Georgian poised to win ‘Last Comic Standing’
TV PREVIEW
“Last Comic Standing” series finale, 9 p.m. Thursday, NBC
COMEDY SHOW PREVIEW
Rod Man
8 and 10 p.m. Aug. 29; 6, 8 and 10 p.m. Aug. 30, 7 p.m. Aug. 31. $25. Punchline Comedy Club, 280 Hilderbrand Drive, Atlanta. www.punchline.com.
Villa Rica native Rod Man was a front-runner on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” from his first appearance in May commenting about “loyalty cards” at drugstores that never seem to reward him with anything.
While the topic could be something Jerry Seinfeld might opine about, Rod Man did it with a distinctive flair, a look of perpetual exasperation and a unique cadence rooted in Georgia.
The judges on “Last Comic Standing” (Russell Peters, Roseanne and Keenen Ivory Wayans) loved him from the get-go, and with consistent sets, he cruised into the top three, competing against the sly, crafty Lachlan Patterson and the rambunctious Nikki Carr. The season finale is Thursday night, and the winner pockets $250,000 and a development deal with NBC.
“He has this every man kind of confusion,” Wayans said in a press conference this week. “He can take on subject matter and weave it into this character. Once you buy into the character, he can talk about anything.” For instance, Rod Man has joked about ugly babies and women’s breasts and remained endearing.
Rod Man (nee Rod Thompson) moved to L.A. from Atlanta 12 years ago but still has warm memories growing up in Villa Rica: “Played basketball, football. Yah, man. Met my wife there. Villa Rica is a beautiful thing.”
He began doing stand-up about 20 years ago at Uptown Comedy Corner, where he used the nickname “Rod Man” so his family wouldn’t know early on that he was pursuing comedy. (The club, which targets blacks, was based in Buckhead at the time but is now located downtown.)
“Seeing live audiences laugh was totally different from watching comedy on TV,” Rod Man said. “I was hooked the first time folks laughed. I decided I was going to do nothing else.”
Yet despite his veteran status, he didn’t break it into the top echelon of black comics who worked frequently out of Atlanta in the 1990s such as Bruce Bruce, Don “DC” Curry, Earthquake and Mo’Nique.
Peters, a veteran comic who recently appeared at the Punchline to prepare for an arena tour, said he had known Rod Man for 15 years but had only seen him perform in front of black audiences. He wondered if Rod Man’s humor would translate. “He destroyed in a mixed room” on the show, Peters said. “I apparently misjudged him.”
Rod Man said he spent many years focused on black audiences, but “I always felt my comedy plays anywhere. I’ve made a conscious effort to start dabbling more into mainstream audiences just to satisfy my own comedic mind.”
Earthquake, whom Rod Man considered a mentor, said in an interview that Rod Man developed his unique style early on, a Southern feel that is like “a sip of bourbon” that doesn’t necessarily hit you immediately but then burrows deep.
“It took me years to get comfortable up there,” Rod Man said. “I still get nervous when they call my name. I’ve learned to find that connection in each town I perform in. Have jokes that travel.”
He has appeared over the years on “Def Comedy Jam,” “BET’s ComicView” and “Showtime at the Apollo.” He’s gotten a few film roles, including Judd Apatow’s ‘Funny People” in 2009. “It was kind of a weird experience,” Rod Man said. “I was sick at the time. I was overweight. That was not my best look in comedy. I still wasn’t ready to shine yet.”
Now appears to be the right time.
Rod Man’s exposure on “Last Comic Standing” should raise his profile the way it has for others who had competed on the show such as Amy Schumer, Alonzo Bodden and Gabriel Iglesias.
He already knows the results of the show Thursday, which was pretaped, but he can’t say whether he wins. “This whole thing has been a boost,” he said. “I’m winning already. Anything else will be icing on the cake.”
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
