15 April 2007
Marina Franklin
by Nook
I know and love a lot of comedians. But after years of exploring the comedy circuit Marina stands out as one who'll make something great happen one day soon.
You have seen her work in the following places:
DAVE CHAPPELLE SHOW - The girl who says "ill #igga you smell like french fries!" in the Wac Arnold Sketch
TOUGH CROWD with Colin Quinn
as well as GIRLS BEHAVING BADLY, HIP HOP HOLDEM, COMEDY CENTRAL'S PREMIUM BLEND, SHOWTIME AT THE APOLLO, NBC's LAST COMIC STANDING SEASON II...
Strive: Tell me a little about yourself? Where are you from, Brothers/Sisters, Children, Affiliations, Marital Status or anything else?
Marina: Chicago, Illinois. I have 4 sisters and one brother. Mostly half siblings. One whole sister. It’s complicated. No children. Not married. I have a new boyfriend who sleeps on my futon all the time. He is watching me write this as he lays there…
Strive: How did you get started? Have you always wanted to do this? Where did the inspiration and passion come from?
Marina: I got started about 9 years ago. I had just moved to New York after finishing my MFA in theatre at Syracuse University. I had a problem with finding work as an actor. I never really liked sharing the stage basically. I wanted a change and always was curious if I could make it as a stand up comedian. I started out doing the open mike circuit, some alternative rooms like surf reality and collective unconscious. I then moved on to bigger venues like a Laundromat and a Kryspy cream doughnut shop. It is a long road but I love every moment.
I always wanted to be in entertainment in some capacity. Initially, I was inspired by my grandmother; she would always make me sing “jesus loves me” at church when I was 6yrs old. Obviously, there was no laughter at this performance. Again, in Jr. high School I had a teacher who noticed my writings and poetry. She helped by casting me in a play and chose me to give the graduation speech. It was here that I realized how to channel a lot of my anger and frustrations as a teen. Actually, I don’t think there was one single moment that inspired me more than the other I think it was a compilation of experiences throughout my life that lead me here. You’ll have to wait for my biography…”What inspired me to make my millions?
Strive: What jobs did you hold before you became successful?
Marina: I had several…I worked as a waitress, receptionist /researcher at a consulting firm, and after school teaching programs. It was when I was laid off that I became a full time comedienne.
Strive: Who influenced you the most in your career/life when you were starting out? Is there anyone's path that you particularly admire and would like to emulate?
Marina: Tony Woods, comedian from DC influenced me the most. He was the first comic to help me understand how to develop an original voice, but he didn’t really say anything specific … he had a way of making me understand by watching. He was one of the first comics that I would watch from the back of the room and be completely hypnotized by his ability to kill with impeccable timing. Tony would kill on stage without even raising his voice or screaming his material, the audience would come to him. Tony was original because he essentially had his own vibe on stage. That is essentially what I try to achieve.
Strive: What signifies a STRIVER to you?
Marina: Too borrow words from my uncle and Ralph Ellison. Whoever has the shit, grit and mother wit.
Strive: What makes you original or sets you apart? Why are you on top of your game?
Marina: I stay as close to who I am on stage no matter how much it offends. I never edit unless they are paying me too.
Cause I stay in it. You have to stay in the game to play the game! Yeah! (I say this like a gansta) That’s how I talk to my boyfriend when he’s sleeping on my futon.
Strive: How do you define success? People often talk about "Making IT", butt when will you consider yourself as having made it?
Marina: I define success by my checking account. No. If I did that I would have been too depressed to do this interview. Success is relative to the goals I set forth for myself each year, but mostly if I am achieving at the best of my ability I consider that to be success.
I am doing what I love. To me that’s all I ever needed. “Making it” is relative. I don’t think I’ll ever feel like I’ve “made it” at any stage of the game because that’s when I die.
But if you must get an answer …I guess I’ll consider myself as “making it” when I walk the length of my home and get exhausted doing it. That’s good enough for me.
Strive: Do you see any changes or patterns in the industry and what is your opinion of that? What is the insider perspective on getting ahead in your industry?
Marina: I do see a lot of changes in the industry of entertainment. Reality television was the first sign. I believe that people want to see something real. I believe there was too much fluff out there and people wanted something that could give them reality. I’m not a fan of reality t.v. but it seems to fill the hole for many Americans tired of fluffy sitcoms. I believe we have a long way to go within this politically correct society but with HBO and other cable programs not afraid to take the leap, maybe we’re not too far off.
Strive: What is the insider’s perspective to getting ahead?
Marina: I am going to quote from the well respected comic Bill Burr, “You have to love it.” I can’t thing of a better way of putting it.
Strive: What advice would you give others attempting to make their dreams come true? What are your 3 lessons for success? Or what is your recipe for success?
Marina: Love it. You have to say it to make it real.
Recipe for success:
Shit/Grit/Mother wit
Shit: You have to be the shit. Take no shit. And most important believe that your shit can stink at any point.
Grit: Having the grit to stay in it. Endurance. Not letting anyone tell you that you can’t. I always think about the scenes from, “Men of Honor”….. where cuba goodin reenacts the real life story of Navy Diver Carl Brashear who defied a man's Navy to become the first African American Navy Diver. “Through every scene we can see his passion, motivation and stubbornness to achieve his dream.”
Mother wit: “innate intelligence and common sense.” For example, “
you do not have to sleep with everyone to get to the top…just a few jack asses are enough”
Strive: What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning and what is the last thing you think of at night.
Marina: The first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning is: “I need curtains.”
What is the last thing you think of at night: “I need curtains bad…”
Strive: What do you know for sure?
Marina: One thing I know for sure is that I am not gonna answer this as well as Oprah could. But here we go….
I know for sure that I’m a stand up comedienne that loves to see people enjoying themselves through laughter.
Recently, I had 23 year old friend who was diagnosed with non-hodgkin’s lymphoma. In fact, she worked as a waitress at one of the comedy clubs. She was always there for me …. Could I do the same for her?
Often times in the business of comedy you can get caught up in self, every comic knows it can be a selfish business. Every day I spent with her in that hospital,while the chemo invaded her young body, I wasn’t thinking about me…or what I needed… but how could I be good at helping my friend. Interestingly enough, she;s better at making me laugh.
After extensive chemo therapy, my friend is cancer free. What I now know for sure is that you can never be too sure… life can take you in a different direction so you might as well have a great time loving, laughing and living every minute of it.
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