Corie Sheppard Podcast

Episode 241 | Jr Lee

• Corie Sheppard • Episode 241

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In this wildly funny and unexpectedly honest episode, Jr Lee sits down with Corie for a raw conversation about comedy, politics, family, friendship, and fighting for relevance. From lying on the podcast table to explaining why he can’t get a visa — nothing is off limits.

He breaks down his approach to skits, why he doesn’t beg for followers, and how he deals with being misunderstood. They talk about grief, schooldays, raising children, and why Jr Lee feels loyalty to his audience over the algorithm.

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Corie:

you nearly have everything. Good. Take a sip. Take a sip, level out yourself right, everything smooth everything is great.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, god is good.

Corie:

God is good. God is good, god is good. We started our money conversation. We can start right here too. Let me go, let me see if the coffee is filling.

Jr Lee:

I am an open book. We can talk about anything. We can talk about anything any, anything I have. My life is in everybody's eyes.

Corie:

Well, my first question I really want to ask on behalf of the nation is the thing I see in your comments the most what is wrong with you? Something wires in touching Something. You see that in your comments all the time. A hundred comments saying something wrong with this fella. So we're going to spend the next couple of hours trying to figure out what wrong. What is wrong?

Jr Lee:

I find everything right, I find everything right. I don't think anything wrong. Something wrong, something wrong?

Corie:

Nah, nothing wrong. One of the most recent things I see you do, I feel I watch it about a thousand times. You see that Sukuya thing right.

Jr Lee:

Something wrong with you that video sounds to me one of the dumbest videos I've ever done. Ever Like. I don't like watching back my videos, but that video I watched that video like 10 times. I was like yo, I really strapped it.

Corie:

Yeah, I see you and all comment like this is really strapped and then Keegan, like it's our one particular take.

Jr Lee:

We had to do it like five times. He was like Dan, you're really tracking that Sukunya right now and that that come from Shibutoglu. I was like imagine trying to track Sukunya tell you who I'm talking about.

Corie:

Yes, shibutoglu, I was like you know what be good?

Jr Lee:

I put this in a video. I'm a manager. Kwasi was just like Dan. You just make it so who's your team?

Corie:

Who's your team when you're coming up With them things? Who's your team?

Jr Lee:

Keegan Kwasi and myself.

Corie:

And who's the Sukwe? Who played the Sukwe?

Jr Lee:

Oh, simone, simone Jeffrey, amazing actress. She went to school With me. She went to Asher Giles College and she studied Theatre arts. So I try my best to use her in every so anybody who around me has been around me forever.

Corie:

Seriously, yeah, I tell myself she had to be trained, because I she did real good, too, she did real good and she didn't laugh because I think, if you ask me to do them things, it would take a hundred ticks while we were shooting.

Jr Lee:

She was just saying what does man have me doing here? What this man have me doing here, lord? What this man?

Corie:

have me doing. Her man say suck suck or suck suck. She say excuse that thing, you know that video is the greatest video I.

Jr Lee:

You know what people don't like those videos. What do you mean? They're shit. If you look at the video, you'll see more shit, because they don't want the name show up. Oh, they don't like a video of her man trying to jam us.

Corie:

No, I feel it's because people are laughing so much they must just forget to like it. They're just excited to send it to somebody.

Jr Lee:

Yo, I love that video. I wish I could do more dumb stuff like that More.

Corie:

More. All right, If you're talking about more, let me go back in the archives. I feel Sukunya come by you. I want to see greatest man.

Jr Lee:

I want to see greatest video I ever did in my life. You remember this. What's wrong with that? Sometimes it's how to make a girl come oh, move on line with you and thing Okay.

Corie:

I started to talk about what everybody here is right.

Jr Lee:

Sometimes it's how to make a girl come so she don't go away Like come and lie with you and things Okay.

Corie:

It'll be a few left in the bush, uncle Delroy, but it's not a few in the back here, I don't know, like a sukkun or a sukkun or something. A sukkun, yeah, give me a big sukkun.

Jr Lee:

A sukkun, I lie down in the back here. I lie down naked. I say sukkun, I come. Uncle Delroy is actually my Uncle Albert. Serious, yeah, I have an uncle. All the characters are kind of based off of somebody, right? So, uncle Albert, he used to work petro-train. At that point in time he never bought a house, he never bought a car, but he had a real woman. So that's why you never really see where Uncle Delroy live with me. But he's talking about women all the time and I still do not call him. I don't say I'm afraid of Sukode, sukode, I'm afraid of me that Uncle Delroy, that's one of the first characters.

Corie:

But when I see that I say nah boy, I just wonder sometimes if he was in her life before.

Jr Lee:

Nah, I just I grew up in Moruga, mm-hmm. So I just observe everybody, like that same uncle used to be curling me for laughing. Yeah, you're always laughing.

Corie:

Why are you laughing?

Jr Lee:

Because I'm happy Like why are you not laughing?

Corie:

You know my house, you say it already house later on boy later on. You buy that one too. Huh, you buy that one for him too.

Jr Lee:

No, no he's, kevin Hart, walking around buying houses for people. That houses he buy that house, the houses in the cemetery. Yeah, he had to walk through the cemetery to get to his house. Oh god, but it's a trip. Rest in peace. Love you, man, if you're listening in heaven or hell.

Corie:

Wherever you went, you did a lot so when I see this latest one, I say nah boy, people say it all the time like something. And next thing I see recently, right before we get into where this comes, one of the things I watch about you right is that I hear you asking men their age before they start. Everybody trying to figure out what is your age. I'm only asking men the age before they start, everybody trying to figure out what is your age.

Jr Lee:

I'm only 28. I just went bald 28. Yeah, I just went bald like everybody think. I'm just an old man like yo people think it's for real. Yeah, like the other day I'm live and somebody is like this is how you caring about yourself? I am a youth man, like I'm going to Lyman. No, you people think like, don't let him bowl, fool you, I'm 28.

Corie:

No, but you're challenging that old soul because you're talking about things and doing some skits Like let me give you an example right, About 99 out of the 100 things you ever say to a woman you're dealing with, son, I tell people random things over my lifetime Me and your mother done that's real Yo, you can't do that.

Jr Lee:

Them.

Corie:

Thing not made up them thing real them thing, real that I.

Jr Lee:

So I had a stepfather I used to be. I used to say, imagine if he and my mother Break up, boy, like it would be awkward now. So all them take up from, from those thoughts.

Corie:

So you ever scramble him, like how you scramble Myself. Okay, he passed away, though. Okay, so you ever scramble him Like how you scramble him. He passed away, though he died, he died, he died, he died, he died, he died, he died, he died, he died, he died.

Jr Lee:

He's a good man, though, really good man.

Corie:

You want me to laugh. Love you.

Jr Lee:

If you're listening.

Corie:

I love you, You're a good man he had to be laughing started to say but this man, like he was with some people and people, sure I don't know at the age now where you know I've been with women who have kids. Yeah, they must love you you don't even know.

Jr Lee:

Bring them gifts. You give your mother a gift for those things. I couldn't put this as a clip. Bring them gifts on tape.

Corie:

You people getting gifts, just as your mother working for those things.

Jr Lee:

No, that's, I see, I couldn't put this as a clip and send to these little children. You're traumatizing our whole generation you're traumatizing our generation. No, at this age, at this age you know it's 28 people have kids already.

Corie:

Yeah, there's eyes sticking that thing keeping you back. Huh, that thing keeping you back. Huh, that thing keeping you back.

Jr Lee:

I ain't stopping you, I won't with that child. No, my mother was a lady with a child. Yeah, and you know I mean, and it worked out for her well, you and your mother have a real good relationship.

Corie:

Mommy's funny too, you know. Yeah, she is. She's funny too, she is. I just asked my son before we come here. I said what's your favorite junily video? He said, you see, the one of the mother. Yeah, my mother, my mother is a great person.

Jr Lee:

She had a real belief in me too, and I made a pact with my mother years ago. I told her. I said I'm going to do comedy and I may curse on stage. It's a lot of fun. Yeah, I may do certain things, but anytime you feel embarrassedarrassed or you feel like, yeah, my son, let me know and I'm done Like I'll not do that Ever again, got it so I could care less About what somebody Other say to me. I see, Because like.

Jr Lee:

Once my mother Is cool with what I'm doing Because, like, I will curse on stage but I wouldn't curse in the house, right?

Corie:

You know what I mean.

Jr Lee:

So like, yeah, my mother real, real support me in whatever I'm doing, so big up, mommy, yeah of course, and she's always say I'm going to do the things that she wanted to do, that she didn't have the opportunity to do. She always wanted to act on them kind of things, oh yeah. So if I ever do a movie, your poor mother in me, so that's on the cards. Yeah, one day Good, good, good, as it should be.

Corie:

So as a real comedy, stand-up comedy fan, right. So I remember looking at something Dave Chappelle did when he was talking about his mother, because he went performing at school and stuff he started off young, yeah, and he was talking about his mother being in, the mother and the grandmother you come into all these shows and you see a granny listening.

Jr Lee:

But here's some things here so the thing with my grandmother my grandmother is a cuss, but she don't care. She'll cuss you out of the church now like she don't care. She don't care, yo, it's half. When we went to the Caribbean music award. For some reason, seeds than me. So I am. I am a nominee which I went on to win, right Congrats. And I am in the back of the auditorium. This lady is right behind all the stars, I don't know where she get this ticket from.

Jr Lee:

When I watch on the screen, my grandmother is wanging with spice Wanging Jamaica spice, jamaica spice. I didn't get that clip. I was like she even know who this is. My grandmother is a live wire so I. I don't want to give my grandmother no arm, no heads up.

Corie:

She wouldn't be surprised yeah, she know where it's coming from, she know where she's a trip by a little, gemma, she's the greatest we're waiting to see Granny and Skits 2. She's the greatest.

Jr Lee:

We waited to see granny's sketch to the dice she not on that camera thing though. Oh she not on that. Yeah, she accused of that one, she don't. Yeah, don't put her on no camera.

Corie:

She's the greatest boy so when is the earliest you start realizing you're funny or people telling you you're?

Jr Lee:

funny like, since, like a child, like again, I used to always be laughing and talking nonsense with my cousins growing up Right, and my uncles, and Uncle Albert in particular, used to be like yo, the laughing thing. I don't know, gemma, talk to this boy, this laughing thing. For some reason my uncle thought me laughing equates to me being gay. Yeah, yeah yeah. He's like man, he's laughing, it's just like like dog. How me being funny and happy, happy, happy funny gay.

Corie:

Yeah, in his mind.

Jr Lee:

So ever since then, like primary school time, like if you talk to any of my primary school teachers, like they remind me of some instances as well. I forgot about, like my teacher remind me. A time Earl Fabian came to the school and I ran out of class. I was like, sir, I want to do what you doing. And the teacher was like this boy that's run out of class, go and tell this man that. And they were always saying like ever since I was in the class, being a class clunk, basically.

Jr Lee:

But back then I wasn't thinking that, yeah, I'm going to be a comedian. No, I didn't die in Maruga. You really feel a comedian or entertainer? It's a prime career in Maruga. What do you mean? It is not if. If you ever told, yeah, people in Maruga say no, thinking, hey, we are become comedians one day. No, that's not thinking. Plant a garden, plant a weed, it's alright, that's some good. So Plant a garden Like plant a weed. Yeah, yeah, it's all right, that sounds good too. So what if it doesn't? You know, hey, I never say that, I know sponsors, you know.

Jr Lee:

When we plant a weed, do we want to do it? We don't give a f***. Hey, wait, wait, you have sponsors. Oh yeah, I take it back. I take it back. We Like Quasi. You had me watching this, like what's your problem?

Corie:

Yeah, manager, Everybody's asking that what's your problem? I'm glad the manager asked me that too. So back then, what were you feeling as a child, growing up Like where you want to be? You had early thoughts on where you want to be.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, I used to be watching the TV like Hal Grease is his name, roy and Gloria. Oh right, right, right. I used to really like watching Roy and Gloria on TV. When the daughter get pregnant, a show is a taxi driver. He was mad at the taxi driver. I was, I was, it wasn't.

Corie:

But the story ended up being weird because he was a relative and of course yeah, they was doing. They were real funny and real good actors. Yeah, but they, they were real funny and real good actors. Yeah, but they was taking serious topics. Serious topics. Yeah, yeah, serious topics.

Jr Lee:

So he came to my school as well, fifth Company Baptist School, and shout to Miss Ghoul Right, miss Ghoul used to just bring all different type of people. So that was my standard two teacher, because the entire class stayed down in standard two, right. For some reason, everybody forgets how to read, right, danny, you know how to say it. Three F's back to back. The whole class accepted again. Lenny Went to standard three. So Miss Gould had to come in and teach us how to sound out words again, how to read, and then, like the class it had, like real underprivileged youths in the class, got it. So she used to bring in a lot of people to come and talk to us. I remember she used to bring in a man named Mr Chacha. I think he was the CEO of Guardian or something like that.

Corie:

Oh, so it's not just art or something.

Jr Lee:

She's bringing in different types of people. Everybody remember Mr Chacha that he brought. He come down the road. He was driving an Audi on the road. He was driving an Audi, the Audi had nubs on the steering and this guy, he was mesmerized by this. He was like what? I was just like yo, chacha, rich, I want to be rich too. I didn't really care about the car, but yeah. I would like Mr Chacha. I would like to meet Mr Chacha again that would be nice he inspired me.

Jr Lee:

And then she brought errol fabian. A time they brought nikki crosby, like she. She brought a heap of people and back then, like in standard too, like when I look back at it now, I was like, hey, like I know I wanted to do this, I just didn't know how of course yeah, but this is interesting, all them things is planned to see that boy, just yeah I mean really know.

Corie:

I mean when you've seen it, especially a country boy you might be seeing some people on TV look like a fart.

Jr Lee:

You know it's like I, hey, when I tell my cousin and them from when I was younger, yeah, I want to do this and do that, I was just like you know what I mean. Like who's the last person you know that that did that from this area, right, right, it's like you had to be in Port of Spain to get these opportunities, you know? Thankfully, and at this point I was real mad at my mother like at that point in time I was real pissed at my mother as a youth man because she moved me out of Moruga and brought me to Coover Right, like right out of primary school. Because the arrangement she made with my grandmother is um, I would stay, because I didn't like we was living in Maribel, I didn't like the area, I was missing my cousins and like first year, second year, she said here what you're going to go back to Moruga, uh, you do standard one, then they'll come back and live with me. In my head I was like she won't forget about that and I am going to stay in Moruga for my entire life.

Jr Lee:

And yeah, at five she moved me out to Moruga and I was mad at my mother. I felt like if I lost everything, they're like hey, my cousin's not here, I'm her only child. So like I'm coming up the road here I'm in a room by myself now I. So like I coming up the road, here, I, in a room by myself now, like I never had. I never had my room. I used to share a room with my cousins. Like I learned to play by myself. I did find hobbies, like I just was upset at my mother, but like, when I look back at it now, if she didn't move me out to Moruga, a lot of the opportunities that I would have gotten just being at um, as your boys, college and during the film festival, uh, joining cadets, um, just I end up being in a play, uh, jesus Christ Superstar. When I was in yeah exactly so.

Jr Lee:

but like if she didn't, it would have been even more impossible, being quite Moruga, because one she had to find the passage to send me to Port of Spain, which would have been her task, and then it's just far, you know. So like I was real mad at her, I don't know where I went with this, but yeah, but I'm not mad at her anymore.

Corie:

Yeah, we can see that. Only good now, I don't know where it's at.

Jr Lee:

I can't even remember where it's at just them early influences.

Corie:

So Moruga is one of them things that was very influential for you.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, like I, real I just I just go to Moruga real often. That is my area, boy, I rep that area real hard like so much potential, like such a beautiful place, like it's. At times, I just stress, I feel like if it's me against the wall and my back against the wall, I just go up the road and I realize like this is not even real. You know what I mean. I have cousins who are home right now, not working and surviving, so like why?

Jr Lee:

am I fighting up? It's just. I just go back to get a reminder like hey, stop taking this so seriously. You know what I mean. This is not real, yeah of course.

Corie:

So something, something I bring up there. I want to ask you about right. When you talk about moving to to Kuva, you know being closer to Tonga. You see acting in plays, so Jesus Christ Superstar was one film festival. You said too. What was that school?

Jr Lee:

film festival. We won best environmental film right and I got nominated for the best actor right.

Corie:

So what was the play with the guy who?

Jr Lee:

got the best actor.

Corie:

Yeah, look at that now, boy, his name exists.

Jr Lee:

I'm joking.

Corie:

No, I can't survive.

Jr Lee:

I can't survive. This is my man. This is my man. Anyway, I'll see you at a coffee with him, yeah, let him know, so what do you play about this environmental?

Corie:

What was it about, do you remember? Oh, about water conservation.

Jr Lee:

Okay, I was a man in the school Opening all the taps Right Wasting water. Ra ra, ra, I figured. So we run out of all the water.

Corie:

I tell myself he wasn't a man. When he can't save, why?

Jr Lee:

Why can't I be the man? I don't think so.

Corie:

Just a guess. Just a guess. So you was. I was going to say, like when you water, that would have been bad.

Jr Lee:

You was opening all the taps, opening all the taps, letting go the water. And then, you know, somebody talked to me. I changed my ways. Save water tried to be able to get better crime done, everything was just great.

Corie:

Everything was just safe. We set the safe water.

Jr Lee:

All of a sudden, that crime plan yeah all of a sudden that thing, all of a sudden that safe water, bro, it works so by then, somewhere along the way, you're getting into what you're going to do yeah, acting on you after that I was just like yo, this is it serious? I stopped going to school. I was like I am home, I am going to do videos. My mother bought me A camcorder For Christmas. You're wrong from camcorder time.

Corie:

Yeah, you've never lived before, for sure.

Jr Lee:

I was telling somebody this year You're alone, guys, just see this, because I ain't sharing. I ain't sharing to nobody. So that's cool. But actually my YouTube the other day yeah, the same camcorder time the internet you're not working, you're not getting any ticket. Did you say, alright, this is 11 years ago. This is the camcorder, my mother, my. So you're filming, mommy filming.

Corie:

I am filming, so you're just racing, I'm racing not on top of pot.

Jr Lee:

I posted videos and my friends and them commented come to school, I am posting videos. Why is school going on 12 o'clock, 1 o'clock in the afternoon? Everybody is just like yo come to school. My teacher is like where are you? So this is in Ash. Do you know this? You just Ask your boys college, ask them Like I give up on school.

Corie:

This is a more form, so Form four. So you go. Nearly done, nearly done. I was like I'll figure it out. You ain't getting no more next chance to keep people in class back. And all that to you.

Jr Lee:

I started back going because my mother caught on to me of course, of course, of course.

Jr Lee:

By the time you go back to school, people, people, what they say in most of your videos at the time people like it, they like it serious, but they still laugh, remember because and I think like people gonna laugh at you, yeah, like once you start paying Like my mother, friends, when she allowed me to do the play, because the play was happening during CXC, I think we were rambling during the interview no, I feel good. What do you mean? As in the play for CXC, and my mother two friends at the time was telling her you're letting your son throw away his life. Yeah, you know what I mean. It's like yo, your son's throwing away his life. You need to do better. You know what I mean. Like, look at the time he's coming back home. He had exams just now and my mother was, like my son knows how to balance. I've trained my son well, right, and I believe he will do good in his exams.

Jr Lee:

I did. I just didn't pass maths though yeah, you know what I mean Still didn't pass Mats. Who did you? I've shown you pass Mats.

Corie:

He didn't Well, when I do, when I do sick, I had four passes.

Jr Lee:

Oh, for real. Yeah, I repeat every sick. And he didn't even do a play, he didn't. He get four passes and he was Go to school. School is good, school is good.

Corie:

Good for what? Good for who? Good, no, no, no.

Jr Lee:

School is good School, school. Let me tell you something about school, because I actually don't like school Right Like to my core since primary school, like when you have to stay for extra lessons. I made up a whole lie Right Like when he had to stay for extra lessons. I made up a whole lie. I told my teacher that I have four siblings, my mother is a security guard and I have to leave now to go babysit these children because my mother will get vexed if I reach too late. And I do that for like three whole months and at the end of the teacher tried to call child services so my mother had to come in school. My mother came in school. My mother was like he's the only child. What are you talking about? I am not a security guard.

Corie:

So you didn't even use the battery at work, you didn't even use the batteryanner real work. You didn't even use your banner, real job.

Jr Lee:

No, because I said she work a night shift Six to six in the morning so I have to be home To make sure my sibling's good. So you didn't get Licks on St Dredd, you wasn't getting Yo. My brother gets so mad For that, like she, and that day I lie and say I was sick. So I home Fake sick and she had to go by herself to hear it.

Corie:

Yeah.

Jr Lee:

When she walk in the room, I get better immediately.

Corie:

You see it in her eyes. You see it in her eyes.

Jr Lee:

It's like Cause my grandmother when she walk. She didn't know. I saw my grandmother First. My grandmother, I was like I don't know what you're doing In school, but your mother Real vexed and I just I was like I really tell this from my best boy. I think you should have hold it down. Yes, it was. It's like he, mr Ayers. Mr Ayers, we were so confused about that when you know what, mr Ayers?

Corie:

when the man pray for you see where this boy going on watching his children pray for this boy and his family come Mr Ayers telling me.

Jr Lee:

He's telling me you have so much potential. I wish I could stay for the extra lessons and I like how I say it. I wish I could stay too and you could. When I walk out of the class so long, suckers, I get out of play that time all I wear is jockey shorts and like tars I don't remember looking at it I feel like he won that lesson. Dad, my mother just watched me and she was like I don't even know what to tell you right now. I was like Bobby. I'm sorry, I want to do this. After that, mr Ayers had full dominion over me yeah, boy, yeah, hey, no recess, no lunch.

Corie:

That good Make up for the time.

Jr Lee:

And then I do it again.

Corie:

Form six I used to wake up, oh so you make it to form six, then Mummy was right, you're balloting it.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, I tell you I get my passes, all right, all right. And here I was signing up for form six, too, rolling with my friend he going to play football, so he's signing up the form. And the teacher in the school in Capuchin, my east he's like what are you going to do with your life now? I said me no, you know, I signed up a form. I signed up a form and ended up in Form 6 and I hate school. But the good. I'm real happy that I went and do Form 6 because it had, I think, two or three teachers, ms Danu and Ms Adar Singh.

Jr Lee:

So they used to show Caps Got Talent. So like in Azure, it didn't have that, it didn't. They don't have much like cultural programs because obviously it's Azure, they're on academics, so they fully on that. Of course, caps now like real culture, like Caps Got Talent. And I was like you, real funny Caps got talent. And I was like you, real funny host Caps got talent. I see, so they start bringing a host and then they stop bringing a host and I was like you going to host the Caps got talent and that was my other than hosting things in church. I was like, yeah, boy, like I got you here, I used to take it real serious.

Jr Lee:

I used to let my mother buy an outfit for me Like I used to take it real serious. I used to let my mother buy an outfit for me Like yo, we going real hard with this Caps, got talent and things. So I'm real happy that I ended up in form six. But while I was going to form six, I used to get up same time as my mom get ready and pretend like if I'm doing something in the kitchen. Soon as she leave, I used to take off my clothes and go and sleep.

Corie:

I, this is like yeah, so champion was you. If Delroy was your uncle, champion is you? Yeah?

Jr Lee:

champion is basically me. Yeah, champion is you. And then I make it to university too. Yeah, I started studying.

Corie:

What are you doing in Form 6? What's up with you?

Jr Lee:

Business and entrepreneurship. Sociology. Sociology actually made me a sociology and caribbean studies actually made me an angry young man. Yeah, yeah, because you understand some of the ills in society. You understand, like, where you come from. You understand slavery, understanding dentistry. You understand after it was abolished, like all the struggles that afro and indo-china audience still faced right before independence and after independence.

Jr Lee:

So like I just used to feel like if then everybody against me were like saying, like I end up becoming one of them, them young men are like everybody against us, are not really looking.

Corie:

Yeah take off the veil.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, not really, hey, not maybe I am the problem, maybe I have some issues that I need to deal with on a personal level. So I went down the road of like the system, the the system, and I'd grow up my hair. That's probably why I went born now. Yeah, I grew up my hair. I was like that I'm being you do the Afro thing?

Corie:

Yeah, I'm expressing me.

Jr Lee:

I am the full version of me and like now, in this current moment, like at this moment talking to you, I realize maybe that is why I am me now. That is why I am me now Like I made a choice back then to just be the whatever version of myself I feel I am, like I have no filters for me. Like you know, a lot of people will put on a persona and then in your private life you're struggling because you're not being yourself Like I am.

Corie:

There's a thing here with comedians a lot, eh yeah, and you're a student of the comedy thing, so you see some of them dealing with real, real dark issues so my favourite comedian would be Richard Pryor.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, serious like, and the reason, other than being hilarious like, he's just himself. Yo, I use drugs, honest, yeah, I use a lot of drugs. You know what mean. I had a messed up childhood like. I went through this. I went through that and this is me. Accept me for me or not, or leave me alone and I saw he was sorry for kissing and and I, I saw I I treat my life not like I. I express myself like yo. I grew up in moruga. I have relatives that I grew up in same age as me, same house that went to jail I had a choice to make, as I at a very young age are you going to be this or are you going to be that?

Jr Lee:

and I choose to be what I am now.

Corie:

You know sometimes I don't watch a younger self and wonder how make him make them choices. Yeah, it's a good difference, you know no for real.

Jr Lee:

I remember we, my cousin and I. I tell you, my cousin and I, we grew up together. We're still close to this day because he changed his life, like we put in real work to make sure he changes his life. You know what I mean like real, real work, real literal tears and prayers, because it's just like yo, this is my brother like we grew up, like yeah, like yeah, so what was I?

Corie:

going to tell you. No, you were talking about just your cousin.

Jr Lee:

The influence, the choices you make and how you oh yeah, Is he drinks Like this one time we started smoking people Right.

Corie:

You roll up some dick, yeah, yeah.

Jr Lee:

Right, boom the country. We get real bad looks. Yeah, I say, all right, this might be a bad idea. We T4 on. Uncle Albert pack a cigarette. Oh, so you're the smoker for real, like that, right, yeah, uncle Albert is a cigarette man and a beer man and a rum man.

Corie:

This is a real place. Got it, got it.

Jr Lee:

Yo, uncle Albert, let me tell you about this man, right, what am I doing in July? No, in July Uncle Albert will come home on a fortnight drunk, pick up his quattro. We go in Parang in July, right now, sun hot. We go in Parang Pour your pants and you come in. Yeah, me and his son, me and his jockey son. Sorry Pour your pants, let me go. We go in pang, my grandmother see us. We go in pang koro koro, koro koro.

Jr Lee:

Sorry, sorry, sorry and he just traveling in quattro and people getting him around. That's right, it's a maniac, what? Let me tell you what my family was. Let me tell you what my family was. Let me tell you no, come in, you just live with my family, my family. So we have family in Paramin, right, right, okay, yeah, paramin and Lopino a real Paramin place you come from?

Jr Lee:

yeah, no, so my my grandmother, father, I think. He came from Venezuela. He went to Lopino some back and all happened in Lopino and he moved to Maruga. Find a wife, leave his wife in Lopino, find a new wife, like how it was back then. It's expensive to travel in pairs this is why I start a whole new family writing children very Trinidadian story so like them going up Parma.

Jr Lee:

That's how my whole family Parma one of them started to track somebody's wife up there. They beat up the whole Parman band. Men come back home limp in us. Real bad. That's the Parman, that Parman there. Yeah my family is a bad family. Most of the things that you're seeing is something that probably and I know some of you are exaggerating the exaggeration, but yeah, the beat up the old pal man, the pal man man running to the car.

Corie:

But you're saying you're getting licks for the cigarette. Oh, yeah, so you're not a smoker. You're getting licks for the cigarette.

Jr Lee:

Right, boom, I get licks for the cigarette.

Corie:

Yeah.

Jr Lee:

We teeth the cigarette, we smoke it again. All of us lock up. I think Dwight and Anthony Right, we need bathroom. Not knowing it's our escape. See this smoke Coming out of the bathroom Because this is the nose and the bill over the house, so this is the only Concrete part of the house, so they think we're hidden. Yeah, so remember we no more latching all the time, we outside, so nobody really See what we doing. See, they have a toilet inside now and we smoking in the toilet, not thinking the smoke is going to be in the house. Bro, my grandmother cracked the bathroom door with the keys, belt, belt, belt, real belt. Run out of the bathroom, reach on the back, step man and catch me, licks again. Ridge long stairs. Who waiting? Uncle Albert Licks. So after Long says who ate in? Uncle Albert Licks. So after that, three doors back to back. I say well, I am not a smoker Immediately.

Corie:

I am.

Jr Lee:

This is not for me. I need to do, I need to read. I need to become a reader. I'm not a smoker. So he get the licks and I guess the licks wasn't enough or something. He was like you know what, let me try weed. You want to try weed? I was like I don't want to try weed because he had the last licks. Imagine the kind of licks you get for cigarettes. He'll kill you. You know what kind of licks you get for weed. At least I didn't smoke weed at a young age.

Corie:

But at nine, eight, nine Serious. Yeah, I don't even know when he was getting it.

Jr Lee:

No, rugel yeah yeah. He was wild. So I have a choice To make. I have a choice To make.

Corie:

But you're sticking with him. You see, you see all the working together, you're helping him. He may come a long way.

Jr Lee:

He came a long way. He's been out of prison like maybe four or five years. Oh, that's good. Three years, that's good. Last time he came out he went back in jail like the week of. Yeah, like I went and picked him up today, monday, and I'm reading the news and I see the picture of him on the news. I was like how are we making it? Yeah, man, that was real.

Corie:

But I know about visiting my cousin in YTC and things, yeah yeah, yeah, but even them things, them things is heavy Thing you talking about, in them moments you finding comedy and things still, because you saying that.

Jr Lee:

So, like the first time I went to visit him in YTC, there's a table just like this, so he on this side and I on this side, everybody coming out their hands swinging. He come out Cheeing up Like Hand go on this side, everybody coming out their hands swinging, he come out cheeing up. True, like hand cuff on foot. Come on out. It's like curling. I tried to curl with the prison officer.

Corie:

Why you have my cousin like this.

Jr Lee:

It's like a cousin beat up our whole room, yeah he get locked up in jail. He get locked up in jail. So I remember when I leave in there I used to be crying With like tears Because this is my brother, of course.

Corie:

Of course I mean.

Jr Lee:

It's not like that's making Tom mistakes, you know. So yeah, it used to be heavy, but we used to still Make jokes about it. Like when I visit him, I'll still make jokes About certain things. Yeah.

Corie:

I guess Like yeah.

Jr Lee:

You don't drop the soap. You know he's. He's a youth man. He don't know what they're doing here.

Corie:

So when you're going back from that film festival, you realise that this is your calling yeah your next step, you started doing videos and things. Where did it get from videos that? When you started getting traction from strangers, because if your friends and them tell you it's good. When did it start to happen where people who you don't know tell you it's good? When?

Jr Lee:

it started happening where people who you don't know? Telling you hey, you're funny. Um, it take a while, take a long time, like I had stopped doing the videos and started focusing on stand-up comedy yeah.

Corie:

Yeah, you say stand-up was where you went. I was with first.

Jr Lee:

Most people in this era start online and then go to yeah I did it the opposite, like I was doing stand-up comedy I know about. Like I again, I was in secondary school, form six, and going to open mics late in the night, taking my mother last fifty dollars to go to town and drink. Yeah, like that lady will support me, like my mother will support me, or psych out, stress it enough I love my mother to death or something, because she believe in something that you couldn't see. Yeah, you can't see it, it, it, it's hard. It's tough If you want to be a comedian name the last rich comedian in Trinidad A song like Struggles.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, songs like that, and even if they, we will get to that just now. But yeah, so started stand-up comedy Died. Some people started recognizing me and they were like, hey, you're funny, but I guess it's a niche circuit, right, right. So a hundred people might know me. Hey, you're a real funny voice. I might be walking on the road. One person might be like I remember you from that thing. Yeah, you're real funny. So meet up with people like Kwame Weeks, right, anil, not Anil, and Kenita. Like a guy from India, his father from India, his mother is a Trinidadian. He used to live in India. He come back Trinidad, he live in Canada now. He actually opened for me when I was in Canada yeah there's a full circle moment that's a proud of that moment.

Jr Lee:

So yeah, so yeah, kwame Anil and we just used to be going all over Trinidad Literally all over Trinidad, like performing in bars for five people and things yeah.

Corie:

Seriously the bar thing.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, like you know, that is a real thing. Like you have to go out and perform I know we're performing for drunk people and people calling and saying come off the stage. You, mother, you know what I mean. People not enough. And I, I am a teenager experiencing this. These people are hurting my feelings and they don't care. They do not care that I am 17 or 16 doing this only game. I come here to drink, yeah only music so like I, I, that's how we started. We started doing that.

Corie:

But what you're doing? You're just going to the bar and ask them for a minute to perform you, and then we'll talk to them Serious and then we'll talk to them.

Jr Lee:

Then we used to go to True Talk. No Lie, you had to pay $50 to perform. Yeah, I am leaving home with $50.

Corie:

Just to get one.

Jr Lee:

The next time my cousin came out of jail I said hey, come and see something new. We're doing this comedy thing. Reach up to you and tell him I can't perform. He's like what do you mean? You can't perform? I was like no, you can perform tonight. Tonight, we'll make an exception tonight. So like yeah, we, we used to go to all the open mics and it used to have I'm talking like if we used to, like if it was back in, yeah, some days it's 2014, 2015, 2016, like 10 years ago, 9, 10 years ago.

Jr Lee:

So all the poetry, open mics we'd hear people talking about up and down and my father and I come in and well, i'll't think I joke right after that. That used to be real heavy. It's heavy but you used to get through, you used to connect, you used to like you don't feel it to laugh after somebody say the father, I don't feel it to laugh yeah, that's way funny.

Jr Lee:

I was like why she would say that now before I go on the stage, why the hell put me before that whole heavy energy and I hope you, if you're watching this. I hope you wasn't lying. I hope you make up that lesson. To go and tell some poems, why not?

Corie:

Why not?

Jr Lee:

I don't even hope it was real. You know what I mean. You know what I mean. You know what I mean.

Corie:

I always say I would say, I would say, but that bar, that's interesting to me because that is a level of belly to just go on.

Jr Lee:

No, but back then, back then you're looking fabricated. Okay, I didn't care, I wasn't thinking. This is a bar. I, like Brenton, performed all like literally all over the place. There's a lot of gay club I performed in as a youth man, like a teenager. I didn't know if it was a gay club. Well, he don't know us. It's just that gay people we had a good time, I tell you. Yeah, they laughed. They laughed there. They didn't laugh at the band. So go on, I performed like I was just trying to find my people, like Kwame, and then Kevin Sawyer came along, then Simili Trini, like all of us, was just all over Trinidad trying to find a place to perform, and it didn't matter where it was. Like I would have performed anywhere, like literally anywhere. I would have performed.

Corie:

So where are you getting the tools? Because stand-up comedy is one of the most difficult things to do in terms of performing arts because it's you and Mike and drunk people. That's hard. And it's Trinidadians especially Sprangalang used to talk about this all the time where we have a kind of culture where a man really come in a comedy show to boo or to watch man bomb. I used to see it in Yanga Tang. They used to do this big show in Yanga Tang. I hear you talk to Nikki about some of it. There used to be big shows in the stadium. Yeah, and brother, when you get a mic, you have about 20 seconds. Yeah, you're rumbling starting when you walk out from the back yeah, you know so how you get a how you know what to do to.

Jr Lee:

But that's a real good question. Yes, you gotta go with Gordon, I guess, because yeah, it's a good comedy, right yo you? I literally I can tell a joke here right now. It works. And then I go down the road tell that same joke on the crowd watching me this man boy, this short man might come off the stage.

Jr Lee:

Boy, so like comedy, hey, as I think it's the show, that's it getting paid to try. Yeah, getting paid for the attempt. Yeah, literally getting paid for the attempt. But when they're performing jokes over a certain amount of time, you know what joke work.

Corie:

I understand you know what?

Jr Lee:

joke week. I understand, you know, you know which one going and sneak up on them at the first and they sit them off that. So like I know which one is that for me, so I would start with that one.

Corie:

I see, yeah, so let me say something. When you go to different areas, that's one of the ways, like some might connect and check on us, but in town people don't find it funny, so you work it out there, this carnival I performed at the carnival village in Port of Spain.

Jr Lee:

Right, you know them sit down there and watch me like yeah, all right, I'm off now.

Corie:

They want to hear Kaisa.

Jr Lee:

They want to hear me. They do not want to hear me, but you got to understand that it's comedy and that's something that I understand now. I am not here, everybody laugh. I am here to make who is my audience? Why my audience laugh like I'm not, like you can't make everybody laugh, like if you do that you'll be unhappy, because every time you go somewhere there's a random place to perform and they don't laugh.

Jr Lee:

You feel like if you're not good, yeah, but then you could give up yeah, but then when you look back at our next performance you know shelly plays the same jokes. So it's's not for everybody. It's like music. I don't listen to certain genre of music. Yeah, yeah, yeah, not for you, and same with you. You know what?

Corie:

I mean Of course, of course.

Jr Lee:

Like. It's our people who don't like cursing in stand-up comedy, so they wouldn't come to a junior league show. Or they might come because they could just tolerate me, because they, like me, know what I mean. But there are some people who will find kevin sawyer 10 times funnier than me and he is, I believe, kevin, so he's one of the funniest people in the whole wide world. So he has his style of comedy. I have my style, like everybody.

Jr Lee:

There's genres not like you know so you just gotta appreciate who appreciates you, and I'm not trying to make everybody laugh I post something on tiktok the other day and somebody's just this is comedy. Yeah, it's not comedy for you. You go up the road, you find what works for you. You taking time out your day with a fake profile to comment that's what it's about to be, I don't mind. I don't mind you telling me I'm not funny. You're right. You're well in your right to tell me I am not funny. Yeah, me, I am not funny.

Corie:

Yeah and I am well in my right to tell you.

Jr Lee:

But my problem is why are you hiding to tell me that? No, tell me for real.

Corie:

Let me tell my cousin from maruka to come and talk to you let me tell you how bad that is for me from my generation when I grew up on social media. So for me, social media is done hiding, yeah. Because if I come to tell you today, hey, you're not funny to me, yeah and. But I said you're hiding by to me, yeah and. But I said you're hiding by saying it online, but you're going behind a fake profile too, yeah, no, it's our people who will come up to me and be like boy.

Jr Lee:

Well, you know, I don't really, I'm not really no big fan of you, but my wife, cool with that, like you are well in your right especially if you buy a ticket.

Corie:

You can tell me anything.

Jr Lee:

I have your money in my bank account so, like you can tell me anything and I appreciate, I appreciate feedback, it don't matter.

Corie:

Yeah, no, I genuinely appreciate feedback.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, but I appreciate sound and wise feedback. You can't just tell me I'm not funny, just so now we take that, something I want to read.

Corie:

You know where's that? I justy, I ain't so sure I could read it now. Now, all hell could break loose here. You know, I'm frying it. Two things actually.

Jr Lee:

I'm real open on this interview. I hope I don't get no backlash here.

Corie:

Kyle Hennessy is a charm. Thanks for the suggestion. He said the goal is not to be the funniest or the biggest. The goal is to to fulfill my purpose and take care of my family emotionally, financially and spiritually. That's what I mean. Yeah, that's that real.

Jr Lee:

That is me. What let me see that post. What time I post that? Oh, they didn't say the time. That's probably me.

Corie:

Like the 8th of June.

Jr Lee:

No, but that's probably me what time of day, 3 in the morning sometime. On Facebook I share some of my most genuine Tuscaloosa people who follow me long time. So they genuinely, they know who I am. So that is a real thing. Like I am not here, yeah, but I have to be the funniest when I go out there, boy, if I'm not the funniest, I go in home and that is not me. Like I am here to fulfill my purpose. I believe my purpose. I believe my purpose is to bring joy and laughter to people who need it. You know what I mean. Got it and then, right after that, it's to take care of my family to the best of my ability, of course, of course. And once I do that, I am happy, I am very happy. That's why I can tell they have no problem. People tell me I'm not funny.

Corie:

I don't find I funny. Yeah, let me let me dead that now. Right, there are a few comedians who, uh, like you mentioned kevin soy, like you see people talking about him, as he very, very different genre, as you say, very calculated method.

Corie:

Best, he's sitting in his pocket for a long time he's sitting without, yeah, like I watch him talk for a long chapelle is one of the people who has seen do that. I was able to go and see chapelle a couple years ago and when you watch him TV how long he talking for before he got a laugh when you're in the arena you feel the tension.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, it's like what's going on here.

Corie:

You know you're going to get a laugh, the payoff coming, yeah, but you are one of the people who, for me, when I look at some of the comedians I was watching out growing. Yeah, them is two people who I see where them don't tell no joke in a dread when you see them, yeah, that's laugh because they're ugly, you know.

Jr Lee:

Say that's laugh one time.

Corie:

I was going to say that you, I was going to say that yeah it's me ugly bald short fat.

Jr Lee:

It works as. I can it works out for me like I already have advantage over here. A bald short ball and shot and a fat Laughter out the door. I don't even know how to say that I won.

Corie:

But you get in there all the time like day to day life. People don't come up and tell you like hey, say something funny yeah say something funny, do something funny.

Jr Lee:

I look like a puppet, a party. I'm not in a good mood right now. Let me do something funny Actually. Maybe do something funny Actually, vex. Yeah, I remember, like the other day, my mother in the hospital. Her lady said she passed me. She was there smiling. I said, lady, I don't know what's going on with my mother in the back there. You feel that? She's in the hospital.

Corie:

Yes, I thought you were like in Tonga or something, when they come from the hospital In Tonga.

Jr Lee:

I was like, lady, my mother is sitting back there right now. You feel any mood to tell a joke?

Corie:

But if you say that people will laugh, you know what I see the other day?

Jr Lee:

She didn't laugh. She was like oh, my God, I didn't know. Oh, okay, okay.

Corie:

Exactly. I see a man post something. When you went in the stadium to watch football in a suit, what caused that boy? You? See everybody going to leave my house in that suit.

Jr Lee:

No, I'm not going to leave my house in that suit. I had a gig right in Port-au-Prince, mate, right, but you walked from the gig or you could have changed. No, you know what time. I reached the stadium In the 70th minute, so if I changed my clothes I would have missed the game. I'm a patriot, I Patriot and I support the national teams heavy. Yeah, yeah, if I'm in talk, I'm going to make the game regardless of what I have on, but next time I'm not coming.

Corie:

That means I'm not the only person, Salera, because somebody make a video Aman, welcome to me.

Jr Lee:

Why you have to be so unnecessarily extra. Aman Salera, yeah, why are you in me? But that statement will extra. Yeah, why you choose unnecessarily? You know, I show you even right now for creative writing. You use it as a statement against me. You didn't get that statement. Why you use it as an extra. Why you use it as an unnecessarily extra. You use it as an adjective right in front of an adjective. That got me so mad, that one, that one, make my feet to fight but I see you in that thing.

Corie:

I'm thinking, boy, from the time people see you by the gate they must be laughing because somebody got a video you watching the game. Seriously, yeah, I come to watch the game. You know what time I watch that that thing looks.

Jr Lee:

I came to watch the game. I just had like if I, honestly, if I had changed my clothes.

Corie:

I would have missed the whole game.

Jr Lee:

I missed the whole game Because we was going home and I was like yo, we'll talk like 30 minutes and she made her, let me go yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah and then we went.

Corie:

But Lizzie Mack again, like Larry Joseph, he's a working pack shooting TSTT right.

Jr Lee:

So what it is we were talking about.

Corie:

I just I'm sure listen, I see you. I see you interviewing Nicky Crosby. I feel real good when I see that, because that's a whole with the year you born. With my quick maths you could meet a lot of people your age who don't know who's Nicky Crosby. I thought it's half my lot, right. So it means you study anything. You know them. You know what I mean. You ain't just no bouter, you know.

Jr Lee:

I am a I am a student and fan of comedy Before Before I'm a comedian. I'm a student and a fan of comedy. Yeah, so like I am not, I am not one of them who, just doing this Like I really love this. I could sit down and take you In a comedy show Like I.

Corie:

I love comedy. Yeah, I in need same boat. I need same boat.

Corie:

When I see you talking, it feel good yeah and and in talking to her I was watching you doing a real quick match. In your head you see 17 000 and how much dollars for a ticket 40 dollars and I see you multiply before. I see it in your head quick. So they tell me you're making money because this man said you know how many people get. It's something you want to do. You can't hear casually like why are they doing this on all your shows? It's something you I know the whole comedy circuit. You're seeing yourselves in bigger venues like stadiums.

Jr Lee:

I would like to do a stadium. I would like to do. You know, like Russell Bees, I did a Scotiabank arena the other day. I was like I wish I could do Scotiabank Arena.

Corie:

Right. So when you were in Canada, what arena did you do? We did a club.

Jr Lee:

It was a club. Yeah, we did a club. It was like 460 people and then we did You're saying 400, like it's a little bit of people like 400 drunk people. Shout out to my boy, jb Jambore.

Corie:

Right, yeah, we pulled it off and then we did like 60 people, right, and then we're doing the comedy club in this month, the 27th of this month. So how much adjustment it is for you on stage, like when you go there and you see 60 people, because, like again you come in this room today. Yeah, I've never heard so much people talking here since people coming, everybody's be quiet. Everybody's go back inside. Nobody not back inside.

Corie:

Everybody right here so how much of an adjustment it is for you when you have a small room or small venue versus when you're doing four, five hundred people I am more afraid of a small room yeah yeah, like a big room hey I guess it'll come out anyway, I am I'm a dot in that room, like you know.

Jr Lee:

I mean there's so much other people, they're studying, but like what, what happens in the smaller room, though I'm a bit more intimate, right. So I will talk like I was talking to you right now, like you know. I mean I'll tell my jokes but also have a conversation with the audience and they enjoyed us. So when we did ottawa, like we got um, it's called our encore, like we're gonna bring you back like yeah and that's.

Jr Lee:

That's like the the second time that ever happened to me really. Yeah, we had a real good time in ottawa because it's like 60 people like and it was people from it had somebody almost from every island got it, so like we were just basically learning from learning stuff from from each other. So the only adjustment is like I might be a little bit more intimate, I might slow down my pace a bit, got it.

Jr Lee:

So I had hitting like bam, bam, bam like and I say hey thing I'll say this, say that I might talk to people in the audience a little bit more.

Corie:

So that's the only adjustments I think we'll make yeah, the crowd work is that thing like again going back to Sprangalang. Like Larry Joseph was real.

Jr Lee:

He was precise, very, very careful he was more on the skits. I don't do skits on stage that is real surprising to me.

Corie:

Your skits on fire online, all of them. So you're going to there's not some of your plans.

Jr Lee:

I don't think so? Um, I, so I actually started doing them, started back doing them, them skits on them, because I wanted more people at my shows. Right, that is the only reason why it was marketing really it was marketing for these shows. It just turned out better than I expected it. I was just like if I do this skit, I want to sell out napa. I could sell out napa. Based on doing these videos, I think I can get 1500 people. I see. I see, it just did way better than I expected.

Corie:

It was never to be the skits man really so you didn't plan to continue it long term either.

Jr Lee:

It's something I taught you to do for a little while yeah, it's just like, here I go, do these skits here, sell my tickets and have a good day.

Corie:

Mmhmm, like, have a good day like you feel you're known now for for these skits? Yeah, for sure.

Jr Lee:

So now I have to teach my audience that hey this is the thing this is actually what I do yeah because they don't know me for that. They know me for skits, only they. They want people who used to follow me but know that hey, he's a stand-up comic, like he's funny and real, like got it, got it so. Like that's why you'll get comments like where's this, what's going on?

Corie:

understand. Yeah, I want to read something else you post I suppose real wild yeah, your facebook different from your instagram and tiktok in it very reflective.

Corie:

You see, this morning kevin kevin sends a picture to our group chat. It reminded me that it's okay to fail. Years ago when I had here we'll fine about that now we did a show and no one showed up, like absolutely nobody. Instead of sulking sorrow, we actually performed for each other and the staff at the venue. Life is really what you make it. Go out there and do your thing.

Jr Lee:

Real story. Yeah, that's in our room. I remember that show like we reached there. Nobody like literally just the staff and the staff and then they came outside. They watched the show with us and it's one of the best shows I had, like we. We made each other laugh and it's a real good thing when you make comedians laugh as well.

Corie:

I suppose, yeah, comedians are a little harder to laugh than the average man when he was there.

Jr Lee:

You see, you see Kevin in the audience. Kevin, have a Like he's done a performance, like you're killing it.

Corie:

You know you're on fire, I'm killing it.

Jr Lee:

You know. So, like To us, just Like it wasn't, it was Kevin Sawyer, myself, jerome, I can't remember if Pam he was there. Lyrics Was a good bit of us.

Corie:

Yeah.

Jr Lee:

Like maybe 10 of us there, as well as the staff, and we just perform for each other and that is part of it. Like before, I was getting likes on Instagram and before we were selling tickets, like I was performing for nobody else. See, it can't get discouraged. Now Lots of people will get into this and they'll be like yo, but I'm not getting the likes, I'm not getting the shares, like shares and like I do inside of comedy and nobody coming to the shows.

Jr Lee:

Like, hey, it's all part of it, I, I've done it and I'm fine I remember you still do little small shows and people I know will be like in one of these days I'll come to your small show and they know me. You see a little your little, your little show, your little show. Remember me jive. A man tell me jive. Um, I will totally do one of them, little videos for me, for my business boy. I'm like, yeah, I'm going to think about doing a video for your little business. You can go to your little food business.

Corie:

Imagine telling me look who you're telling that to man.

Jr Lee:

But I don't consider myself anywhere honestly.

Corie:

Yeah, I consider it so.

Jr Lee:

I don't.

Corie:

But in comparison to what we have in mind in terms of your goal here.

Jr Lee:

No, in comparison to life, to real life, like I don't get consumed by popularity, right like this is not real to me, like I just go, man, I don't wash where still like this is not real to me, bro.

Jr Lee:

Like I again, I just here to take care of my family. I fulfill my purpose, so like, and one day everybody might say f*** Lee, we don't like him anymore, or I get old and nobody know me anymore. So if I allow myself to be consumed by popularity and whatever I have going on now, I'm losing the element of Javel Sean JK Limo and I don't ever want to lose the element of myself, not disregarding who I am. Now I understand you know what I mean, but just understand it's an extension of who I am in reality. You know, yeah, like I still have cousins struggling with us. Let's go. I know real friends who I grew up with in school that go into it you know what I mean in school that go and shred. You know I mean and I try my best to not get caught up in whatever I have going on that you lose that, that side of yourself, that, hey, I was just a poor youth man in my room.

Corie:

You know, like everybody who accomplish a lot, only people I talk into here, for instance, especially people from my generation, and before that was always a concern for people who choose, let me say, public life. Right, but I always wonder about your generation now if it's more difficult for you because of social media, because we grew up in a time where your public life used to end in a dread. You used to sing and you'd go home and nice it, but you'd have no point. In a day now when somebody not watching your video Like Instagram thing, they show you how long somebody watch your video, for your own must be months long, so you never have a point with nobody watching it. Is it harder to disconnect and come away from it because of the social media?

Jr Lee:

thing, no, I. I is disconnect yeah, I I am disconnected right now, though I when I tell you like I am not consumed by this, like I am really not, um, I'm thankful and grateful for everybody that, that, that that watch your videos and they support it and stuff like that, but like I am not one of them who just like yeah boy, I have a video there, oh God, I'm winning right now.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, you know you know I and I'm the talking totally like I am having fun with my life because clearly I tell somebody this the other day, like I got in two real dread accidents in my life. So this is probably why I have this morbid thought of like I we gonna die one day and I'm not gonna like, because I'm a public figure, stop living my life like that's never going to happen. Like I got in two real bad accidents in my life. I don't drive, I'll never back up again.

Corie:

Shit, Wait, wait. You might have to bleep that out and get a sponsor.

Jr Lee:

Oh yeah, I will never drive a certain car again, right, bro? Bro, like I Like. So this is why I live my life With my life, to please me, sure and sure that it's not Affecting the people around me, right? So my mother, my cousin, ikel and I Leave in Maruga, coming up the other night, tire blowed, Car flipped four times, nice, like it was real bad, real, real, real, real bad. And in that moment my mother fell out the back of the car on the highway. So it's like mommy, mommy, like no answer.

Jr Lee:

So like for about 10 seconds, bro, I felt like if my life was over, like I felt like everything that I love was gone, like for real, like I was like you're like this, this is gone. This is when I'm a closest cousin. Like he didn't answer the first call as well. So I was like yo, my close cousin, and my mother and I alone, alive in this moment. Like yo, where's this? And then like, crawl out of the car. And then my mother's like oh girl, oh girl, I just can't move, I can't move. And I was just like yo, I could have died in this moment. My mother, I could have lose everything. Like everybody that close to me, I could have lose them and, like you know, like this, yeah, like you know, like this, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Jr Lee:

So the next day, passing the site of the accident, you know, the grass started to grow back up. I was like that is, how quick life is, that's?

Corie:

the life boy.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, that's like life is moving so fast. I'm like why, holy, no, no, why I am trying to stifle who I am or stifle what I want to do because of what somebody else would think about me. I would die one day and nobody would care. They would care for a moment and with half people I would be sad.

Corie:

But the grass will grow back.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, the grass will grow back. It will have a next junior league, it will have a next whoever, and life will keep moving. Life will keep evolving, so I'm not allowing myself to take myself so serious that you stop living.

Corie:

Yeah.

Jr Lee:

I understand I could literally walk out of here right now and die Let me know I hope it do happen. God forbid. Nothing would God is good, but like that's what I but to me this is very, very true, Very, very real.

Corie:

I live my life like that now.

Jr Lee:

Obviously, it's still have like it's at times that you'll be worried, but I don't think that I'm afraid.

Corie:

Right.

Jr Lee:

I'm worried at times. I'm worried about. Hey, maybe this might. Maybe this show that we're doing in Canada July 27th, barbados August 6th and Grenada August 14th and crinidad got spotted. The tickets may not sell.

Corie:

I'm worried.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, you do, but it didn't stop you from living it wouldn't stop me from doing, because I understand, like I don't ever want to be. The worst thing I think I can be is is sick and living with regrets.

Jr Lee:

I understand you whatever happened to me in my life, like I had this conversation with my mother the other day and I was like mommy, like I know I'm your only son, I'm your only child and if I die prematurely God forbid you'll be sad, and I don't. I don't ever want you to be so sad that you stop living.

Jr Lee:

You know, what I mean. Like your son, live a full life. I live up for my age, bro. Like your son, live a full life. I live a for my age, bro. I'm 28. Like God bless me, I bought a house at 27. My mother has a house. I got a house at 27 for my mother. Like God bless me. Like so many things that people live their life trying to achieve, achieve it at a young age, like I, I live a full life. Like, let me just say, I live a full life let me chance to plenty more life.

Corie:

We are drinking. What's happening? I do, yeah to more life.

Jr Lee:

But, like, I've lived a full life and I allow myself to continue living a full life because I understand life short, you understand it fully. You understand it 80 years on this earth is not plenty, it's not a long time, it's not plenty like just the other day black people couldn't vote and all kind of craziness in our in the 1900s like yeah, like what you put it earlier too.

Corie:

You know we ain't so sure if we're gonna never see that again I might come back.

Jr Lee:

I hope not, I hope not, I hope not, but like my that I might think they're like just live your life I wait here.

Corie:

I think it's an important message for you to say to people. You know the tour. Let me talk about that now as you bring it up. So I was looking at your travels to Canada the other day and you said that was good. Let me tell you something about me as a trainee. You say you're a patriot and you're watching the soccer warriors on them teams. Right, why is he watching all the men the same way? Men watching the football team Same? When I see early videos well, the one today I wish I could get my hands on that that is crazy, Crazy, Crazy. But when you see what we're able to travel and do and them types of things, how is it?

Jr Lee:

What would be your first international show? Canada, canada, just now, last year. I see, I see, and I think it's only a year now. Really, no man, I promise you, there's only been a year, that stuff popping off. Seriously, I've been around bubbling, but it took me 10 years to get here now, wow, yeah, literally 2013, 2014.

Corie:

Well, yeah, I guess. So now, yeah, straight out of secondary school.

Jr Lee:

Right, right, yeah, the first big one was the Jamaica versus trinidad mother's day show that um, john paul right and g martin does. Right before that I did a show with dr j. Shows with dr j wasn't a comedy show, it was a party. But if it's comedy stuff that I did, john paul and g martin mother's day clash last year mother's day.

Corie:

But let me ask you something when I was seeing you pop it up, so I guess it's gonna help you to pop up. Yeah, for sure, the online thing, but I also saw you doing like interviews and parties where you'll go and talk to people. Yeah, I think that's another one of the areas where I don't like the comparison thing.

Jr Lee:

But men like Oliver and Larry George, they just you used to get people to say some really before I just trying to sell tickets like doing all them things. One of my mind is I hope one day people buy tickets. That's what it was all about. It was always about when people come and see me. My biggest goal was I want to sell out Napa and we did it so now we'll be looking at what is the next.

Corie:

The next step yeah, what's the next step?

Jr Lee:

But the first thing was was was JP, and then right after that he was like yo, I want you to come back up for Red, white and Laugh, and that was in November. So it was in and out, and then I spent like two weeks in November, yeah, and in that two weeks it's solidified like hey, like it's have a, the opportunities are here, just how the pain they work like, and that's what I'm trying to figure out now. So I'm I spend a lot of time trying to figure out like how we could be touring not just me, because, like I you come up with a crew.

Jr Lee:

yeah, not only I come up with a crew. But like, how can Junior Lee do this? And then, from Junior Lee doing this, other comedians down the road could do it as well. Like how can I help pave a way? I understand, how can we as a team come together and create a route? Like when I was coming up and I see the older generation of comedians and us, we are disjointed. Sure, yeah, nobody. Never do this. Like, hey, come on, I'm going to take you on tour.

Corie:

Originally they're not comedians no, like everybody said Ahsoka, atis, calypso. And business people. Everybody said is that a thing here?

Jr Lee:

If I could change that a little bit.

Corie:

I think I did great audience. I don't know if it's surprising to you or not, but it's almost like I have 45 as your mother age. So the thing about it is I don't like it, my mother. I mean, what you're doing here is you're you know, tell me, use the thing on whatsapp to find lyrics I might try, but the thing about it is like it's almost no reason somebody at 45 should find somebody at 28.

Corie:

so funny, the average age in this room, the aggregate age here, is 127 years old. Yeah, the ball is all leggy hills outside, right. So I have a partner, for instance. He's not active on Instagram Mm-hmm. He's well, but not all he sends is your videos. You find that you have that broader audience when you're on the streets like it's surprising to you and you.

Jr Lee:

You know I, I am surprised that anybody watch my videos. Honestly, I am all. Every day I wake up.

Corie:

I am surprised and I know I probably be singing morbid at all, but I am like I am.

Jr Lee:

I am walking in my dreams or it's like I am literally living in my dreams. So I am surprised, like one thing I know for a fact like I don't create content for children, true, but children just hide and watch it. I used to hide and watch Richard Pryor. Oh, I suppose it's the same it's the same.

Jr Lee:

You hear somebody some of the things I say, you know, like if you listen to a Richard Pryor album, yeah, it's wild, it's wild and I had to find it on youtube, yeah, you know, I mean. So I used to listen to that, quite like my mother at that age, you know. I mean so, like when people say they, they find my stuff and hey, I don't watch nobody, I, I don't be on instagram thing, like I am impressed, I, I'm just like we were like, you know, I mean, even at some days we may feel dumb people watching you all the time, all the time, all the time, yeah and them other guys doing the same thing too, of course, yeah, samson and Kyle and Jordan and the, the, the Kuva Lords and Kevin Sawyer like everybody just doing the thing.

Jr Lee:

They all hold groups.

Corie:

I see my mother and them will be sending me things and they say see me, say this. And if you see this and that's why I say only generation will change them gaps. You know, because you have the opportunity. When you say, watching richard pratt on youtube, the young person in 1980, something 1990, had a go ahead, nikita, and he was your father, used to sell records and things, yeah, so you had to go there and buy the actual record. You don't?

Corie:

have the money, yeah, and then we're gonna play it on the record player in the living room yeah so, they yeah so like you could. You could appreciate. I hear you say when you was with I think it was Kivo, on the Monday morning podcast. I've seen that interview you did there and you said that's Kivo and Kyle, is it? Yeah, kivo and Kyle. I used to hear you say when they're talking about Fever, I hear you say John Agitation. I was like where, john Agitation, I'm a student, I'm a literal student comedy.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, this is what I always wanted to do like, so I was researching everybody, like I wanted to see who are the, the comedians from the Caribbean, like just talking to Nicky. As much as that is an interview. That is not. I wouldn't say that is an interview.

Corie:

That is me talking to somebody who I admire of course I used to get to see it in the interview yeah, and I wish I could do it with everybody else.

Jr Lee:

You showed up, yeah, and she told me about somebody named Salush.

Corie:

I didn't even know it had a Salush yeah, I hear you casually say what's the name? You're saying I didn't know but I think it stalks into. It's like no, I don't know who's talking to me.

Jr Lee:

But, like as soon as I came over to the interview, I'll Google it. Like I'll try and find this place, I'll try to listen to the material, see what it used to be like back then. You know what I mean. Like now, it's two different styles, of course.

Corie:

Yeah, Completely different. Completely different, but I think the impact is the same man, because again, nikki and them telling you about them shows we're selling out, like after Carnival had one where maybe if it's not Ash Wednesday, it's Saturday after Carnival. Like when is our last jam now? We used to have a comedy show, a Caribbean comedy festival. It could be around the Glasgow and you're seeing people from all up the islands and it's brutal yeah, you used to be huge.

Jr Lee:

It's brutal. You used to be huge. Sell all these things all.

Corie:

Everybody would go there, like all people would go at Fetno, and it reminds me of some of the comedians we talked to. Nikki Crosby is one, rachel Price is another one Sprang. Tommy how was the Tommy Joseph show. I was all the country.

Jr Lee:

It was good. It was good. Yeah, tommy's a general, rachel's a general, them is own crowds. I actually rate Rachel too. I pull away and I was like she gonna do her own shows. You know what I mean. Like big respect to Risha Price. You know what I mean, like Tommy Joseph, them men and them paved the way.

Corie:

It's just like real respect to them, of course, like some of the things I see in you doing now, because when I see your collaboration with Yuma or the way, for instance, you have a good relationship with a lot of artists, when you call everybody to say good morning, yeah, nobody would know you was calling for nothing serious, that's how everybody answered. Bungee said hey, hey, hey, what's going on? He?

Jr Lee:

started laughing from the time you called Yo. You know Bungee is actually one of the first celebrities in Toronto to be able to like acknowledge me. Serious Me too.

Corie:

First person. Who's who knows acknowledge anything I do as Bungie?

Jr Lee:

yeah, bungie, yeah, like he's watch everything. Yeah, bungie, commenting something I do, I was like yo, I make it.

Corie:

I had a screenshot, all of that.

Jr Lee:

I showed my look deep in my phone I can have that screenshot there. I was like I make it, I done. I's a million, you know shots to Bungie, like when nobody I remember Bungie used to invite me to his parties and things like as a youth man like nah bungee, bungee.

Corie:

I'd rather inspire me yeah, like when you say, as a youth man at 28, it's me right me at my age?

Jr Lee:

no, I was younger, I feel like, because I've been around so long I seem old too.

Corie:

100%, that's what I'm telling you. Like you're in a past life, you're old, so no, but I just know the name, which is a blessing.

Jr Lee:

You know when you think about how much people just I started as a camera operator. Yeah, like when comedy and things wasn't working out, I used to be doing camera work when you say just video work for people yeah, I travel with Charles and things already.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, doing more like videos for social media. Yeah, shooting and performing and things chopping it up. I remember the first time I was in university this is probably Contributed to me Leaving university. I am Trapped with Charles and Charles gave me 700 US dollars. That was the end of it. I was like Yo School long. Why go back To the? Why go back To the? Why go back? I studied marketing. I'm marketing Charles now.

Corie:

Yeah, you're studying marketing. To go and work in marketing. He didn't have it already hey, finish your degree.

Jr Lee:

I can't agree with you. I can't finish my degree. What are you doing?

Corie:

what are you doing you?

Jr Lee:

just say that it's a drop, it's a drop which party was doing that university. Yeah, he saw the girl oh, nice, nice, nice. I was like I can't go UE because our girl is in trouble in UE. Is it a little one helping him straight and narrow?

Corie:

I'm not sure the Lord is why am I in my pants? I didn't I don't know, I don't want me to say, but so me, rachel, all of them had a part. A part maybe was sharp in them, or where they make the name Bill Trotman I just see him doing a art exhibition. As well was the Calypso Tent and the events around the carnival, and that's why I find it such a parallel to what you're doing, because that's a big part of like when I see you. What's the thing with you?

Corie:

my minister, vibe minister vibe yeah so when I see you walk out in your band launch and it reminds me because the Calypso Tent is changed, let me, it's different now. What people, how, people get entertainment for sure but you in the mix with those artists and those spaces and stuff, it's something deliberate, something you have in mind in terms of your progression, or you just selling tickets still?

Jr Lee:

no, no, no. Like well, now I genuinely get good with some of them, sure, some of them, that's Lyman, some of them it's like hey, let me do this and they'll be up for it. Cool with them, like voice voices to come and support my shows way before pretty, you know what I mean. So like I, tej and I, tej and I have a real good relationship, like that, I'm a Belgian like this, I go and check Tej's studio way before tour we bus, cause we bus the same year, kinda we get popular the same year.

Jr Lee:

So like somebody hits, I hate yeah before you hit the reference yeah, when it was just an example of a song, you know what I mean. Like, I genuinely get good with plenty of them, so it's not like a fake relationship. You might always wanted to play in humor. Got it?

Corie:

always wanted to play in humor at a time when you didn't have F a fet on your road.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, and then, like, plex carried me. You know Plex, captain Plex, he's a real great. I don't want to say videographer, plex is a, plex is a cinematographer, plex is a director, plex is very artistic. Plex is one of the after Keegan speaker. I will rate Keegan Over everybody in Trinidad To be good. Keegan is the boss, remember, keegan is the dad Right, so Keegan Is the dad, yeah.

Corie:

But Plex is good.

Jr Lee:

So Plex have introduced me To Sean Because he put me In a ad To do Something for somebody In Miami Right that time I didn't even have a visa Got it so I was like, wait, everybody go to Miami. I don't even have a visa, I can't even go.

Jr Lee:

I had this ad for this carnival band, and Sean Bilkett was like you're talented, you're talented, boom, boom, boom. And like we met a couple of times, he took a chance on me and he was like yo, do this, do that. Then he was like you know, I'll take you and Keegan to St Lucia and you'll do whatever you want to to create content for the brand. And that time nobody. He just kinda believed in me in that moment so yeah big up, sean Bickert.

Jr Lee:

He really took a chance on us. That's how the relationship with Yuma built and from then to now just a real good energy. It's literally family. You know they have a family brand.

Corie:

Yeah, for sure they are definitely family. Yeah, that's good. It feels good to see that. That's why I feel reminiscent of the greats that I see come through the tent and the tent is a hard piece of work too, eh.

Jr Lee:

Yeah too, eh, yeah, so yeah, that's the racial pressure. She was one of them who I know for a fact I can't stand up and I don't what do you mean?

Corie:

let me move on from that. That's not true.

Jr Lee:

Let me establish that like again, remember I tell you I can't make everybody laugh. No, them will boo me that is cool too.

Corie:

I don't think it ever times sprang along. I hear like it's that thing guys here know you're going to listen to this and you hear a thing where they record from Tommy in the tent, from back then playing and thing with youths you understand them. Men do that every night in tents and destroy the place. But I'm going back to that show in Napa. Was Napa the show where the mic cut off and they cut off the?

Jr Lee:

nah, that was Napa that was Napa that that has gone through the pandemic, that even that Marshall came to.

Corie:

Yeah, they expected that.

Jr Lee:

You know you was coming out, so you walk out I just walk out, like when I on my way to the venue, I just get like a heap of messages you invite Marshall here. I was like you think I am Marshall and I'm about to message Marshall and tell him come to my show, be for real. God, marshall, next to me right now, like what do you mean? So I think if people like probably showing me, so I coast into it because like why do you? I have a big night tonight.

Corie:

Yeah, you're in a full class.

Jr Lee:

Yeah. So boom, somebody sent my bitch. Yeah, he's in the front. I was like like this, this guy and me, yeah, and it was. It was one of my worst performances ever. Like I had a real bad performance, like I was real mad at myself too. And then that night and this is, this is the next thing too like I always wanted to sell out the show. I sell out the show. As soon as the curtain coming down, my mother collapsed and end up in the hospital that night. So I didn't even get to celebrate that night. I was just like and again, that is what I understand that life can change real fast. That's why I don't take anything for granted. I don't get consumed by it.

Jr Lee:

Got it so fast forward the show's this Saturday. I get a call the Monday Junior. Who is this Junior? What do you mean? Oh, your mother's going. Hey, let's start playing now. Who is this boy? Call cut off. I got a call from a weird. I never even see that area called in the life of us. That area called is a weird area called. I don't know where you get that number from. Junior, it's Marshall boy. I'm T boy. Say what's going on. He said how's mommy feeling? Mommy good. Hey, here's what's going on. I'm doing a comedy thing in New York and now I got my visa off. Hey, look at that boy. So I missed Miami Cannibal, but I got my visa right the time Miami Cannibal happened.

Corie:

It's 2022 here Right?

Jr Lee:

He said, yeah, yeah, I will come up.

Jr Lee:

I do have a work permit so he was like all right, even though you do have a work permit, come and see how this be. Then I went to new york, first time in new york and this is why, like he don't know this, but like marshall could call me for anything honestly and I would probably do it because, like, when we was there, marshall introduced me to Russell Peters, afion Crockett. Like and he didn't introduce me as like a little boy from Trinidad, like he introduced me as, hey, this is one of the greatest from Trinidad boy. All you need to know him.

Corie:

But you know it's so funny because you're saying that when he see you on what you call a bad night.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, and he see me on a real bad night, that's a terrible night, though Terrible night. Hate that show. I tried to watch that footage. I tried to watch that footage this morning and I take it off.

Corie:

No, but my son, zachary, showed me a piece of it this morning again when we had seen it when it happened. Yeah, when you're on stage, you're not thinking. Should I say this? Should I do this?

Jr Lee:

No, dan, you come to my show. This is my show. I'm spending my money to do this. How you could come to something that I spend my money on to tell me what to do? You crazy, are you insane? I spend it myself, it's here. Are you coming to tell me what I cannot say? You see, what I'm saying can't save with you. You're just going over. Wherever I feed, the same, I try to save my shoe, because I spend my money for my shoe, even though sponsors might spend money too. But hey, they supported me.

Corie:

I'm sure what happened is why I know we got to do some edits to make sure we keep these sponsors. Everybody knows who I am, of course, yeah, I think people know, and I guess well he know too, because he's in the audience. But boy, he laughed that much.

Jr Lee:

He and his wife nearly fall off the chair.

Corie:

He laughed and I guess, again, that's the thing about it. I hear Kyle say it with oozing funniness. You just and he.

Jr Lee:

That time we randomly saw each other at some airport and we had a real long conversation like he just had real knowledge. Like you were, you just start right, yeah and then he didn't like the information he gave me, like it's just like life, you know. So I appreciate we're not that close, we're not best friends, you know I mean like so nobody messaged me. I feel like marshall and I just be talking to each other right through everybody for can get tickets to go places for sure, that is not a relationship.

Jr Lee:

You know what I mean. I have a number here for him.

Corie:

I don't think people want that strange number whatever strange number you call, the people are going to call and ask you and next place we'll see you pop up. How did collaboration? How did the collaboration with Queen's?

Jr Lee:

Flip come about. I think I messaged the December 31st Oliya's night.

Corie:

Right this last year.

Jr Lee:

Yo bro, love your content. Man Hoping we can do a collab before I head out.

Corie:

Right, oh, you was in New York at the time.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, I was in New York and he responded. So his wife is actually Trini, of course, so his sons watch my stuff. So when I message he was like yo, who the f*** is that? Who the f*** bro? Yeah, so he was like nah, he real cool, whatever, whatever. And he came to my uncle's restaurant. If you're in New York you need to check out Just Fishy, flatbush Avenue, beverly and Albemarle or higher up on Flatbush, greatest Fool in the whole wide world, boom the outside. So he pulled up to my he and Nicholas pulled up to to my uncle restaurant.

Jr Lee:

Sullivan. Yeah, and then they had food. They enjoyed the food, whatever. And then we keep talking and he was like yo come up to the crib. And I was like, well, I don't leave Keegan, no way.

Corie:

Is.

Jr Lee:

Keegan coming or we not coming, and this is if you invited me anyway, just so you understand before, or whatever, because it's me, keegan and Kwasi, and I might carry one of my cousins from Ruga, so like you can invite me and invite my team.

Corie:

These are the guys that. Not saying anything. That's I understand what you mean Like.

Jr Lee:

These are the guys that work with me everyday.

Corie:

Like.

Jr Lee:

It's a team, as much as you know. Junior Leeds have two people Behind Junior Leeds Making Junior Leeds work, so you have to Extend the same Courtesies you have for me To them. So when I tell him that he was like yo, alright, you all come. When I went to the house he was like I really respect you for standing your ground, like I really respect how you say you're not coming unless your bedroom come and Queens Flip and his wife and kids like they accepted us like family. Like we cook, we make rotis on youtube we make a roti. He gave me two of his whole houses. Are you living like this? He was like don't tell anybody. Don't tell anybody, it's on my elevator it's on my elevator in his house.

Jr Lee:

I thought I had a house. I don't have a house, that is a house. Yo, you did this from social media. Imagine, yes, I bro, let's keep at it, let's keep at it. So, like he's literally big bro now, like he's yeah. And then same thing with me, jive, like I met me, jive in york, same marshall show. I see, I see, I, I see I see Same Marshall shoe, mm Marshall. Well, I met him before we got open for him in Trinidad. Already, there you go and yo me jive, carry me and buy clocks to me, yeah. And I say, you know I could pay for it. I can't pay for it.

Jr Lee:

That time I broke the teeth, except some. Yeah, bro, first time in New York I go over 600 US. You know, he's working on exact money. Exact 600 US. That is so much money I went to New York with and I bought a phone. So I'm no way.

Jr Lee:

My grandma gave me 200 dollars, my uncle gave me 100. I think my father gave me this one thing. And now I'm making me rest of my money and give him a small thing. And now I'm making me a sandwich and I'm running from dinner. Nah, don't worry, I ain't even like that I ain't even like, I don't want it. He said, boy, why don't you take up the shoes ever? Then you know you have a. So now he he buy clothes to go there with my old Puma, that jeans and that t-shirt that I buy from Primark or Primark. I paid $2 for this t-shirt, a SpongeBob t-shirt. That's why I'm looking to go out there with that SpongeBob t-shirt. Yo, marshall, don't watch me like a joke, I swear. So he was like, but I think he realized that really he didn't want me to buy anything.

Corie:

Well them fellas, they walk the same road.

Jr Lee:

Yeah so he was like what pants you wearing? I said I'm wearing pants. He said, no, pick up my pants, pick up my pants. And hey, he shows him his eyewear. We never forget that. I don't even know if you remember, but I was like, yeah, I bet you remember. Yeah me again me and Keegan me and Keegan rolling me and Keegan yo me and Keegan rolling, we real rolling, like I used to be at scrumming, hanging out at Keegan car like this.

Jr Lee:

I used to be leaning on that Keegan Swift, suzuki Swift, I lean on the car, so this one we supported talking to women on the road. Swift, you're the Suzuki Swift. Are you leading all the cars though? Hey, this one, we support it Talking to women all over the world.

Corie:

To all the four. Yeah, I played.

Jr Lee:

Scrum loud in the car. He got mentored to me man, so where?

Corie:

you know him. Did you just primary school, or was he close?

Jr Lee:

We wasn't close in secondary. We went to different schools, same area, and we just seen him around and I used to do a podcast during the pandemic and he was like yo, I can pass you and I was shooting this in my house but I know him, but we not that close but I know him. So I was just like tell somebody to come to my house boy. But he was cool with the cool for Lord, so he was like hey, she tell the man I will come that way and she was like cheers the man, real cool, la la la.

Jr Lee:

And I was like all right, now, let him come. And he came and he was just willing and he was just willing. And we, we go in everywhere. I remember we just doing gigs, popping up and performing at shows and things for gas money Like this is right there. This is 2022. Hey, 2022. Hey, if you're focusing on something and not making money, just continue working. It will work out. Trust me, if you're good at it. If you're not good, your dog's dead. So he'll perform for Gas Money forever. Hey, I'm joking, he'll make it. Everybody makes it.

Corie:

He's making it somewhere.

Jr Lee:

Everybody. You'll make it somewhere. Wait on me here While you're making Nah, but yeah, so we roll it. Yeah, and he was real dedicated to it, but he, he just Kegan had At times, quasi believe in me too, sure you know, but Kegan Was around and Kegan had just Real believe in me too, sure you know, but Kegan was around and Kegan just real believe in me. In times I didn't even believe in me, though he was like nah, you're going and do real good in this show, alright, alright, you're not letting me. He tell me I was going and do good in the Napri. I showed him Marshall wasn't too, and it do good, though, clearly it do.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, I remember this one time somebody tell him, you know, they study juniorly, juniorly, juniorly Study to create your own stuff. You know what I mean. Go out there, get jobs as a videographer and thing no. And we had the conversation and I said, kegan, like you got to do what you want to do at the end of the day, right. But like, if you're rocking with me, bro, I promise you as long as I live, bro, I promise you as long as I live, I will always make sure both are we good. I'm a man of my words. I mightn't do something when I mightn't do it exactly when I say I'm going to do it. If I say I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it.

Corie:

But you're in the Queensflip thing. You know, yeah, and you know well his son, yeah. So you know, you respect the fact that you and I'm a real dog, like we get real yeah, we remember he, he closer to mean age.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, he's like 23 or around here, so we can relate more to each other and his father, like when he was, when he was flip, was like um, flip was like yo, why you going on sleep? You know he had enough. I was like all right, later, what now? So he was just yeah. So like, yeah, keegan, stay Keegan. He took a day and then he came back.

Jr Lee:

He was like alright, dog let me do it and since then to now, like I don't go anywhere without Keegan. Like Keegan is my dog and there's some people who come round and we'll do the stalker. Yeah, like Keegan, keegan is the man who's make it happen for real. Like every video that you see I post, it's Keegan.

Corie:

Smith, and only at that rate now were you posting almost every day, every day, almost every day, yeah, and it's actually Samson introduced us to that. I remember him talking about that.

Jr Lee:

Samson introduced us to that and Samson was like yo bro, like I tell him? I was like, if you post the videos, I promise you you can sell out your shoes, got it? And I started doing it then and before Keegan it had Ronaldo and Shari, right Like Ronaldo and Shari, and I literally started together. So Ronaldo, now is RM Visuals, you know Ronaldo and, yeah, everybody knows Ronaldo, I've seen.

Jr Lee:

And you know Shari too. All right, good times, thanks, man. Yeah, so Ronaldo Shari and myself, we started together, got it Like straight out of school, was Ronaldo Shari and I by Gael, by Gael, gael, I was one of the men by Gael.

Jr Lee:

Serious. St James and Synergy. I did the both of them. I was doing camera work by booting them. Serious as I used my telly I just wanted to make it as real hungry so I meet real low because I know they might watch you interviewing and they'll be like I'll never mention that jesus renault's actually just in canada with me. Oh, again, here's some inside scoop. You know we actually did a TV show in Canada. Oh nice, so that's during lunch. Yeah, it's supposed to come out in October. These guys, jermaine and Triffon, from Canada, they reached out to me on Instagram and I thought, was that a prank? And I was like yo, bro, you're so funny, like we want to be doing this TV show. We're doing season two and we wait to be on it. And ting, ting, ting. I was like all right, all right, cool, all right.

Corie:

But you say film is part of your plan. It's something you will do.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, I want to do a film.

Corie:

And what about theatre? Because I went the other day, right, I went to see a show called 78. I ain't knocking the plate because it went on a little too long, but I, like Queen Swift, I always look at my bed at some point.

Jr Lee:

I want to head out, I'm tired but Rudy was ridiculously funny.

Corie:

But I was wondering if there's something you could say. No, nah nah nigga why boy so?

Jr Lee:

I said yeah, nah, yeah, nah, no. Very good man, bro, like Kwesi. Kwesi is a man, as we tell him. He didn't fit in the Delray, take on stage, it'll be real funny. It's like if you ever see me do that, just know things real bad. Ah, the f***ing verge of doing it. Whatever you think doing it, whatever you think doing it is. Ah, the verge. I'm right there. I just need a push, I need a move. Come on here, what my towards telling me to tell you, I go up the road and I do it so. So I went to Rody and showed him how to do it, not doing it. So I went to Rody's show the other day. It was very funny yeah.

Jr Lee:

Rody is good for it. Rody is good for it. I. I know you, yeah, but even Queen's Flip, I can switch from these skits to that kind of long form content that's actually why we're trying to do long form now, because Queen's Flip was like bro, these skits is good, but you need to do long form by the next thing got you, got you. Yeah, I mean like you need to do that because I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what is the next move, because after we don't make money, from instagram by the way we do.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, you could tell, right? Yeah, look at what. No, I could tell about my own bank account, nothing, yeah. So like, so like, but I'm not going to tell you. So like, every day I'm sitting down trying to figure out what after the skits thing, what next?

Corie:

But what next? Where you feel next, where you feel is your next search.

Jr Lee:

I want to tour. I wish, as a comedian, I could be all over the world telling my jokes Got it? You know what I want to tour? I wish, as a comedian, I could be all over the world telling my jokes Got it, you know what I mean? Yeah, and just set up my life like that. But like it's a figure, it's up because, as much as the day, the day any one of us stop being ha, ha, ha on Instagram, the support is going to leave.

Corie:

I understand what you mean. Like you know, I was watching Trevor Noah time coming from South Africa and the accent slice. I used to feel like our accent. Sometimes you can't break into the SNL and the David Letterman and them kind of things. That's something you're willing to do, like if you get them, if I get them.

Jr Lee:

I can't look. I was telling I was telling David.

Jr Lee:

I was telling David about this guy named Jerry Bednub and I learned about him from Jump On Right. Jerry is a Trinidadian from Pinal that was in the 40-year-old Virgin Horse with his accent, really, as among other shows, other TV shows and movies. So the possibility there. And he was a stand-up comic performing at where is he Comedy Club name? Oh, yeah, the f***. But he was performing in all those big comedy clubs, of course, in LA and in New York and stuff. He performed alongside Robin Williams, let's see, he's like 90 now though. Oh wow, but he's a Trinidadian. Like I think it's out there, like I wish we could just unlock it and figure out how to do it, because it have a lot of caribbean comedians touring the world, you know, yeah, I, I don't know what, what is our hold back or what we doing wrong, but I need to figure it out no, but by the time I play, by the time this come out, you on tour, the tour is where is this?

Corie:

toronto barbados sanguinea barbados and there's one promoter who just doing a tour is different. Um what do you mean?

Jr Lee:

a promoter.

Corie:

So in other words, is there a promoter who put you doing it.

Jr Lee:

I look like a man that need a promoter. I really hear you asking the kid.

Corie:

I hear you asking the kid why don't you put on your own show? 't you put on your own show?

Jr Lee:

so you put on your own thing?

Jr Lee:

no, we partner with different people in the islands got it, got it so people that work with us, so the people that was bringing us to the islands for Carnival. We pitched it to them that, hey, come and be a part of this right, and they were very, very up for it. Like JP Jumbo is my boy, like we going on work together probably forever. Like once I do in a show, I always make him a part of the show because he treated me good when nobody was taking me on, you know what I mean so we partner with him to do Canada partner with Empty Concepts and Barbados, because last year I missed my flight to Grenada, ended up in Barbados at Empty Concepts.

Jr Lee:

That's Liat for sure. No, I missed my flight, that was on you. They didn't miss me, I missed them. I am going to the airport and I've seen my flight taken off. I was like I tell him Kegan, kegan, I don't have your flight leaving. He goes and that is me flight leaving down there, we fly leaving. And he said that is we fly leaving. So I had to talk to the people and then the Changa said I fly it. Have a man telling me it have no flight, you have to leave on Sunday. I was like I cannot leave on Sunday.

Jr Lee:

Carnival is Monday, what it is Monday today. Oh, you telling me quite so many who are. We get out no flights. And then a lady came Shawnee, big up. Shawnee, shawnee, you have a ticket to any of my shows anywhere. You will once you're there, to your sweet self. So Shawnee was like, yeah, what's going on? I can send you Barbados today, or that's how, the Bucca Hotel room, and you'll get a flight from Barb. I said Sean, he bucket right now, let me go Jump on the flight. I didn't even know Barbados Carnival was that day. That was the Monday, so I reached Barbados into Carnival. I don't know who Kwasi that guy Kwasi's the manager of the year. I don't know who Kwasi knew. In Barbados, a man came pick us up. We had a happen to be Mario. Mario treat us good. So this year we're going back Barbados to play in Aura. And why not partner with Mario after Mario show?

Jr Lee:

us love and Mario is a promoter. Why not partner with him to get the show going? But a promoter booking me for the show, that is a tricky thing for me yeah, I understand.

Corie:

I heard a little bit when you was talking to Nicky. I can see he prefers to do your. I prefer hear why I prefer to do my own shows right.

Jr Lee:

A promoter bringing his audience. His audience may not necessarily like me, they might like the promoter and they'll come and support the promoter. So now it might have a mixed room where, hey, these people already know why we're talking mouse on stage and now the audience wait now if they know, junior lee doing this show.

Corie:

They've come to have a good time.

Jr Lee:

You're coming to see me, you're coming to you know come, you know, following a brand new following junior league. Yeah, so it's like. That's why I prefer if I'm doing a show, I'll partner with the, with the promoter, because if a promoter booked me, me promoting the show on my instagram is a whole different conversation. You know know what I mean.

Corie:

Yeah, that's a Kevin Hart thing. That's a currency. I don't know about the.

Jr Lee:

Kevin Hart thing. This is a Kwasi thing. Kwasi is the problem, not me. I want to promote everything on his channel. Kwasi is the person stopping it from happening. Salute to Kwasi.

Corie:

Kwasi and Shigen. That's a different check.

Jr Lee:

That's what Kwasi said check Never quasi say that I had different money, making it difficult to us. It's not me. I don't know anything about business. I ain't sure about that school. I don't know nothing about business.

Corie:

A few times. A few times. But, brother, listen, thanks for coming in. I appreciate you coming. Congrats on everything you're working on to do interviews.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, this was real fun, though I talk about real in this though.

Corie:

That is good. That is good, and I'm hoping that by the time you go and all them shows sell out, because I think where you do continue to rise and rise and rise and I don't see how you're going and do things that don't sell out, going forward Easy.

Jr Lee:

Nah, I don't feel that can happen. Real you, dad, you doesn't see so much. You saw my head this year and next year, that's different to what you do? No, it's not Like it's not.

Corie:

You don't feel so I know.

Jr Lee:

so, bro, they could switch any time.

Corie:

But wait a minute. So you didn't realize by now that the way you're watching Nicky Drina interviews or my son watching you, I appreciate that.

Jr Lee:

Yeah but he could switch any time. He, but he could switch anytime. He could hate me tomorrow. Yeah, what form form here now? Form one, form one. He could reach form five and be like, no, that's too early man.

Corie:

But then he got out of form one man?

Jr Lee:

Yeah, but they mightn't be. They may not know me. Look, I went to school the other day and they didn't know. They had a general idea for yours, but they didn't. Who was a big comedian to me?

Corie:

Sure sure, sure.

Jr Lee:

You know what I mean so that I could switch. And thanks so much, zachary. Zachary, zachary, yeah, thanks so much, zachary. You know what I mean. Zach, yo, you're the best bro, at least I know. Hey, zachary, you're one. Zachary supports me right now and don't stop Even when. I'm an old man. Come to the show, zachary. When I walk up I stick. I try to tell my jokes. You know who's that? Paul Kings Douglas.

Corie:

Yeah, boy.

Jr Lee:

He's still selling out To this day. If I could create that, bro, and only support me Till whenever I could build my house.

Corie:

No, brother, listen, you're creating it. You're creating it. Don't doubt that, don't doubt that, don't doubt that. I point it out that you're creating it because why see Paul Kings and them doing their time?

Jr Lee:

You're doing that now You're in it my content. That's real weird.

Corie:

Yeah, I would imagine.

Jr Lee:

No, you find some.

Corie:

If I don't think it's of a person across the age spectrum or the different races or background or religion who may have one video they could come back to and that way, that way, I like Keegan even more. You know, we can, keegan say you really shakira square?

Jr Lee:

Yeah, keegan Keegan. I don't know if it's funny. It's what I do Like if I do a movie. Keegan have to be in the movie. You go do the movie. You go do the movie. You go do the movie. You don't have to use bad words. I'm telling you that one Old lady she's so sweet, the daughter was like mommy, you don't want the same life.

Corie:

Oh, the daughter said you don't want the same life. But wait, let me ask you this One more question before you go. It's not a time for you to get locked up. You can have 10 more questions I fear they'll talk to you Because none of them are. But um, it's not that I need to get lock up for customers and things, that's how we perform in closed areas, you wouldn't see my customers.

Jr Lee:

So when you reach the stadium, okay, go when we. I'll have to do a clean act, boy. Oh, I'll have to pay out Anyhow.

Corie:

Pay it now. When we have to pay, I don't mind.

Jr Lee:

I don't mind you. I know why. You know, as we hear we talk about paying for things, I find you should be allowed to eat a nappa oh, they don't have that or at least have a drink of us. That is shit, and I hope all the backwaters are allowed with the book. Let me drink a nappa Boy.

Corie:

That's a different kind of show you're talking about. You know here why.

Jr Lee:

Bro, in some of the most prestigious theaters across the world, I can have a drink. We can put a cover over it. Yeah, that's true. You know what I mean we not going out there and eat a barbecue or a roti or a pain out and dote up the place like I tell you, I saw Chappelle, right, it was in Florida, florida and the Hollywood.

Corie:

I forget the name of the arena now. We went twice. We went to see Chappelle once, and I hear you mentioned Bilbo too, which is one of the greatest to me.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, bilbo is a general. Yeah, I went to see him. George Carlin like yo.

Corie:

You know these men. Yeah, jesus Christ, he was definitely in a different life, but Bilbo, the Bilbo show, was better than the Ch. Chabelle was drunk. You know the comedy special you have out now called I can't remember the name of it often, but the last one on Netflix. We went and see that before it came out. It was really, really good. But he was real drunk, which was a kind of funny thing in itself, because first time you see this person you watch for so long, and then the Bilbo show was real good because he was aces.

Corie:

He just had one opener and then he come out and he destroyed.

Jr Lee:

But how long he perform for, maybe an hour and a half, right? So that's the thing with Trey. If I do a show and I bring one opener and I come and perform for that time they'll be like yo, what the f***.

Corie:

But we need to change that dread.

Jr Lee:

Shows here is going too long. I spend a Listen me, so done Two hours.

Corie:

Well, Chappelle was like that. Chappelle had Donald Rawlings, first a DJ and then him, and Chappelle was nearly two hours but he was real drunk. He forget punchlines. He was a mess but it was nice seeing him. But the thing I talk about is the arena sold drinks, so like if they sell you water they just uncover it. I guess they're just trying to make sure you can appell the man on this stage, but they could control what they sell, and I think we need to do that.

Jr Lee:

Bro, look, king's Theatre, which I hope one day I could sell out in Brooklyn. Yeah, you will, thanks, I'll sell it, I'll come, alright. Well, no talking again so much. We could literally have a drink there, like why make the experience so uptight? Like, come on, like alright, just add the cleaning feet to the bill, you know? I mean, maybe I'm talking from a place of privilege no bonus.

Corie:

All right, there's somebody trying to come in. Yeah, like he could. It's gunshots. Oh okay, just make it somebody working upstairs don't kill me, right?

Jr Lee:

no, but yeah, that's something you want to see change. Yeah, like, bro, come on like, add it to the, the fee, the 5,000 to the fee, the cleaning fee. That way Napa makes more money. Of course I have a good time.

Corie:

Yeah, what do you mean for you? You talking about for you to eat alone or the audience no, the audience you think the audience will have a better time if we could just do it, of course, Because, alright, you have 15 minutes to go, so I gotta drink.

Jr Lee:

Get some food and come back inside. We could cut that.

Corie:

Dredd, let me tell you something I find that whole intermission thing need to go. Yeah, when you see them, fellas Chappelle in particular, that whole system you cannot record what he's saying. And Bilbo was worse because that was before the election and he was real talking red state versus blue state thing For real. Yeah, bro, people was real uncomfortable because Florida at the time was a Republican state.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, red state yeah.

Corie:

So when the red state jokes come, everybody laugh. And then when the blue state thing come, I realize it's only me laughing, four black people when I hear what's wrong it's kind of feel uneasy we see only people laughing, and that's it now. But them, fellas and them have a science, don't they? Their phones lock up. You go in, you do your thing, but it's a short show, you know, it's two hours you know what's the thing?

Jr Lee:

I haven't seen one of those big shows yet. Boy, listen, like we go into Canada a show on the 26th, so we reach it in the 25th, so we buy tickets. You're gonna take it in?

Corie:

yeah, because every time we try to see a show it's just always sold out, boy boy, when you go to a show they will come back and more upset, you know, because if you're upset about some of them things now I find like again you play with Rudy. They could have do it without the intermission.

Jr Lee:

Just do the play.

Corie:

Prince will sit there Uncomfortable after a while. Yeah.

Jr Lee:

And you remember, we are learning. We are learning Um Industry, so like we need to go see shows like that, so we know how to To go about doing it Now. Like Again, the next thing we try that we. So One of the things we try, that is that Alright, you see me perform here and you hear the joke. Next week we're at our next venue. I hear that already.

Corie:

You know how to just write a good joke well, I can tell you them, men, when you go there, if you go to states, you hear the same joke.

Jr Lee:

Yeah, they have a set. They have a set that they will do what you do too.

Corie:

I mean, use, use the same thing as them. They will adjust, they will, things will happen.

Jr Lee:

They will do crowd work the foundation set is is there and they run the whole year with that, and that is what I try to do. I try to run the whole year with it. One of the things that we're trying to do right now is create the culture of open mics where a man could come and test and I feel like I have to be funny no I cannot be funny and become funny with this idea that I have in my mind.

Jr Lee:

You know I mean, but like we do have that culture. So that's something I want to work on, maybe when I come back from touring, like I'm done when I come back in september there, like we can work on painting at some pop-up shows. Some men could just come out and be themselves like comedians in canada, new york, bro, they're performing every night and that is why they can turn over so fast. We know we might keep our joke for two years, three years, because we do have the space to make it happen.

Corie:

You ought to go in bars and try to do it.

Jr Lee:

I guess I decided it was real nice.

Corie:

I guess you signed. This was great.

Jr Lee:

I gave it to us.

Corie:

It's real good, and we know your time expensive too we adding it up.

Jr Lee:

It's not we adding it up, I am the most. Hey, it's quasi on them. I'm going to make shows out to everybody that I didn't get to mention. It is a debut shows to Leslie and Katen. Shows to Renalo Matamoros. Shari Petty yeah, scene production. I am visuals visuals. You see visuals? Yeah, yeah, shari Petty. Yeah, scene production. Rm visuals visuals. You see visuals? Yeah, yeah, grassroots Sheridan. Sheridan Edwards. He is one of the first people that gave me $1500 to shoot anything. Yeah, and he used to be like Danny Green and make it.

Corie:

You know, I mean that's why you tell Nick you ain't accepting no $1500 for no. Show you getting that for video.

Jr Lee:

I never say I ain't accepting 1500 for no show. You never say that. I just say hey, all the comedians who listening right now, just remember there was $1,500 back in the days.

Corie:

Yeah, that's something like that $1,500 is my price. Brother, that's a million. This was nice. This was nice.

Jr Lee:

I appreciate it, it was nice, I was going to duck in. Hey, I got no-transcript.