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Looking for some quality comedy entertainment to check out?
Who better to turn to for under-the-radar comedy recommendations than comedians?
Robert Townsend has almost made a career of being underrated.
But Townsend also used his cachet to bring work to his funny friends.
In thePartners in CrimeHBO specials, Townsend served as a master of ceremonies more than a central figure.
Its a wild ride.
Diallo Riddle loves that unmoored feeling that comes with a good variety show.
You know howThe Simpsonsuses Krusty the Clowns show to make fun of all TV?
Let me give you the backstory.
And two of the others were actually in the movie.
Oh no!I didnt understand how it happened.
That movie is great.
Ive always respected how the Lonely Island guys took their approach to music and comedy equally seriously.
I still DJ, and they were songs that I can play in the club.
So I came within inches of that.
But then I came across a comedic injustice that I feel needs to be corrected.
I dont know what I was looking up that day.
I might have been Wiki-surfing, as I tend to do.
And I was just blown away that it didnt even have a Wiki page.
So I felt like I needed to use my time on this earth with Vulture to correct this wrong.
So when did you discover the series thats been buried for so long?I was a kid.
I remember thinking, with my sixth-grade brain, that it was really funny stuff.
I will say that all these specials are definitely a product of their time.
There are things that Im sure the creators wish they could have back or whatever.
Its 30-plus years ago, and I hope theyve evolved since then.
Its also not just a comedy special there are musical guests in each special, and big dance numbers.
What about that old-school, almost vaudeville, format appealed to you?Funny you should ask!
Its definitely a show with sketch in its DNA and a show with variety in its DNA.
We were always writing original songs, and we had a lot of fun.
Fun fact: We actually met at college in an a cappella group.
What parts did yall play in the a cappella group?
What were your ranges?[Laughs.]
I was an alto, and he was a bass.
We met in a gospel group that had a real Afrocentric focus, African music focus.
It was called Kuumba Singers, at Harvard.
We were determined to be like Dru Hill or Boyz II Men.
We were going to sing secular music together and woo the ladies of our affection.
We formed a group called Brothers, and that was as creative as we ever got.
We went around Boston and sang at whatever coffee shops would have us.
And we wore matching sweaters!
Thats part of it.Absolutely.
Some writers who start off in a late-night or variety sphere want to move into anything but that.
Bashir and I have two shows coming out, one of which is narrative.
[South Sideis] episodic, but its got a through line throughout the entire season.
Thats where we were able to exercise our story muscle.
There are times when you want to be absurd, you want to do heightened reality.
Its almost an overcorrection.
Theyre now steering us constantly to speak our truth.
It has to be 100 percent grounded.
If wed been denied the chance to ever do that, it might be more tempting.
But now, I realize he was doingKentucky Fried Movie.
Sadly, I have to announce that its almost still a thing in another way.
I get the sense that Robert Townsend went in for auditions all the time.
That had to be extremely frustrating.
Heres Robert, who I definitely felt had very much a writers brain in his approach.
I love it when you feel the writing [inPartners in Crime].
This is a repressed black brain screaming out, saying, Hey!
I want to see myself as a cowboy.
I want to see myself as a ridiculous Michael Jacksontype character.
You get the sense of him being so fed up at what Hollywood was giving him.
And his form of rage was to put it in a sketch.
Lets talk about that Whos Who of black comedy inPartners in Crime.
Everybody was in their early 20s.
Even John Witherspoon was pretending to be old.
it’s possible for you to tell that these are some of his best friends.
WithPartners in Crime,I get the sense that in between making movies, this was his fun time.
This was when Robert got to have fun and say, Hey Keenan, bring the whole Wayans family!
Were gonna do a sketch based onDonahue.
Jordan didnt have a massive budget to doGet Out,but he made it work.
He made a fantastic movie.
Find a way to do it yourself.
And then the next project is the one where youll get the budget you deserve.
Is there anything that youre waiting for a big HBO check to do?
When it comes to clearing music, thats usually very expensive.
Im always shocked at what it costs for travel, for cleaning music.
Its just a nightmare and usually involves like five people that havent talked in 20 years.
Theres a lot that has to happen.
But if I can keep makingShermans andSouth Side,Ill be happy.
If anything, I want to confirm the humor onShermans Showcaseis evergreen.
The creators of that show were extremely woke.
Id be so proud of myself if it was still funny and not embarrassing.
This interview has been edited for content and clarity.
