Earthquake.Patrice Oneal still think dude would have stayed underground he despised Hollywood. Fucked up how his fam is dogging his fine azz wife
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Which Black Comedian are you surprised didn't become more successful?
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Comedy in itself is just not as lucrative as it was in the past. You really gotta hustle and stay fresh. Some of these cats are still doing routines from 10 years ago! Gotta get out there and get some commercial work and some acting jobs. Most of these cats are probably working regular jobs in between gigs.
Arnez J was the first that came to mind
yeah it was all downhill after Different World
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Sinbad talks Bill Cosby, Arnold Schwarzenegger, 'A Different World,' defying stereotypes in Hollwood
LINT, MI -- David "Sinbad" Adkins earned his stripes as a comedian and actor decades ago with HBO specials and roles on "The Cosby Show," "A Different World," and the blockbuster film "Jingle All The Way" with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
This year, the Benton Harbor native continues to stay busy by voicing a forklift truck in the upcoming animated film "Planes," and writing material for film and TV. Like most comedians, though, he's most at home on the road and on the stage: he tours with a band (he plays guitar, percussion and drums, along with adding comedy to the mix), and he will perform his stand-up routine in Flint at The Whiting on Saturday, Jan. 26. He recently took a break during an Alaskan stop for a performance at a military base to talk to MLive-Flint Journal about the origins of his family-free comedy, defying stereotypes in Hollywood, and working with Cosby and Schwarzenegger.
You do a lot of different things: acting, comedian, voiceover work. Which is your favorite?
Stand up will always be number one. Stand up provides a way for everything else I'm doing. I love doing movies, because it gives me a chance to jump into character. Now I have a band, so I travel with them also. ... We're just straight up funky. We also do comedy with it, so it's comedy and funk. ... We were just fooling around first, trying to figure out what to do with it.
You were on "The Cosby Show." What was it like working with Bill?
That's the man. We talk about, big levels? I don't think there's anyone whose level is anymore. In his prime, him and George Carlin, that's just a different place. In music, if you look at Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder and Prince, I don't think there's anybody that can replace them. There's not a new group that does what they do.
Both of you are known for your family-friendly work. Did you learn a lot from him about how to succeed in that area of comedy?
I never looked at that way. When I started, I was dirty, so it wasn't like I was trying to find a genre to fit in. I just changed it up because my dad came to the show one day, and I changed it. I realized I could talk about more subjects. I think I'm sometimes like a blend between him and Richard Pryor -- I take it right to the edge, and try to talk about the same thing.
What was it like to be on the sets of these shows, during time periods where positive black shows weren't really the norm?
That was a hot time. There was a lot going on in Hollywood, especially black Hollywood. You're talking about the late 80s, early 90s. in music, entertainment and comedy, there was a lot going on. There were a lot of different people fighting different battles, but it was a great time. Then, it just kind of died. Now, they're trying to find it, but I don't know if they can find it. ... I think they think the struggle's over. I was at a high school for black history month, and I heard some of the black students tell me, "We don't need black history month anymore." I'm like, "Really?" It's a whole different generation of kids, and what they see, and what they think is relevant.
Let's face it: this is an era of, if you have no talent, you can be a big star. Reality shows have opened a new door. It used to be that people like that were sitting in the audience. Now, they're on stage.
Who are the most recent people you can think of that actually have that star quality, who are actually able to put on a good show?
There's a lot of comics. There's a guy in Chicago named Damon Williams, who I think is one of the funniest comedians around, and nobody knows who he is. I think he's one of the funniest guys walking -- intelligent, and has something to say. But maybe that's why -- because he's intelligent, and has something to say. Being a singer who can sing gets in the way, right now. We want you to have a character.
What do you think it would take to get people to understand that?
I don't know. All I know is, I have to keep heading forward. You can either be part of the problem, or part of the solution. You just keep doing your thing. Instead of looking at the things you don't like, keep doing the things you do like, and find an audience that digs it.
It's no one path or one subject matter. What you see on TV, what you read in the newspaper, what people talk about while sitting next to you. all of it. It's not hard anymore. [laughs] So much dumb stuff happens, all you can do is turn the TV set on and have your pen and paper.
You were also a character on "A Different World," which was a spin-off of "The Cosby Show." Often, spin-offs don't have an impact like that, but this was a seminal show in black television. Why do you think it was so successful?
It had Bill Cosby's stamp on it. He's a smart man, he knows what he's doing. He found a way to make it funny, but he also made it intelligent. It's not a hard combination, but people don't think they can do it. people don't think they can make it intelligent and funny at the same time, but they just have to figure it out a little bit more. He wouldn't accept the dumbness.
You've said that "A Different World" didn't get the accolades it deserved when it was on the air.
Hollywood hated it, they were almost angry that Bill found a way to do what he did. The audience loved it, but Hollywood never treated it with that type of respect. And they canceled it on a Saturday afternoon. The last episode played on a Saturday afternoon. It built NBC with such a strong block, with Cosby Show and A Different World.
...Young people still watch it, and adults see it. Whether the powers that be dig it or not, you can't stop it. A powerful idea can't be denied. You can't deny, just based on reruns, how strong of a show that was.
Between "A Different World," "The Cosby Show" and "The Sinbad Show," a theme of your career seems to be defying stereotypes. Is it still important to you to define stereotypes in your work now?
Yeah, because you can't let somebody define who you are. I think what's happening now, it's easy to get paid to add to stereotypes. I don't judge somebody why they do what they do. That comes from my father: you never take the easy way out, you take the right way out.
What messes them up is that, you can defy it, and it still makes money. They were freaking out when I did ("The Sinbad Show"), because they thought it wouldn't work. When they canceled the show, they ended up doing an article in Hollywood Reporter saying, "We should have left him alone, because he knew what he wanted to do." Hindsight is not worth anything to anybody. That wasn't just about being a parent, but about the Internet, video games, all these things that they didn't know I was talking about at the time.
You've traveled around the world for stand-up, and had HBO specials. Which performances are you most proud of?
There's some that you never saw. There's one in St. Petersburg, Fla., that was never taped. It was just a crazy show, went for like six hours. That's before anybody knew me. It was just that one moment, that was a perfect story. ... It was just a night, I can't even really explain. It just kept going. And it's always my first one, the "Brain Damage" one I did at Morehouse.
...I never traveled with a bunch of comics. I ndever did the five comics on a comedy show, unless I was at a comedy club. But when I traveled, I never traveled with a bunch of comics because I did two to three-hour shows, so I never needed a bunch of guys.
You also hosted "Showtime At The Apollo." Is that audience all that it's cracked up to be?
That audience, man, either they love you or you don't. When you earn their respect, you can walk with your head up high. Because they do not play. They do not play. ... After doing Showtime At The Apollo, I did my first stand-up show there, and I've been trying to get back there since 1990. So that's why they hired me. I wish I had taped it. .... It was just one of those moments. It's your audience, and they're going with you. This is it; this is why you do what you do.
You also starred in "Jingle All The Way" with Arnold Schwarzenegger. What's the most interesting experience, or most surprising thing to find out about him?
He's funny, man; he was always doing practical jokes. He's always messing with you, you had to watch him. He'll hide your stuff, or a prop that you need, or get you in trouble with the food people by taking your food away. ... He has a trailer with his own weights, and he let my dad hang out and do a workout with him. He was real cool. We gelled, man.
I also read that you went on a United Service Organizations tour with Hillary Clinton and Sheryl Crow?
Yeah, that's when we went to Bosnia. They were putting plywood down in the mud, and soldiers were coming out of the woods. They were just getting into Bosnia, so there was no theater; it was outside. Helicopters dropped me and my brother in, and Hillary and Sheryl Crow went to a different place. We joined up together at the end when we went to Germany.
Having served in the military before, do you feel a bond with the troops you perform for?
Having been in the military, you know what it's like to be in remote bases. You understands the job. ... It's like going back to your hometown, where you know how things work.
Man Sinbad aint never been funny. 
But i agree with Corey Holcombe. He a little too real though. He had that Patrice Oneal syndrome. Chubby dude that called black women out on their bullshit. Kevin Hart is self deprecating and casts himself as the butt of the jokes so they love his ass.
But i agree with Corey Holcombe. He a little too real though. He had that Patrice Oneal syndrome. Chubby dude that called black women out on their bullshit. Kevin Hart is self deprecating and casts himself as the butt of the jokes so they love his ass.
Sinbad had a talk show called Vibe after 'A different world' and two cable tv specials. He did a reunion of the cast of "Cooley High" and "Cornbread, Earl and Me" and a few other movies -- that's BIG when you have your own show and give shine to people you admired as a kid.
I saw Arnez J live and Earthquake live - damn near threw up laughing so hard. Somebody should at least put them on as a recurring character.
I saw Arnez J live and Earthquake live - damn near threw up laughing so hard. Somebody should at least put them on as a recurring character.
What's this about his fam dogging his wife Vonn? What's the story on that?
He performed at our homecoming a few years ago. One of the better storytelling comedians 
exactly who i was gonna say, funny shit cause he described BKLYN to a tee…..perfect routine.
God bless the dead
I agree Sinbad was big but the idea is to sustain your position or at least remain somewhere on the scene. This is where Sinbad really failed. No new albums, tours, movies or sitcoms not even any guest appearances.
I go to alot of comedy shows and notice that many of these cats have drinking problems.The #1 guy on here that comes to mind is Earthquake.To this day, dude was one of the worst headlining comedians i've seen.He was drunk as hell on the stage and was all over the place.I remember a young Asian chick heckled him and he couldn't even put her in her place.A few other people who have seen him complained the same about him.I think the grind of traveling and the pressure to be consistently funny wears on these dudes.
All that said, Patrice O'Neal(RIP) was that dude.He was hilarious.Tony Roberts is funny too.But recycles his jokes too much.
All that said, Patrice O'Neal(RIP) was that dude.He was hilarious.Tony Roberts is funny too.But recycles his jokes too much.
Good one. Couldn't think of his name. I'd also say Lavell Crawford.
My Nigga roger Craig with the dreads
Funny as Niggu
Funny as Niggu
Destrehan
A lot of comics (and artists in general) are tortured souls. They use the pain inside of themselves to help create their art, but at the same time they need to numb this pain so they turn to substance and/or alcohol abuse.
Ted's attitude fucked him up. He was the hottest thing coming out of the first run off DCJ. He was hosting the late night show on NBC but his attitude fucked that up
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#1 reason these guys never broke up: just talking about ghetto topics.
White people (incl club bookers, talent scouts, producers) don't wanna hear that shit. They can't relate to shit they don't know. Watch Eddie in Delirious and Raw, or anything Pryor did in the 70s and 80s. That shit is universal.
White people (incl club bookers, talent scouts, producers) don't wanna hear that shit. They can't relate to shit they don't know. Watch Eddie in Delirious and Raw, or anything Pryor did in the 70s and 80s. That shit is universal.
Sinbad's career started getting in gear just as there was a backlash to "clean" comics..I remember people hating on Sinbad and loving the most profane ignant comics to step on stage.
and how many comedians really sustain like that? do you know how much bill cosby hit and missed before he got the cosby show?
I challenge you to name 5 black comedians from the 60s, 70s 80s to have long sustained high profile careers for longer than 5 years at a time.
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