The many diverse talents presented by Kung Pao Kosher Comedy include gay, lesbian and straight comedians who offer more than a few quick laughs. The newest of these talents, Sampson McCormick, will be part of the line-up at the next Comedy Returns at El Rio on November 11.
McCormick is getting acquainted with San Francisco as a new hub, in between gigs across the country, where he performs his one-hour show. But he said he likes the shorter gigs like Comedy Returns.
"I will probably do fifteen minutes or so," he said. "I like that format, when I'm working on new material. It's really fresh, a new set. So you don't have the pressure."
Asked how he managed to move to the Bay Area amid a changing tide of higher rents and more evictions, he said, "I got lucky. But I think the things going on with gentrification are a real problem. If you're going to do something that involves a community, it has to be where everyone's benefiting. You're taking things from people, and not because you've negotiated, or want to improve a community. It's because you have a strong-arm."
Originally from North Carolina, McCormick lived in Washington, D.C. for about fourteen years and recently relocated to San Francisco about a month ago. His comedy style is often a form of storytelling, and even a bit of social instruction and etiquette, as in his several videos on his YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/sampson247)
Take, for example, the lesson with his young niece, who was told that gay people are bad.
"We found out it was a family friend, Toshanique, who said it, and who was also not being a good babysitter," said McCormick. "We like to eat organic, healthy food. Obesity runs in my family. We wanted to get the kids into it, but [the woman who said antigay things] would be over visiting, and she had made some macaroni and cheese out of the box, which is the devil, for one thing. But then she took a 16-ounce barbeque sauce bottle and let the kids pour out the entire bottle. They were eating it that way."
"One day I sat down and videotaped some things my niece was saying," McCormick explains about the video. "This is what you're teaching the kids. It ended up like being a conversation I thought people should see. Kids give you what you give them. If you're giving a child love, they will give it to you. If you're teaching a child ignorance, and not to embrace diversity, that's what that child is gonna do.
"I grew up in a very homophobic environment, so it's my responsibility to teach, and help. Kids are gullible and believe things that you tell them. I had to come up with an inoculation, which became cutting Toshanique out of our lives."
Along with his comedy, McCormick is also a published author. In Taboo Village: a Respectable Gay Being, "I dissect my own experience, how I feel our community has been affected, through religion and society and machismo," he said. The book has been used as part of several college course reading lists.
McCormick developed four distinct characters, including "a homophobic minister," he said. "Then it leads to a man who is on the down low, then an old queen who refuses to go church, a far-left Gaga-lover. The next one is a mother who is not upset because her child is gay, but that he couldn't confide in her about his sexuality. It gave different viewpoints for the characters. I find that being able to do that helps me probe the thinking of other people. Sometimes in my stand-up, I do characters, like my Aunt Jackie. She shows up drunk, late, and knows everybody's business."
Blending real-life inspirations with characters is part of his work. "When you really get into a character, it brings more insight," said McCormick. "We don't pay as much attention to each other, because everybody's trying to survive. There's always something to keep your attention away from what's really going on. When you really find a character and investigate their thinking, it can get scary. I started thinking about the pastor, and all these things popped into my head. And it was 'wow.' Even though you don't agree, it's important to listen."
McCormick explores several social issues in his one-man show, That Bitch Better Be Funny. Asked if he's noted segregation in the gay community among his fans, he did acknowledge some instances with attendance at his shows.
"In D.C., North Massachusetts Avenue changed a lot. They came in, moved everybody out, and renamed it NoMa. One of my friends said, 'I guess that makes sense,'" explaining the shortened name as also implies, "'No Mo' Black people.'"
In other cities, he sees differences. "But a lot of white gays showed up at my shows. It's a real blessing to make that connection with people."
Not there still isn't a lot of ripe material for a comic like McCormick to poke fun at the stupidity of some racism, like the recent spate of black-faced white celebrities at Hollywood parties.
"I think [TV host] Andy Cohen said it best when he announced, 'Dear White people on Halloween; If it's brown, put it down.'"
In and Out
While trying to keep fresh material in his act, McCormick admitted to looking through some of his older material and posted videos. "I look at some of those, and it's painful, but I used to write material and upload it as a draft, and found old material. I was reading some old jokes and started sweating!"
McCormick even found old material that he made before coming out. That's changed, but not without a bit of ambivalence.
"I feel bad to have to say 'openly gay,'" he explained. "My whole thing is, everybody knew growing up. People knew I was gay. I knew I was gay since I was five years old, but there is a level of denial that the community has. But they also acknowledge that denial, by disowning and putting you in a place where you feel uncomfortable.
"We knew being gay was considered bad," he said of the common experience of growing up closeted. " 'Punk' was a bad word. You also knew, a little part of you knew. Your whole thing was you had to avoid being that. But in some sort of way, you are able to tell them. They say, 'We knew it!' or 'No, you are not!' "
Of his own religious background, McCormick had varying experiences. "I have some family members who are very supportive. But at first it was bad. Our family is Bapto-Metho-Pentacostal. All wrapped up in one, we have it all. We would go to one church and then another church, and come home and pray again. It was never-ending. I am the only boy in my family who did not become a pastor per se, although I guess I do preach through my comedy.
"I have some relatives who speak in tongues. You can't talk about certain things, mention certain songs or people. They see ghosts walking next to you. And I reply, 'You're not faithful; you're borderline schizophrenic.'"
As the first openly gay member of his family, McCormick did bear a burden.
"One of my younger cousins later came out, and took it further," he recalled. "He invited us out to a nightclub. I was ready to be supportive, and before I knew it, he came out onstage as a drag queen. He invited his mother, too."
Surprisingly, his cousin's mother was very supportive that night at Washington, D.C.'s Howard Theatre, which happens to have cultural significance going back decades, with drag shows since the 1950s. McCormick himself has performed there as well.
Coming out has changed, for the country, and even his own family. When he came out to his mother, McCormick said, "She was fryin' my chicken in anointin' oil!"
He also sees a cultural difference as well. "My white friends came out and their parents got them college scholarships. With Black people, they takin' your ass to church."
And yet, McCormick keeps rolling with new perspectives on these blended personal and political issues. "I talk about Trayvon Martin, Paula Dean, taxi racism. Even now, as I really start to look at the next material I focus on."
With his new home in San Francisco, McCormick has found support within the LGBT performing community, including local favorite Marga Gomez, whom McCormick calls his "comedy mother." He hopes to book some shared nights with her in the future.
After his gig at El Rio next Monday, McCormick is off to Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and back to his old home in Washington, D.C. Hopefully, he'll find the time to share his full act with his new local fans.
"Once I get my feet planted, I'll do that here."
Kung Pao Kosher Comedy presents Comedy Returns, the monthly stand-up night, at El Rio, with Micia Mosely, Nick Leonard, Sampson McCormick, Emily Epstein White, and MC Lisa Geduldig. $7-$20. Monday, November 11, 8pm. 3158 Mission St. at Precita. (800) 838-3006. www.elriosf.com