Charles McBee hails from the Midwest, and has a lot of funny stories about the mash up of cultures he experienced growing up in the 1980s and 1990s. He’s come a long way since then – he’s now a respected performer in the comedy mecca of the country, New York City. He joins us for this week’s Take 5.
You’re from Toledo. What's one thing that’s really funny about the city? One thought is how soupy the Maumee River looks.
People, believe it or not, go jet-skiing in that river, and I go, I don’t know what you’ve got in
your head. I’ve never been in it, but it’s not the body of water that you’d want to dip your toe in. We call the Muddy Maumee. I don’t get too close.
What was so funny about growing up there in the 1980s and 1990s?
We’re in the Midwest, so we kind of grew up with every bit of culture, because we didn’t have our own. We grew with grunge from Seattle, southern music, hip-hop from New York. So whatever was coming through MTV we clung to.
Now you’re a comedian in New York City. What’s the most challenging thing about doing comedy there?
The most challenging thing is there are so many comedians here, so there is a lot of
competition. It sharpens you, but you can find yourself fighting for stage time. The venues are there, but you can throw a rock and hit 30 comedians that are trying to get on stage. It’s not necessarily like going on the road and doing 30 minutes, 40 minutes or an hour.
You do a lot of writing for TV. How satisfying is that, and also, how hard is it to be
consistently funny?
It’s very hard. There is a lot of jokes that bomb in the room. The great Steven Colbert told me, when it’s showtime, the camera is going to turn on and something is being broadcast into the air. You’re either going to be ready or not. With TV writing it’s about hitting deadlines.
What advice would you give to a comedian looking to break into the business?
To write as often as possible and to get on stage and do it as often as possible and to also manage your expectations, meaning don’t look for the big payout right away. Enjoy the process, enjoy the journey and try to be as good as you can.
Charles will headline Comedy Plex at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with doors opening at 7 p.m. both nights. Before you arrive, swing by his website, where you can learn about his extensive TV writing credentials, and connect with him on all the major social platforms, including Instagram.
Take 5: CHARLES McBEE