Denny Live

18 Apr 2008

Beef, Groupies, Gangs, Drugs, Money and back stabbing. It might sound like a script out of The Sopranos or even the everyday grind of the music industry, but this is the real time life and struggles of surviving in the harsh game of Comedy. And for 31 year old Denny Live, It’s all in a days work...

Badnews: How did you get into comedy?

Denny Live: I started out in ’99 in Philly at the Laugh House doing open mic shows, I done a lot of Improv too.

Badnews: Ok. Now being a comedian is one of the hardest professions in the world. What does it take to survive in this business?

Denny Live: Stage Presence is a must. There are a lot of things that can throw you off like money and groupies so you got to stay focused.

Badnews: Now you been on various comedy specials and television shows, but what’s the most recognizable thing that we all know you from?

Denny Live: Coming to the Stage and the Apollo. But what I’m really waiting for is Def Comedy Jam; that’s like the super bowl for comedians. There holding auditions and this will be my 20th time there seeing me. They told me that I'm doing a lot of things and they said they want the people to have a chance to forget about me for a minute, which I don’t understand but I’m just trying to get on Def Jam now. So hopefully Bob Sumner the producer can do something for me.

Badnews: Well good luck with that for real. Now I understand that you’re nominated for comedian of the year at the Philadelphia Hip Hop Awards, what’s good with that?

Denny Live: Yeah, right now I’m nominated and I’m doing things in Philly but you can go online and vote. I know a lot of people voted. Its funny a lot of people expect Philly to be funny, so I got to step my game up… I always got to step my game up. (Laughs)

Badnews: Did you go online yet to check out how many votes you have so far?

Denny Live: I’m too nervous to look (Laughs). If you go on youtube and my myspace page you can see a commercial I did to ask for your vote. So please cast a vote and check it out.

Badnews: No doubt, ill definitely will vote. Now growing up in Philly did you always aspire to become a comedian?

Denny Live: Not really. Actually I didn’t even want to do it. I had a regular job and I just did it a couple times. The TV people came looking for me. I wanted to do acting and other stuff, but I was sort of pushed in this game and everything just feel into place. I started touring for more exposure—well to make more money (Laughs) with Sommore’ and other comedians. But it’s a lot of work to promote yourself. But the road was practice. There a lot of comedians on TV right now that aren’t ready. There doing sitcoms and their not even that funny. It’s like being a real good high school basketball and everyone telling you you’re hot and then you skip college, go to the pros and your just average.

Badnews: I feel that. Now like I said earlier, it’s one of the craziest professions on the face of the earth. How do you handle the pressure to be funny in front of a crowd and basically just be funny all the time?

Denny Live: Man, I can’t tell you how I handle it but crazy. But I have seen the pressure break a couple guys. They’ll get on stage and bomb then they can’t shake that and get all suicidal. But it’s more than that. There’s a lot of hate along with the pressure. There are a lot of cats that haven’t been discovered yet and there getting hated on. Plus there’s a lot of beef. Especially with L.A. comedians. I lived in L.A. and those dudes have a lot more animosity towards East Coast comedians because we shine brighter. We all out here basically draw crowds from word of mouth. L.A. cats are too Hollywood. They have to worry about managers, agents and there acting careers, they can’t just focus on being funny. Now, the Midwest is unstoppable. Philly, Chicago and New York are the funniest dudes out, everyone else is just ass. Hearing them is like hearing an amateur rapper at a talent show. But you got to stay grinding and handle the pressure. The comedy bizz is small. These comedians are like chicks; as soon as they hear someone bombed, they get on the phone and tell everybody. I did a show at Taboo in New York and I bombed. As soon as I got to my room, I got a call from my boy in L.A. and he’s telling me how I bombed like 30 minutes ago (Laughs). But I don’t care if I bomb, just give me my check. But don’t get it fucked up, I’m like 75-4. (Laughs)

Badnews: (Laughs) Wow yo! So… damn (Laughs). So why is there so much beef in comedy. for example, not too long ago Katt Williams put out a diss song going hard at these comedians saying there not Q- Dogs and stuff.

Denny Live: See now with Katt that’s serious beef. He’s beefing with Mike Epps. Mike stole some jokes—in this game, stealing jokes is a big problem. You can get hurt stealing jokes. I seen comedians get there ass kicked over stealing jokes. Not like punched up, but stomped out over stealing jokes (Laughs). Katt and - http://www.hiphopruckus.com

1 Dec 2006

“Everybody has to start somewhere,” says comedian Denny Live of his early days in comedy. He’s positioned
behind a desk in the small basement studio of Stone Room Entertainment—a multi-faceted, independent
management company he happens to co-own with his manager and partner, Eddie Jones. “Just because you
can make the guys you hang out with laugh, it’s different when you have to make a whole bunch of people who
don’t know you laugh. I would say the first seven months, I wasn’t making anybody laugh and I was actually
getting booed everywhere I went.”
Although at the time, Denny was just 26 and didn’t have anywhere else to go and nothing else to do. He was
back at home living with his mom after just getting out of the service and was making plans to just get a regular
working 9 to 5. It was actually a comedic role he played in, in an independent movie that jump started his
comedy career.
“It just snuck up on me. I wasn’t concerned with comedy at all because it’s kind of unstable. I wanted to be an
actor,” he says. “Guys who do just comedy, they’re struggling out there. If you don’t have a day job, you’ve got to
be on the phone constantly trying to get booked. ”They say those who find success in the end are the ones that went through extreme struggles in the beginning.
For Denny, those struggles started early on. It began when his mom eventually kicked him out of the house,
leaving him with no where else to go but a homeless shelter. He wasn’t there long before they kicked him out
as well, since his often late nights out performing at comedy clubs caused him to miss the shelter’s strict
curfew.
“It was a real struggle,” he says, swiveling in the chair in front of the desk. “The comedians I came in the game
with, we would go in the super market and steal (stuff) and then take it back to the crib and cook it. You eat
differently when you’re broke.”
In the meantime, Denny was learning the ins-and-outs of comedy from more experienced fellow Philly
comedians, like former mentor TuRae Gordon, and performed in nearly every comedy venue throughout
Philadelphia and New Jersey in the year 2002. But Denny admits that his early routines didn’t always garner
him the room full of side-splitting laughter he’s used to getting today.
“I was always the sometimes dude,” he says, “sometimes I would do good, sometimes I would do bad. I just
wasn’t consistent.”
Like a Tai Bo video, Denny had to step up in order to kick the big doors of opportunity down. The chance he had
been waiting for finally came on BET’s "Comic View," which he remembers as the worst standup routine he’s
probably ever done.
“It wasn’t good, and they aired it sparingly,” he recalls. “Things happened fast and I wasn’t prepared for it, and if
you go on BET and you don’t have a good set, they blacklist you. Not to the point where you’ll never get on the
show again, but they have to see you again in order to put you back on.”
And they did, eventually, after Denny had appeared on Apollo’s “Comedy TKO” and won— twice. Since then,
Denny’s been on BET every year since 2001, including his nine-win run on BET’s "Coming To the Stage," which
he says former president Bob Johnson—after hearing some negative press about a few police-involved
altercations—was reluctant to put him on.
Those altercations, in part he explained, are from comedy beefs that seem to exist in a seedy underworld
between comedians that spark from things like stolen joke material or disputes on which coast or city is the
best. Much like the current beefs between rappers, or the infamous east coast–west coast rap war nearly a
decade ago, Denny says comedy, aside from the laughter, is a very competitive game. So much in fact that his
beef with another comedian from D.C., who he openly confronted through his MySpace page, has caused
Denny and his former mentor TuRae Gordon to lose a very close relationship that Denny admits was very hurtful.
But life goes on, and Denny keeps himself quite busy with his appearances for shows (that have already
included Diddy’s Bad Boy Presents, and a future spot on HBO’s "Def Comedy Jam"); the management of other
comedians and artists with Stone Room Entertainment; focusing on his aspiring acting career (“I’m a much
better actor than I am comedian...I’m like Denzel with my sh*t”); and working on new comedic material–which he
says is inspired by family, friends and “people I just watch around me do some really strange stuff.”
“I’m really out to prove that I’m next,” he says. “It’s not to take anything away from anybody else, but I can act and
do comedy. When a lot of other comedians are like ‘He ain’t that funny,’ a lot of other people think so. So
apparently, I pulled that acting job off real heavy.” And I say job well done.

Michael Letterlough Jr.
- www.suavvmagazine.com

As most of you know Denny Live! is my big brother from another mother and father. I actually had the pleasure of being in his wedding. Some would say I am to “blame” FOR him getting married. Denny always has interesting stories….here is an event that unfolded while he was on stage. Thank you Wise Rebel Films. Obama Comedy/ Fight at the Comedy Show He is right though….if you are in a small town why da hayle are you cheating? The funny thing is the show took a back seat to the fight! Possible Related Posts May 2, 2008 — Its Denny Live’s Birthday (0)

Link: http://qrazy.vodpod.com/pod/tag/337565/denny%20live%20fight
- http://www.vodpod.com

Relationship Status:
Married

About Me:
THE BEST COMEDIAN TO EMERGE FROM PHILADELPHIA'S STAND UP COMEDY SCENE IN THE LAST DECADE...PERIOD!

Website:
http://FACEBOOK.COM/DENNYLIVE

What city and state do you live in?
NORTH PHILLY ERIE AVE.

What is your field of interest?
Writer, Actor, Comedian, Producer, Director, Promoter, A&R, Networking

How Did You Here About The Entertainment Circle?
DUTCH FROM MAJOR FIGGAS
- THE ENTERTAINMENT CIRCLE

Source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/04/prweb118633.htm

"Denny Live"

The multi talented "Denny Live" has conquered the comedy scene and is currently one of the most requested comedians in Philadelphia. With many upscale performances under his belt, this dynamic and spontaneous young comedian lights up the stage with his quick wit, boyish charm, and dazzling stage presence. Bursting with energy, he captivates his audience with a unique style, creating very funny, true to life stand up comedy. Among his many accomplishments, Denny Live has two (2) film credits, the latest being the starring role in the 2001 Independent Film release "Creepin".

DENNY "LIVE" is a rising star who continues to achieve notoriety by keeping audiences laughing across the east coast. Whether it's a first appearance or a return engagement, the hilarious comedic styling of "DENNY LIVE" will leave you with a highly favorable, lasting impression. - Press Release Newswire