Recently, ItsQwere launched an audio series with jam.ai called The Snaq where moderator Tony T. discusses “all things Black, queer, and fabulous” in just two-minutes. Literally a snack.
When Karinda Dobbins started comedy 12 years ago, she thought, “I'm going to fall flat on my face.”
For this week’s episode, we got funny with LA-based comedian Karinda Dobbins about her debut comedy album, Black & Blue, recorded in San Francisco during the pandemic just before Omicron took over.
On the line from Pasadena, Karinda got into the new album, her feelings about comfort pets on planes, who makes her laugh out loud, and if technology could help prevent mass shootings.
ItsQwere: You recorded Black and Blue during the pandemic. What was it like to perform in front of folks again?
Karinda Dobbins: We got lucky because that was when Delta was kind of trailing off, before Omicron – I like to say “Omarion” ‘cause it's much easier to say and it feels better. I understand he doesn't like it, but I do. We had a nice little window and people felt safe enough to come to the show. They were safely distanced and we were masked, triple masked, quadruple masked.
IQ: How does it feel to have your debut comedy album out in the world?
An Instagram post of Karinda (center) with comedians Gloria Bigelow (left) and Gina Yashere. November 2019
KD: Oh my God. It feels spectacular. It was a very long road to getting this album out and to be able to have people in a room, laughing together, not on Zoom, it was just an amazing feat. We brought so many Black and Brown people to San Francisco. They haven't seen that many colored people in San Francisco since 1972.
IQ: One of the jokes I really enjoyed is about people taking pets on planes. I had to Google the peacock ‘cause I thought you were making it up. It’s absolutely a true story.
KD: I just have a problem with people trying to make pets human. There's a reason why they are pets. And a lot of people fake that comfort pet thing. Like, “Oh yeah, this is my comfort iguana.” Okay. “Is there a tag or something you can show me?” “No, I don't have it.” Right. So I understand there's a need for it [comfort pets], but there are a lot of people out here faking the funk.
“I have a problem with people trying to make pets human. Like, “Oh yeah, this is my comfort iguana.” I understand there’s a need for it [comfort pets], but there are a lot of people out here faking the funk.”
IQ: Safe to say you’re not a fan of pets?
KD: As a lesbian, I have to be very clear on this. I am not a fan of pets in my home and my space. I don't hate pets. I just don't like what people do to pets, putting woolly sweaters on them and rainbow coats and ski outfits. That's not their jam. They have fur. What are you doing? You just trying to accessorize for no reason. I mean, whoever made up the doggy clothing industry, God blessed them. Even though there's really not a requirement or need for that, they out here making millions, billions.
IQ: You got your start in comedy about 12 years ago from a dare?
KD: A friend asked me if she found an open mic for comedy, would I do it. I said, yes only because I thought that she was going to be flaky and never find it. A month later, she came back like, “I found it”. I had to be true to my word and I was like, “I'm gonna go up here and I'm going to fall flat on my face and people are gonna stop asking me to do stand-up comedy.” but that's not what happened. They liked it. And I was like, “Oh, well, let me see what this can do.”
IQ: How does it feel to be a Black woman in comedy, a Black queer woman in comedy?
Karinda’s debut album Black and Blue is available wherever you stream and download comedy.
KD: It feels really good. Wanda [Sykes] and Gina Yashere, they kind of opened the door for me to do what I'm doing and it feels good to be able to just be myself on stage. We couldn't always do that. So I really enjoyed just being able to be my full self when I go out there and make people laugh.
IQ: Who is someone that makes you laugh out loud?
KD: Katt Williams. Gina Yashere. Wanda. Cedric the Entertainer. They make me belly laugh so hard. Michelle Wolf. Luenell. Incredibly, incredibly talented. I did a show with her, and she was nice to me. She was like, “I'm not normally nice to folks, but I knew you were going to be funny.” I should put that on my website somewhere.
IQ: I read you have a daughter in college. You don't look old enough to have a daughter in college at all. What's going on? What is the secret?
KD: Well, you know, I have that joke, the Melanin Mosaic Covenant. That's the secret. God made a pact with Black women: We're not going to give you much else, but you're going to look good. You know what I mean? Your face is not going to crack anytime soon.
ID: At the end of Black and Blue, you talk about the “Smart Gun”, which is very smart.
“After 9/11, we couldn’t bring an ounce of water on a plane. What do you mean, ‘What can you do?’ You can do a whole lot. Surely we can come up with something that can help stop this state of [gun] violence.”
KD: Thank you. I came up with a Smart Gun joke because, you know, every day we turn on the news and there's a mass shooting. Then we get tweets from these Republicans, like “Guns don't kill people, people kill people”. Or they'll say something like, “What can you do?” And I'm like, after 9/11, we couldn't bring an ounce of water on a plane. What do you mean, What can you do? You can do a whole lot. I was thinking, “Maybe technology can help us in this situation”. We have things that can scan your eyeball to open your door; we surely can come up with something that can help stop this state of violence. [Siri can] be like, “Are you a white guy with a fucked up haircut?” That could be one of the questions.
Karinda’s debut comedy album Black and Blue is available now.
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