ROBIN CLOUD is a New York City-based comedian, writer, and actor. She is the host and producer
of her critically acclaimed live comedy show, “The Triple Minority Report,” which packs the house at
NYC’s hottest comedy clubs. She is also a regular at Comix Comedy Club, The Laugh Lounge, and
Caroline’s. As a correspondent for NYC-TV’s hit television show, “Under the Pink Carpet,” Robin has
been praised for her poignant interviews and coverage of New York City’s nightlife.
Robin’s sassy, politically charged delivery coupled with her on-point character work has caught the
attention of the press and media. She has been featured in GO NYC magazine’s “Top 100 Women
We Love,” Time Out New York’s “Quote of the Week”, and was a finalist in NBC’s “Stand Up for Diversity
Competition”. Her solo show, “Tales from the Big House”, was selected for the Fresh Fruit
Festival, Emerging Artists Festival, and the Hot! Festival at Dixon Place.
Recovery Comedy: What were you like as a kid?
Robin Cloud: I was the youngest of three and my older brothers were twins. I was the ultimate tomboy and sadly wore hand me down everything including boys underwear. Why? I don’t know but I loved me some pee holes.
Recovery Comedy: What made you decide to become a stand-up comedian and how long have you been performing?
Robin Cloud: I’ve been performing for 7 years and I decided to become a stand up because prior to that I was singing in a band and I hated having to pay people just to perform with me…I thought that I would work better as a solo performer I guess and it would be a lot cheaper. Logical, right? My Uncle Steve, RIP, loved Richard Pryor and had his records in heavy rotation when I was growing up so I learned to love the storytelling aspect of it really early on. Richard was my hero!
Recovery Comedy: Were you performing stand-up comedy before you got into recovery?
Robin Cloud: Yes! My first time performing I went to an open mic at a bar, got drunk, and then took the mic. All the while laughing at my own unformed, rambling jokes..if you can call them jokes. People kind of laughed and I loved it.
Recovery Comedy: Does your comedy have a message and if so what is it?
Robin Cloud: Oh my! Well I think my message is generally…I will cut you! No, but seriously I try to talk about things that will bridge the gap between the differences that people feel. Black vs. white, young vs. old, etc. A lot of times people come up to me and share a similar experience and that warms my little heart because I love feeling connected to the world. That sounds corny but it’s true.
Recovery Comedy: Who are your comedy idols?
Robin Cloud: Richard Pryor….hands down and Red Foxx. Love.
Recovery Comedy: Where does your inspiration for material come from?
Robin Cloud: Life. The street. The subway. My bedroom.
Recovery Comedy: What is your joke writing process?
Robin Cloud: Ugh. Well..it depends sometimes jokes come out of improving on stage other times I make a real effort to write about a specific topic. I usually write free form first and then pull out pieces. Then I ask my wife..is this funny?
Recovery Comedy: Can you tell us more about Come Out, Stay Out! and Triple Minority Report?
Robin Cloud: Sure! Come Out, Stay Out! is a lecture that I perform at colleges and universities and share my coming out stories to students and hopefully inspire them to face challenges in their own lives whether it be their sexuality or something else that they are afraid to embrace and share with the world. The Triple Minority Report is a comedy show that I’ve been running for several years. I call it that because I view myself as a triple minority..black, woman, and gay…and I wanted to brings all of those aspects of my life into a single show. So it’s not a gay show or an urban show..its all encompassing.
Recovery Comedy: Is your family supportive of your comedy career? Yes! My mother is probably funnier than me and my dad is an excellent audience member. They have only seen me perform a handful of time but they were very proud.
Recovery Comedy: Is comedy part of your healing process?
Robin Cloud: Omg yes! So much. It’s cheaper than therapy and I get to do it more than once a week.
Recovery Comedy: What was your worst experience performing comedy?
Robin Cloud: Well..the worst show I ever had happened about two years ago. It was in a tattoo parlor and it was Valentine’s Day and there were about 20 comics on the line up. I was last last annnnnddd while the comics were performing women in lingerie were pulling people from the audience and giving them massages behind us. By the time it was my turn, 2 hours into the show mind you…everyone had already made every joke about it and I was left up there struggling. It was horrible. I got off stage and I thought I had been kicked in the stomach. When I was walking out some guy said..hey nice job and I was like really? and then I realized he had confused me with the other black girl with an afro that had gone on an hour before me. Torture!
Recovery Comedy: What was your best experience performing comedy?
Robin Cloud: Amazingly enough the best show of my life was last night. I was invited at short notice to perform at Queer Memoir which is really a literary event not a stand up show. I was racking my brain for ideas about what I should talk about and I was last…so I sat there with a bubbling stomach and then it was my turn…I got up and told the best story of my life. I mean I killed and I really only say that in secret to my best friend…but I really, really did and I hadn’t been up in while because I’ve been taking a break and working on some other projects but it just gave me such energy and push to keep on keeping on. Next month I move to LA to pursue my work out there and I’m just so fucking excited.
Recovery Comedy: What is your favorite joke?
Robin Cloud: Of mine or of all time? My favorite joke to tell is…When I came out of the closet my dad pulled me into his office and said, “How do you know you’re really gay if you haven’t slept with a man?” I said how do you know you’re really straight if you haven’t slept with a man..there was silence and then this sound…slurp…which was the sound of his asshole closing!
Recovery Comedy: What is your comedy dream?
Robin Cloud: To have my own talk show, write and produce several films, and star in a movie where I play Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle’s long lost daughter.
To find out more information about Robin Cloud or to book her for your next Recovery Event just click here!
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