That Teowonna!

Flavor Flav Freaky Comedy Tour

Photo courtesy of Charles Martin

Ok. It’s time for a confession. I had a major crush on Flavor Flav back in the late 80’s. He was bold and brash, and I liked that. So when I heard that he was coming to Columbia, SC’s Comedy House Theatre, I didn’t hesitate to get my ticket right away. I went early to get my favorite table, #38.

Well, like many of you, I didn’t know what to expect. Afterall, Flav is a funny little character, but he’s no comedian. So, I decided to try and catch up with him at his book signing to get a sneak peak of the show. Yes, you heard me right, his book signing.

Flavor Flav has joined the ranks of celebrities who are publishing their memoirs. His is titled: Flavor Flav. The Icon. The Memoir. Question: Are we really that interested in celebrity lifestyle that we are willing to pay to read the behind-the-scene details? Evidently, many of us are.

SEE MY INTERVIEW WITH FLAVOR FLAV

Anywho, it was during that book signing that I found out that Flav would be hosting the show, not telling jokes. I also found out that Flav has a more serious side… he is more than the jester that many people think of him as. He talked openly about overcoming his alcoholism and drug abuse. He also talked about God a great deal. He said everyone has a g-i-g, a gig. His g-i-g is ‘God Is Good’. It was nice to see the legendary hype man display his serious and spiritual side.

Once Friday night came, I was very hesitant about going to see the show. But I went anyway and I’m very glad that I did! The Flavor Flav Freaky Comedy Tour was awesomely funny… in spite of Flavor Flav.

Now, don’t get me wrong. It was great to see Flavor Flav. Everyone in the audience was super-excited to be in his presence. But he definitely has to work on his part of the show. For example, when Hot 103’s Neek introduced Flav, there was an interesting delay before Flav made his way out. But when he came out, the crowd quickly forgave the timing mishap.

But that didn’t last long. As with most celebrities who try their hand at comedy (hint hint, Charlie Sheen) or try to return to comedy (hint hint Chris Tucker), the star-struckness wears off quickly and people just want to laugh. It was no different with Flavor Flav. The show started to lull and people grew eerily quiet. Flav gave thanks to God in grand fashion, but even that can only take you so far when people want to hear some good comedy.

Goldie from Flavor of Love

And good comedy is what they got when Goldie from Flavor of Love came on the stage. Goldie was FUNNY! Who knew? She was animated, full on energy and a real cutie pie. The majority of her jokes were profane, so I can’t retell a single one here. But suffice it to say that she was the perfect opening act for…

Barbara ‘Cat Eyes”Carlyle. Ok. So the show is called Flavor Flav Freaky Comedy Tour and Barbara put the ‘freaky’ and the ‘comedy’ in this tour! She was absolutely hilarious from the time she stepped on the stage. Even Flav was in the audience dying laughing at her jokes. It was clear that she is a well-seasoned comedienne who has been doing this for quite a while.

And indeed she has. While she was autographing her comedy CD’s after the show, she told me that it was The Comedy House’s idea for her to join the comedy tour because of her style of comedy. And that was a great call on their part because Barbara took the show to another level.

So, to sum it up, Flavor Flav brought the ‘star’ factor; Goldie was the ‘wow’ factor and Barbara brought the house down!

All in all, the show was a wild success! But I will suggest that Flavor Flav works on his end of the deal. Goldie and Barbara were so polished and professional in their delivery, that Flav need to step up his game. He needs to develop and act and practice it! He shouldn’t rely on his ‘hype man’ status to carry this show. He needs to perform with purpose every time he steps on the stage. The ladies that follow him deserve that much.