La•ughs, H•eat, & Leg•ends

Ever wondered what a "black job" really means or how to survive an oppressive LA heat wave? Join me as we navigate these quirky dilemmas with a hearty laugh and maybe a trick or two to beat the heat. This episode also gets personal as I open up about my latest headshot experience, my insecurities, and the relentless pursuit of self-improvement. Plus, don't miss my critique of Lee Daniels' "The Deliverance," where standout performances by Andra Day, Monique, Glenn Close, and  Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor are put under the microscope. We explore themes like single parenthood, faith, and the unique trials black women face, with a special nod to Glenn Close and Monique's transformative roles.

Comedy isn't just a career; it's a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Hear about my love-hate relationship with stand-up that started back in 2017, inspired by legends like Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and Robin Williams. I also share how physical comedy from icons like the Wayans family and Jim Carrey shaped my style, along with the powerful influence of female comedians like Monique and Sommore. Ready for some chaos and creativity? Stay tuned as I outline my future goals, including the dream of owning a production company that crafts meaningful content. Trust me, you won't want to miss the ride we're on with "My Black Job.

Transcript

Comedy, Movie Reviews, and Debates

Speaker 1 0:00

Everyone in the conference room immediately . My name is Jalen White and this is day five on my black job . Can somebody tell me what a black job is ? What a black job is ? I just discovered that song on Instagram and I don't know who it's by , but I am obsessed because will somebody tell me what a black job is ? What's up ? Co-workers , we are back again , and today I'm going to be talking about all things comedy , my love for it , who and what inspires me and what I plan to do in it . So before we get into that , let's go ahead and catch up really quick Now . I know you guys can tell I've been really congested today and so I kind of sound a little gross , but we needed to come on the mic and shoot our shit for the week , and let's start off with LA Now . You know you need an ass whooping . You know you need an ass whooping .

Speaker 1 1:03

This heat wave that has come through has been something vicious . Baby , I cannot focus . I can't think straight . I don't even want to do anything . I'm not lying . My ball sack has been so sweaty . I swear to God I've sweated one of my testicles out . It's just been too fucking hot for anything . I saw earlier that it was saying that it was 104 . And some people were posting on their Instagram that their shit , their weather at , was saying that it was 110 in some areas , and I'm like this is crazy . Growing up , the saints always said well , hell is hotter . Listen , clearly God is either preparing me for my future in hell or I'd argue that this is hell on earth . I'm sick of it . I'm sick of it , but tomorrow I'm going to find myself in some good air conditioning , so we're very enthused about that .

Speaker 1 2:05

But , in other news , I took some headshots earlier this week and I got to see some proofs and I'm just not pleased . But I knew that I'm just hard on myself , you know , and so I felt like I didn't go in there and for the camera really give my best , but I at least got something that I could work with for now . But I was about to have a nervous breakdown , I'm telling you , because I really had to force myself to deal with the things that I'm insecure about and the things that I want to work on and to just be a little bit more mindful about what I'm giving , how I'm presenting and how I feel about myself in the interim , and so this all has been really challenging for me but I'm really committed to following through and just seeing what's on the other side of doing all of this stuff . Like I said in last week's episode , I hate being photographed . I just deflate , I do . I'm focused on everything that I see negative about myself and it's not the healthiest of experience , but I'm actively committed to working through it . But it was challenging but we got through and it's over and it's just it's up for here from here . Ooh , I sound like I have a speech impediment . Jesus , I don't know , I'm stuffy man .

Speaker 1 3:38

Oh , I watched that movie , the Deliverance , the Lee Daniels film , with Andra Day , monique Glenn Close and Ajanu Ellis , who is fantastic in everything that she does . I'm like the moment I see her name anywhere , I'm like Ajanu is going to bring all of the good shit . At first when I watched the movie , so I watched it a few times . At first I love horror and I just wasn't like moved by the horror aspect of it . But when I watched it again , there was definitely some parts of the storytelling that I just really resonated with and how the movie absolutely deals with single parenthood and how black women are not believed and oftentimes black single mothers have a fight that they ensue every day that most people really can't fathom , and sometimes we look at these women and we look at them as being aggressive or mean or having a negative attitude , when this woman is really just navigating . Well , some people are shitty people too right , there's also that . But most of the times these women are really just trying to navigate and make ends meet for themselves and their family at home , and so you really get to watch that struggle . And then she moves in her mother and I'm speaking of andre day so andre day then moves in her mother , glenn close , who is also sick spoiler , um but she moves her in and you just kind of see their dynamics and glenn close's character has found , you know , faith and so you know she's transitioning as a person , but you kind of still see glimpses of who she may have been , you know , before you come into the story , like she might've been a little fast , like she loves the black men , um , and then she also was incredibly abusive and clearly , from Andra Day's storyline , alcoholism is a part of their story , and so I imagine Glenn Close was probably like wilded um , her character that is .

Speaker 1 6:04

And let's just talk about Glenn Close for a minute . We have never seen her do anything like this and I've been watching interviews and Q&As around this movie and how it took her a minute to kind of find it and trust herself to find it , because it's just kind of like what the fuck ? I can smell your nappy pussy . It's just like she gagged us on every turn . Just everything that she did was really connected and good and I mean she just never disappoints and she's really a character actor and Monique has never disappointed anybody , acting wise , first of all Also . So I was really pleased with Monique .

Speaker 1 6:47

I thought those scenes were funny , how she would exchange the looks in her , like her character's level of comfortability , like just kind of barging in for her own kind of reasons and you know , shooting her shit and being scared Of how they may respond , and like just her banter With Glenn Close you know , fuck your mama With her cockeyed ass . Like that shit was just crazy , crazy talk . But overall I give it like a 8.5 out of 10 . Like I said to me there was some components around horror , um , and I also grew up in the church , so you know I think first of all , just tackling that whole concept of demonic possession is complex Um , and that's really not supposed to be the center of this story and I do understand that Um , do understand that um , but yeah , it was just like it didn't give me that . Uh , right , like the original exorcist did , um , and I guess that , like when I watch those types of movies , um , that deal with like demonic possession , I kind of anticipate that level of fright and that scare , that rush . But overall I mean it was good .

Speaker 1 8:18

Like I really enjoyed everyone's acting , even what's his name ? Caleb from Stranger Things and the other two new faces that were introduced to me that played Andra's youngest son and daughter and , um , yeah , I thought it was cool but everybody's going crazy about it . And definitely glenn close gave some viral , memorable ass scenes . I can smell your nappy pussy . Andra said , uh , she's put her hands on bitches for far less . And Glenn Close looked at her and said do it bitch I , I lived , and I know people were on Twitter and an uproar because they were like Lee Daniels is in interviews saying like every black person knows a white woman like this .

Speaker 1 9:10

You know , the world might not know her , but she's not new to the community and Black Twitter was like all sensitive about it and it's just like some of us do know those types of white women . You know where you kind of don't get on her head . She's not necessarily a Rachel Dolezal , so you don't consider or think of it as appropriating . This is where she lives , this is what she knows and the relationships that she keeps . This is where she lives , this is what she knows and relationships that she keeps . And so you know , with that is unique , it's , you know , it's a sharing of the culture , I guess one would say , which sounds concerning saying that out loud now , but like you know I'm , I know a couple of ladies like this like hell .

Speaker 1 9:50

I had a friend that used to color my hair and she loved like wind and you know what I mean . And she could cook and you know I fuck with her and I love that lady online , miss Henry , listen , she was like I'm sick of people in a vague fucking statements . She was like , if you ain't never seen a boss bitch , you looking at one Bitch , I handles big business . Yeah , I live for those types of people . But uh , and lee daniels just put a uh , he highlighted that for us and overall I thought it was good . But um , and people are going to talk , but I fuck with everything that Lee Daniels does period , point blank , full stop .

Speaker 1 10:38

I'm excited for Tuesday , I'm excited for the debates , I'm excited to see Trump get his ass handed to him , although he's been kind of putting in the atmosphere that he's really not preparing . And I mean , obviously you can tell in the shit that he's doing right now publicly interviewing that he really has no idea what he's talking about or I feel like he doesn't even know what he's talking about or doing . But we knew that , you know . But I do secretly feel like he's no fool , and so I would never underestimate our opponent . I think he is absolutely preparing , but Kamala is being sure and letting the people know . No , she is absolutely preparing and training and doing what she needs to do , and I can't wait to see her bring that energy as a former prosecutor , as a former senator , as a former attorney general and as a vice president , run circles around him and really take an opportunity to discuss policy in a way that'll be visceral for people and people can connect to these larger issues that you know we've all been kind of discussing .

Speaker 1 12:09

And so I'm excited about the debate and I hope that you all are registering to vote and making sure that you are committed to participating in the process . I'm not going to never try to tell anybody who to vote for . It's obvious who I'm voting for . It won't be stubby fingers , I'll tell you that . But I encourage everyone to participate in our democracy , especially when you look like me , because people have died and lost their lives and sacrificed their lives for us to have certain liberties so we can participate in this larger scheme of creating a country that we'd be proud of . And , like I've always said , it doesn't start and stop with just the binary of the president and vice president of the United States , but , you know , being concerned with what's going on around you locally , making sure we're getting the right people into Congress , into Senate , and definitely paying attention to who's in positions of power right now and making sure that we focus holding them accountable .

Speaker 1 13:28

But moving on , because that was a very that was almost like a draft , I mean , but that's politics in a nutshell . I feel like it low key , is like , oh my God . But at the same time , you know , many of us really don't have the privilege to not engage or , at the very least , try to learn at a surface level , and so I would just want to continue to encourage everybody to continue learning and to continue questioning and sourcing information and doing your research and not being like people out there that we know and I may , or I'm obviously talking about stubby fingers and his not so smart followers but just spewing out things that are not factual or rooted in any truth . So I challenge everyone to just do their research before they open up their fucking mouth , because there's nothing worse than somebody that doesn't know what the fuck they're talking about when it really matters . And if you're one of those type of people , I encourage you to shut up . Hopefully you've shut up now because you're listening to me . I used to be . You Said me never . Okay , folks Listen co-workers , family and friends .

Exploring the Magic of Comedy

Speaker 1 14:57

I feel like I had something else to discuss , but , moving on , I wanted to come on and talk about comedy . It has been that abusive boyfriend that I can't break up with . That I don't want to break up with . It's been an interesting journey and I've learned to really love it in a way that I feel like I haven't been before and I'm able to kind of take myself a little bit more seriously . I feel like starting comedy in 2017 , it was because the acting school forced me to take a standup comedy class . Well , all of us , that is , I'm just singling me out . Well , this is about me and I was not good . I you know , I mean , I may still not be good , but I'm better than what I was . No like , I just didn't take it seriously .

Speaker 1 15:51

I know that I had studied and I have always admired comedians and comedic actors and I've always been like a fan and felt connected to the genre , your favorite comedian or one of your faves and come in , memorize , know that bit where he's like white kids versus black kids , like white kids , be like fuck you , mommy , and all of that type of stuff . And so I was like , oh easy , because I understand the concept right , just how I explain it , I get it and I thought it would be easy . So I fucked off that day and I got really stoned with my home girl . And then we went to class and it was time to get on stage and I was a mumbling idiot . And so I was like , oh , I'm not , I look crazy , and there's so many other ways and places in which I can look crazy and embarrass myself . This won't be one , won't be one . And I had to come back to class after ditching for weeks after that because I couldn't afford to fail that class .

Speaker 1 17:22

This was the last term of school and I came back and they were getting up there rehearsing material and I was full of anxiety and I just remember sitting in a theater and leaning forward to my homegirl and be like what is , what does he mean ? Speaking of the teacher , what does he mean ? I get up there and I want to see your six minute material , because you know we're preparing to for our first real professional time to perform at the comedy store in the original room , and I leaned forward and said in my homegirl's ear I said , bitch , what material ? She said the six minutes that we've been writing . And I knew at that moment that she had betrayed me because she had been going to class and I sat there while I watched people go on stage and I sat there and on a piece of scrap paper I just used my anxiety and I started coming up with shit . And this was while Stubby Fingers was in office , and so you know the jokes were writing themselves really and I and I got up and it worked and people were into it , but I still wasn't connected to it and I performed and I kept getting booked and I just kept doing it Like I just didn't stop doing it , but I feel like my heart hasn't been in it this entire time and now it feels like it is Like now , after several years .

Speaker 1 19:01

In a few years I'm acting like I've done it for like 35 years Goes , but no , but in these few years , like now , I can say that it's meaningful to me and now when I go study people , it means so much to me and it hits differently . Now For me it's so hard to say who my favorite comedian is , because there's so many people , from Richard Pryor to George Carlin to so many people to Andy Kaufman , to Robin Williams , to Bernie Mac and I've always been really a fan of like female comedy as well . I think that that's a part of how I run off at the mouth , like it's from watching women . Really , you know , and like I've always connected to like Monique and some more , and Laura Hayes , melanie Camacho , thea Vidal , suck should have wrote out a list , because there's so many comedians . Lavelle Crawford that bit is always from that one special where he was like his mama would tell him you know , when you go into the grocery store , don't touch shit , don't ask for shit , because when you fuck up , when you do , I'm going to take you for a down , for a ride down by the lake . And that shit used to tickle me , no matter how many times I heard it , because that's how good it is For me . Legend icon forever in my heart is Red Fox . Sanford and Son is always going to be one of my favorite sitcoms , sitcoms of all time .

Speaker 1 21:06

Miss Thing in that show why is her name escaping me ? I know her name every other day . I hate you , sucka . Why is her name slipping me ? But I love her . I might even I'm just going to post something of her because I can't think of her name right now . Um , but she , she definitely . That energy has poured into me . Jennifer Lewis um , lewis is somebody that I'm a huge fan of and I mean it might not be traditional standup , but she's like a full one woman act . Jim Carrey , eddie Murphy Sometimes when I think about Eddie Murphy , I always then think about like Andy Kaufman and his character work , because that's what I hope to really be able to do Like .

Speaker 1 21:59

I think the Wayne family , the Wayne's family , is really excellent at like character work and um and like , uh , physical comedy and I really want to be able to tap in , really in getting in my body and like feeling really grounded in it . Tommy Davidson , tommy Davidson kills it every time I was , um , watching they brought comic view back . Uh , uh , kevin Hart and Mike Epps brought that back and , uh , it's on BET plus and I watched it and they had people that , like you know , like I , like you know to , cora Williams , brisha Webb , I think DC young fly was on . There was a couple of other people , but like nothing hit like when Tommy Davidson came through , you know , and he just like rocked it .

Speaker 1 23:04

Speaking of the Waynes , keenan Waynes and Damon Waynes to me , I've been watching interviews of Marlon Speaking about In Living Color . You know he did Club Shay Shay , because fuck Vlad , shay Shay , because fuck Vlad . I watch a lot of In Living Color and I've seen videos of like Damon doing his thing and just how he's like free on stage , like where it doesn't make sense . It's like a , it's kind of magical , and Kenan is just like brilliant and it's like ever flowing , um , you know , it's like somebody that can write , edit and execute at all at the same time . You know like it's , it's interesting , um , and Bernie Mac . I know I mentioned him already , but now I'm like I can go individually now .

Speaker 1 23:57

Like Bernie Mac I would say for me is guts . You know , um is guts and it's like his persona . His stage persona is really um , like authentically kind of him , like it feels authentic . The Bernie Mac show felt like that . It felt like your uncle that makes a lot of money . You know what I mean . That's still kind of the same , but he's bougie now .

Speaker 1 24:29

You know , comedy is just one of those things where it's very subjective , like everybody doesn't like the same people , everybody doesn't find all the same things funny . But it's something that's , I don't know , just magical to me watching somebody talk their shit their way , because I mean there's nothing to talk about , there's no topics that have never been covered , and if you think they are , you've never learned about George Carlin . You know cover and if you think they are , you've never learned about George Carlin . George Carlin has covered everything and his organization was scientific .

Speaker 1 25:11

When Wayans said in his Club Shea interview he was like when he started doing stand-up he was scared to do stand-up because all of his siblings were literally doing stand-up and great at it . And it's like what does he have to say Because , hell , they're all in the family , they're telling all of the fucking stories , so what does he have left to tell ? And he was like , but and then I realized that I have my point of view through my own experience , and that's essentially , I think , what makes stand up even just a dope profession or or hobby for some to do , just because it's an opportunity to take your experience the good , the bad , the indifferent and kind of morph it into something that makes people resonate with it , but in this form of laughter and carefreeness and , um , my hope for continuing stand up is that I am able to do that for people , make them connect to topics or things that I'm sharing . That may have been dark for me or actively dark or , you know , complicated , but they see themselves in it and they feel , at the very least , like they can keep kind of going , keep pushing . You know I want people to , you know , feel like they found like a bit of escapism in what I'm presenting for the moment and , obviously , on a surface level , I want to fucking make people laugh .

Speaker 1 27:09

You know I want to make people laugh . I want people . I want to have material that makes people fall out of their seats , where people just can't get enough , where they keep it . You know , I want to be like how crack was when it was originally dropped off in the black neighborhoods by the government . That's how good I want to be and really to just keep it a buck . I want to be fucking funny , funny , you . You know what I mean , because that's what this really is about also at the end of the day .

Speaker 1 27:45

I mean , we could have all these deep kind of philosophical thoughts about , you know , wanting to be representation and wanting to give something meaningful to people , but really , at the core , I want to make people laugh and hope through what I'm giving , that it does all that deep shit in between and I feel like that . That's the making of the makeup , really , of all of the people that I listen and that makes them great . They are funny as hell and then they do all that good , that good jazz for you in between . You feel seen , you feel represented , you feel heard , you know you were in fellowship , you felt community , you know , and so that's that's what I really aim to do with this shit in a nutshell . And , like I said , I'm , I'm , I'm in the incubator , you know , I'm in the kitchen cooking and I'm excited . You know comedy .

Speaker 1 28:48

My debut comedy album is coming may 2025 and I can't wait to show what the fuck I can do . I'm excited for people to see . I want you guys to keep tuning in to my Black Job and to tell a friend and to tell them to tell a friend and to tell that friend to tell their mama , because I just want to connect . I really am here to create community , uh , through healing , through the art of laughter and humor and , um , I hope today you guys enjoyed this show .

Future Goals

Speaker 1 29:34

You know it was a little chaotic , um , but that's what I came to do Create confusion . I came to fuck shit up . Truthfully , no , I'm excited for you guys to see what's coming and what's in store . I'm just ready to work and mark my fucking words . A few years from now , I'm going to own my own goddamn production company and I will be developing content that matters , and so stay in tune . Listen , I'm a little overdue and it's time to clock on out . So I'll see you next week for another episode of my Black Job and I'll be talking about whatever I decide that week . See ya , bye .