A R T & C U L T U R E
JB Ball
Comedian cheaperthanjb . com
How long have you been a comedian ? About 7-8 years
What was it about comedy that made you think , this is where I belong ? Comedy was the first and only place in my life that I felt like my ideas and thoughts felt valued . And that extends beyond actually doing stand-up . Even socially , most of my life I felt like the only time I really had most people ' s attention or interest was when I was trying to make them laugh . No one prefers serious JB .
On a scale of 1-10 , is it easy to perform stand-up comedy and why ? Easy for who ? I wouldn ' t know where to put it on a scale , but what I ' ll say is comedy is one of the most misunderstood and underappreciated crafts there are in my personal experience . What it takes versus what people think it takes is ridiculous . The amount of people who truly believe they can do it is almost insulting when you think about it . It ' s like listening to your buddy who played ball in high school say he could play with Michael Jordan . I think the disconnect is that EVERYONE has stories , thoughts , and observations that can be funny , but doesn ’ t mean they have the gift of knowing how to deliver them .
Do you remember your first time performing and explain your experience in three words ? Yea I remember my first time performing because I was forced onstage , with no plan , unexpectedly , against my will , and just tried to make the most of it . In three words … Best Nightmare Ever !
Who were your top three comedians growing up and why ? Growing up it was Dave Chappelle , Chris Rock , & Robin Williams . Dave was literally the first person I ever saw do stand-up . I saw him on Def Comedy Jam in 1993 I believe . I was 6 years old . That ' s how awesome my dad was by the way . Other kids were probably in bed at that age and hour . But it just always felt like he spoke to me in the cleverest of ways . To this day I can go back and be envious of what he was able to do at that stage of his career . He ' s the greatest of all-time as far as I ' m concerned .
How would you explain your comedic style ? Intelligent and thought provoking are what I hear most from people who like me . I really enjoy trying to tackle or examine topics that may be unconventional or go against how people may view them at first sight . I just
want us all to be willing to laugh at how stupid we all really are .
What is the shortest but funniest joke you have ever told ? " I think Rubix Cubes are pro-segregation because they ' re all about separating the colors ." I actually think that ' s one of the first jokes I wrote .
How do you decide if something is funny ? In most cases your gut will tell you but your ear will be the editor legitimizes it or not . Sometimes once you hear it ; it doesn ' t matter if people laughed on any given night . You know you ' ve got something .
Where and when is your next show in Tampa Bay ? I ' ll be headlining at Side Splitters Comedy Club December 21-23
What are your top three comedy accomplishments to date ? Having my Comedy Central debut also the first time I worked with Kevin Hart , being selected for " New Faces " for the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival ( the most prestigious comedy festival in the world ), and winning the Florida ' s Funniest competition on my first attempt . I ' ve plenty of great experiences , but I still remember what these moments felt like and they ' re just special in their own ways .
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