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I became the storyteller of South Side Chicago. I used an old Kiwi liquid shoe polish as a microphone. I'd go around the house interviewing everybody, telling stupid jokes, doing voices. I mimicked Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis Jr., people on 'Laugh-In,' Flip Wilson.
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Like a lot of black people, I grew up straight po'. Wasn't no question about whether we was po', either. If you really wanted to know, all you had to do was look in our refrigerator.
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I came up in the community center. I used to be physical director of the South Central Community Center in Chicago on 83rd. It's still there. It used to be around there when I was a kid.
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I've never been no superficial cat.
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That's the whole key to anything: Don't be afraid to fail. And Bernie Mac is not afraid to fail.
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You know, every time it comes, every time that light comes on or every time that camera comes on, every time that microphone comes on, the Mac Man seek and destroy.
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The success of my comedy has been not being afraid to touch on subject matters or issues that everyone else is politically scared of.
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Why I was so intrigued with Red Skelton was because he was able to make you cry and laugh and the same time. That was power.
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I want to speak directly to the audience, to say, 'I'm like you - I'm frustrated, I'm not an expert, I don't have a manual on parenting, I make mistakes, I'm selfish too.'
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Black audiences are hard. They always think they're better than you. So you got to come with a little extra to satisfy them.
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Fear is not one of my attributes.
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The one thing about comedy, making it become a part of you, the audience loves it, because you become part of them.