Tracy Morgan: 'Am I just going to sit in the house and die?'
No journalist expects to have regular conversation with Tracy Morgan. Even before the 2014 car accident that put him in a coma and left a good friend dead, Morgan was not known for his normal conversations with the media.
But, hey, at least he kept me on my toes.
Morgan has recovered and is back on the road again, playing the Valley Forge Casino on Saturday.
What do you think about Philly? Any memories?
That's a booby-trap question. I love all of America. I don't step on that. Wherever I go, I got love. I was born and raised in Brooklyn; I love this whole country. It's all comedy. I don't care where I do it. I come out and I give it all I got. I leave it all on stage.
But when you tour, you get to see the entire country. You must have some thoughts on the different places.
It's right down the turnpike from me. Whenever I go, I love America. People are people, whether you're from Oklahoma or Philly. It's the same thing I do in Jersey or Brooklyn.
There's no different energy from place to place?
You ever did stand up? It ain't no difference. People are the same way in France. People come to a comedy show, they come to see comedy. I don't get caught up in all the politics. I approach comedy the same way I have been, with nothing to lose. I don't get in my own head. Would you rather laugh or cry?
Laugh.
Laughing is infectious. We're having a good time. You asking me about comedy?
That's kind of my job today.
You need to ask Charlie Chaplin -- he did it with no sound.
That's hard; he's dead.
I just do it; I don't analyze, because it's fun. I love when people get in a big room and laugh together. It's better than war. You know the difference between a funeral and comedy?
There's a couple of differences.
You go to a funeral and they're crying, because there's a dead body over there! You get into a comedy show and people laugh, because we're talking about experiences through my own lens.
You've come back from the car accident, and you've been touring nonstop.
Like LL Cool J said, don't call it a comeback. I've been here for years.
But it is a comeback.
The accident is not my career. Tracy Morgan has been here for 23 years. What else am I going to do? Go work at FedEx? I love doing this. God didn't take my sense of humor. I don't want to do anything else. Am I just going to sit in the house and die? I worked hard in my rehab. The crying is over; it's time for laughter. Tough times don't last. People are just happy that I'm back. We live in a world full of hate, but love is here, too. We appreciate each other, my audience. I never represented hate; I always represented love.
Why is that so important to you?
Nobody else is, so I take it upon myself. God gave me a second chance. I'm trying to be like my father. He was a very spiritual man. He's with me in spirit, as long as I do comedy in the spirit of George Carlin, Lucille Ball, Robin Williams, I'm protected and I'm good. I'm not a mean-spirited person. I don't feel no need to change. I've got children and I want them to see them in my life.
Do your kids think you're funny?
My kids love me. I'm with my kids, I'm just Dad. I'm just a husband. No pressure to be funny. My family is not my fans. I'm just Dad. No pressure in my house. But I also want discipline. There's a real life here. I'm just like your dad. I don't have to be comedian Tracy Morgan in my house. Being a parent, being a husband, that's more important than making people laugh. We've seen tragedy. You got a man?
Yes.
Did he ever get hit by a Walmart truck?
No.
There's more going on here than comedy. We're a regular family like yours. Can you imagine that? That motivates me; my audience and my family inspire me. My wife is my latest and my greatest -- my greatest inspiration. She's going to push me higher.
The funny is still there. Funny is funny. People appreciate that I survived a car accident. Life is your material. The gift that God gave me was the funny, and that never went nowhere. Thank God he didn't take that from me. Point your finger to the moon. Don't focus on the finger, [because] then you'll miss your heavenly glory. Don't focus on the material; focus on the funny.