“I know that Dave is connected to Ohio, but ever since the pandemic, I fell in love with it here, and I’m now a resident of Ohio. So, when I go on stage and say ‘O-H,’ I better get a responding ‘I-O.’” he said.
Rawlings told the Journal-News that COVID-19 gave him a new perspective about living in Ohio after doing stand-up as part of Chappelle’s socially distanced, outdoor “Summer Camp” tour in 2020.
Rawlings will be at the Funny Bone this weekend for a special engagement with four shows. hows are ages 21 and over. Tickets start at $32.
Rawlings, who is also an actor and a podcast show host, is known for his appearances on “Chappelle’s Show,” along with other film and television work. He co-starred in the HBO Series, “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” among others. Most recently, Rawlings co-started as ‘Alvin’ on Starz’ “BMF/Black Mafia Family,” and later this year, he will be taping his own Netflix special, which is being produced by Chappelle.
And of course, fans always remember Rawlings as “Ashy Larry” on “Chappelle’s Show,” and for his role as Damien “Day-Day” Price on HBO’s “The Wire.”
“The character ‘Ashy Larry’ wasn’t Ashy on paper, he just was a guy with boxer shorts, dress shoes, and he liked to gamble away his wife’s money, but when I was doing ‘Chappelle’s Show,’ I didn’t really get too many speaking roles, so I was like, I need to be physically funny. I thought, when the camera first pans me, I want to be funny. So, I went to the make-up department and said I need a bottle of baby powder, I’m going to be the ashiest guy in this dice game. I didn’t let anybody know. When they said action, I had a handful of baby powder and I blew it out, and an iconic street character was born. That was Ashy Larry,” Rawlings said.
As one of the funniest comedians in the business, Rawlings said he’s paid his dues, worked hard and he has a strong work ethic.
“I came out of the D.C. area in comedy, where we really believed in getting good with five-minute sets, 10-minute sets, 20-minute sets and 30-minute sets, and D.C comics always had somewhat of a healthy competition. When it’s a special person, that shines through. It’s one thing to be talented, and there’s a lot of talented people. But it’s another thing to be talented and have the work ethics for people to see what you believe in and what you do,” said Rawlings.
He describes himself as a “solid comic, who has worked with some of the biggest names in comedy.”
Rawlings said, “I hold my own on stage with them, and I think they have a respect and admiration for me, because I really care about sharpening my tools and having the skillset, and being good as a comic, and not just a guy who is exploiting it for fame, or money, but I really love being a good stand-up comic.”
Rawlings also hosts “The Donnell Rawlings Show” podcast, where he has thousands of subscribers.
“The podcast came about when I had my son. A lot of the stuff I do is on the road, and I needed to figure out a way to make some money without having to be on the road so much. It was out of me just trying to give myself a pivot, and trying to get some different streams of income, and it’s a place where I’m truly the boss, I’m unedited, and I can say what I want to say,” Rawlings said.
How to go
What: Donnell Rawlings at Liberty Funny Bone
When: Special engagement with four shows: 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday and 7 and 9:45 p.m. Saturday Ticket options include single shared table ticket, a two-person shared table and a four-person table.
Where: Funny Bone, 7518 Bales St., in Liberty Center.
Cost: $32-$42
More info: libertyfunnybone.com
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