Memphis is the easiest place for me to perform, Memphis comedian Lester Bibbs. (Courtesy photo)

Lester Bibbs – aka Memphis Redd – has been entertaining people since he was a little boy. In August, he will be featured on “Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment Stand Up” on Starz. I recently had the opportunity to go one-on-one with the stand-up comedian to find out what makes this homeboy a crowd pleaser.  

Q:  When did you know you were funny?

A:  When I was a kid I did certain things that the kids thought was funny. The grown-ups didn’t though, so I stayed in trouble quite a bit.

Q:  What is something you did that you thought was funny, but got in trouble for?

A:  I remember this one time when I was little, we were at church and it started to snow.  So I went outside with the other kids and took the time to make a snowman.  I had two carrots.  One was the nose and I was sitting there thinking, what should I do with this other carrot? Well as soon as I was about to take the second carrot off of the snowman, the doors of the church opened and everybody was standing there. People still bring that up today.

Q:  Do you think your family had a part of you being an entertainer?

A:  Yes, I always had things to do at church; Easter speeches and things like that. So being in front of a crowd put away fear. Most people have stage fright and I’ve never had stage fright.  Being on stage is like being at home. I’ve always embraced the stage.

Q:  Who were some of the comedians you looked up to as a child?

A:  I loved Steve Martin and Richard Pryor.

Q: How were you discovered?

A:  I was 17-years-old and I went to a comedy club in Memphis; it was called Dylan’s.  There was a comic on the stage by the name of Steve Harvey.  He was on stage telling Richard Pryor jokes and every time he got ready to do a joke I would complete the joke. He asked me did I think I could do a better job than him.  I said yes and got up on stage and did the rest of Richard Pryor’s act.

He thought I was funny and he said to me that if we could sit down and write our own stuff we could make a good living off of doing comedy.  He was already doing comedy professionally so he took me on the road with him and I started making a living.

We were doing comedy before there was a platform for black comedy.  Back then there was no ‘Def Comedy Jam’ (and) there was no Starz and “Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment Stand-Up.”  It was all just small clubs and it was hard getting work back then.

Bibbs said he’s been funny since a kid, even though grown-ups didn’t always think so at the time. (Courtesy photo)

Q:  How would you compare the comedy scene in Memphis to that of larger cities?

A:  Memphis’s flavor is definitely different than other cities. Let’s take Memphis and Atlanta.  In the 80’s, it’s like Atlanta went and got on steroids because it just blew up, so it’s a much faster pace than it is in Memphis.  You had comics like Don D.C. Curry, Chris Tucker, Bruce Bruce and Arnez J., just to name a few, who were going on stage every night in Atlanta.  Amateurs had to follow these people so you had to be so much tighter than everybody else just to get on stage there.  So by the time the amateurs were pros they were seasoned and would have an edge on comics in smaller cities such as Memphis.

Q:  How does it feel performing at home as opposed to other cities?

A:  Memphis is the easiest place for me to perform.  Atlanta is another easy place for me to perform.  Really I enjoy anywhere with a crowd.  People are intimidated by Memphis because back in the day it was like “Showtime at the Apollo.”  It’s a piece of cake to me, but I did grow up in the day when the crowd was hard and people showed no love.

Q:  Where did the name Memphis Redd come from?

A:  I play video games and it’s my screen name for X-Box live.

Q:  Do you try to be funny all the time?

A:  Actually no, not all the time.  I have a six-year-old son and sometimes he can do some things that makes me not smile, if you know what I mean.

Q:  So tell me more about season three of “Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment Stand-up.”  What can people expect?

A:  This season is unbelievable, and not just because I’m on it.  The level of talent is unbelievable, the venue and the presentation is amazing, the comics are great.  I can’t wait.  I’m so proud to be a part of it because the line-up is amazing.  Doug Williams is hosting it and he is the first person to reach back to me.  He got me on the show and that meant a lot to me.  He makes me feel like a proud father.

Q:  What else can we look forward to from you in the near future?

A:  I’m on tour right now and I’m in a film that was just released call “Teardrops.” And of course, “Martin Lawrence Presents” on Starz.

I’ve been blessed. I tell people don’t let the camera fool you; I will be 43 this month.  Most people say 43, is that all, Lester you need a nap, but I say God has allowed me to look like this.  I don’t know what I did, but I’m going to keep doing it for at least ten more years.

Check out Lester Bibbs and a host of other comedians every Wednesday night at 9 p.m. CDT on “Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment Stand-up.” See your local listings.