February 2019 - Make 'Em Laugh: Black Mike

Who or what inspired you to do comedy?

Eddie Murphy:Raw. I seen Raw and thought it was bigger than the moon landing. Making people laugh was always my way to be included and I was always good at it.

Do you remember your first gig? Tell us about it.

My first gig was in Montgomery,AL. I started in improv and as you can imagine not a lot of demand for comedy in Alabama. We did improv gigs in local bars. I knew I was funny then, because I walked into bars with Confederate Flags hanging and walked out with new friends.

I can count on my hands the number of black comedians I've seen in Albuquerque. You decided to make it a statement. Why call yourself Black Mike?

Actually the Black Mike came from an old job. I got a new cellphone number and wanted to give it to my boss. He told me to grab his phone and punch it in. I'm scrolling through the M's and I don't see my name. Then I scroll up to the B's and there it is: Black Mike. I was confused because I was the only Mike in the phone! Then I thought, "I bet people at work and other places where there's another Mike (in their heads) call me Black Mike" Plus I mainly do it in Albuquerque and others places where there arent a lot of black people and the crowd instantly get it. It makes it easier to break the ice with the crowd, they can relate because they do it or thought about doing it, Black Dan, Black Steve, etc.

What shows do you have coming up?

The shows that I've been doing lately is Buck D's 3rd Thursday's Comedy Show at Nexus Brewery Westside.

What piece of advice would you give to a new comic?

Best advice I would give to a new comic is there's ups and downs in this game. Be prepared for both.