LAVELL CRAWFORD

Mainstream television viewers may know the corpulent comedian from last season of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. But this 18-year comedy veteran is no overnight success. With his sights on Hollywood and a new Comedy Central special airing Feb. 22, Lavell Crawford is about to take an even bigger bite out of the national stand-up scene.

By Emma Kat Richardson

The yuppies had Johnny Carson, the eccentrics had Robin Williams, and now, the overweight individuals of America have a new comedic voice to represent them: Lavell Crawford.

Proving that big is not only beautiful but funny as hell, too, this notable stand-up performer has been touring the comedy circuit for the past 18 years. Crawford is perhaps best known as the runner-up on the most recent season of Last Comic Standing; Comedian Jon Reep took home top honors. Nonetheless, being on the NBC show each week was a career – and life – changing experience which brought him from the underground, urban comedy crowd into the homes of millions of mainstream audience members.

On Feb. 22, Comedy Central will air his first solo stand-up special: not bad for the former chubby Boy Scout. Checking in from Tampa, Fl., Crawford reflects on stardom, the “fat experience,” and merit badges.

Who are your influences, both in comedy and life in general?
Well in life, it was most definitely my grandfather and my mother. My grandfather was my father figure, and my mother and I grew up together. She was a young mother when she had me and my sisters but she also stuck by me and did all the motherly duties she was supposed to do. But she’s also one of my biggest fans.

So obviously she’s proud of what your career in comedy has become.
I’m pretty sure she is. She was afraid at first because I had a short temper; I would jump out and beat somebody up when they didn’t laugh [laughs]. I had a guy I used to go on the road with named Danny O’Day: he’s old-school; he wore a suit and tie and did clean humor for nursing homes and VFW halls, and taught me the aspects of being a performer.

As far as other influences, you have Redd Foxx, Richard Pryor, Robin Harris, Rodney Dangerfield, Sam Kinison, and some of these newer guys like Pablo Francisco, and you know, guys like that that I really enjoy. There’s Bernie Mac, who’s never changed his ways still after being brought into Hollywood, and I respect that.

So these are comics you used to watch as a kid?
Redd Foxx used to make my granddaddy laugh, and that’s why I loved him so much. And Rodney Dangerfield, he was such a character, man, and everybody loved old Rodney. Yeah, I watched all those shows.

What types of experiences from your childhood have helped shape your comedic style?
I guess being a chubby kid, I was always trying to be clever enough to keep the bigger kids from beating up on me. I also tried to get with girls by making them laugh. And if I said something that wasn’t funny, they didn’t like me no more. “You’re not making me laugh!” “Well, I’ll take your dolls!” [laughs].

Was being funny fueled by a desire to be accepted by the popular kids?
No, not really. I didn’t know who the heck was popular, but it wasn’t me. I couldn’t afford no Camaro. I had a Ford Pinto, but everyone seemed to ride with me. I played football and everything, but I didn’t consider myself one of the in-crowd. I didn’t really care; I just wanted to be by myself anyway, but it seemed like people were just drawn to me.

Where do you see yourself fitting into the current stand up comedy landscape?
Where do I fit in? Only in the big and tall section. I guess you could consider me a character more or less. People emulate me and copy me – not as far as stealing my stuff – but people like to talk like me and use my voice, so I guess I’m one of those character comics.

You discuss the issues of race and weight a lot in your routine. How do you differentiate your act from other comedians who delve into the same issues?
I only talk about what I know, primarily, and I try not to touch on a subject that I don’t know. A lot of comics will talk about the same thing, but they try to talk about it like they know what they’re talking about. I put it in my perspective as in, “When I was in school, this is what happened.” I try to share my part.

You have a bit where you discuss airline regulations after 9/11. How much do topical and news references influence your act as opposed to personal experiences?
I fly so much that I’ve experienced at the forefront, what goes on in airports. I see every airport never able to make up their minds on what they want: three ounces of lotion ain’t gonna cover nothing on my body. Take off your shoes, leave your shoes on, take off your sweater.

I was at the airport the other day, and I had on a jacket suit, the kind with the hood on it, and I ain’t got nothing under it but a t-shirt, and the security guard said that I had to take it off, and I said, ‘You know what? One of these days, I’m going to wa - Punchline Magazine