If
you Google Clinton Jackson in the image search, you'll find a lot of Jackson...Bill
Clinton and Jesse Jackson! Well, you know where I have found Mr. Clinton's
face? I've seen him in an Old Navy commercial, Dharma and Greg, Cybil,
and on Comedy Central Presents as well as a number of other television
spots.
Clinton is a genuine comic who doesn't have to put in a lot of trash mouth to make his audience laugh. He's a warm and friendly gentleman who I took some time with and found him just as hilarious off-stage as on.
Clinton, I could have sworn I saw you on "Comic View", but it turned out it wasn't you...do you get mistaken a lot for other comics?
Actually, I’ve done a fair amount of stand-up on TV, including my own half hour special on Comedy Central “Comedy Central Presents: Clinton Jackson” (it’s in rotation. check your Tivo :), but not on Comic View. I’ve had people tell me they’ve seen me on Comic View before and I don’t know if there's just some other guy that looks like me or if it’s just that all the comedy just begins to run together after a while. It happens after shows too. People are leaving the show and on the way out they mention something you said and it was actually something that someone else on the show said. It’s an easy mistake to make. I’ve done it too. Just think of how many times Emmanuel Lewis has had people come up to him and say “what chu talkin’ ‘bout, Willis?!”
Why have you chosen to do clean comedy?
I work from where I live… and I live in the amazing grace of The Lord Jesus Christ. So for me working clean is just a continuation of how I want my entire life to honor Him.
When did you first realize you were funny?
I don’t ever remember not being funny. I remember always saying things that would make my mother laugh and then I’d hear her on the phone telling other people what I had said. That made me feel great. Plus I was always fascinated by the structure of comedy. Meaning, I knew comedy had to have design and performance to it to work correctly. Comedy was always like magic to me. I understood the skill that it took to do it and that if done well, in the end people would enjoy the outcome. Even as a little child I thought this way. Deep, huh?
Who are your major influences?
Early on I was influenced by all sorts of sitcoms such as “I Love
Lucy”, “Green Acres”, and
“The Andy Griffith Show”. These shows made me laugh and feel
affection for the characters. I knew it was just TV but I liked seeing
people who had so much funny stuff in their lives. It seemed that no matter
what else was going on a little humor made everything better. So I felt
it was my calling to bring comedy to the world around me. Other influences
included my mother’s Bill Cosby and Flip Wilson records. I’d
lie on the floor in front of the hi-fi listening to the craftsmanship
of those masters and feel as happy as a clam. I’ve always loved
good story telling.
Who encouraged you to pursue a career in stand up?
Before I began to perform on stage I was encouraged by every single person who ever laughed at something I said or did. No one had to tell me I should do comedy. I already knew that. People’s responses to what I did naturally just fueled the fire. As I moved into actualizing my pursuit my mother was very supportive. And all along the people close to me have been amazingly supportive. As I see it, I’m really made up of all the people who have laughed along the way. I keep all of that right here (I said as I pointed to my heart).
When and where was your first show? Any disasters?
I used to do little comedy bits at school for my classmates and even did jokes for “Show & Tell”. But my first foray onto the stand up stage came in my native Oakland, CA. where I did an open mic in a little room with about 15 people in it. It went pretty well and it felt natural to me. I came back next week and couldn’t pull it off with quite the same success. Ouch. I was shook but kept coming back and growing each week.
As far as any disasters… there’s never been anything I wasn’t able to walk away from. There will always be a drunken loud mouth in the crowd on occasion that tries to hijack the show and ruin everyone’s evening. But between me knowing how to verbally outdance those people and the club’s management that will discreetly intervene should the outburst persist, those instances are nothing but bumps in the road. It’s funny, I saw some footage of a lady in a circus who was tied to a spinning wheel while a guy threw knives at her and I thought about how much fun could that lady possibly be having at her gigs. My worse day is better than her best day.
Where
is your favorite place to perform?
My favorite place to perform is on a moonlit path in an enchanted forest with timid creatures of the night watching with glowing eyes with their chirps and squeals and growls going up into the cool air and falling to my soul like dew to the velvety green moss and a near by brook babbles gingerly as though the earth itself is laughing aloud.
uh…actually, I’m from Oakland and my favorite place to perform would have to be the at home in the Bay Area. Like homegirl said in the Wizard of Oz, “there’s no place like home”.
We’ve seen you in TV Shows, Commercials, and on tour. What’s your next step? Is the big picture calling?
At the moment all my likely prospects lie in my stand-up appearances and TV stuff. However, from time to time do I get film auditions. It’s common knowledge that movies are the highest rung of the acting and comedy worlds, and of course I’d love to see my big ol’ head on the big ol’ screen someday. But I must say that for me, personally, the highest level of artistic achievement is when I’m doing my live stand-up shows. Of all the show biz work I’ve done nothing compares to a live stand-up show. Stand-up is the truest part of me as an artist and other bigger, more high profile projects are just building blocks for my stand-up career.
What will 2006 bring for Clinton Jackson?
Hmmm… what will 2006 bring? Well, that’s the beauty of the business… you never know what’s around the corner. Opportunities are always coming and going. I won’t give you the standard double talk show biz answer about what “projects I’m currently considering”. The most concrete thing I can say is that I will continue to deepen myself as an artist and promote myself through my website, clintonjackson.com and my live appearances. Beyond that it’s a great mysterious adventure that will someday be told around campfires and water coolers.
I hear you really like Halloween…any favorite costumes you want to share?
My favorite costume was when me and my wife went to her Halloween party at work as Mary Kate and Ashley Olson. That was fun! It was good to get in touch with my inner Mary Kate. And I think with the costume I captured her essence. There are pictures at clintonjackson.com. Actually, what I like about Halloween is making fun of it. I have a bit about it on my CD, “Clinton Jackson; ‘Nuff Said”. And I love when somebody comes up with a costume that they think is sooooo clever but nobody gets it when they look at it and so the person has to explain it every time someone else looks at them. “Well, my costume represents the hypocrisy in the main stream media”. It’s like “whatever, weirdo. Just hand out some candy and shut up.”
If you would like to learn more about Clinton Jackson you can visit his website: www.clintonjackson.com
or you can check his stand-up dates and go see him live! Trust me, you'll laugh your butt off!