When we found out Kiry Shabazz was going to tell a story at our inaugural In a Nutshell Storytelling live show in January, we were pretty psyched. Keith and Kiry go way back, Aaron knew Kiry from writing articles about him, and Amy saw Kiry at a live show once and fell immediately into deep cerebral infatuation. It’s hard to explain Kiry’s magic; it’s something you have to experience live to truly appreciate—but listening to this episode comes close to capturing it.
Kiry’s story starts with trying to come up with a word to replace the N-word in a joke in order to appease The Tonight Show’s advertisers and then proceeds to take us on a wild journey encompassing everything from Taco Bell jokes and anxiety pooping to realizing that the wrong people have ended up with you at one of your best moments. The tale is funny, emotional, candid and intentful. Our conversation with him was much the same. Kiry’s someone who is very much thinking about everything going on around him; while his observations seem off-the-cuff and of-the-moment, they’re well-thought-out and crafted commentary, an artful extension of his inner workings. The man is magic. Check it out! You’ll see!
A semi-curated list of items, subjects, and places mentioned in Kiry’s interview:
Stepin Fetchit (American Vaudevillian)
The Tonight Show w/ Jimmy Fallon
Nation of Islam
Elijah Muhammad (American religious leader, author)
Blacktop Comedy (closed)
Roseville, Rosevillians
Mrs. Field’s Cookies
AC Hotel in Sacramento (where they know talent when they see it)((where they also serve Pepsi))
Prompt: is presented by In a Nutshell Storytelling
Hostest: Amy Bee
Mostest: Keith Lowell Jensen
Producer: Aaron Carnes
Thank you to:
DJ Yuma Tripp for allowing us to use his song “Lazy Skank” for our episodes and our live show.
Hyperpixel for audio and video services.
Sofia Theatre for a beautiful stage to gather around.
Babalou for watching over our event table and engaging with people in the best way possible.
