All Jokes Journal - Sept. 9

I spoke on the phone this evening with Raymond Lambert, who I'm co-authoring a book about All Jokes Aside, the Chicago comedy club he and business partner James Alexander operated in the '90s. The club is the subject of the documentary Phunny Business, currently airing on Showtime (click this link to watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNdgchZ_C3I)

We're getting down to the wire and need to turn the manuscript in to the publisher, Agate Publishing, early next month, which means we're really going to have to hustle.

Steve Harvey got his start in broadcasting in '91 during a Chicago

radio appearance to promote his show at All Jokes Aside.

This morning, thumbing through the transcripts for Phunny Business, I read the interview Raymond did with Steve Harvey. It was so interesting learning how Steve's first appearance on Chicago's Doug Banks Radio Show launched Steve's career in broadcasting. And it all happened through a fluke.

Steve was only supposed to be on Banks' show for a "hot minute" to promote his appearance at All Jokes in '91, but Steve started improvising and basically took over the show for the rest of the morning. The show invited him back several times and he eventually landed a permanent spot on the air.

And the rest is comedy history...