean, this is the, you know, I would imagine, you know, everybody s gonna have that as trajectory happens, right?
3
SPEAKER_00
Especially when it s in the hot spot, when you re in that white hot space where things are just blowing up and you re like going, then you re like, all right, cool.
3
SPEAKER_00
It s things that you need, you know what I mean?
3
SPEAKER_00
Like, you know, like these are things that I feel are requirements for me to get the job done.
3
SPEAKER_00
And then you kind of,
3
SPEAKER_00
Then you kind of realize, really?
3
SPEAKER_00
Do I really need?
3
SPEAKER_01
Do I really need those green M&Ms?
3
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, is that a necessary... Like, I can t do the show unless I don t have... Come on, man.
3
SPEAKER_00
You start to go, like, that s ridiculous.
3
SPEAKER_00
Right.
3
SPEAKER_00
You know?
3
SPEAKER_00
Now, I never was that far, but anything along that line, little things that become, like, you know, you know, hotels, if I don t have a suite, if I don t have a, you know, this kind of car, you know, like, you... You re like, okay, this is ridiculous.
3
SPEAKER_00
Right.
3
SPEAKER_00
You know, like, that s, you know, so...
3
SPEAKER_00
Those are moments.
3
SPEAKER_00
And I think that life will humble you one way or the other.
3
SPEAKER_00
Because it is truly an ebb and flow to it all.
3
SPEAKER_00
There s always somebody next.
3
SPEAKER_00
I feel very blessed to be consistent, what I feel consistent for, as long as I am, 30 plus years in this business.
3
SPEAKER_00
Super highs, of course, down periods, but overall,
3
SPEAKER_00
consistent, like, you know, great career, good life, nothing, no, no scandals, you know, like just.
3
SPEAKER_00
Consistent.
3
SPEAKER_00
Do my thing, man, like this me, like this.
3
SPEAKER_01
How do, how do, how do you feel, you mentioned kind of there s always someone next, there s always like, seems like there s so many talented comedians or people in comedy.
3
SPEAKER_01
who are making a name for themselves, growing massive social media followings, selling out arenas, all these different things.
3
SPEAKER_01
How do you deal with comparison of the younger generation coming up?
3
SPEAKER_01
Maybe they re doing things differently or in a new way.
3
SPEAKER_01
How do you deal with that emotionally or mentally?
3
SPEAKER_01
Even with all your success even with you know being on the hollywood walk of fame even with all the accolades Does comparison ever creep in?
3
SPEAKER_00
I mean, you know, I think it it creeps in to the point that it you know for me is either a motivator or uh something I applaud most of the time I just I love to see people win like, you know, and if you win in and you
3
SPEAKER_00
You literally, your food and your plate is yours, you know?
3
SPEAKER_00
And people who have learned to be able to be great at that, especially like, you know, the rise of the social media fame.
3
SPEAKER_00
And you re like, look, these guys, they re unique.
3
SPEAKER_00
They do these skits, they wake up, and they actually do the work, right?
3
SPEAKER_00
So you can t be mad at somebody that actually gets up and do it.
3
SPEAKER_00
Like, they do it.
3
SPEAKER_00
They shoot them, I don t shoot them.
3
SPEAKER_00
So what I m gonna sit up and critiquing a real comedy right, but I never tried one.
3
SPEAKER_00
I never did it myself.
3
SPEAKER_00
I don t do it every day.
3
SPEAKER_00
I don t go and work to build audience.
3
SPEAKER_00
So what am I critiquing something that I m just observing, you know, I mean and got opinion like
3
SPEAKER_00
go you win and kill it you know and then you meet I ve met a lot of these guys and you know the funny unique young people and they motivate you now you start to think a different way and so you know that s really been my space I try to really stay true to who I am so I actually develop with a lot of young creators to get them bigger projects you know
3
SPEAKER_00
Your social media is your thing, but you know, I m in the world of television and film.
3
SPEAKER_00
Let s take that idea and develop it into a bigger idea.
3
SPEAKER_00
And those are the relationships I have with them as opposed to being anti or hating on or whatever that, yeah.
3
SPEAKER_01
Have you always had this collaborative mindset versus being a competitor to people in the industry?
3
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, I think so.
3
SPEAKER_00
And I kind of feel like that s a Midwest thing in a way.
3
SPEAKER_00
It s very much like, you know, because we all kind of feel like we re here together in our own little niche, you know?
3
SPEAKER_00
And so there s a lot of like, you know, help the other dude up, come on up, and then we all go.
3
SPEAKER_00
Right.
3
SPEAKER_00
So that s always been my thing.
3
SPEAKER_00
I love that environment better.
3
SPEAKER_00
I d much rather be with a group of my friends and family doing something than to be the only one doing it.
3
SPEAKER_00
You know what I mean?
3
SPEAKER_00
So we re gonna go on vacation.
3
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, let s figure out how we all can do it.
3
SPEAKER_00
Sure, I can stay in the Four Seasons, but
3
SPEAKER_00
if everybody can stay in the West End, then let s go there.
3
SPEAKER_00
Let s go, it s gonna be more fun.
3
SPEAKER_00
That s different.
3
SPEAKER_00
Yeah.
3
SPEAKER_01
What would you say is your biggest limitation after 30 years in this business?
3
SPEAKER_01
Do you have any limitations?
3
SPEAKER_00
I think for the most part, this industry is one that you have to
3
SPEAKER_00
be in the deal flow in a lot of ways.
3
SPEAKER_00
So, you know... What does that mean?
3
SPEAKER_00
That means like, you know...
3
SPEAKER_00
when movies are happening, TV shows are happening, people have to kind of know who you are, right?
3
SPEAKER_00
And if you re hot, that s one thing.
3
SPEAKER_00
If you ve cooled off, then you have to prove that you re worthy.
3
SPEAKER_00
That s a different thing as you get older.
3
SPEAKER_00
Because you kind of see that in this business always.
3
SPEAKER_00
Hot is always considered next, right?
3
SPEAKER_00
The next dude is the it thing.
3
SPEAKER_00
And then you hit your apex of that, right?
3
SPEAKER_00
You can t ride that forever.
3
SPEAKER_00
Right.
3
SPEAKER_00
Now you have to make sure that people understand that you are something that s consistent and it s still worth value.
3
SPEAKER_00
It s a very interesting space in this town.
3
SPEAKER_00
So you have to kind of, you know, that s why, you know, like for me, like doing the neighborhood, doing a television show, end up being a smart move as opposed to,
3
SPEAKER_00
struggling to continue to try to be a movie star.
3
SPEAKER_00
Really?
3
SPEAKER_00
Right, you know, because I had a bunch of movies and the movies did okay.
3
SPEAKER_00
Some of them did great and then some of them were hits.
3
SPEAKER_00
But if you do like just all right, then it s hard.
3
SPEAKER_00
They start to say, well, yeah, let s go to the new dude, right?
3
SPEAKER_00
Because movies is a kind of a hit thing.
3
SPEAKER_00
Television is consistent, you re on.
3
SPEAKER_00
And so, you know, there s a strategy for me.
3
SPEAKER_00
It s like, I did that wisely, and I did it for my kids.
3
SPEAKER_00
It was a couple, because movies took you everywhere.
3
SPEAKER_00
We were shooting.
3
SPEAKER_00
You re gone for three months at a time, yeah.
3
SPEAKER_00
In Prague, you re in Australia, you re everywhere.
3
SPEAKER_00
And it was fun when you re young, but you know, and then when my kids were young, because they were young enough, but when they started getting school age and got schedules, then you know, now you go three months, four months,
3
SPEAKER_00
You re missing out on a lot of life.
3
SPEAKER_00
You re missing out on a lot of the world.
3
SPEAKER_00
You come home, and they re like, I m sorry, sir, can I help you?
3
SPEAKER_01
They don t recognize you anymore, yeah.
3
SPEAKER_00
I m your dad.
3
SPEAKER_01
Of course.
3
SPEAKER_00
Please, go to your room.
3
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, they block my son, blocking me now.
3
SPEAKER_01
Sure.
3
SPEAKER_01
So the goal was when I m
3
SPEAKER_01
what I think I m hearing you say is the goal is, okay, let me transition from one thing to the next.
3
SPEAKER_01
And movies was kind of the apex opportunity for a comedian, I guess, right?
3
SPEAKER_01
Movies and TV.
3
SPEAKER_01
But movies was kind of like, all right, if you re in the movies, that s the biggest thing.
3
SPEAKER_01
And what I m hearing you say is, if you re not riding it high consistently, or the next hottest thing constantly growing up,
3
SPEAKER_01
then for you is like, well, let s try to make sure that TV, I can get the consistent gauge for my lifestyle, my family, but also to really stay, I don t wanna use the term relevant, but worthy of being in the industry at this high level consistently, right?
3
SPEAKER_00
Is that accurate?
3
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, yeah.
3
SPEAKER_00
It became a smarter strategy because becoming a TV star, you re in homes every week.
3
SPEAKER_00
And you re in the home.
3
SPEAKER_00
People go to the theater, which is kind of, you know, Denzel kind of explained that really great, and I thought that was really wise.
3
SPEAKER_00
When somebody sees you on a 100-foot screen, you re a big deal.
3
SPEAKER_00
You know, when I come into your home, I m a family member.
3
SPEAKER_00
So it s the thing of like, you know, people seeing you and actually feeling like they know you already.
3
SPEAKER_00
And I get that reaction a lot, you know.
3
SPEAKER_00
Somebody can just be doing their thing and they look over and they be like, said.
3
SPEAKER_00
And they ll say it like I m their man.
3
SPEAKER_00
And I ll be like, what s up?
3
SPEAKER_00
They ll be like, no, I don t know you, I just know you.
3
SPEAKER_00
But the way they said it, you re like, oh, okay.
3
SPEAKER_00
But it s that real familiar nature of you sitting in your own living room and this person is a part of it, right?
3
SPEAKER_01
Is there a different energy to when someone sees you as a movie star versus when someone sees you as a TV star?
3
SPEAKER_01
Oh, for sure, yeah.
3
SPEAKER_01
Really?
3
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, yeah.
3
SPEAKER_01
Where it s more of like, they feel like they know you, you re part of the family when you re on TV versus movie.
3
SPEAKER_01
It s more of like shock and awe when you see them.
4
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, the movie energy is way bigger for some reason.
4
SPEAKER_00
It s more of the kind of screams and pandemonium energy, you know?
4
SPEAKER_00
Gasps.
4
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, like it s a little more shocking, I feel like, you know?
4
SPEAKER_00
And you react that way a lot, you know?
4
SPEAKER_00
Even as a human being, you can react that way to people that you see in a movie.
4
SPEAKER_00
Like, they just kind of like, you know?
4
SPEAKER_00
I saw Ewan McGregor one time, and I was like,
4
SPEAKER_00
Really?
4
SPEAKER_00
Yeah.
4
SPEAKER_00
Oh, hey, man.
4
SPEAKER_00
What s up, dog?
4
SPEAKER_00
Really?
4
SPEAKER_00
You had to play it off, though, what it was like.
4
SPEAKER_00
Because you re watching the film, and the film just seems like they re really far away.
4
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And I mean, I m in the industry, but it s one of these things, like when that person right up on you, it just caught me totally different.
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I was like, yo, man.
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But you see a TV star, and you know them, they feel familiar, and you kind of talk to them in a more familiar way.
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It s just a different experience you re having with them.
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You re at home, you re watching them in the bed, you re watching them on the TV.
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On the toilet.
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You re watching them on your phone on the toilet.
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You re going to the bathroom.
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I mean, hey, Paul Giamatti, what s up, man?
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I m a big fan.
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I m a big fan of Billions, bro.
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What s up?
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Billions is great.
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I love that show.
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He does amazing in that show.
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Yeah, he s one of those great dudes that, again, you saw him in movies early on, but again, made some really cool transitional moves to see as an actor.
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That s what I love about
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the space nowadays with both streaming and the way it s done, you don t have to be locked into either.
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It used to be a time, if you re gonna be a movie star, you can t be a TV star.
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SPEAKER_00
Really?
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Yeah, you can t be both.
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Movie stars needed to stay movie stars, but now great actors can find a really good movie they love, and then they can also find a really great character on television.
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SPEAKER_00
You know such as like what we re talking about yeah and run that and be like y all and you can be just as beloved and just a big deal and so you know I you know I think I can t even think in the listening Brian I loved it the character on a succession the dad s incredible.
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But, you know, like, I mean, he was a big movie dude and he had that brand, but Old Succession is where you see him go like now.
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That man is, that dude can get down.
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That s acting right there, baby.
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It s incredible.
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Speaking of fame, what have you learned about fame over the last 30 years?
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You know, you ve ridden the wave of fame for 30 years in different stages and seasons and heights.
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Yeah.
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What has fame taught you and what do you think people don t understand about fame who want to be famous?
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That s a good one right there.
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I mean for me probably is the false sense of
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Finance, fame gives you.
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Fame makes you think you re rich.
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You re not, you know, like you can be famous and don t have the money to back it up.
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And be broke.
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Yeah, so I think that s one of the real things that I feel like, and I saw that kind of early on with people I thought was famous when I first started to kind of get into the business.
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And you thought, you knew that they were famous, but then you saw the financial side and you realize,
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Like, oh, I believed that you were all of these things, not realizing that your fame can get you caught up because you think that that is enough.
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To be famous is enough to take care of everything else.
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And so you do have to understand that inside the fame, you gotta go to work.
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You gotta be humble.
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You gotta have connections.
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You gotta stay busy.
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You gotta stay aggressive.
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You gotta still strategize about who you are.
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And you can t give your fame over
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to the machine, that s the other thing.
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What does that mean?
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This is, most people, they kind of work very hard to build their careers.
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You know, as a stand-up, you build your stand-up, you travel, you do a rap, what I did, you go to all these clubs, you puzzle, you grind, and then I get one TV show, and I believe that the agents, the managers, the lawyers in the town,
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No me better than I know me from and I should give it up I give it I give it over to the machine don t get me started on the right.
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Yeah this is like you trust him cuz you guys are the expert I know you like a dog and if you add any little pop in a.
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and they were a part of it in any way, then they make you think it was because of them.
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And now you don t do your part anymore.
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You show up as the commodity, not as this thing that s there to do the work, to build it up, to shape it.
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So only great creators and people who really grind.
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You ll see people that s able to do a number of things and that comes from their hustle.
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That s what I would say for me.
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I m stand up, I m movies, I m television, I did Broadway, I write books.
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I m not gonna be in your box, bro.
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I m not in none of those boxes.
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I can do it all.
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I do side businesses.
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I m an entrepreneur.
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I m not sitting around like counting on that I m famous so and even just saying okay I only do TV and and yeah TV s gonna be around forever for me right it s gonna get a show or I think a lot of people can get stuck in that if they re not willing to
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not diversify, but have other projects going on as well than that main thing also.
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Yeah, no, for sure.
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And I think that that s important.
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And you put family on top of all of that, too.
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Like, I got a great family.
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I ve been married, well, coming about 24 years, got kids, wonderful, good house, good life, good wife, all of those things, good friends.
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All those things are important to the ecosystem.
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And so fame can oftentimes make you feel like all those people
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Oh, to be a part of that.
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Really?
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Yeah, you know, I mean, you ve seen it, you know, it s kind of a very telltale Hollywood story when people get extra famous, they started to kind of believe it s all them.
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But that s what kind of thing will lead to friends and family or the person both.
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Yeah, the person usually believes is all them.
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And then the
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friends and family have to fit into that.
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And if they don t, then that s why divorce is big and that s why kids are all separated and don t know your dads.
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It s a very Hollywood tale.
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How have you navigated that?
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Obviously being from the Midwest I think might have helped support you with those roots and the values that you grew up with, but how have you stayed happily married,
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have kids that are grown and still want to be in your life and like you.
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And also navigated, I m assuming, that for 30 years there have been people and friends and family who said, I want money, I need this, give me this, I deserve this now.
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How have you navigated those elements of friends and family maybe wanting something from you at different times and you just being okay with all of it or navigating that?
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Yeah, I think, you know, again, it s a combination of being honestly, you know, being, you know, true to who you are.
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Kind of go back to that Steve Harvey, you know, untrust that part.
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Like, so, you know, people got to earn and they got to, you know, they got to earn their space around me.
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So, you know, you know, yes, is there some, you know, benevolent behavior for, you know, certain family members that you just,
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take care of and love and give it to them.
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But most people, you want them to learn to be self-sufficient and independent.
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And if they re gonna be a part of this, they gotta truly come in and contribute.
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And so find a space for that.
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Earn it.
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Show me something.
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Add value.
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And if you can add value, then good.
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We ll figure out how to make that work.
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And I think that that kind of goes on all around.
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Again, you kind of say that to your kids.
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Y all wake up every day, y all got this beautiful home, you got all these things.
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What do y all bring to the table?
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Really?
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What y all do?
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Y all just keep... So good grades is a part of your thing.
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Being a kind person, that s a part of what you offer to the family.
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you don t do none of that, you re gonna be a jerk, you re gonna be mean to people, then you re gonna have to have a talk with me.
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So what is your contribution until you become an adult, until you get a skill set or something you love where you can start earning money?
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I got a scholarship program and I tell the kids, my scholarships are loans.
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Like, you know what I m saying?
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Yes, you can go to school, but like, if you quit, I want my money back.
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Wow.
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It s a joke, but that s what I do.
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But I say that to let people know there s no real free money.
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Like, people can take that attitude.
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if I do something for you and you decide like, ah, I m not gonna do it, then, you know, hey.
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Should be the funny package.
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Yeah, run that back.
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Again, you don t get to just kick it.
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You gotta deliver on something.
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You have a number of things happening right now, which I love about you, because you re multi-talented, you re not just on TV, you re just doing one project, you re creating a lot.
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Flipping Boxcars is the book that is about to drop.
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Can you explain a little bit about this book and why you re deciding to do a book right now?
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Yeah, man.
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So Flipping Boxcars is a novel, and it s a novel loosely based on my machinations of my grandfather that I never met.
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So this is my father s mother who
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I would just, as I started to climb in my career, he would pop in my head sometimes.
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Never met him.
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Never met him.
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He would say things to me, and I could see how he s dressed.
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I knew what he smelled like.
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And he would have these cool sayings about, you know, the suit don t make the man, but it makes the difference.
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You know, you d be like, okay.
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You know, like, you know, it was like,
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And I would wake up and be like, oh, you know, even if it was a daydream, I would just have that and I d write it down.
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I m like, yo, it s so I would have had these for a long time.
5
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And so when I had the opportunity, they asked me, did I want to write a book?
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And I said, I got this novel idea about my grandfather.
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I never met him, but I have these little tidbits.
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I got little stories from my mother, little stories from my uncle, but I see him as a whole character.
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So we created this fictionalized tale and made him the center of it.
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So it s a little true and a fictional tale.
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And that s what Flippin  Boxcars is.
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And it s so much fun, man, because of course I had to go in and dig up some family history, and go back and do some research, and all that was great.
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And then at the same time, get to tell this imaginative story of someone in the 1940s, if he could have been me, he would have been.
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That s basically what I feel is the connection, is that he was a person that,
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you know, the world was totally different.
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He was in a small southern town in Missouri where, you know, as a black man, there s only so much you can do.
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But if he could have literally been who he wanted to be, he would have been his whole self, like me, like a person that s, like, I can t be stopped by nothing, like, and I don t have nobody stopping me, you know?
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So I can literally get up in the morning and try and try to do things and not do things and,
5
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It s on me like nobody s saying say you can t do that so in 1948 1948 1948 we based the story around that uh the fourth of july he used to host this but he was he was a he was a gambler like a famous gambler shooting dice and back in those days dice players were a liken to the
5
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poker players we know today, like how we know famous poker players.
5
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Like then, but dice players were known, people knew these guys, you know, Blackie Johnson and Babe Boyce, they were known, like they would be on Billboard, like on the flyers that you stick on the light pole, like that, and said, they re coming to town to gamble, you know, like so.
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So my grandpa was one of those guys.
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He also had a business with my grandmother.
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They had a cafe in this place called the Sportsman Hall that also had a big banquet room in the back that they would turn into a casino certain nights of the week.
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And then he was friends with the sheriff.
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And these were real things.
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And so I took that whole story and made a caper.
5
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And so Flippin  Boxcars is about dice.
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A pair of sixes is considered the boxcar.
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And then on the dice, it s a
5
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whiskey caper going on because they re moving liquor.
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He and his partner, the sheriff, are doing this big caper and they have to do it with the trains.
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So the boxcars on the train.
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So you flip the boxcars.
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It s an old little thing that s going on.
5
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And so it s a great story.
5
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We had so much fun writing it.
5
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And HarperCollins, Amistad and HarperCollins is putting it out.
5
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September 12th, people go check it out.
5
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And it was special and a real great journey for me to allow that kind of creative to come out.
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That is beautiful.
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It s interesting, it reminds me of my great-great-grandfather wrote a book about, wrote just the history of his life, and we have it in a book format.
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I think like 20 people have read it in our family, but I have this
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historical data of what life was like back in the early 1900s from a grandfather s perspective.
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And it makes me want to go back and read through this and really dig in and see what his perspective was.
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So I appreciate you doing that.
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But I want people to get the book, Flipping Boxcars.
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We ll have it linked up.
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We ll put a graphic up.
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Make sure you guys grab a few copies of that for some friends.
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That s really cool, man.
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I m glad you re doing that.
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You ve also got a show on A&E called Kings of Barbecue.
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I love the nod to Kings of Comedy, but amazing stuff.
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So people can watch that Saturday nights on A&E.
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It s all barbecue related stuff.
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You ve got an amazing brand also out there called AC Barbecue, which is in Walmart and I think going to be in other places soon as well.
5
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Sauces, rubs, more things.
5
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So look for AC Barbecue.
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I think it s a brilliant thing, you know, that you re matching
5
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media and your own business and brand, which I think is brilliant, that you re not just thinking, I m a talent and I m just going to do talent work.
5
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But you re building businesses, you re building products, you re adding value to your community and extending and using media to promote these things.
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I think it s really smart how you ve
5
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strategized your career and your business mindset through the process.
5
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It s really impressive.
5
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And you also have, you re in the sixth season of The Neighborhood, which you re, I believe you re an executive producer on the show as well, which is hilarious.
5
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I think I told you, I used to, I used to do CrossFit with Max like 10 years ago, almost for like every day.
5
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Funny guy.
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This is probably like just a tenth of what you re doing, but it s amazing everything that you re up to.
5
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So I want people to check out Flipping Boxcars.
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You can order that now.
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I want you to check out Kings of Barbecue if you want to laugh and see barbecue on a Saturday night, A&E, and then The Neighborhood.
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Yeah, man.
5
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We can t get enough of you, man.
5
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Yeah, let s go.
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I m out here, man.
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I m outside.
5
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You got so much other great stuff, but where can we follow you just to see everything else you work?
5
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Yeah, yeah, you follow me, you know, my IG is said the entertainer.
5
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You look for the blue check down on IG and I am Cedric is my website that kind of has everything.
5
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And then I, you know, and I know that, you know, I m on Facebook and Twitter and all the, all those places.
5
SPEAKER_00
But your website and Instagram are kind of like the main place.
5
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Yeah, and that s what I mainly rock with.
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Okay, Sedley and Internet.
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Internet, yeah.
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IamCedric.com as well.
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We ll have all the stuff linked up.
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Yeah, it has all the other links to everything.
5
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Amazing, man.
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We ll make sure to link all the stuff in the show notes too, but this is powerful.
5
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I ve got two final questions for you.
5
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This is a question I ask everyone towards the end of my interviews called the three truths.
5
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So it s a hypothetical scenario, hypothetical question.
5
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Imagine you get to live as long as you want.
5
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As long as you want.
5
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And you get to continue to live your life the way you envision it.
5
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Family, friends, career, it all goes the way you want.
5
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But for whatever reason, in this hypothetical scenario, it s the last day on Earth for you.
5
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You gotta turn the lights off.
5
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And you can t leave anything behind that you ve created.
5
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So, flipping boxcars, any other book, this interview, Kings of Comedy, all the TV shows you ve done and gonna do, the movies, for whatever reason, they re gone.
5
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But you get to leave behind three lessons to the world.
5
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So without having access to your content anymore, you get to leave behind three final truths.
5
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This is all we would have to remember you by.
5
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What would be those three lessons you would leave behind, or those three truths, for the world?
5
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Oh, man.
5
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I think that, well, nobody can be you but you.
5
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So trust that your DNA is necessary, is an individual thing, and that it is
5
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It s a reason to be.
5
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You re you.
5
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Trust that part.
5
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Be a good citizen.
5
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I think that we just live in a space where civility, understanding, sensitivity to others, what their circumstances are,
6
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is super important.
6
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If I can give you that as a citizen, you just, you live and I m civil, we good.
6
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Don t come over here with your nonsense, I won t come over there with mine.
6
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And then, you know, laugh, man.
6
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Laugh, man.
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Just try to get a good laugh, yeah.
6
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That s it, find a way to laugh, man, at life and find joy.
6
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Those are the things I think are really important, man.
6
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You can have those moments, they lift you and they help you rise, they heal you.
6
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They always say laughter s a good medicine, but really, that good laugh is one of those things that can really change the trajectory
6
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I m on a rainy day, on a sad day, on anything, so figure out how to get you a good laugh, man.
6
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Those are good truths, I love that.
6
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Before I ask the final question, Cedric, I wanna acknowledge you for a moment, like I did in the beginning, for, man, you showed up for, again, the St.
6
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Louis community, you showed up for the country in so many different ways, you bring healing energy through your entertainment, your laughter, your ability to be creative,
6
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and bringing people together through your way of being.
6
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So I just wanna acknowledge you for your consistency.
6
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I don t think people realize how challenging it is to show up at the level you do for 30 plus years.
6
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And do it with a good heart, a kindness to you, a good energy, a consistent creativity to you.
6
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So I really wanna acknowledge you for being a leader in this entertainment world
6
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in comedy and beyond the way you ve done it.
6
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It s been really inspiring to grow up watching you, to know you now, and to see you continue to thrive.
6
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That s right.
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Big up, man.
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I acknowledge you, man.
6
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I acknowledge you.
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That was big.
6
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My final question, what s your definition of greatness?
6
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Definition of greatness, man.
6
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That s a really interesting one, man, because I think you have to, I think my definition of greatness would be to be excellent,
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and then one step past that.
6
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So be as excellent, as proficient, be as unique as you can as a person, as an individual, and then
6
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To be great, you gotta somehow step right past that.
6
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And you know, it s a thing that s, so that means that even when you are excellent, when you are at the top, that you ve decided that I can actually put something else in the world that everybody else can now aspire to, the line has changed.
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And that s what greatness is.
6
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It moves the line.
6
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It moves the line up to where now we gotta keep going, because if we all right here, that s dope, we re killing it.
6
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But that one person that did that, you like, oh, I didn t even know we can go there.
6
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And then you keep doing it, and now that s what greatness brings about.
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I hope today s episode inspired you on your journey towards greatness.
6
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Make sure to check out the show notes in the description for a rundown of today s show with all the important links.
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And if you want weekly exclusive bonus episodes with me as well as ad free listening experience, make sure to subscribe to our greatness plus channel on apple podcast.
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If you enjoyed this, please share it with a friend over on social media or text a friend, leave us a review over on Apple podcast, and let me know what you learned over on our social media channels at Lewis Howes.
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I really love hearing the feedback from you and it helps us continue to make the show better.
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And if you want more inspiration from our world-class guests and content to learn how to improve the quality of your life, then make sure to sign up for the Greatness Newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox over at greatness.com slash newsletter.
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And if no one has told you today, I want to remind you that you are loved, you are worthy, and you matter.
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And now it s time to go out there and do something great.