Baron Vaughn
I was in the middle of filming Season 3 of 'Grace and Frankie.' Then the writing process for 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' was happening at the exact same time. And then the pre-production for 'Fatherless' was happening at the exact same time as well.Collection: Science
I grew up on a very specific diet of certain weird movies. Of course, being black, there are more black movies in there. I'll get to bring some of those references into 'Mystery Science Theater 3000.'Collection: Diet
When I have these negative thoughts and feelings, I like to dig into them because I like to get under them and see what's in there.
The name of my first comedy album was 'Raised by Cable.' Coming up and watching all of these weird movies on different channels was such an influence on me and an influence on how I do standup. It informs everything I do.
As long as the world keeps spinning, I'll keep riffing.
New York is looked at as the grad school of comedy.
What I am trying to do is create a space for people to explore what they want to be, as opposed to fit into a label that they have been given.
If we don't talk about the things that are happening, why are we talking about anything at all? Does something have to be a year old for me to have an opinion on it or a conversation with people about it?
Black people have to define who we are, or others do it for us.
The smaller an audience is, the more self-conscious they are. People are always looking at each other to see who is laughing. Because the thing about laughter is that it exposes who you are.
What makes a good festival, above all, is the audience. It feels disconnected when it's meant to bring in people from elsewhere and not meant for the people who actually live there.
When it comes to politics, comedians read between the lines and see hypocrisies and half-truths. And we report those things to regular people who go, 'I noticed that, too!' or 'You're right, that doesn't make sense!'
Comedians are always narrating the story of the people. Always.
When I'm watching Tom Servo, I don't feel like I'm in my own body; I'm just reacting and saying what the character in front of me would say.
I like that part of the culture of 'MST3K' is this constant dialog on what movies could be done and what movies should be done. I've seen plenty of bad movies and walked out afterward thinking 'That would have been perfect for 'MST3K.''
One percent of all comics ever reach the level of a Chris Rock or a Jerry Seinfeld. When audiences come to the underground rooms, they have a chance to watch the process that happens along the way - and see the comedians grow.
In other places, especially in Boston, it's like a place where comedy gestates. People come out of there that are fantastic, but you have to come to New York or L.A. to quote unquote 'make it.'
I come back to Vegas pretty regularly. Quick visits, and I usually just kind of lay low, see my mom, and then get out of there. But every now and then, I'm able to kind of come for extended stays and see some people.
When things get stressful and crazy and you think to yourself, 'When will this get easier?' it won't, because that's what a career feels like.
Anxiety is your creativity turned into a weapon that you use to beat yourself up. And this is because anxiety is mostly storytelling - repeating poisonous stories that you've inherited from others. It feeds on your fear.
Instead of letting anxiety run you, try voicing it. Voice it in your comedy. Voice it in a script. Just voice it, and it'll help you release it.
Worry less about having to fit, and focus more on what you want to make - this will always serve you.
Shows like 'Empire,' 'Black-ish,' 'Scandal,' and 'How to Get Away With Murder' are expanding viewers' perspectives on what people of color can be like. They're showing more range. They're showing more diversity within diversity.
It seems that people are tired of everyone looking the same on television. And this seems especially true for white people. Even white people are tired of watching the same white people. That's why we've been importing them from Australia.
Until recently, Hollywood offered only a handful of roles to actors of color. The majority of my opportunities have fallen into two categories: Scary Black and Funny Black.
Plenty of black people that I know have been on 'SNL,' and they haven't been utilized to the best of their abilities.
With storytelling, you have to see yourself as the hero in the movie of your own life, and I kind of see myself as a supporting role, a walk-on role that has five lines. I say, 'Mr. President, the Russians are here.' That's how I see myself.
I think Ferguson is underrated. I think it's an amazing show. They all have something different to offer, but I think Craig Ferguson has one of the most interesting monologues in late-night because he basically does stand-up.
In a way, you just can't predict a perfect movie for 'MST3K.'
In New Mexico, my local church did a nativity play, and I was cast as Wise Man #3. Of course, Wise Man #3 had no damn lines. Wise Man #1 had all the lines! I stood there thinking, 'I could do that role so much better!' From that moment on, I knew I wanted to be an actor.
I used to watch a lot of Nick at Nite as a kid, and it would play the original 'Saturday Night Live,' 'The Carol Burnett Show,' and 'Laugh-In.'
My first impression of Jane Fonda was she is a queen. She is royalty. She walks into the room - any room - and has this presence about her that demands respect.
I think we have a lot to learn from ancient cultures and different tribes.
I've always been a comedy nerd, and 'Partners in Crime' was probably more influential for me than anything else because it was not only standup, but Robert Townsend had those short films.
You can't erase Bill Cosby's contributions. That's the conflict. He's one of the most influential comedians of all time, and 'The Cosby Show' is one of the most influential sitcoms ever. When I watched as a kid, I wanted Cliff to be my dad. Everybody did.
I actually wanted to study acting in a way that not a lot of people want to do any more. And I wanted to go to college and pay lots of money to do it.
I wanted to go to theater school.
When you're working on a TV show, your schedule can be very unpredictable, which means it's harder to book shows.
We are constantly consuming entertainment; we treat celebrities like role models and royalty. Sometimes destructive behavior gets ignored, or sometimes the pressure breaks them.
One time, I was really close to Steve Martin. I was too afraid to actually go talk to him, but I'll count that as meeting.
The only thing I've ever stolen are hours out of people's lives with meandering conversations.
I was really into ska.
It was a long time before I understood what the word 'specific' was. I remember being a kid and thinking it was 'pacific,' and being like, 'Can you be more pacific?' And I believed that for maybe five, six years until someone was like, 'It's 'specific.''
I guarantee you that Leonardo Prince is doing nothing but listening to the 'Tron: Legacy' soundtrack on loop. And he's probably seen 'Tron: Legacy' twice, or three times. And the other two times, he's taken people who he thinks are important to him, and judged by their reaction to see if he should still be friends with them or not.
If you live with a certain amount of dread for your own personal safety every day, that is anxiety.
Standup led me to acting because I liked standup, and I saw people on a stage, and the closest, nearest thing to me was doing plays. It was like, that's the same thing as standup - people are on a stage; they're being seen and saying things - so, because of my love of standup, I moved towards acting.
I was always just like, 'Standups are making it up.' A lot of people have that myth about standup. And so it wasn't until I was in college for theater school in Boston that I realized I can actually start going to open mics and figuring this out.
I think any good standup or actor is part philosopher, part psychologist and sociologist, because you're constantly recreating behaviors.
Here's the best place that people can find me: go to this website called Google, and then type my name into it. So much stuff.
I've always been a big fan of entertainment. Having cable gave me access to HBO, Showtime, and The Movie Channel. Constantly taking in all these films from different eras and different styles has really given me a good vocabulary in how to talk about movies.