“Ain’t no place like home,” said nationally renowned funnyman and St. Louis native LaVell Crawford. “I’m a people’s comedian and when I come home they don’t treat me like a celebrity, they treat me like I’m that ‘good ole’ cousin.”
Crawford has been making a splash on the national comedy scene for more than a decade, most recently as taking 2nd place on the NBC hit show “Last Comic Standing.”
On Saturday (Oct. 23), St. Louis will have an opportunity to show their ‘cousin’ some extra special love with his return for the filming of a comedy special that will aired and nationally distributed – A signal that he’s on his way to join the ranks of renowned comedians with St. Louis roots like Red Foxx, Dick Gregory and Cedric the Entertainer, Crawford.
“I’m excited, I’m very excited,” Crawford said. “They asked me where I wanted to have it, and I said I wanna go home. It don’t make sense to go to Los Angeles – they didn’t start me out. I want to rep for our city and let them know that even though you’re doing big things, the city is still in your heart – plus, our city needs it.”
Crawford started out as the funny friend and family member that would make folks laugh on the regular, but when he saw a cousin’s boyfriend – a working comedian – Crawford decided he could make a career out of comedy for himself.
“I thought, ‘maybe I’ll go on and try stand up,” Crawford said. “I called the Funny Bone about three months straight. Finally, one night I called and they said ‘you’re on the list tonight’ and I said ‘what am I gonna do?’”
A joke about his mother’s car catching fire on Christmas instantly won him over with the notoriously vicious crowd and the rest was history.
“I kept it real and it paid off,” Crawford said. “I’ve been blessed I haven’t looked back.”
That STL brand of comedy has landed him on classic comedy television shows like “Comic View” and “Def Comedy Jam.”
He’s been able to build his reputation by taking his show around the nation – and he recommends that other local comedians working towards adding to the local legacy of comedy.
“You have to step out there – even if it’s just to Chicago,” Crawford said. “But you don’t have to head straight to Los Angeles. Learn to be a good road comic. It can feed you forever.”
But on Saturday, St. Louis will be center stage thanks to Crawford.
“Support your boy, it’s gonna be a good show,” Crawford said. “It’s a live taping, so be on time, laugh hard and leave your ignorant cousins back at the house. I’m working hard and I love my city, so come on out. This is going to be in stores and you can say ‘hey I was there.’
LaVell Crawford will tape his live special on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. at the Roberts Orpheum. For ticket information, visit www.ticketmaster.com.
