Comedian extraordinaire Dante Williams graces our microphone with uproarious insights into the world of comedy and his personal journey. From his grandmother's influence to his first open mic at Jam, Dante walks us through the highs and lows of his career, offering a dose of humor along the way. But it's not all laughter, as Dante gets candid about the challenges he faces while juggling parenting and bringing down the house on stage.
Delving into the world of parenting, Dante's proficiency extends beyond the comedy stage. His wisdom reverberates as he shares the significance of sowing seeds of success for those around him while being a beacon for his children. We also take a trip down Dante's comedy memory lane, where he recounts his experiences performing for audiences who came to see other performers. Hear how he dealt with hecklers and navigated tricky stage situations.
As we wrap up, Dante unveils his top five comedy heroes. From the genius of Richard Pryor to the brilliance of Chris Rock, he pays homage to these comedy titans. He also reiterates the power of upliftment in the comedy world and the ripple effect of success. With plans to perform in North Carolina and a mission to "make comedy great again", Dante is on a comedic adventure you wouldn't want to miss! Connect with Dante on social media for a daily serving of humor and inspiration.
Comedian extraordinaire Dante Williams graces our microphone with uproarious insights into the world of comedy and his personal journey. From his grandmother's influence to his first open mic at Jam, Dante walks us through the highs and lows of his career, offering a dose of humor along the way. But it's not all laughter, as Dante gets candid about the challenges he faces while juggling parenting and bringing down the house on stage.
Delving into the world of parenting, Dante's proficiency extends beyond the comedy stage. His wisdom reverberates as he shares the significance of sowing seeds of success for those around him while being a beacon for his children. We also take a trip down Dante's comedy memory lane, where he recounts his experiences performing for audiences who came to see other performers. Hear how he dealt with hecklers and navigated tricky stage situations.
As we wrap up, Dante unveils his top five comedy heroes. From the genius of Richard Pryor to the brilliance of Chris Rock, he pays homage to these comedy titans. He also reiterates the power of upliftment in the comedy world and the ripple effect of success. With plans to perform in North Carolina and a mission to "make comedy great again", Dante is on a comedic adventure you wouldn't want to miss! Connect with Dante on social media for a daily serving of humor and inspiration.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to a brand new episode of no ID podcast. This is season eight. Ladies and gentlemen, I have here comedian writer, producer creative, a good friend of mine's, a comic brother. This guy is hilarious. I've been watching this stand for the last few months. He's seen his t-shirts make comedy great again and he is the definition of that. I have the one and only Dante Williams. How you doing, sir?
Speaker 2:What's up? What's up Rome? How you doing, bro.
Speaker 1:I'm good man, how you day feeling.
Speaker 2:Man, it was hot. You know what I'm saying. I was out there slinging some slave spirituals, but I made it through.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I thought about putting some slave spirituals on a mixtape with trap beats. That sounds great.
Speaker 2:For real, I guess some two chains with way in the water man.
Speaker 1:It is what it is. So, dante, who is Dante Williams and how did you get your starting comedy?
Speaker 2:Man, I'm a father. First, you know what I'm saying. Number one I believe in working hard and being a positive role model for my kids, for other kids and the youth. I got my starting comedy with my grandmother my grandmother. She was wheelchair bound, probably when I was like six or seven years old. She had hard days. Days was hard. She couldn't talk. So how else can you make somebody day that is going worse than yours? So you put a smile on their face and anything I would say she would laugh or God's feel was funny and she will laugh till she have tears in her eyes and I said, wow, if I can make this lady smile and laugh out of all the things she's going through, I could take that and I could use it in the world, in my everyday life. So as long as I can make one person day and touch one person in this world each and every day, when I wake up I done my daily duty.
Speaker 1:Definitely, definitely. Do you remember your first open mic that you done?
Speaker 2:My first open mic. Yeah, man, I went to. I want to say it was at Jam. It was at Jam with Big Brown and we had a good time.
Speaker 1:Jam is a different beast sometimes. Sometimes you may get it, sometimes you may not, but I know it Like they crack crab legs while you're cracking juice. That's a tough For real Tough one.
Speaker 2:They don't even want to laugh. Sometimes You're like damn, I know that shit was funny.
Speaker 1:They just looking they just looking. I ain't been to Jam in a few weeks. I need to go back, I do. How has the comedy grind been going for you since you started, since that first mic, up until now?
Speaker 2:Oh man, this has been cool. You know, you meet different people, you travel and once you connect with certain people, certain people have connect. So it goes from here to there. You get phone calls and boxes, text messages from people all over them but like yo, where you know me from, they're like well, you know such and such, and if they say you funny, then I believe you funny. So boom, I will. I need you on my show.
Speaker 2:And it's hard because you know when you, being a parent, and you, being a father, you know what I'm saying. Like I say you want to be a role model. It's either parenting or the career. And I see the struggle that people go through with trying to balance both, because it ain't easy and now, having a granddaughter, when I get home most days it's like do I, do I want to drive back to Virginia to the open mic? Or, you know, is my stepdaughter going to need me here with my grandbaby? Anything can happen. So sometimes it gets tough and what you got to, you got to try to balance it out and make it work for you and your family. Because the number one thing is family is important and when you begin to put your family over your career and it starts to affect the household. Then you got to make changes in your life.
Speaker 1:You just drive the gym. And something I didn't know you was a grandfather, bro.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you see the scroll in the back man. My grandbaby is nine months.
Speaker 1:Nine months. Congrats, man.
Speaker 2:Don't say that man that baby is a cop blocker man, grandbaby's cop blockers bro.
Speaker 1:No, the first time I seen you perform I think it was the first night. They had long boys back in November, december 20, 22. Mm, hmm, and I was like, wow, and I saw you had the make comedy great again. Sure, you had the blue jeans. I think you had some red vans here I pay attention to the wrong, I don't know who and you went up and you just killed it. It was like a natural conversation that you was having. What did you get that confidence from man? Has it always been installed into you when you first was your grandmother, or was it just something that you learned throughout the phases of comedy?
Speaker 2:I'm about to tell you some crazy stuff. I used to be a youth pastor. What yeah Over, I'm going to say. 16 years ago I was a youth pastor and it's hard to lead people when you're not doing what's right. You know what I'm saying. I was 19, 20, 21, somewhere around there, but I was still trying to find my way, trying to find myself. So being a youth pastor kind of gave me a sense of direction of trying to live right, trying to do things right. Well, temptation becomes a part of doing right. You know what I'm saying. And I ended up having my son and when I found out my baby mama was pregnant.
Speaker 2:I was like man, I don't know if I could tell people and lead young kids and tell them not to do the things that I'm doing. So I've always been able to be in front of a crowd and to you know, like if you never preached before or you never spoke before in the church, man, it could get hard, because not only is people paying attention to you inside the church, they paying attention to the things that you do on outside of the church. So it became a heavy burden on me to actually be like y'all, don't go out here have sex. Don't go smoke weed, go and go drink it. This down a third. And here I am bringing a stroller and a car seat in the church and I was like you know what, lord? I know you ain't done with me yet, but for me I need to step away because I don't want to leave people down the wrong path in the wrong direction. So me being able to stand in front of a crowd came from me being a youth pastor.
Speaker 1:Word. Man, that was dope. I got ordained myself. Do I go preach? No Damn, I think I just did it as a bucket list thing, but I think I did. I really do. I had to write it in the set. You probably hear it next time we see each other on the mic. Man, how is comedy on the road? Because you're from, sometimes you're in North Carolina, you may be in Virginia. I see you was in New York a couple of times. How is the crowd traveling up and down the East Coast, west Coast and everything?
Speaker 2:Well, man, I really try to make most of my sets personal because you know most people can agree or they can follow personal situations. So if you can make it feel like what somebody wants to feel, then it'll get easier when you try to. I feel like sometimes comedians overdo it by trying to make a situation funny that they don't have to. You know what I'm saying. Sometimes it's like it's amazing to me because I could look and be like you didn't have to say all of that. But when you make it natural and you make it personal, people understand personal stuff. Like I'm not going to go talk about how I did this and that in a third in comedy and I never done that before because it's not going to make me right.
Speaker 2:But when I go and talk about being a father, when I go and talk about my weight loss bless you, when I go and talk about my weight loss and all of that, I could talk about that. I could talk about my old lady you know what I'm saying being in the bed with me and be like boy, that thing big. I'm like, yeah, are you ready for something? And she's like no, your stomach Like a lot of dudes, like a lot of dudes got big stomachs right now, but we you know what I mean I could talk about Beijing, because I'm bald headed now, like something like that. Like dude man, listen to Beijing. Oh my gosh, my friend really set me up for that shit. Yeah, you ever try Beijing, bro.
Speaker 1:Twice.
Speaker 2:Twice. Right, so you understand the Beijing joke. You know what I'm saying. Like I tell people, I went to the club. I swear to God I had the freshest lineup in the club. Every point was hitting boom, boom, boom and I didn't know it wasn't waterproof. So I started dancing the Beijing star running down my face. Know what I'm saying. I run to the bathroom and wiped the rest of the Beijing off and I go back to the girl that I was dancing with. She was like well, what a nigga that ran out of here. I was like bitch is me. So, man, you know I get it like white dudes with two pays. Same thing as Beijing. You know what I mean? Same thing.
Speaker 1:Right, I had Beijing twice. The first time I went to my new barber he put the Beijing in my head. It was a Saturday and I didn't know it was waterproof or nothing. I had usually always got a bald cap on, had the hairline.
Speaker 2:That's I take that hat off. The Beijing went with it.
Speaker 1:Beijing went with it Second time. I didn't even ask him to put the Beijing. He said he's spraying in my head. I had a mic that night, that joint drip, you know, we underneath the rotisserie light, that's a joint drip.
Speaker 2:You better know it.
Speaker 1:I was like yo, I'm just trying to put this into my set somehow to get that. This is a struggle for us Beijing brothers.
Speaker 2:They need to make a waterproof Beijing man these two, bro, I'm ready for another fresh line you know, what I mean.
Speaker 1:Oh man, oh Beijing man, who is some of the comedians that you admire, like. Who's some of those ones you like? Damn. I like his style, like whether they big, local or whatever.
Speaker 2:Man me, someone that's like they all, natural, like the crowd work is amazing and like I mean he's not like my favorite comedian, but his crowd work is amazing Right now. Desi is doing his thing. Desi Banks is doing his thing right now and it's because he could, like, as soon as he touched the stage, the crowd is they already ready for him? Now take it back in the day. Um, richard Pratt was one of my favorite comedians. Watching him, and only because, like I like to put uh, racist jokes. I like racist jokes. You know what I mean, and I like that's things that he did too.
Speaker 2:And I tell people all the time like I don't take racism personal because I'm not living in that lifestyle, like I don't have to wake up every day and worry about something racist happening to me so I could joke about it. I grew up with white people. I have white friends. A lot of people try to live in this world where, like, once you start talking about hate, then you're every day you're going to have hate, like the white man might not do that to you, like, but you're just automatically pissed off when you wake up in the morning. So it's going to create issues, but when you could love everybody and you could joke with everybody and go places and do things with everybody, your life, I feel like just not only your life, but your comedy life will be much easier because, like I've been to um competitions where I lost and every white person was mad because I lost and I'm like I must have did something or touched them in a way that they felt like I should have won and they I've also heard people say like you know, this place ain't for you. You need to go to bigger stages or whatever the case may be.
Speaker 2:But my thing is I want to give people around me an avenue to. It's not about myself. I want to see everybody make it. I don't want to see people stay in the same place that I'm living In, the same place they was in last year. Every year should be about growth. Every day should be about growth. You should wake up to be the best version of you, because I feel like this If tomorrow, if I have a better day tomorrow, whatever flaws I had yesterday, nobody will remember that. So if you do the same things you did yesterday, you're always going to be known for that person. But when you become great and better and better people can be like man. I want to be like him, or I remember this one time or this, and then the third, and you want the memories to be everlasting moments, and that's what I try to do. I try to give each set that you could remember something by and it lasts forever with you or with whoever you would.
Speaker 1:That's a big fact? That's a big fact, it's not. I think like, especially like with comedy is more than one comedy club, is more than one market out there, and you got to be better each time. I've been in competitions myself I've been on some big stages as well Um, and a lot of times I'm like, all right, but sometimes I well, all the time I go into competitions I'm like, even if I don't win, I want people to come up to me like man, you should have won, you know what I'm saying I want to like plant that seed to get there because your time will come.
Speaker 1:And as far as comedians, I compare you to like a TK Kirkland and the reason being is he has a great presence, he has a great storytelling and it's a smooth transaction. It's not that over the top, hacky type stuff. Um, the last special I think I saw was back in 2019. He did his own to be and he has that appeal Like people that don't know. Tk Kirkland used to be on tour with cash money records, with low he was. He used to bring he will bring the squad out. Uh, he would bring the hood dudes. You see him go with different same jokes. Uh, just the presence of it. And that's what you remind me of is TK Kirkland, not just because of the ball head, but cause of all of that man.
Speaker 1:And I saw you at the funny bone at the clash, uh, and he was getting the clash and I like this. This man got the place. But, uh, I'm giving you flowers Cause every time I see you, every time I see you is never a dull moment. And then what I like is you know you wouldn't like, uh, the last time I say a long boys Jamal's. Somebody messed up when they said you pull, he's like man, get out your head. Man, go do that. And I appreciate you doing that, cause you give kites To those that surround us. So I appreciate it. Man, it was shit is on point. And then I ain't gonna cap, your dress game is on point. You come with the matching J's jeans and the and the polo shirts. I'm like I got stuff in my game. I got to get out of these Nike sweats, yeah.
Speaker 2:And that comes from like I'm gonna tell you why I dressed like that. Right, because I'm like.
Speaker 2:I'm like the team dad for like football and basketball, right. So all the young boys Like they. Be like. You know, it's the. They grab my son, play. That's your dad. Yo, that's your dad. But even the girls be like that's your dad. Oh, you're dead and dress, you're dead, that's your dad. I'm like yeah, I'm the man you know I mean.
Speaker 2:And it's cool though, because, like you know, I'm Growing up in a small town. You know, you begin to know everybody just in thirst. So it's like the parents be like oh, my daughter said this, or your son this, or your son that. I'm like. Yeah, it's cool to be a cool parent, but you also have to be that parent that can set an example for your child.
Speaker 2:Like, I don't want to be the cool parent, so, like I'm not gonna be the cool parent, I'm gonna like pass my son a blunt. You know I'm saying I'm gonna be the cool parent that's gonna teach you a lesson. I'm gonna be the cool parents gonna tell you I don't want you to be like me, I don't want you to work in an in shipyard, I don't want you this than the third. I want you to have goals and dreams and ambition, and that way. 10 years from now I can honestly say, like your idea, my job, like my parents probably, was upset with me. My first job was at Wendy's when I graduated, you know. I mean like that's a lot of parents to go through a lot of stuff for the kids to be to the next level. You get what I'm saying like yeah.
Speaker 2:I take I'll go to set it off, right. You know I mean she gave up all that good pussy for him to go to be a thug and get killed before he go to college. You know I'm saying so I don't want to be that type of parent, I want to be that type of guard, like I don't want my child to mess up and not be able to make it. You know I'm saying like that, that's the thing. A lot of stuff like that happens. Like for his gum, right, what would the person would say your mama sure do, loves you. You know I'm saying like it's crazy.
Speaker 2:But I want to give you some flowers to man because, like you got good presents to bro and like you are like, like, if I want to Mirror myself for a man, it will be you. Like, you carry yourself well, you talk with elegance, like I'm like this dude, that's gotta be. You went to Ivy League school, right.
Speaker 1:No oh, public schools you talk.
Speaker 2:You talk like you went to Ivy League school, like I'm like he used every word. Correct the stuff you know I'm saying. So what did that come from?
Speaker 1:So my father my father is a computer engineer, my mom's a school teacher, but she does stand up comedy too, okay, so that came from that. And then I had an uncle before he passed, right before I got comedy. This man will made me read a book once a month and then report back to him. So they came from that. And then I went to ECP as school with the commercial on it. Yeah, they used to make us do job interviews all a like every Wednesday.
Speaker 1:I had to go with a certain time, so it just got into me and then watch. You know, I go to the venue on 35th Street on Thursdays in Norfolk and, um, that's why I actually work my stuff out at man cuz I have be damn, I'm gonna bomb, like I did a couple of times like this circuit, but it gets you right. It gets you right when you read and Then you watch a lot of stand up. Oh, just reading a lot, watching the Ted talks and mimicking those stuff, it helps. It really helps because, like in this game Although, oh, some styles like my style is more just, I Don't know, I wouldn't even say intellectual, it's just like just that nerdy, make you think a little bit, didn't come back type style, and that's that's the style that I actually have adapted, because I used to be Christian.
Speaker 2:I used to be Christian do you do hit people with like Uh-uh, you gotta think it's like a trivia. You know I'm saying sometimes but it's good and it's fun, I love and I'd be like, well, he's a genius, because some people they write jokes and it just being that. You know I'm saying but when you could write and tell a story and give somebody something to think about and it might take 10 seconds for somebody to Catch on, like I remember you said a joke about a Love Fast 10 and you said it was Muslim or something. Was it Muslim?
Speaker 2:right, yeah and I was like Yo, he's a fool. But I'm gonna tell you what made me realize that I went to the escape room and the numbers was like in Muslim numbers. You know I'm saying at the skate room. So when you said it I was like yo, that's genius, that's genius.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, fast X, fast Muslim. Oh shit, look I, your stuff is genius. I mean, when you was talking about your son and then I think he got in trouble in school, I Was like I ain't got no kids, but I know my mama can relate to this right now. So yeah, let me ask this though Dante, you remember the first time you bomb?
Speaker 2:Man, I want to be honest with you, right, and it's crazy because I tell people like I've never really felt like I ever bomb, and the reason why I say this because, like I never had a night where like Nobody didn't laugh at me or whatever like I might have a night was like maybe two or three laughs less than I had before. But I feel like bombing is good for everybody because it's just like losing. You learn a lesson from it. If you never, if you never know what you're doing wrong, then you're never doing better the next time. And I tell people, if you knew better, you'll do better.
Speaker 2:So Just because I didn't get two more laughs or two more claps than last time, I'm like I ain't have a good night. And everybody be like yo, you did so well. I'm like nah, thank you. I appreciate it, but in my eyes I didn't because I wanted to be where, like I Gotta have at least 75% of the audience. If I don't get 75% of the audience, I didn't do. Good, I don't care if it's 10 people, I need seven of them people.
Speaker 1:Hmm, You're right, if you not bomb me, you ain't trying. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You remember your toughest room, and I ain't talking about jam, though, because jam is tough.
Speaker 2:Now, my toughest room man, I want to say, was when I went to Raleigh. And the reason why I say that because, like nobody knew me. So you know, most times when you go to um Get booked for a comedy show sometimes it's they already seen the person that they want to come for. You know, I'm saying so when I get there, you know like I don't know nobody. So I meet the dude and I'm like yo, what's up? And I'm talking to the wrong dude, like I'm telling the doom, like yeah, he was like. Oh, yeah, why me, I'm here to do comedy too. I cement, I thought you was the promoter, right. So the promoter come in, like yeah, there's none of the third.
Speaker 2:So it's like they got a dude in there. He's singing songs like and this dude could really sing. Like this dude is amazing. They got a woman in there, she's doing poetry, so it's everything going on in his room. So I'm like all right, nobody know me, I know I'm going on first. Guess what? I go on first. So everybody's like now it was a few people like random people that just came.
Speaker 2:So they was like I was like, okay, good, I got the randoms, I'm a lot in the man, but everybody else was like they was just there to see certain people. So when I get on stage and I'm like I'm killing it's older crowd so I'm talking about the manny liners and shit and the old head is mad because he don't feel like he need a manny liner and I'm like, shut up, you probably got to get that Piss on your drawers right now and and and his wife is laughing her ass off. So I'm like, okay, okay, they feeling me a little bit, I'm good now. And I just hit him with everything else back to back to back, and then it was like I hit a moment for like 30 seconds.
Speaker 2:What? They was just looking at me and I was like, okay, I guess that joke was a little too tough. So I reeled up back in and that was it. But it was tough because everybody came there to see they, certain three or four people. You know, you know how that go. Yeah, I do. I've had that before one time.
Speaker 1:I did a show and they was announcing people and they said Rome Davis, that shit was just straight, it wasn't even crickets, it was just a silence. So I get, I get brung on to the stage and they're playing, regulate by Warren G, and I'm like, I'm like, oh Lord.
Speaker 1:So I get up there and I just get up there and I just get up there and I just get up there and I just kill and I'm all right, well, but when they was already there to see who they wanted to see, and then the person after me that they really came to see, just flat line the whole way, but she was, they were trying to get in my head before I even went on, and that's. That's another thing. People don't know that ever happened to you.
Speaker 1:Somebody, come on, do and try and mess with you before you try and do a big show.
Speaker 2:Oh man, the lady was like the lady that brought me brought me on. She was, she was like Trying to tell all these funny jokes and she was like, yeah, fellas, um, sucking dick is a father's day gift. And I was like, no, I deserve more than that. You know what I mean. So when she bring me on, she bring me on. She was like y'all give it up for this nigga and I hope he's funny because he don't want his dick suck for father's day. And I was like, really. So I brought her.
Speaker 2:When I came on, you know what I mean? She had on like the uh, the uh, no limit soldiers, camouflage dressing shit on. And I was like you know, yeah, damn, I was like make him say uh, she was like what? And I was like but she's no limit soldier, you got a no limit soldier dress on. You got the camouflage sketches and shit matching. I'm like I'm trying to fry me. But I said, man, I had to realize like boy, I ain't at home, I ain't got a scrap on me, let me ease off a little bit. You know what I'm saying. You ever went somewhere. You want to fry somebody. But you're like, well, I got a. I ain't got no backup in here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, bro. I did a show one time in north of bro and I had part Part somewhere. It's probably sketch man, I come, I come, walking through that is like 12 o'clock in like it's like five niggas sitting on the car.
Speaker 2:And I'm. They write the same. Yeah, what's up you?
Speaker 1:I like oh man, I'm so scared bro. I said I'm, I'm old, I ain't got nothing on me, I got nothing in the car, I ain't nobody here to watch my bet man. They started doing the roasting shit. I end up lighting one of them up, and then they were they. I gave my youtube. They follow me on youtube, man. But let me ask bed off so fast out that parking lot, bro. I probably left on two tires to get out there.
Speaker 2:I was so, oh yeah, you had to do so. How are going on?
Speaker 1:Bro, I was so scared bro. I was like, oh, I talked to every, every guy. I lie, I talked to jesus, I talked to god, I talked to, oh god, oh, I was so scared, I mean, I was like this five of them out here, bro.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I know they, when they started saying what, what a hose there, I said, yeah, I got to go, that's only me, man.
Speaker 2:I know you messed up when you said uh yeah, I do comedy. Oh yeah, you like the high high, you a high high ass. Already, I'm telling the hood, make sure a comedian boy I'm like, tell me a joke for a robbie.
Speaker 1:I was so scared, bro, I was so scared.
Speaker 2:So what if you would have said tell me a joke before I rob you? You know what I mean. You got to hit him with your best joke.
Speaker 1:I got to hit him with the best joke. It probably had been prices, right. I probably hate prayers because I seem to get every, no matter the crowd, that one. I keep that joke tucked in the chamber and it's expanded since then, but I keep that. Price is right, jude. I'm so tucked in the chamber and I'm like I gotta make sure I gotta keep that one, just in case I know it or I be like I made one with the crab, like make some noise if you brush your teeth this morning.
Speaker 2:Hey, you should have said have you robbed anybody lately?
Speaker 1:And they probably like what we about to today. Yeah, I know 30 seconds later.
Speaker 2:30 seconds later.
Speaker 1:What? What's some of the goals? And comedy man Is it a special? Is it a television show? Is it a couple of specials?
Speaker 2:Oh man. So it's like I gotta go back to being a parent man. It's the parents and thing is so hard. You know I'm saying and I Want to. I want to leave a legacy for my kids. You know I'm saying when my time is up, even, not not a dear legacy, but also a life legacy to where, like 10, 15 years ago, people black Yo, your dad was legend I would hear your dad was this, your dad was that, and it would get them something to look forward to.
Speaker 2:Um, I'm inspired man. I really want to do a good special. Um, I really want to do like a podcast, like a like you know, uh, two people podcast I would love to do, especially with like a couple, my friends, man, and just we all just get together and really put something together. Because, like I said once again, it's not about me. I want to see you make it, I want to see such a such make it. You know I'm saying this is not a third and it's like Sometimes I get lost and like it's like clicks and comedy. It's a few clicks and comedy and it kind of drive me crazy because I'm like we should all have the same goal. You know I'm saying so if I do get a chance to pull off a special, I'm gonna be like, yeah, I got Rome.
Speaker 2:This guy got his dude named Rome that y'all need to hear. He is definitely the geek squad of comedy. You know I'm saying like he's gonna bring it every time. You know, I'm saying like, like I I'm tell you, like Jeff, like Jeff is a thug, bro, I love Jeff. Jeff is a thug. I brought Jeff down to Carolina like the only white dude in the whole crowd. You know I'm saying it as far as cop comedians in the crowd and Jeff kill and I was like, yes, you know I'm saying Because you know you always got that one awkward, like you are that unfunny ass white boy down here. You know I'm saying and I'm like, thank God, no, I'm saying cuz I do have one of those uncles, like we all got that one Uncle that don't give a damn what he say out his mouth and I don't, I won't jump the field. You know a couple. No, I'm saying so for me.
Speaker 2:I Want to get some friends together and I want to really talk about like everybody doing a good, strong 15-minute set, because everybody got a own group of followers and I feel like if, if me and three or four other people get together do a special, it's always gonna make if you get two of my followers, I get two of your followers. That's six, seven, eight more follows that we all get and then we all can build from that. No, I'm saying, and then you say your aunt say your uncles or your family watch it. Two or three people might say I should like wrong. Let me add wrong to my Facebook or my Instagram. What other case may be, and that's what I'm looking forward to. Man, yeah.
Speaker 1:He likes. You know the clicks. The clicks ain't as bad as was they were when I started four years ago. It's actually a little tame now, but you you can see like they run in the pack and I'm the. My thing is, like Virginia's already a small territory, is already a small market.
Speaker 1:You know, Zane and not everybody's gonna get that shine and like a funny bone, now Everybody's gonna get that shine somewhere here. But like the fact that some people got the clicks or I Even heard this term the gatekeepers and all that stuff is, is really dumb to me. You know me. But then you got some. A lot of times I got. Look at those clicks and those gatekeepers. I'm like some y'all not going outside of the Virginia State line, neither y'all going to Arlington Y'all not going that y'all, if y'all go is you're not going that far, you're just a several Virginia comic.
Speaker 1:Then I see some comedians that's in clicks or not, in clicks or not gatekeepers, and they hey how you doing wrong say hey, babe, she said hello you do. And then I see those ones is not gatekeepers in there and they not know in the Virginia, but they can book some shit outside of Virginia. And then that's when the hate starts to come. It's weird, it's so fucking weird. It's so weird, but hmm.
Speaker 2:I just felt like if we, as, as like me, and you know I've opened up the doors for People to come to North Carolina because I feel like I don't want nobody to say I stopped them, oh, I don't want nobody to say that I didn't do this or I didn't do that, why didn't try?
Speaker 2:You know, I'm saying at the end of this, all about an effort, and I feel like if I put an effort in For anyone, you know I'm saying I don't feel like, at the end of the day, I didn't do what I was supposed to do. Sometimes we feel like when we're put on earth, we'll put on earth for a few things, a couple of things, and I feel like Helping each other is the number one thing that we put on earth for. And I tell people, if you think about, before money became a thing in this world, everybody helped everybody. Hey wrong, I need some beans, I got some rice, I Got two eggs. You know I'm saying this is in the third. So I feel like it's very important that we can continue to help each other out, no matter what facts.
Speaker 1:I say, if you help the comment, if you do help somebody in comedy, the comedy guys will bless you. It will come back to you, man, it really will. And if you could, even if just pull on somebody to the side and give them some advice on something, comedy guys gonna bless you. May not be when you want it, but it's gonna come. So before we sign off, I'm gonna ask you two questions. One, who is, who are your top five comedians, dead or alive, for any order? And how can people gain contact, which I got you thinking. Now I can see the See it turn man because it's it's hard.
Speaker 2:You know I'm saying because everybody have their own style and you could like Each individual for who they are. Um, like I said, richard Pry was one person I named earlier. Um, it's just the way that he did names. Man was amazing. Red fox I love really fox man and he give you that what you looking for, no matter what, and he said what came to his, whatever came to his for forehead. He gonna say it um, I Love Jamie Fox.
Speaker 2:I don't think Jamie Fox get a lot of credit for the things that he's done, but Jamie was just one of them. Dudes, he was so versatile and I feel like, um, when he started doing like movies, he kind of got left out of the comedy world. But I love Jamie Martin. Martin Martin is I love Martin man. Martin was one of those two. Like he could just go to a room and just set a whole room or. And last man was just funny because, like a lot of people, I love a Chris Rock man. Chris Rock made it through decades of Comedy. You know I'm saying a lot of people might get a 10 good year run, you know I'm saying, but he made it through decades of comedy and that's. That's amazing when you can do stuff for decades. If you're doing it, you doing it big and black.
Speaker 1:It was a classic man. It showed us that, like, regardless of how long you've been doing or how many rooms you work because that's the way he was changing in different offense on different stages for he still did the same material Back. And I think a lot of times comedians be like I don't want to keep doing the same material. Like no, bro, like You're gonna be doing this material for a couple of years and it's gonna get you where you need to be, exactly man, exactly. Well, I'm uh give my list. It's gonna be all over the place, but it's cool. Jerry Seinfeld.
Speaker 2:Love it, I love it, I love Jerry Seinfeld, really man.
Speaker 1:Eddie. People don't realize that Eddie only had two stand-up specials and they still the highest gross and stand-up specials to this day.
Speaker 2:Eddie had a pender coat man. He was like, he was on it. He was on and I guess, like that's how it is, like you said, if you got that, that good material, you stick with it and just roll with it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, eddie Bernie Bernie's number three, zeneb Johnson Hmm, she's a beast. I might have to look her up. She is a beast. She came to the funny bone last year. I missed it but I've seen her material Me. She opened up for Chris rock Hmm, for that's dope. And my fifth person In my eyes had the best set on Kings of comedy. He had the best specials. I've never seen a bad special from him. Dl Again, hugely playing as him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he'd be one of my tie one time and I wanted to give it to him, so bad. He said, no, man, I ain't gonna take it. I was like bro, you could have my tie. He came to the funny bone and man I mean, he was man I cried, I literally cried at the end and he did the same thing, like he talked about going to the doctors and stuff like that and how you know certain things happen, and he felt like he had apologized to his woman Like baby. I'm sorry if I ever put you through anything. This is the third man. I thought it was just great man, I thought it was great. Yeah, I love Dio too. Man, he is one of my guys.
Speaker 1:I cried when I met him and the crazy thing was when he introduced himself to me he gave me his first name, shook my hand and proceeded to give me a lecture. Before and I appreciate him for that he said ain't nigga, nobody knows. You Go do your show. I like, but I want to go first. So I'm like no nigga, he's like I'm telling you again, this isn't a trick I like and I'm nervous, I'm studying and I'm like, damn this, I know why.
Speaker 1:It's all the episodes of the Uglies. I just watched the coming home special when he was in the yellow suit with the TV. I I'm like I just I bought both his books. I'm like, I'm like I ain't no way. But the Uglies has gone to another East, transcend into like different atmosphere. He can keep it political, he can keep it trending, but he can still do family shit. And when he did he's a comedy. That first, the first set he did, he set the president's for and this man, literally you had you, the crowd, work was impeccable and it was. It was really impeccable, Mm hmm and Dante, if they want to get in contact with you, they want to see more your comedy. How did they do that? What? How did they follow you?
Speaker 2:You can follow me on Facebook at Dante Williams, just plain and simple. My name on Instagram at the pressure comedy two, five, two. And I'm man, like I'm just out here trying to get things together, get things going, man, I feel like you will see more of me. You know what I'm saying. I ain't going to let nobody or nothing stop me. You know I'm headed to New York this weekend too.
Speaker 2:So, man, just follow me and y'all, y'all, look for a show with me and Rome. I'm going to get Rome. I'm going to get more men wrong and do something special for y'all because I really like Rome. So y'all look for that man. I don't care if I got to pay Rome, no, a couple hundred dollars. You know what I'm saying. I might have to, you know, go on the block to make this money, but I'm sitting down with Rome, man, and we're going to do something.
Speaker 2:Man, like Laverie, you got some people that you really got to do because you feel like the time is coming you know what I'm saying and when you can embrace that person and y'all got a good connection. The world opened their eyes, like I still know. I know I'm taking up too much time, you good, I learned this from Country Wayne and D Ray Davis, right, how they got their comedy shows broke down, and it's like they have like people that they grew up with or people that they met doing comedy that they just stuck with. So, like bro, do five or 10 minutes every show, no matter what, no matter what, and they just take that one person, go to every single show with them. And it's like you, you go in places like you. Every time I see you on stage, you traveling across the world, I'm like, yeah, man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this is it right, this is it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you too, man, I got to you, you inspire me, broke with the fact that you come from North Carolina to Portsmouth. So Portsmouth hand tolls, I got a marriage.
Speaker 2:No, no, I'm cheap, I do the no toll way. Well, I'm somewhat, it's crazy, right, because the no toll way is only like two minutes longer. You know what I'm saying. Like people, be like, bro, like you don't take the tome, like it's only two minutes longer. You know what I'm saying. And plus, I'm like I like to ride, navigate through the hood. You know what I mean when I'm going like like for real, like I'm one of those people, bro, every time I go out of town. I got to go to the hood, I don't know why I just like ride through the hood. I'm just like, well, like you know, and like I tell my kids like no, no, for real. I tell my kids when I take them out of town, they always make eye contact with homeless people and I tell them stop making eye contact, contact with homeless people because they're always going to want something.
Speaker 2:And true story last year my, my kids, fed one cat. They fed a cat one time, but it took me five months to get rid of this cat. But this cat was. This cat will find ways. No lie, this cat will run in my house. If I crack the door, this cat will be in the house. But I'm talking about everything. This cat will sit on my AC unit Like I don't know, this cat was possessed or this cat really loves somebody in his house. But like the kids were scared of the cat and I was like, if you scared of it, stop feeding it. It feels like you love it. That was crazy man. That cat was. That cat was a pain bro, that cat was the pain. Like I try to get a cat away Left and came back Like this cat was possessed. Like I'm not lying. Like you remember the movie like cats. You remember that movie cats back in the day? Yeah, but I felt like this cat was one of them. Cats, no lie, no lie, I ain't nothing like that man.
Speaker 1:We we don't do for a living animals in this family. I didn't want it, but I said I never had a pussy so aggressive.
Speaker 2:I never had a pussy so aggressive. I never had a pussy so aggressive.
Speaker 1:I never had a pussy so aggressive.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for real, I ain't nothing For any.
Speaker 1:How I pray that you put that in your set one day. I just started off that way, same way you just told me I never had a pussy.
Speaker 2:I never had. I told one of my friends that right. I said, man, I got this pussy I can't get rid of. And it was like bro, just cut her off Like it's a cat, bro, real cat, it's a real cat.
Speaker 1:I never had that man. Oh man, I had some goldfish. They died after three weeks, but I got them from. I mean, I named the Ronnie, bobby, Ricky and Mike.
Speaker 2:Right out of the way. But you gave him some poison. Poison round there, man.
Speaker 1:The last goldfish dad when I was at work. I went to work, I came home he was floating at the top and I got one of them goldfish at a festival not a festival out here In Champa, virginia Beach. And then, what made it even worse, you can do this for people at Walmart. You can return Everything that you bought. I returned. Boy, I returned use a gold food, fish food cleaner, the tanks, the water. I returned everything. Then the lady was like it's okay to return it. I've had people return dead goldfish before, so excuse me.
Speaker 2:And I just flushed through my down toilet, damn. So I'm saying you return it. And I mean what? You get more goldfish. What did they? Take them to the back and revive pet cemetery. What was she doing?
Speaker 1:with the goldfish. I don't know what she was doing, but it was. She was like it's some dead ones over there. I was like I don't want to see that. She's like they returned them. I was like, all right, you know what I mean. And then I got the thing because, you know, walmart used to sell like rabbits and all that, like lizards and snakes, and I was like I can only imagine how it goes and I looked deep into it, me being me, and I found, as a pet store here in Chesapeake, if the dog dash, you can get a full refund in 90 days. Damn.
Speaker 2:Damn.
Speaker 1:That just sucked the energy out. But I found out. I looked it up. I was like there's no way. It's like if your dog, your pet, dad's in 90 days, they will give you a full refund. It's a little fishy. It's great, great. Dante bro, I appreciate you on doing the interview this late. We've been talking about doing it for a while. To the people out there, follow me, comedian Rome on Instagram and Twitter. No idea, media TV on Facebook and as well as YouTube. Click the links in my bios like share, comment, subscribe. Make sure you follow Dante. See his work in the upcoming shows. He wants to get me in North Carolina. I ain't got no problem coming North Carolina and acting that ass. Uh, we're gonna do that. What else? That's it, man. But, dante, I wish nothing but the best for you.
Speaker 2:Same to you bro.
Speaker 1:I'm pretty sure I'm a senior on the circuit after you come back from New York, I think you know, with John Tay and not up. Yeah, yeah, yeah, because John Tay was supposed to be up here too, but he said he he gone Sunday. Um, yeah, man, and I don't. If you got merged on, to let us know, because they make comedy great again. Shirt. That was a dope shirt.
Speaker 2:Got you, bro, I got you, I got you. Matter of fact, I'm gonna send one your way. I'm gonna send one your way.
Speaker 1:Uh, let's see, I need a large man and Pat don't some muscle over here. I ain't bragging, but I'm the muscle muscle I got you. That's me.