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Last Published: 3/21/2008 10:03:30 AM
LISTENING IN: Michael Jr. and Trin-i-tee 5:7
Posted by:
Chris Well on
January 12, 2007 at
2:05PM EST
In this online exclusive “Listening In” segment, we match up Michael Jr., one of the stars of the Christian comedy special Thou Shalt Laugh (Warner Bros. DVD), with the ladies of R&B/gospel trio Trin-i-tee 5:7. Log on and listen in to the conversation as Angel, Adrian, and Chanelle interview this comedian, and laugh along as Michael Jr. works in a few comic moments!
 Trin-i-tee 5:7 knows about facing the storms of life. The group, comprised of Chanelle Haynes, Angel Taylor and Adrian Anderson, had to hold on to their faith as two of the girls native New Orleans was submerged in 2005 due to the ravaging effects of Hurricane Katrina.
Now that gospel's best-selling female trio has weathered the storm, they're back with a brand new project, T57, and the challenge not only has made them stronger, but the maturity of the songbirds is reflected in their new musical collection.
 Today's most talented Christian comedians are brought together on Thou Shalt Laugh. Two time Emmy Award-winning actress Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond) hosts this night of stand-up comedy from the producer of the enormously popular Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie.
The lineup features seven comedians, including Thor Ramsey, Michael Jr., Jeff Allen, Teresa Roberts Logan, Joby Saad, Gilbert Esquivel and Taylor Mason.
Adrian: First of all, Michael, I must tell you—you are hilarious. Everyone has a spark that gets their career off the ground. What was your moment when you knew “this is the beginning of my career”?
Michael: At first I thought I was a professional as soon as I got paid over $500 to do a show.
Adrian: Oh, OK.
 Michael: That is what I thought. Right? Then I got to $500 and I was like, “That’s not it, I’m sorry that’s not it.”
So, I was doing a show in Ft. Wayne, Indiana and this guy yelled from the back of the room with twang than I can’t explain, “Michael, Jr. Why do all black people look alike?” Now, at this point—I mean the whole crowd froze. It was a mostly white audience and the whole crowd froze. They didn’t know how I was going to respond, what I was going to do, if I was going to go off or if I had some sort of comment. I had no idea what I was going to say. When I said these words I was hearing them for the first time. I didn’t even think these words. So, he said, “Michael, Jr. I was wondering why do all black people look alike?” My response was, “We don’t all look alike, you just got to cut the eyeholes in your sheet a lot bigger.”
And the crowd went crazy. The dude was high-fiving me all the time after the show and it was like whoa and then it was at that moment that I knew I was a professional. My career really began to take off at that point.
Adrian: You didn’t freeze, you actually had a comeback and it took your career to another place.
Michael: I had the comeback. Even though I didn’t know God at that time, I believe it was God saying, “Listen this is what you do, let me show you.” And then it was just so … I mean, it was like I looked like I was a professional, even though I had no idea.
Shanelle: One thing I wanted to ask you about, I have been a resident of Manhattan Beach, California. I have spent a lot of time at Hermosa Pier and in the area—I am always driving by, I am always riding on the bike, painting, I love hanging out at the beach—and I understand that you went to the comedy club there in Hermosa, The Comedy & Magic Club. There are some really great entertainers that go into that place. What was the experience like when you were there?
 Michael: That club has been instrumental to my career. When I first moved to New York and I was doing comedy, I am at the Comic Strip Live and George Wallace walks in. Whenever somebody of George Wallace’s stature—as far as comedy—walks up, I mean, instantly, whoever is next onstage is just not next anymore. It is George Wallace’s turn to go up. It is just that simple.
Shanelle: Right.
Michael: So, I am supposed to go up next and George Wallace walks in. Now, I know that I am about to get bumped. I am already cool with it.
The manager walks up to me and says—now this is God—the manger walks up to me and says, “George Wallace is here Michael, do you want to go up before him or after?” I was like, “What, you are going to give me the option?”
I was amazed. So, I went up before him and I did my set. Then he walks in and I see this big smile. After I get off stage he asked me a question, He said, “ Michael, Jr. Why don’t you curse onstage?” At the time I was like, “I don’t know, what if my grandmother walks in or something? I don’t know.”
Shanelle: I think most people appreciate that most about your routine. Because people want, ultimately, to be comfortable when you are talking to them and there is nothing about your routine that makes the audience uncomfortable.
Michael: Right.
Shanelle: You want your material to be able to make everybody laugh. Because I went to see this show one time and the guy was talking, but I was there with my mom. I was like, “I don’t know if I want you to talk about this and my mom sitting right here.” You know?
Michael: So, George Wallace gave me the biggest compliment I had ever received in doing comedy: “If my best friend weren’t opening up for me tomorrow night, I would have you do it.” I’ve known this man for four minutes now. I was like, “Wow. That’s cool.”
He said, “Do you want to know who my best friend is?” Then he said, “Jerry Seinfeld.” I was like, wow.
So, he ended up calling me anyway. Me, him, and Jerry go do this show. I had a great show.
But anyway, afterward we don’t talk for a while or whatever. I happen to be visiting California and he happens to be in California. He just calls me up—this is God again—he just happens to call me up three months later and we’re both in California. So, he picks me up and takes me to church. He took me to West Angeles. There was too much going on there. I was sitting next to Angela Basset and Magic Johnson.
After that he takes me to the Comedy & Magic club. I am having fries with Jay Leno, Gary Shandling and George Wallace.
Anyway, the owner of the club sees me—they don’t let me go onstage yet, because they are not going to let you on with Jay Leno; they don’t even know you at all, really—anyway, so they call me back for an audition. I do the audition. The owner likes me so much that—the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and those guys are looking for a comedian to do their show live.
Now, the show is never done live. It is just not a live show. It is live on tape and then four hours later they will show it. But this is live, so if this comedian were to have tripped and fell the whole country would have seen him.
Shanelle: Right.
Michael: So, they had it down to three people. They were still going to look at 10, but the producer already knew which three he wanted. The owner of the club called Michael, Jr. up and said, “ Hey I want you to come down here. I going to slip you in on this lineup.”
Now, we are all back in the green room. All the guys, nobody wants to go up first. Nobody wants to go up first. So, I was just like—I mean, I’m sure it was God—but I was just like, you know what, I’ll go first. So, I went up onstage first and I did my set. Everybody else did their set. They choose me to be the first person ever to do the Tonight Show with Jay Leno live. I do the tonight show with Jay Leno live. NBC calls me directly as soon as I got off stage and all excited, “Yeah, you did such a great job.”
 Then the producer says, “Listen, Michael, I want you to know that that night I saw you at the Magic & Comedy Club, I was irritated that you went up.” He said, “I already had my three guys in line. I wanted them to go up first, then I was going to pick one. Then I was going to leave; I wasn’t even going to look at the other seven.” He said,” Because you went up first, I saw your stuff, I liked it and that is why you are on the show.”
That was all God; I never want to go up first. I was just like, “Whatever dude, I’ll go.” So, God has been instrumental in such a huge way.
That club has been so big to me. The Comedy & Magic, Hermosa Beach, California—hilarious people, hilarious club—is just an awesome place to visit.
I worked with Ray Romano down there. Listen, I didn’t even know Ray. It was my birthday and I didn’t have any family here at the time. So, I just went to the club to get a steak for my birthday. The guy finds out it is my birthday and he lets me do some time, some comedy before him. Then not only that while he is onstage his producer walks up to me and says, “They want to do a Q&A after the show with Ray and you.”
Ray Romano is making 2.7 million a week—I am trying to get a free steak. Anyway, he calls me out on stage to do this Q&A. I’m like “OK, this is going to be fun.” Then Ray pulls out a piece of cake out from behind him with a candle in it. He and the whole audience start singing “Happy Birthday.”
Shanelle: Who was one of the most influential people in your childhood that encouraged you to pursue your dreams?
Michael: I would absolutely have to instantly say my father for sure, because he is so strong. My best friend would go steal cars. I was like, “Man, I am not getting in that car with you. My dad will tear my head off.”
So, for sure my dad, plus he is funny. He has all these friends that would always come around and laugh. Everybody wanted to be at our house. And I grew up under the era of “Don’t be talking when grown folks are talking,” so I had to listen. I had to study why he was funny, as opposed to trying to jump in there myself. I knew that if I had to try to jump in there myself it wouldn’t have been good for me. It would have been a nice whipping coming along with it.
My mom is the reason I don’t curse. I never hear my mom say a curse word.
Then one other person—I won’t say her name—was one of my teachers. Because, she said to me—I know this is hard, this is in high school—“You are not ever going to be anything, you are no going to have anything, you are not going anywhere.” As I got older, it was very motivational. Then as I started maturing even more, I was like that is not even motivation, I am going to do it exceedingly and abundantly over and above all that.
Angel: Well, this is awesome. This has been a great opportunity for us to be able to just look inside your life.
Michael: Hey, I got to ask this question: Has your name always been Trinity 57?
Angel: It has.
 Michael: I love your music so much. That one song is always stuck in my head, “It’s By God’s Grace.” That song just gets in your head. You just wake up to it. You can listen to the song. You can hear it. You can just receive from the song. It is teaching you as you are listening to it. So, it is such a huge plus. All of the stuff ya’ll are doing is just …
Adrian: It is always a surprise to us that the different people that our music has touched. We had an event in Florida, and Chris Tucker was there. He works out to Trin-i-tee 5:7’s music. I’m like, what like what a combination. It is just the funniest thing.
The world of comedy, I know that we appreciate it. Because, we are girls that love life and we love to laugh.
I have a mother that is a comedian, except that she is not paid to be a comedian. She is just funny 24/7. It is just good. I am sure your kids lives will be full, always having a father that makes sure their soul is happy, their spirits are happy, their spirits are lifted. You do that four hundreds and thousands of people, millions of people even. You should be very proud of that. It is a great gift.
Michael: I am excited—it is all God, though. Because I look in the mirror and I’m like, “Dude, you are not this clever. Where is this stuff coming from? You are not this funny. How do you come up with this?” It is just so clear that it is not me.
I do clubs and churches. It is the same show.
Shanelle: So do we.
Michael: God made it clear to me that he wants me to transform my comedy career and start producing films. I just did a film, which is really funny, about a gay guy and a Christian guy. The gay guy wants to come out of the closet and tell his friends at the bachelor party that he is gay. The Christian guy wants to come out the closet too and tell his friends that he is a Christian. He is tired of hiding it. They meet up in the bathroom and they think they are talking about the same thing.
Adrian: Oh, that is funny.
Michael: The gay guy is like, “Man, seem I should have been able to tell just by looking.” The Christian dude is like, “I am new at it. I just started. That is why you can’t tell.” So, all of the details about how they are hiding and what they are doing are the same. In the end, you see what happens. It is really kind of cool. They are going to show it at churches. It is really, really funny. But at the end it has a nice little pop to make you think, “Wow, man what am I doing? Why am I hiding who I am?”
Adrian: That is awesome. We are going more to television and film as well. We want to congratulate you on your new project, Thou Shalt Laugh.
 Michael: Thou Shalt Laugh is so awesome, so funny. There are six other comedians on this piece. It is kind of like the Kings of Comedy or The Blue Collar Comedy Tour.
In fact, it is the same producers as The Blue Collar Comedy Tour. They just got together some comedians who all wanted to keep it clean and have their families be able to come out and be able watch it. So it is funny. It is hilarious. We are having a good time. Those other cats are hilarious. It is just some very, very, very funny guys.
Shanelle: We want to encourage you to keep moving forward. We look forward to doing some concerts with you in the future.
Michael: That would be awesome. Praise God. So, all right, ladies, I appreciate you so much and what you are doing and why you are doing it.
http://thoushaltlaugh.com
http://www.michaeljrcomedy.com
http://www.trin-i-tee57.com
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