Mark Curry on Growing Up in East Oakland: We Had Winos Before Crack

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Famed entertainer Mark Curry opened up to VladTV about growing up in East Oakland in the 1960s and 70s, and he pointed out that his parents still couldn't vote when he was born. He went on to speak about the various characters in his neighborhood, some of which influenced him, like the Black Panthers, who Mark remembers giving him food when he was a kid. To hear more, including Mark remembering the Black Muslims and the winos in the neighborhood, hit the clip.

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Mark Curry on Knowing Oakland Drug Kingpins Lil D and Felix Mitchell (Part 2)

In this clip, Mark Curry talked about the 1980s drug scene in Oakland and how crack transformed the landscape. He spoke about meeting some of the most notable Oakland drug kingpins, Felix Mitchell and Lil D, and recounted the standout moments from each.

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Mark Curry on Being 6'6 in High School, Getting Cut from Basketball Team (Part 3)

In this clip, Mark Curry recounted being cut from his high school basketball team in the 10th grade. The coach that cut him clearly isn't one of Mark's favorite people as he told stories of their contentious interactions, but he explained how getting cut made him focus more on his academics. Mark eventually went to college but that was derailed after he had to move out of his parents' house. He went on to explain how he stumbled upon comedy and recalled his first experience on stage.

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Mark Curry on Quitting His Job to do Comedy Full time, Destroying Hecklers (Part 4)

In this clip, Mark Curry talked about quitting his job to pursue comedy full time. He detailed his first experience in New York City as he performed at the Apollo where every comedian was booed the night of his set. Mark Curry also discussed landing his first HBO stand-up special and how he doesn't get heckled.

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Mark Curry on How "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper" Made Him an International Star (Part 5)

In this clip, Mark Curry talks about opening up for Richard Pryor and Ray Charles and going on tour with Whitney Houston, reminding everyone of his impressive resume while demanding that we “put some respect on his name.” From there, he mentions that Steve Harvey stole his material for his TV show, along with how turned down “In Living Color” for “Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper,” which in turn made him an international star.

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Mark Curry on Playing Michael Jordan, Opening for Richard Pryor, ‘Mr. Cooper’ Canceled (Part 6)

In this VladTV exclusive, Mark Curry spoke about the greatest stories from his time on ‘Mr. Cooper.’ Curry said opening up for Richard Pryor and being able to get some deep advice from him. From there, Curry and Vlad got into how they feel Richard Pryor is the greatest stand-up comedian of all time. Curry also said he got a chance to play basketball against Michael Jordan during while he was on the Warner Bros. lot filming ‘Space Jam.’ He said he made the first shot against Jordan, but ultimately got washed by him. Curry then went on to talk about why ‘Mr. Cooper’ went off the air after five seasons.

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Mark Curry on 20% of His Body Burned from Explosion, Deep Depression (Part 7)

In this clip, Mark Curry opened up about his traumatic fire accident back in 2005. He says he has suppressed much of the details surrounding the accident but revealed his experience in burn unit after coming out of a medically induced coma. Mark Curry spoke about how that accident changed his comedic style and also talked about the call he received from Bill Cosby while in there.

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Mark Curry on His Top 5 Comedians: "It's Richard Pryor 5 Times in a Row" (Part

In this clip, Mark Curry gave his take on the new wave of comedians sprouting up via social media and how their comedy translates to the stage. He also talked about an incident he helped diffuse on a Southwest flight, named his top 5 comedians (spoiler alert, it's just one person), and what he's working on now.