Aries Spears is proof that success is relative — especially in the entertainment world.
The stand-up comedian and eight-year veteran of Fox’s “MADtv” sketch show headlines clubs around the country and regularly plays talk shows and high-profile cable specials. But the 34-year-old, who started doing comedy professionally at age 14, is still hungry.
“I want God to answer my phone call this year because I’ve been on hold with this jazz music for a minute now,” Spears said earlier this week. “I’m waiting for my shot at the title.”
We talked to Spears, who’s known for his eerily spot-on impressions of Shaquille O’Neal, Jay-Z and other celebs, in advance of his headlining sets at the Improv at Northfield Stapleton tonight-Sunday.
Q:How was your 2009? Were you pretty busy?A: It’s probably gotten a bit busier this year. People know me between all the (“MADtv”) syndication runs on Comedy Central, the Shaq special and all the hits I’ve gotten on YouTube.
Q:What was the Shaq special?A: It was an all-star comedy show in Phoenix with Cedric the Entertainer, Tommy Davidson, me, Kevin Hart and DeRay Davis. They’ve played it a few times on Showtime and you can get it at Blockbuster and all that. That kind of helped raise my profile, especially within the African-American community.
Q:Do you find that you have a fan base in one particular area or another?A: If I’m in Des Moines, Iowa, am I going to get a lot of black people coming to my show? Probably not, but that’s attributable to the fact that there’s only six of them in Iowa. But “MADtv” was great because it gave us fans of every demographic. Latinos, Asians, black, white, kids, adults, foreigners — it was a wide range of viewership.
Q:Are you ever frustrated “MADtv” didn’t translate into a higher profile for your stand-up and acting?A: I still almost feel like more of an underground success story since “MADtv.” Some of the compliments and assessments and things said on YouTube over the years . . . I definitely agree with some of them.
Q:In terms of you not getting your due?A: Yeah. I mean, I know there’s a lot of different outlets out there now to see who you like.
Q:You started doing comedy around New York professionally at age 14, which is about five years earlier than most. A: Yeah. I was making $100-$200 per gig. I was just vain and I always wanted to be famous. It was a dream of mine since childhood, and plus I could get in so much trouble for being funny in school, so I thought I might as well get a paycheck for it.
Q:Many comedians don’t even feel like they’ve hit stride until they’ve been in it for a couple decades, and you’re at your 20-year mark right now.A: It’s been great to see growth in a lot of the comics I came up with like Steve Harvey, Bill Bellamy and (the late) Bernie Mac. When you first start out, you’re energetic and there’s a certain amount of naïvete. You’re all over the place.
But when you get older, you calm down. You think more without looking like you’re thinking. It’s almost like a martial arts movie, where you start out as a student but eventually become the master.
Q:Do you feel like a master?A: Well, I’m constantly trying to add things and come up with new material and redefine jokes. I think it just depends on the comic. I liken a person’s experience at my shows to a roller-coaster ride. I gotta get you screaming and feeling it in the pit of your stomach, and it’s gotta be a fun ride. Who doesn’t like a fun ride?
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
