An Interview with Comedian Alex Scott - Def Comedy Jam and Beyond!

"What's so funny?" Have you ever been asked this question? Depending on your sense of humor, any number of things can be funny. This is the challenge presented to any comedian putting himself out there. Luckily for Alex Scott, a rising star, he has a natural ability to bring out the humor in life itself.

Born and raised in Culpeper, Virginia, Scott first made his mark on the comedy world in Washington, D.C.'s Stand-up Comedian of the Year Contest, according to his official bio. Scott came in second out of numerous other performers, practically catapulting him to stardom.

Since then, Scott has performed in locations across the US, including New York, which is one city he credits with giving his career a major boost.

Much of Scott's comedic material comes from his hometown, which, like many other small towns, had little in the way of entertainment: "When I first grew up, it was kinda that way, now they've grown up; they got two high schools now! At one time it was one high school...Friday night football, the whole town shuts down, one of them towns." Surely, many of you living in rural areas can relate.

From his humble beginnings, Scott says he's become much more of a "city boy" and has lived in such enormous urban areas as Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C. (as stated above). During our conversation, the topic of Atlanta, my current residence, came up as well. Scott pointed out that he put on a performance in "ATL" last year.

"I did the Atlanta Civic Center with Patti LaBelle on Valentine's Day," he says. For those of you curious as to whether the original "Lady Marmalade" can still put on a show, Scott says, "Oh my God, yeah! Her stuff was just as funny as mine!" Hopefully, in this case, "funny" was a good thing.

When seeing an experienced comic perform, it may be hard to believe that he was once as nervous and green as anyone on amateur night. "When I first started in D.C., for the first year probably, every time I'd come up to the stage, they'd announce, 'From Culpeper, Virgina!' Everybody would be like, 'Booooo!' Even when I moved to New York for awhile, it was 'From Culpeper, Virginia!' 'Booooo!'

"So I learned to get that out of the way...I'd crack on myself, like Eminem in 8 Mile." For those of you who have seen the film, you may remember that Eminem's semi-autobiographical character, Rabbit, went through the same beginner's struggles that every "newbie" faces in a performance field. Fortunately for Scott, his talent and drive have pushed him through many of the barricades that have hung up lesser performers.

One of Scott's first more high-profile performances took place on BET's Coming to the Stage, which showcases new performers looking to hit the big time. Scott appeared with young comedian James "L'il JJ" Lewis, who in 2003 was the show's season 1 winner. L'il JJ, like many young comics these days, has also gained quite a following through YouTube, particularly from a video entitled A Young Comedian at the Apollo, in which he's approximately 12 years old. JJ opens with himself crying, and when the audience asks, "What's wrong, JJ?" he mock-tearfully replies, "R. Kelly took my girlfriend!"

Now Scott, obviously, is too old to work the "little kid" angle, but he has his own brand of humor. To see one of his more high-profile performances, check out Alex Scott on HBO's Def Comedy Jam, which came about as a result of his meeting the show's producer, Bob Sumner. One of his opening lines goes a little like this:

Alex Scott: I'm-a dedicate this to my grandma, though, man...we lost her yesterday.

Audience: Awwww...

AS: We found her! She walkin' around nekkid!

Scott also says he has built up a great deal of confidence in the years since he first started traveling the comedic world. "Even if you don't know what you're doin', you gotta look like you know what you're doin'. That's half the battle," he explains. After his initial success in the D.C. stand-up contest, Scott says an agent walked up to him and said, "Man, you were really funny...I wanna book you for a show at George Mason University." He then says that he was given $200 at the door for the Mason show, only to be booed within three minutes of walking onstage!

Yet even with these so-called "defeats," Scott remains undeterred. He currently works with manager Shaina Farrow, whose company is called Suite1126 Concepts and Connectivity. Farrow also manages another aspiring comedian, Jay Pharoah [sic], known for his dead-on impressions of famous people ranging from Eddie Murphy and Jay-Z to Barack Obama. While Alex Scott and Jay Pharoah have had very different paths up the comedy ladder, both display a great deal of talent and versatility, attributes which will surely help them through the maze that is the entertainment industry.

Since his performance on Def Comedy Jam, Scott says he's had the "celebrity experience" of being recognized on the street. "Oh, every day! Because they still randomly play it...it just landed on HBO last Wednesday, and everybody's callin' me at like, two in the morning, like, 'I've seen you on TV!' And I'm like 'Where, where, where?' They might be callin' from California, and say 'You on 170!'"

If Scott continues on this upward journey, which it seems he will, expect to see him doing many more TV and live performances. As a matter of fact, he may make an appearance in your city soon. Just don't expect the host to announce "From Culpeper, Virginia...Alex Scott!" this time around.