Reginald D.Hunter

[faceless]

Reginald D Hunter comes to Venue Cymru
May 14 2010
dailypost.co.uk

REGINALD D Hunter, described by many as one of the UK’s best comedians, will be gracing the stage at Venue Cymru this week. In fact, he’s so good, they’ve had to move his show to a bigger venue after seeing a rise in ticket sales. The American born comedian has just returned from the Sydney Comedy festival, and he’s armed with fresh material.

"It’s a very new show, with some rough edges. I’m returning to the basic philosophy of comedy," says Reginald. "If they haven’t seen me live before they might be a little surprised. I think they’ll be surprised at the depth of some of the stuff. I don’t seek to shock or hurt anybody. I take what happens and poke fun at it."

Reginald's new show 'Trophy Nigger' touches on everything from race to understanding violence. The comedian definitely likes to push the boat out with his shows and insists he will be letting loose what he calls demon dogs – jokes that jangle a few nerves in the audience.

It won’t be the first time he’s turned a few heads. In 2006, posters advertising one of his previous shows were banned on the London Underground after being deemed offensive. But the comedian insists he is comfortable with using the ‘N’ word in his vocabulary and he doesn’t want people to be so uptight about it.

Reginald was born in Albany, Georgia. The youngest of nine brothers and sisters he grew up alongside siblings who were actively involved in the black power movement. By his late twenties, Reginald had moved to the UK to pursue a career in acting. After a trial comedy gig in a pub, things went from strength to strength. Now he’s a seasoned comedian with over 1,500 shows under his belt. He has also been a regular contributor to Have I Got News for You and 8 Out of 10 Cats and recently appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.

Despite his TV fame, Reginald insists that stand-up is his greatest love. "Stand-up comedy is my woman, everything else is what I cheat with," he says humorously.

But the comedian’s career hasn’t always been a smooth one. He recalls an awkward moment performing at the US Marines base in Germany in front of a mostly black audience. After a few drinks one lady left the audience and shouted that the comedian must get a lot of hate mail. Reginald responded that he already did but had never seen so many spelling mistakes in his life. The result was having a military escort back to his room.

So what does Reginald know about his audience? "I know that Welsh people are very proud of their land. I have not mastered the accent, it’s very melodic," he says in his unmistakable southern accent.

----------------------

What a poorly written article... Notwithstanding the trite and unimaginative opinion, I had to uncensor the 'Nigger' part of the title; the author didn't even get that right as they wrote that the show is called 'Trophy N*****s'... when it's called simply 'Trophy Nigger'. A Freudian slip, or just more lazy-arsed bollocks which completely changes the effect? You decide!

Reg (yeah I'm calling him Reg like I know him!) is doing really well lately and I'd like to see the show.

[faceless]

Interview: Reginald D Hunter
Andrew Dipper
November 6, 2010
gigglebeats.co.uk

Never had I imagined that one day I’d be speaking on the phone to American comedian Reginald D Hunter and openly using the forbidden word: nigger. But when you talk to the Georgian-born act that’s what he expects – he sees nothing controversial or offensive about the word – and if you dare to use the phrase ‘the N word’ he’ll tell you where to go and why. Hunter began stand-up as a bet when he was a drama student in England, and, luckily, the country has become the home for his comedy ever since. This year he embarks on his sixth solo tour show, aptly entitled Trophy Nigga, and will be appearing at Sunderland Empire tomorrow evening.

Hi Reg. How’s your tour going?
Fantastic.

Good to hear. How does this tour differ to your previous shows?
It’s better – I’m older, smarter, funnier, more dangerous, and more ferocious than ever before.

You’re mainly touring theatre venues; but the last time I saw you was at The Grinning Idiot Comedy Club in Newcastle in front of 100/150 people. Which do you prefer?
I like ‘em both, man. I like ‘em both. It’s a different kind of buzz [playing to a smaller crowd], but it’s a buzz none the less. Big rooms, small rooms – if they speak English I’m supposed to get ‘em.

What do you think to public reaction your stand-up, and in particular the classification of you as an offensive comedian?
I don’t think much of it at all. I never have to go see me perform, I will never ever know what it’s like to experience me perform live; and so I think some people, when they try and describe what I do, they do what’s easiest. It’s easier to classify me as one thing or another. I don’t take it personally. Sometimes somebody might call you something, and it might feel like it’s insulting, but it might just be the extent of their vocabulary, so you have to just go, ‘Oh, okay.’

You cause quite a bit of controversy for your use of the word nigger in your show titles – how do you feel about that?
I don’t find anything about what I do or say controversial. The way I talk and what I talk about is exactly the way my family and friends talk, and I’m stunned that others are offended or find what I say controversial. I’m genuinely surprised by that every time it happens.

Do you think on a whole British people understand your humour better than Americans?
Nope. I think in America there is a lot of ‘me’, and over here there is very little of me or my type – but there’s a greater appreciation here.

Why did you decide to base your comedy in Britain then?
I happened to be in Britain when I decided to start doing comedy. It’s like deciding you’re going to have a major wardrobe change when you’re standing in a dress shop. You just happen to be standing there and go, ‘Fuck it, let me wear a dress!’

You showcased your show Trophy Nigga in Edinburgh this year. What was your highlight of the Fringe?
Sleeping in the same bed for a month [laughs].

As a punter yourself, do you get to see much comedy? What acts do you enjoy?
I don’t get to see a lot of comedy, which was why it was ultra important to bring somebody [with me on my tour] I would like watching every day. That’s why I was lucky that Steve Hughes said yes, and that he had time available. Have you seen Steve Hughes?

Yeah, I have. He’s great. You two have a very similar style of comedy. Is that what makes you laugh?
Ah, well – no. I mean, it does sometimes, but puns make me laugh. Sometimes a fart joke makes me laugh. Sometimes I like sophisticated stuff, and other times I like stuff that’s just stupid.

Do you still get inspiration from other comics?
I do still get inspiration from other comics, yeah. And once again I’m starting to pat myself on the back, but I was smart enough and lucky enough to book someone who fits that bill. Steve Hughes is one of maybe three or four comics who, when I see him perform, I think ‘Jesus, I’ve got to go back and start writing.’ I get that inspiration from him every day, because I watch him perform every day. I genuinely believe that when you’re doing a long tour, you have to pick somebody to tour with you who is as good as you, or if you’re lucky someone better than you.

So do you still question your own ability, despite your success?
Man, you have to. Success is often what other people see when they’re looking at your work. Other people can’t have access to it – that has to be you and you alone. The stuff that really gets me excited about stand-up comedy, nobody else can know about that, else they might take it away from me.

You have a lot of creative influence on your stand-up, but naturally TV work is a lot more censored. Which do you prefer doing?
Stand-up is more fun, but television work is a lot easier. But I love stand-up.

Finally, I’m coming to your show in Sunderland tomorrow. What can I and others expect from your tour, and from you?
They can expect constant, relentless, comedic pressure from all angles – from their own points of view, and from points of view they’ve never considered. And if they’re easily offended, not just by words but ideas, then, you know, that’s what they make Lee Evans DVDs for. They should check that cat out.

[faceless]

Professional Footballers’ Association demand Reginald D Hunter money back following 'offensive' routine at awards
Ben Rumsby
30 Apr 2013
torygraph.co.uk

PFA deputy chief executive Bobby Barnes confirmed lawyers for the organisation had contacted the London Speaker Bureau, through which Hunter was booked. Barnes told Telegraph Sport: “We are in discussions with our lawyer and our lawyer is in discussion with the London Speaker Bureau, who we booked him through.”

Hunter is being pursued for what effectively amounts to a breach of a verbal contract over a performance that saw the black American comedian from Georgia repeatedly use the word “nigger” and make potentially-offensive jokes about Jews and women. It is thought he was paid a five-figure fee to perform a 10-minute turn at the lavish Grosvenor House hotel in Mayfair, which hosted what is traditionally one of English football’s biggest galas.

“Whatever he was paid was too much.” Barnes said. “We are obviously very upset, because he was briefed. We are very aware that very have a very diverse audience there. I was sat there with Jewish friends on my table as well, and it was as if he set out to upset everyone in the room one way or another. “There were anti-Jewish jokes, there were anti-women jokes, there were anti-Irish jokes, there was the repeat use of the ‘N’ word. If you were looking for a scenario of absolutely everything we wouldn’t want on the night, I think you had a montage there.”

He added: “The excellence of Gareth Bale and his achievement in actually winning a double award, that’s what we should be talking about. Instead, we’re talking about a set that was totally inappropriate for our dinner and, more importantly, certainly not what we ordered.”

PFA chairman Clark Carlisle admitted yesterday he and his colleagues had made a “gross error of judgment” in booking Hunter and there are those within the organisation who want to stop comedians being hired for the awards dinner. But Barnes said: “We’ve had many comedians over the years who’ve been hugely successful. You accept, and the players accept, that there’ll be a bit of gentle ribbing about players and I think players secretly don’t dislike that. This went so far over the boundary, it was totally unacceptable on every level, quite honestly. I can’t think of a redeeming feature where you could say that was positive because I actually think the whole performance from start to finish was dreadful.”

A representative for Hunter did not respond to requests for comment.

---------------------

They booked Reg Hunter and complained when he said nigger? Fucking hell - they mustn't have seen anything he's ever done. So why book him?

As for the Torygraph posting this story, in the tone they picked, when the vast majority of their regular readers are genuine racists - well, what can I say?