Seoul man
Louisville's Spike Davis cheered up Army troops in South Korea
Larry Muhammad
lmuhammad@courier-journal.com
Louisville comedian Spike Davis is known for hosting the BET quiz show "On The Beat,"
appearances on "Evening at the Improv," HBO's "Def Comedy Jam" and other venues, and
for his own kids' show, "What's Up, Spike?"
The funny man recently returned from three weeks in South Korea - Dec. 1-20 -
entertaining U.S. Army troops.
That meant 15-hour air travel and extended absence from his family. Davis said in a press
statement, "After seeing the sacrifices that those men and women are making firsthand, my
little discomforts seem like small potatoes."
We caught up with Davis back home in Louisville, where he talked about his trip in a phone
interview.
Q: What makes soldiers laugh?
A: They want you to do your normal show from back in the States, because they want to
feel like they're back home. The young guys and young ladies stationed there come from
all over the country, and they want the material they've seen comics do on TV.
Q: Where in South Korea did you perform and at what military bases?
A: We did 12 different bases, 12 different shows, went from southernmost part of the
country all the way to the DMZ, probably a stone's throw away from North Korea. You
could actually see North Korea from where we were.
It's kind of eerie to see the tanks that we have positioned, camouflaged in the hills. You
could see the turrets. There is a long, winding road you have to take to get to one of the
bases, called Area 1, and as you ride through you can see our tanks, waiting for any
trouble.
Of course, North Korea has theirs as well. You probably have about 300 miles of
barbed-wire fence with soldiers stationed at different points, patrolling the border. It was
kind of surreal to see that, especially with the tension going on between the two countries.
And you're tooling along right in the middle of it, going to tell some jokes.
Q: Did you poke fun at North Korean leader Kim Jong Il? One of the late-night TV hosts
joked that Kim Jong Il planned to pass political power to his son, Mentally Ill.
A: That's funny. No, I didn't do a lot of North Korean humor. I just said that Koreans are
extremely nice.
Q: Did you mingle much with the natives?
A: Yeah, we went off base and did some shopping, of course. They were really surprised
by my hair, my having the long dreadlocks.
Mostly what they've seen is soldiers, and hadn't experienced a black man with this much
hair. I'd be standing in line to pay for something and feel my hair moving. I turn around and
somebody's examining my hair. They thought I'd purchased it - "It must have cost you a lot."
I'd say no, I've been growing it seven years now. Not one day passed that somebody didn't
ask me about my hair.
Q: Does "What's Up, Spike?" - your syndicated kids' show - air in Korea? Some people
probably recognized you.
A: I believe it's still on over there. I didn't do a whole lot of mingling. We were based in
Seoul, and we'd travel to where we need to go and then come back, sometimes driving
three to four hours.
Q: A press release said that you were chosen for the trip from a larger pool of comedians.
What was it - a standup competition where the funniest comic was chosen?
A: You kind of get hand-picked. The promoter normally presents a package to the military,
and they select who they want. Some of the military probably had seen us before and
decided we were the right ones to bring.
There were three of us. We had a female comic out of Pittsburgh, Miss Gayle , and the
other was Dante Carter , originally from Cleveland. The promoter was out of Hawaii, a guy
named Kenny Hill , and he's been setting up shows for the military in the Pacific Rim for
years.
Q: This isn't your first trip entertaining military personnel overseas.
A: I've been over to Japan performing for the troops. We did naval, air bases, the Marines,
ran the whole gamut. The Korean tour was basically all Army infantry, frontline people. If
there's conflict, they are the people who go into battle first.
Q: The press release said that you received medals for performing.
A: Yes. A few of the base commanders presented us with medals. Very nice. The
commanders are really appreciative of us for coming over there. It's a stress reliever for the
troops.
Spike Davis
Occupation: Funny guy
Age: 42
Family: Wife Tanya, sons Jamal, 14, and Michael, 3, and daughter Amber, 16
Resides: In Louisville's Highlands neighborhood
Education: Studied biology at the University of Louisville
First gig: Tried standup on a dare from friends; his first gig was at Louisville's old Funny
Farm, now Comedy Caravan
Favorite pizza: Pepperoni and black olive
More SPike?
Spike Davis will perform at the Comedy Caravan in Louisville on March 22-26 . For tickets
and information, call (502) 452-6520 .
The children's show "What's Up, Spike?" hosted by Davis, airs at 2 p.m. Sundays on
Colours TV on the Dish Network.
Sales of the show's DVD benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation . It costs $10. To purchase
one, call (502) 326-1371.
By Bill Luster, The Courier-Journal
Spike Davis showed off his medals for performing comedy shows in South Korea.
MAP; NORTH KOREA, THE C-J (SEE LIBRARY MICROFILM OR LIBRARY KIOSK PDF
PAGES)
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