BlackVoices Movie Q&A


5 Questions With Steve Harvey

By Ken Gibbs, Jr., AOL Black Voices,
Posted: 2006-03-14 10:40:40
Don't trip, Steve Harvey hasn't fallen off. Currently, he may be the only member of the Original Kings of Comedy cast without a show on a television, but that's only because he's taken his kingdom to the big screen, radio and fashion.

Watch Clips From 'Don't Trip ...'

steve harveyArnold Turner, WireImage.com

Steve Harvey's new film 'Don't Trip ... He Ain't Through With Me Yet' opens in theaters across the country on 3/17.

    Check out what Harvey had to say about New Yorkers and putting on his first clean performance in 20 years

    Tell us about the new film, 'Don't Trip ... He Ain't Through with Me Yet.'

    It's a spin off from an old spiritual entitled 'Please Be Patient with Me, God is Not Through with Me Yet.' I just hipped it up a little bit and modernized it and called the movie 'Don't Trip...He Ain't Through With Me Yet.' I did that because I shot it in front of T.D. Jakes' Megafest. I [performed it in front of] 16,000 people at the Phillips Arena, and it's the first piece of work I've done in 20 years that's been absolutely clean.

    There's no profanity, but plenty of laughs. Did that surprise you at all?

    I wasn't surprised at it being funny. I was surprised that I could do it. I've always knew I could be funny regardless, but for an hour and a half was going to be my challenge. I didn't know that I could sustain it without making a mistake in front of them church folks. That was my major, major concern.

    Not many comedians do standup at church. Was it a tough crowd?

    Well, actually it wasn't, man. The surprise of it for me was the reception I got from the people. I walked away understanding that they were fans of the 'Steve Harvey Show,' from the movies, from 'Me and The Boys,' from 'Showtime at The Apollo,' 'Steve Harvey's Big Time.' So they've been television fans of mine for a long time. They've never seen me be profane on TV anyway, so maybe I had more in it than it really was.

    You're living in NYC while you do your radio show. What's the biggest difference between the Big Apple and where your family lives in Texas?

    It's a lot slower pace man. I mean, crossing the street up here is a lot different than crossing the street in Texas. They actually obey the traffic signs in Texas. That's actually a real law. In New York, that's a suggestion. But I think the people here are basically the same. They're very honest, but they really are cool people. They just give it to you straight, and New Yorkers have a way of keeping it moving. They're not going to tie up your time with a lot of the hey, how ya doing, whatcha been doing, and you don't remember me -- because they're busy. And it's such a quick paced city that they got somewhere to go themselves. "Hey Steve, that's great, love your work man - gotta go," 'cause they gotta make that light, they gotta get across the street. They gotta turn that corner, they gotta catch the train. It's so much hustle bustle up here that it keeps the people moving. But the people up here are really genuine people man, and they made the stay for me, a lot easier. If it wasn't for the people of New York I'd go crazy.

    What's next for Steve Harvey?

    I think the biggest thing that I got going right now is this syndicated radio show that's really going across the country at a speed that was really unexpected. We just added Washington, D.C, Brunswick, Georgia and Birmingham, Alabama. That's three cities in one day man, that's pretty big for growth, especially when you add cities like D.C and Birmingham, where the African American population is so high. That's always a plus, 'cause that's the radio we do. We do adult contemporary radio, which caters to the African American listener, it just so happens that funny is funny and anybody can tune-in. You just gotta like the music, and this is really a great music, R&B. So it's part of keeping R&B alive, and making sure it doesn't die behind rap, which there's nothing wrong with rap, I just don't wanna see R&B die.

    2006-03-03 19:15:07

    This Week in BV