Raymond Lambert and I will be discussing and signing copies of our new book, "All Jokes Aside: Standup Comedy Is a Phunny Business," on Wednesday, May 11, 2016, at 7 p.m. at Barnes and Noble Easton in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Event details are on the Barnes and Noble website.
"All Jokes Aside" was my first true collaborative effort. Writing is often a solitary profession. Many of us writers, by necessity, spend countless hours alone trying to get our ideas out of our heads and onto the page, with only the click-clack of the keyboard to keep us company.
"All Jokes Aside" was my first true collaborative effort. Writing is often a solitary profession. Many of us writers, by necessity, spend countless hours alone trying to get our ideas out of our heads and onto the page, with only the click-clack of the keyboard to keep us company.
As a writer who is a loner by nature, writing "All Jokes Aside" with Raymond was an experience that brought me out of myself - quite literally.
"All Jokes Aside" is Raymond's memoir. The book chronicles his rise from humble beginnings in Wilmington, Del., to becoming a successful Wall Street banker to opening All Jokes Aside, the legendary comedy club that helped launch the careers of some of the biggest names in comedy.
As Raymond relates in a blog post on AllJokesAside.com, we met through award-winning journalist Wil Haygood, who is from my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Raymond had originally approached Wil to co-write his memoir.
"All Jokes Aside" is Raymond's memoir. The book chronicles his rise from humble beginnings in Wilmington, Del., to becoming a successful Wall Street banker to opening All Jokes Aside, the legendary comedy club that helped launch the careers of some of the biggest names in comedy.
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| Raymond and I finishing up the final draft of "All Jokes Aside" at a coffee shop in Chicago in March 2015. |
As Raymond relates in a blog post on AllJokesAside.com, we met through award-winning journalist Wil Haygood, who is from my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Raymond had originally approached Wil to co-write his memoir.
A globe-trotting Washington Post reporter, Wil has written acclaimed biographies of Thurgood Marshall, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Sugar Ray Robinson and Sammy Davis Jr. as well as the article on which the blockbuster movie "Lee Daniels' The Butler" was based.
When Raymond contacted him, Wil was in the process of consulting on "The Butler," so needless to say, he was busy. And I'll be forever indebted to Wil that he referred Raymond to me.
When Raymond contacted him, Wil was in the process of consulting on "The Butler," so needless to say, he was busy. And I'll be forever indebted to Wil that he referred Raymond to me.
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| Wil Haygood (left) and I at a Columbus Association of Black Journalists event in November 2014. |
Raymond writes in his blog post that after an initial phone conversation, we met in person when I journeyed to Chicago to attend a screening of the documentary "Phunny Business" at the Black Harvest Film Festival. The movie tells the story of the All Jokes Aside comedy club and features interviews with many of the comedians who got their start at the club, including Steve Harvey, Carlos Mencia and J. Anthony Brown from "The Tom Joyner Morning Show."
Raymond describes our meeting like this the blog post:
"Here’s where I knew he was the right guy. I offered to pay for the flight and a night in a hotel. He declined: 'Let’s save that money for the book.' He drove six hours to Chicago for the screening, watched the movie, we talked for maybe 30 minutes and he drove six hours back to Columbus, that night. WTF! Are you kidding me? Anyone who really knows me knows that I complain about driving six miles, let alone six hours each way. Are you kidding me?
"Having spent so much time with creative types, I know that they are a bit 'off.' And he came from highly recommended by Wil Haygood, no less. And I liked him. I had only read a little of his work, but my gut told me he was the guy. I trusted my instincts…it’s a deal. Let’s do this. We shook hands and he took off."
And so began the journey that eventually produced the book "All Jokes Aside." Get your copy of "All Jokes Aside" and find out more about Raymond's inspirational story by clicking here.
