Tracy Morgan: 'Mad Men' and '30 Rock' are kissing cousins

You might know Tracy Morgan as Brian Fellow from Saturday Night Live or Tracy Jordan from 30 Rock or Hustle Man on Martin. For all of his sketch comedy, acting, and hosting chops, though, Morgan has always been been a standup guy. He recently started his Excuse My French tour (his biggest to date), which will bring him to Wilmington and Atlantic City this week.

In advance of his shows, Morgan spoke with us about hosting the Billboard Music Awards in Vegas, the mutual appreciation between the casts of Mad Men and 30 Rock, and what drives him to make people laugh.

On hosting the Billboard Music Awards:

I was working so much, man, that all I had time for was to run back stage, change wardrobe and head right back out to introduce some other singer or somebody. I had fun, though. I love hosting. It's just like hosting a big party in Las Vegas.

On Jon Hamm and the mutual appreciation between the casts of Mad Men and 30 Rock:

Jon Hamm is like family to us at 30 Rock. And, personally, he's always been real cool with me. Jon Hamm is my homeboy. And we love that the Mad Men folks love us and we really love what they're doin' too. [30 Rock and Mad Men] are like kissing cousins. 

On the difference between Tracy Jordan and his own personality and managing people's expectations:

People who ain't f***in' crazy know the difference between what's real and what's on TV. I don't run down the street in my underwear waving a lightsaber. I'd go to jail for that.

On political correctness and what people should expect from his standup performances:

It feels like America's going through puberty again. Everything is microwaved. I'm not politically correct. I was born and raised on not being politically correct. I didn't have no pool in my backyard. All we had was f***in', in the ghetto. All we had was each other. Just 'cause I got a little change don't mean I gotta go and change who I am as a man.

On what fuels his comedy and what he hopes to accomplish with it:

When I can take tragedy and make it funny, that's a triumph. That's what I'm doing out there. That's what comedy is. When I leave show business, I want to be a shell of a man. I want to have left it all out on that stage.

Morgan's got two local shows coming up. He'll be at the DuPont Theatre in Wilmington this Thursday, June 20th. Then he'll be at the Music Box at the Borgata in Atlantic City on Saturday the 22nd.