When I Started In The Clubs, I

Suffering Is A Good Teacher. It Keeps You In Its Grip Until You've Learned Your Lesson.

As I Got Older, I Got Into All Kinds Of Things In The Streets - But For Some Reason, I Never Got Caught Up With The Gangs Growing Up. Everybody Dug Me, Man. I Never Had Problems.

I Became The Storyteller Of South Side Chicago. I Used An Old Kiwi Liquid Shoe Polish As A Microphone. I'd Go Around The House Interviewing Everybody, Telling Stupid Jokes, Doing Voices. I Mimicked Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis Jr., People On 'laugh-in,' Flip Wilson.

I Can Act. I've Been Acting For A Long Time, But Like Anything Else, Don't Nobody Owe You Nothing. You've Go To Pay Your Dues. You Go From A To Z; You Don't Go From M To Z.

I've Introduced Myself With Comedy, And Once You've Introduced Yourself As Something, That's Where People Keep You. That's Where People Like To Hold You.