Episode 250 | Cindy Ann Boisson

Cindy-Ann Boisson | Comedy, Honesty & Owning the Trini Accent

This week on The Corie Sheppard Podcast, comedian Cindy-Ann Boisson joins me for a hilarious and powerful conversation about the craft of stand-up, surviving the grind, and staying authentic. We talk about her upcoming comedy competition Punched Up, why repeating jokes is part of the art form, and the balance between silence and punchlines.

Cindy-Ann shares raw stories—from almost being assaulted in Florida and escaping by diving out of a moving car, to navigating U.S. comedy clubs with her unapologetic Trini accent. We get into what makes Caribbean audiences unique, why she insists on “no intermission” shows, and her Red Woman Tour that’s taking Caribbean stand-up to stages across North America.

This episode blends sharp humour with deep honesty about tragedy, time, gender bias in comedy, and the challenge of creating space for Caribbean women on international stages.

Click the link in my bio for the full episode.

#coriesheppardpodcast #cindyannboisson #standupcomedy #trinicomedy #culture

0:00 Welcome and Introduction to Cindy-Ann

15:25 Punched Up: Creating a Stand-Up Comedy Competition

30:12 The Art of Working Out Jokes and Stage Presence

45:20 Embracing Cultural Identity in Comedy

1:02:35 From Tragedy to Comedy: Personal Storytelling

1:19:18 Comedy Career Beginnings and Development

1:30:56 Gender Barriers in Comedy

1:38:27 Comedy Inspirations and Mount Rushmore

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome and Introduction to Cindy-Ann
• 15:25 Punched Up: Creating a Stand-Up Comedy Competition
• 30:12 The Art of Working Out Jokes and Stage Presence
• 45:20 Embracing Cultural Identity in Comedy
• 1:02:35 From Tragedy to Comedy: Personal Storytelling
• 1:19:18 Comedy Career Beginnings and Development
• 1:30:56 Gender Barriers in Comedy
• 1:38:27 Comedy Inspirations and Mount Rushmore

Transcript

Corie: 0:00

Hi, my name is Corey Shepard, which I thought would be obvious if you're looking at the Corey Shepard podcast, and today we want to welcome Cindy-Ann Bosso. How are you going, man?

Cindy Ann: 0:08

I'm good, I'm happy to be here, man.

Corie: 0:10

I am happy that you're here. Happy that you're here, happy that you're in the country we get to do this.

Cindy Ann: 0:13

Yeah.

Corie: 0:14

People underestimate how long we've been planning these things out. It's been a while since we talked and it's you find the place easy and thing. I was telling David. I said I know how long. You know what I mean If you're in trend that often and thing if you get lost on the way and that kind of thing. You know it was good.

Cindy Ann: 0:27

Yeah, I was early too.

Corie: 0:29

Yeah, well before me.

Cindy Ann: 0:34

I gave myself some wiggle room to get here because, I'll be honest, I didn't come for a few years, and when I came in 22 years, we had done over the highway and stuff Right, and I have a friend that lives, I think, somewhere here, and she gave me directions and I ended up carrying a bird sanctuary, yeah, so that didn't happen today, though, so I gave myself enough wiggle room.

Corie: 0:56

If you end up in a bird sanctuary, your wiggle room ought to be ours. Listen.

Cindy Ann: 1:00

Yeah, I tried to turn by Grand Bazaar. There was no turn off and I just kept going and I'm like this is not good. But yeah, so I gave myself time, so I'm here.

Corie: 1:11

Beautiful, beautiful. So for people who might know, I think people do the senior clips. So when we first spoke, I have senior clips going all over the place. That's good. Yeah, we feel good. When we see Trinny's abroad doing the thing, it feels a little better. I don't know why is this. People say we're foreign-minded. We like when things go abroad and come back.

Cindy Ann: 1:29

Yes, yeah, that's true. Yeah, I think so I think so, 100%.

Corie: 1:34

So one of the things like salute to Kivo, Kivo had reached out and he was telling me about working on a, on a comedy show that I find really, really interesting. I kind of wanted to start there okay uh, in terms of identifying some new talent or kind of america's got talent.

Cindy Ann: 1:55

Yes, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's um, it's a show, but it's of a competition of sorts, like you say. So think america's got talent. Saying, for those who are familiar with comedy, think Last Comic Standing. So it's really where we because I see and we've seen that there is a growing comedy scene Like people are getting into the genre of comedy, of stand-up, and so this idea is to bring out people who are seasoned, considered seasoned comedians, people who want to try it but they're scared, you know, and have it where it's called Punched Up and we want to capture about 10 to 12 people. We'll have them submit videos, you know, and then we choose the top 12. And then so that's the preliminary, and then the semis would be live, where people come, you know, they perform for like three minutes, and then the finals we get five finalists and they perform for like probably five minutes.

Corie: 2:56

We're still kind of sorting everything out, yeah, but that's the general idea of it, and then one person wins yeah, when kivu tomo was real excited about the concept, like I was telling you before we start I love stand-up comedy I know, I love the art of it, not just the jokes you know, yeah, yeah so I wonder sometimes even and I like the name punched up but the format you're gonna review the preliminary people by video correct? Is the videos like somebody in your mind now? Do they have to do stand-up, or can you do other things that show that you're funny? I have a bunch of things I could do that are funny.

Cindy Ann: 3:26

No, no, thank you, no, thank you, yeah. So no, you wait for the next show. You wait for the next show you watch Punchdown. Yeah, yeah, yeah, punchdown, or you can name it Cough Up, cough.

Cindy Ann: 3:41

Go show up, is that it? No, no, no, but it's stand-up. We want stand-up, right, you know? So don't come juggling a ball or blowing bubbles. No, it's stand-up comedy, Got you? That's what it is. So it's like punched up. We got the name from punchlines, got it? Because stand-up has a punchline, right, right and so yeah, and you punch up jokes to make it hit. You punch up something. I'm with you.

Corie: 4:05

Yeah, so somebody could literally do their setup home, do a routine. I guess you have some time limits and you'll look at all of them.

Cindy Ann: 4:16

Yeah, they can do it at home because we understand the constraints here. I don't think they have open mics nightly where people can go. Not everybody's getting booked to do comedy shows. So if they record something they're comfortable enough. I mean it's nice to hear laughter in the background and see that you're doing it, but if you can't, we kind of take it back to the lockdown days, Of course.

Corie: 4:37

Remember lockdown days?

Cindy Ann: 4:38

You had to figure it out at home. You had to do a video for a festival. You set up your little curtain at home with your little mic and you make it work. A little fake background in the laughter, you know oh, yeah, I guess, I guess you know something nice get your laugh track ready get your laugh track ready, or you put your husband and children to sit down and you cue them.

Corie: 4:58

You know, I like it.

Cindy Ann: 4:59

I like it yeah yeah, but we're hoping to attract people who are interested in just wanting to try comedy and we do hope that the people who are involved in it now on the scene are interested in it, because it's an effort to grow the scene to educate people. I realized I get questions a lot from people who are like well, why do you do the same jokes? You know, I get that Like I did a show here this year, I did two shows here this year and someone was like man, you did a couple of jokes that I heard in 2022. And I'm like well, if you come see me in 2032, you're probably going to hear the same goddamn jokes, because he chooses. When you go to like Beyonce or Kes Marshall, you go to Marshall Monday or whatever. Marshall is on stage singing songs they say a tool to soaker.

Cindy Ann: 5:54

He's opening sometimes with songs that you've heard 40 years old 40 years old and people are like ah yeah, but if I tell a joke twice they're like man. I laughed at that last week.

Corie: 6:03

Right.

Cindy Ann: 6:04

You know, Bring something new.

Corie: 6:06

Yeah.

Cindy Ann: 6:07

But it's the same idea. That's how a joke evolves, that's how you get better. When you see somebody on a Netflix or YouTube or wherever you go, and you see them at this special and you are hearing it for the first time.

Corie: 6:21

But they've been workshopping and those jokes sometimes 10, 15 years sure sure, sure, that's something I want to talk more about because, um, I have been to a few of those shows where it's uh, let me say, a polished act. I've never been to a comedy club in the states, so that's something I want to do, okay, so next time I go out you're talking about the improv and so on yeah, I'll find my way yeah but, um, I always hear comedians talk about that idea of working out jokes, so so, uh, they might tell you.

Corie: 6:50

Okay, the goal here is not necessarily to be funny, yet we're trying to see what the response is. Right, and one of the things that's always intriguing for me is they will tell you, or you might know, different regions accept different types of jokes differently, or some jokes work here, some might work in the midwest, and so on. Right, but I think some of it comes from what you mentioned. Like I'm not sure that we have a space here that is like an improv or comedy club where people just go to hear people try things out, right, you know I think it's a combination of things.

Cindy Ann: 7:19

I think we do not have a place, but I also think it's going to take some um training. You know what I mean, some sort of educating people of what to expect.

Cindy Ann: 7:31

The audience you mean the audience, because people don't know. So that I know, I remember when I came here I did my first production here in 2017 I didn't come to do a show, I I was back home for a long time and friends were like, oh, we see, you're doing comedy, you're doing something. And I'm like, no, I didn't come for that. And they're like, oh, you're mean, you're here. And so a friend told me about Kaiso Blues. At the time it was on Woodford Street.

Cindy Ann: 7:57

Oh yeah, that's a good thing, and so I went to car card, we spoke about it, I told him the concept and he was like okay, let's do the show. And the first person I went to because I've worked with errol before, um, fabian, yeah, yeah. And I was like oh man, I would love for errol to be on the show with me, you know. And so I went to him. I was like this is what I want to do. I told him the idea and and he was like sunday and you can't do a show without intermission. I see, you cannot have people sitting there without intermission.

Cindy Ann: 8:29

And I'm like well, there's not going to be any intermission. They'll not even know. The show has no intermission. I think if people are engaged and they are having a good time you go to cinema, for example. You watch a movie, sometimes two hours. If it's real good, good, you're not moving, you're waiting to see what's happening next. Um, I'm like no intermission, that's something I feel strongly about.

Corie: 8:54

You know what that intermission thing I think shows here. I've been complaining for a long time the shows here are too long, so when you leave here, how, the last thing I went to uh was a play in queensville and roddy was in it. Roddy was, he was very, very funny in the play. Right, I know it was the best play I ever see. The plot get a little long-winded at a point, but roddy was really, really funny. And I tell me this intermission thing. I was like like for what? Like just finish your play, let me go, let me go somewhere else, let me go go home.

Cindy Ann: 9:23

Well, with a play.

Corie: 9:25

I could.

Cindy Ann: 9:26

there is kind of reasons sometimes, particularly if you do not have the staff and the backstage oh, you mean for the so?

Corie: 9:33

the intermission is for them, not for us.

Cindy Ann: 9:35

Well, yes and no, because sometimes people have to change costume. They have set these sets. To change, you have to rearrange the stage. Well, if they're not doing that, there's no.

Corie: 9:45

I have a philosophy, I think a part of it. Juneli said this when he was here. He was saying that the arenas like Napa or Queen's Hall don't sell food or drinks in the hall right.

Cindy Ann: 9:55

So it's to make money A hundred percent.

Corie: 9:58

I understand that, yeah, but the thing about it is like I had a few experiences with big comedy shows and where's the place in the Hollywood play I went to? I saw Bilbo there.

Cindy Ann: 10:12

Hard Rock Life, hard Rock Life yeah.

Corie: 10:15

And a huge place, yeah, so when I see in Ticketmaster and I see in Seats, I think, and I see in Bilbo, right, no, no, no.

Corie: 10:22

With my eyesight, me seeing that damn thing. I thinking I see in bilbao, right, no, no, no, my eyesight means you're not damn thing, I don't watch your tv, just like a final. But there was no intermission, as you say. No, he had. He had an opening act. The opening act announced him and it was go. There was not five, six, seven, eight, which is another gripe I have. So it's a gripe, listen to me.

Cindy Ann: 10:40

Yeah, it's too much. I can't. I cannot take why that for me is a definite 100.

Cindy Ann: 10:46

No, thank you yeah um, but I do think the intermission is for people to make money, for their bar to make money, and has nothing to do with the artist and the best interest of what works well for us. Yeah, um, and even in plays, like if you go to broadway and you go to a theater to watch I love theater, I love, you know, listen, it's let me tell you, these people have this thing down to a science Like I've been in plays and they walk off the stage and you see six, seven people come dressed in black and they shift around this couch, they move this thing and you don't even realize. Oh wait, new set design, new play.

Cindy Ann: 11:24

like we're in a new scene already you know, and I think it's just about efficiency and I think just dedication and discipline you know, and that's what it takes.

Corie: 11:39

Yeah, but even when you bring up cinema, keep in mind we come up in a time where cinema used to be one movie that had nothing to do with nothing and the main attraction was after and they had a break in between.

Cindy Ann: 11:50

It's true when you say we do like you're trying to age me.

Corie: 11:52

I have no idea what you speak of. I have no idea what you speak of. Tell me more about this concept. Asta Vista, Ramon, all these ring a bell.

Cindy Ann: 12:00

All those things, none of it, none of it. Please educate me. What year was that? I'm sure, I'm sure.

Corie: 12:07

And then the Switch movie. So now came the Cineplexes came and it was one movie Right. The uproar was big. You know People say how you charge so much money for one movie.

Cindy Ann: 12:14

We get used to it now, yeah.

Corie: 12:16

But Jamaica was funny like that.

Cindy Ann: 12:25

Jamaica, even though they do one intermission, no matter what movie they have, I think they still do too. Oh, yeah, yeah, they still do a break.

Corie: 12:28

That's true, it's order. I just find it. Entertainment for me has changed. You know, people like the, the tiktok and the instagram makers like the short form, the quick and go so if I come to see you in kaiso blues. I want to see cindy ann. I don't really want to see 10 people. No yeah, I'm not tired by the time you reach.

Cindy Ann: 12:44

Well, typically, because, like when I did the show here in February, I had Kwame Weeks and Jerome Richardson open, right and my son's sort of soft open, you know he was here. Oh yes, I mean a little nepotism, of course. Make your heart feel warm on the inside he's by no way a stretch, a comedian, but I was like, can I introduce the show? Oh what?

Corie: 13:07

does he know?

Cindy Ann: 13:08

30. Serious, oh sorry, 13. I'm sorry, Otherwise I would remember.

Corie: 13:12

Bill Vesterama. Is that his case? That's what I was like. You're a walking kid, aren't you I?

Cindy Ann: 13:19

age myself. Damn it, damn it.

Corie: 13:21

I lose four plus you catch me off guard yeah, yeah, 13, and you open no, he's 30, he's 30 really. Yeah, oh, he looks like he's talking about his little boy, so he's not different.

Cindy Ann: 13:31

No, yeah, I started when I was, I would say, seven yeah, that's what it was. Seven yeah, yeah, yeah, so he can't open, but then I had, and that was it.

Corie: 13:43

Yeah.

Cindy Ann: 13:43

So they did something. It's nice because typically like so, I opened for Michelle Buteau right.

Corie: 13:54

Survival of the.

Cindy Ann: 13:55

Sickest on Netflix.

Corie: 13:56

Ah, okay, do you know how to turn on Netflix? No, I get to it now. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Cindy Ann: 13:59

So anyway, so she had two shows at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and I opened. Right, two shows at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and I opened and I am thinking I'm the opener, so I get there and I have my set ready. Now there's a host, an opener. Sometimes there's a host a feature, you know right right.

Cindy Ann: 14:14

I'm thinking there's a host and then me and I get there and we in the back and she's like okay, so you, you're first. I mean I didn't show, I was like sure, no problem, I go in the green room and. I call one of my friends because I mean I didn't show, I was like sure, no problem. I go in a green room and I call one of my friends because I mean I have my set prepared as if I am the future, right you know um and a host is a different energy.

Cindy Ann: 14:35

You are the first. You have to come out, you have to. It's not about you, it's about the audience. So now my I'm like what the actual? So yo, I am not. There is no one before me, I am walking on stage cold. And so we sort of brainstorm, and you walk out and you I mean, I have diarrhea all day when I'm performing.

Corie: 14:56

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah no, yeah, I am in the toilet.

Cindy Ann: 15:01

If you give me a chance, I'll walk with a potty on the stage. Still up to now. Up to now it has gotten worse because now the expectation is there. When you're young, you're like I don't care, but once you get more and more, you're like all right, you tell so. Then I told my friend to come here for me.

Cindy Ann: 15:19

You're like come. You know, nothing ticks me off more than for somebody to text me and say I come in your show in the front. I'm like Jesus, why just show up? Tell me after, anyway. And so I walk on stage and there was a joke that I had planned to do and I said I said I'm not gonna do that because now I'm first, but because I had practiced. So I go on stage and I do the joke.

Corie: 15:46

Oh muscle memory kicking.

Cindy Ann: 15:47

Yeah, and I start, and while I'm saying it in real time, I'm going Jesus Christ, what are you doing? But people laugh. So you know, you're just. I'm like man, I'm tired. I was tired. I said I'm so exhausted. It took me four hours to kill a house fly last night and people were like, oh okay, they walk in and um, and I go, and I and, and I said you know what? I think I got it in like the first 15 minutes because you know when you get a fly, you know when you hit it, you're ready you know what I mean and you're like, oh good.

Cindy Ann: 16:25

And then you hear you're like, jeez, here we go again, here we go again. And three hours to kill a wounded house. I mean, cindy, and get your shit together, one wing is still winning with you, come on. And so, yeah, and then I just went into my bed. Um, so I, there is value to having someone like Bilbo will have that guy to warm up the audience.

Corie: 16:50

Yeah, I forget his name, but you're so funny.

Cindy Ann: 16:51

Yeah, yeah, yeah so you have someone to just get people in a good mood to get, and you are not having to dig out and do the groundwork and stuff, so there's value to it, but more than four people in our lineup it is.

Corie: 17:04

I find it makes the show three, four hours long and then you're tired. Yeah, I got to our piece of entertainment. Now you could go to dinner after do something else. Yeah, but plenty nerd questions anymore. You talk is more. I want to know. Ask me so when you, when you say, for instance, the opener and you have a set plan, I always wonder, when you all go on stage, how much of it is adjusting to what the audience gives you, versus you have a set and you stand and deliver because, like you say, marshall, he ain't changing that set. He going with 10 songs and whatever happened with them 10 songs.

Corie: 17:37

I would assume that he going through his you know his hits by now yeah so you, you, when you have an opener out there, like with bilbo, for instance, is he really listening to what the opening guy is doing to see? Are they testing the crowd for him?

Cindy Ann: 17:50

it doesn't it depends on what type of show it is like, if he's taping his special, for example. Yeah, I mean, in that last minute, he has already toured with this show and I think, as a seasoned performer, you kind of know what you're getting into. Okay, by the time you get there, that only happens if it's a very new space that you're entering and you're like, oh, I've never been to Belize.

Corie: 18:15

Like I saw you saying that about doing a festival in Atlanta. You were saying you were going there for the first time Right. It was like that. So how do you feel them out? How do you know?

Cindy Ann: 18:24

Well, I have my set ready. I did have my set ready, but if people are being a little like I don't get it or whatever, you sort of tap into the crowd or you find a way to switch something out, so, like I, you kind of lock in. So I'm saying about dogs I talk a lot about dogs, right, about pets. On the whole, I am in awe of how much americans generally kiss their dog on the lips and this kind of thing it it blows my mind, um, and so I am getting into my thing and there's a particular lady and from the corner of my eye I'm seeing that she's like this. And it's funny when, for me, I can walk in a room and there are 2 000 people and there's one empty chair. Let me tell you the first 10 minutes. I'm like why did this person buy a ticket and not come?

Corie: 19:21

oh, yeah, you know the show sold out already. Yeah, what?

Cindy Ann: 19:24

happened. Yeah, give somebody the ticket, do not not show. And I used to be worse. I would spend so much of my time like man. Why? What would make you think it's okay not to show up? Why are you on?

Corie: 19:44

stage.

Cindy Ann: 19:44

What the hell? I listen, I am here. I don't feel well. I've had diarrhea all day. You know what I mean.

Corie: 19:51

You're not working this show You're going to show up, come in a wheelchair. Come with your accident.

Cindy Ann: 19:55

I don't give a shit, I don't care. Get, fill this place up. You know what I mean Make your presence known. So I'm seeing this lady sitting there and I don't look at her directly and I keep talking and then I say what's the name of your pet? And she just she's like well, she told me the dog's name and da, da, da, da da. She did not like that I was.

Cindy Ann: 20:21

So you sensed that Immediately, I think once you are in and I'm very sensitive. Yeah, I'm like, okay, she's not feeling this bit. She is like this Listen, mom, this is my granddaughter. You know what I mean. So I'm like what's your pet's name? I'm like what's their hobby, what was their favorite toy? And then she loosened up and at the end of the show she came. She was like thank you so much, you know, for the opportunity to talk about my Dixie.

Cindy Ann: 20:51

I don't give a shit about Dixie. In that moment I want to say, mom, the show is over. You know I'm tired you've already paid, this relationship is done. Is that a whole world? You come into town but you're like if we're going to do this again, no, she's coming back, she's coming back. She's coming back. She's going to tell her friends she loves pets.

Corie: 21:08

Of course you know what I mean. So you see in that audience, but you could pick all the individuals.

Cindy Ann: 21:13

Once you sit in the front. That's why I believe that the window of your soul really is through your eyes, and so when people look at you, there is something that they either take away from you or they give to you, and with an audience.

Cindy Ann: 21:32

Imagine standing here and 200 eyes, with 400 pairs of eyes, just looking at just looking at you like this and you just feel like you're looking at people's expression, some people's expression. Some people laugh on the inside. Please don't do that. Where's the camera? Do not come to my show and laugh on the inside. You can do that at home. Some people laugh, they leave.

Corie: 21:55

They sit like this for the entire show. And then it's a little other great show, Say my.

Cindy Ann: 21:59

God, you're so funny. I'm like how Don't Laugh on the outside?

Corie: 22:08

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you want the feedback.

Cindy Ann: 22:09

But you are seeing them sitting there Now. You are like feeling so naked and undressed and just you know what I mean. They're just looking at everything. Yeah, no, I don't want to see anybody's eyes on me.

Corie: 22:22

No.

Cindy Ann: 22:22

No, yeah, oh, I don't want to see anybody's eyes on me. No, no, yeah, oh, I could look above. They say people say just picture the whole audience naked. And da-da-da-da-da, I'm like, no, I want them to picture me naked.

Corie: 22:33

Let's switch the rules here. It's like one of the scariest forms of art because you're going out there. I look at some of your clips on Instagram.

Corie: 22:41

You know what stands out I do I do, thank you, the silence. You seem very, very comfortable with long bouts of silence because you suddenly you're talking to them almost like you're talking to me on my phone and not like you're there with the audience, because your clips you might not see the audience till you hear them laugh, right, and you just they play so dead silent. That would that would I. I go and I go at home. No, yeah, you're comfortable there.

Cindy Ann: 23:05

You have to sit, you have to be so comfortable, because the silence is where the magic lives. I think now, here's the difference. I have been workshopping these things and I know so if, when it's time for people to laugh, there is silence, I say goodnight, thank you for coming. Oh, you're gone, I'm done. No, I'm like man, fuck this place, um, but I need people to listen, yeah, yeah. So I'm so comfortable with the silence because it's such a powerful place to stand when you're like, okay, it's coming and they don't even know.

Corie: 23:48

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know it's coming, you know it's next.

Cindy Ann: 23:51

Well, yeah, I know, I know over time, no, yeah, yeah, yeah. Listen, when I just started I was not that comfortable because of that anxiety and that build right. So I'm doing a show and, of course, my animal bit that's my thing I still do and I do my bit about this dog and and this lady said, oh, just shut up and get off the stage please she said that audibly, like you could hear her.

Cindy Ann: 24:18

I'm telling you just, man, just really, that's not funny, just shut up. I said, okay, thank you, that's about my time. I walked off the stage. I've been doing comedy like a year and a half and you're gone. Oh yeah, I was like, oh my God, you know I'm not a fighter, I'm like this woman, wait for me outside and drag me.

Corie: 24:38

I am dead, that's not different.

Cindy Ann: 24:45

I am dead. I'm trying to get scratches on my beautiful skin. I'm like okay, sorry, ma'am, I didn't say sorry, I didn't apologize, I just I heard it and I just wrapped up. I said that's been my time and I walked off the stage. Now you have to come and we have to fist fight on the stage. I'm not leaving, I don't care, you leave.

Corie: 25:01

Yeah. You know so you're not worried about it turning into a mob, like if one person say that, and then it starts to become this thing Comedians talk a lot about bombing and how awful it is on stage when you fall flat. You're not worried about it. If one person say that, you're taking on that person.

Cindy Ann: 25:16

If it's one person.

Corie: 25:16

Yeah.

Cindy Ann: 25:17

Yeah, because typically everybody else is having a good time.

Corie: 25:24

Well, I guess you have a good sense of the room.

Cindy Ann: 25:25

Right. So if I'm there and your show is going on and people are laughing and this one person is trying to be a sort of a naho you know what I mean You're like sometimes you don't even say anything, you just allow the audience to tune on them because they're like shut up, we paid for a show, you know we paid for a show, you know, and so you talk about topics.

Cindy Ann: 25:51

And this lady said to me once what I love about what I do is the freedom it gives me to be so honest. I think there's such beauty in being honest, because funny lives in pain over time. Right, so the formula for comedy is tragedy plus time.

Corie: 26:11

Yeah, yeah that's where the too soon thing comes from, I guess sometimes when people say too soon because tragedy plus time over time.

Cindy Ann: 26:21

Let's just say I almost got raped in Florida 25 years ago. I couldn't talk about that 5 years today.

Cindy Ann: 26:32

It's funny as shit oh yeah, it's funny as shit to me because I'm like what the hell happened, you know how did, but it took a while for me to get over that. Okay, to be like man would what if that did happen to me? What would my life have been if that happened and how I got myself out of the situation? It's funny because people say my mom was a nurse so she would work different hours, right, and people would say to you walk with a knife in your bag in case somebody try, we don't have a taser, we don't have a taser. And she would be like they would take the same damn thing and shoot me with it.

Corie: 27:22

Because you don't know what you would do.

Cindy Ann: 27:24

You do not know what you will do in a situation like that. You know, I was in a car with somebody unknown. Now I feel pressured to give you the story. Yeah, yeah, right, let me do it. So I was getting on a ride to the airport this is 25 years ago, right and the girl was a friend of a friend. She was drunk. I realized she was drunk. I was like, oh, we're not gonna get it to the airport. So I made her stop. We pulled into a gas station. I told the guy I'm like look, I need a cab to take me to the airport. I'm on my way back home. I just came from new york and I'm traveling. I have a buddy pass, so I understand. Bye. And the guy says, oh, the guy was working at the airport like a security guard. He says I'll take you to the airport. I'm like sure, what could go wrong? Sandean, a total, stranger in a total in a strange country.

Corie: 28:19

You're safe.

Cindy Ann: 28:20

I mean, girl, you've never made such a good decision in your life. This is amazing. He's like I could take you. I'm like, oh amen, I get in the car, I close the door, I clamp my seatbelt. Now this is 25 years ago. I don't know Florida as well as I do now. You know I. This guy has a Bible open, as in his dashboard.

Corie: 28:41

Must be trustworthy.

Cindy Ann: 28:43

I mean hello, listen Revelations. I mean you can't go wrong. Bible open, on the dashboard, red flag. I'm like, okay, but I need to go to the airport. And we start driving. And he's like, so why didn't you take the car? And I'm like, well, I can't drive here. And of course now he's like, oh, you can't, honey, I can't. That's why you were in my car anyway. And so we're driving. But of course I don't know Florida. But I can read and I know the signs, I know the exits, and we're driving and you know, and you just feel a sense of yeah, knowing you know.

Cindy Ann: 29:26

This is not going well. And I sit in the car and I have my hand on the seatbelt and his hand now is on my lap Wow and he's massaging my lap and I'm like, okay, so he's asking me questions and I'm not answering. And we pass the exit to the airport and I say, um, I told you I'm going to the miami airport and he's like, we'll get there, but I want to take you for a drive first. I said, oh, okay, no problem. And as we take the exit and you start going up, you have to slow down.

Cindy Ann: 30:03

I unclip my seat belt and I throw my whole frame albica in the road, in the drain and I hit bang and I lie on the floor for I don't know how long in long enough to get myself together, right, I'm carrying my hand luggage, like I had this picture frame. I get up, I'm coming home. This is before. This is actually the year I got married, right? So I'm leaving new york, coming back to trinidad to my soon-to-be husband. Your girl, let me tell you, I am glitter sprayed to the t, my hair is done up, I am ready now I'm in a drain line I thinking what the hell just happened to me.

Cindy Ann: 30:48

I get up, I have on a skirt, I tuck my skirt up in my underwear and I start walking the highway. And my mom, before my mom, passed. She gave me a book with prayers. She wasn't, I mean religious to say, I mean, I'm Catholic, we grew up Catholic but she always had dozens of pray to St Michael, pray to St Jude, pray to the. You know all these right? Yes, I do Pray if you lose your handbag, pray if you lose your lipstick, pray if the car in front of you pray for rage. I had prayers and I had prayers. And so I take out my book and I start praying.

Cindy Ann: 31:27

I'm like God, mom here I am, you know, and I'm walking along the highway. You would think I learn a lesson not to get in a car with strangers. But how else do I get in the airport if I don't flag?

Corie: 31:42

down another car.

Cindy Ann: 31:44

Airport airport. This guy stops, he picks me up and I tell him I said look, I really am not in the mood for your old Florida on Saturday. I need to get to the airport. If you try anything, I will kill you. I'm not in the mood for it, I'm tired. Yeah. And he's like ma'am, I got. I really believe in God and I believe in angels. I think that was my mom that came back and drove me straight to the airport.

Cindy Ann: 32:09

This is pre 9-11. So the airports were very different. I get there and I rushed to the counter and I just threw everything and the guy said the flight has been delayed. And in that moment I just start, start crying and he's like he goes the plane leave. I don't know. I just tell it he fly delayed and I realized he's a trainee american alliance oh wow, look at that.

Cindy Ann: 32:37

I said are you trying that? Yeah, and he said yeah. He said relax yourself. The flight delay crying. I can, I talk to you? I told him what happened and today we are still friends. His name is Larson Phipps and I told him what happened and now he's looking at me like you dive out a moving car, like saddest, a lot going on. I mean, come on, you know the story going to get real at any time.

Corie: 33:07

I mean I'm covered in in that black, not gravel.

Cindy Ann: 33:12

I tell you I went in like a mangrove, so my legs are black oh, man, yeah and smelling lovely.

Cindy Ann: 33:19

I'm smelling so nice with my glitters too, right, so I'm covered in this black thing, um, and he looks at me. He's like you're being honest. I'm like, yeah, um, yeah, I came home and I saw larson. So that would have been 2000. I went back to florida. Um, I kept going back and forth, but I went to this house party in 2000. I want to say five and I hear these people chatting and I hear the name Larson, which is not a popular name, and I say so. I said to my husband, I said I think that's the guy that helped me. So I go over to him. I say you remember this face?

Cindy Ann: 34:00

He held my hand and he took me to meet his wife and he's like remember the time I tell you a girl, dive out a car and you tell me stop dreaming and stop drinking and things. He's tell her what.

Corie: 34:14

Tell her what but you build that into a whole. That's in your bed.

Cindy Ann: 34:18

You're doing that yeah, I've never spoken about this on stage no, serious no you will, yeah, spoken about this on stage. No, serious, no, you will. Yeah, I don't know I don't know, because there's a I don't know. I've never spoken about it on stage. I've told stories about it, um, but I've never done it as a stand-up comedy bit but then I'd ask you because, I mean, you experience it, you're accustomed to it.

Corie: 34:37

Now, is it that you're going through something tragic? You're thinking about comedy at the time, because I assume, well, it.

Cindy Ann: 34:44

It depends on how tragic is tragic. You know what I mean. You could If it doesn't involve me immediately, I'm thinking comedy. I walk out from here and I see something happening very horrific. I am already writing. I see I'm like, okay, big, cuss out. Somebody getting licks. You know a dog? Oh, it's amazing to me.

Corie: 35:08

Yeah, so it's not just your pain, it's pain generally, or?

Cindy Ann: 35:11

pain generally warms my heart. I'm like suffer some more honey. Let me turn this into something.

Corie: 35:16

Yeah, I guess it's better when it's something we could both enjoy Like immediately.

Cindy Ann: 35:28

my neighbor is telling me her dog died from a heart attack and I am writing my script.

Corie: 35:31

I'm like a heart attack. Keep your stories away from Zendaya. Keep the stories away. I want to go back to your original, but one of the things outside of the pets that I see you talk about a lot which is fascinating to me is your accent. So you talk about your Trinidadianness a lot on stages in the states. So one of my things is I always wonder okay, how well do we translate? So, for instance, I do in a podcast here, me changing my accent. I talk, so can I do things with people from abroad and different countries where the accent you seem to be real focused on that? Like you make it a point to talk in the way it's talking. You're trying to that in this.

Cindy Ann: 36:05

You lead with it a lot yeah, um, I don't know if it's making it a point to just be in myself, because it's not. Like I said, though, like I'm not going to speak with america, I can't, I really cannot, even if I let me just say I cannot. It takes work to do that, you know, and so it hasn't. I haven't always been this comfortable. You remember clubhouse?

Cindy Ann: 36:27

yeah, yeah, remember those days, of course yeah, that was horrific right but it's only had only had it right and so we used to do open mics on clubhouse. Oh really, we used to do shows on clubhouse. We used to do open mics on clubhouse, where you get in a club and you do your jokes and then you get feedback. So people would say oh, sandhyaan, instead of saying cup, why don't you?

Corie: 36:52

say mug, so is it what other comedians giving you feedback?

Cindy Ann: 36:56

Yes, Sometimes you have people in the audience, but then you have administrators or whoever who would say oh, this is good, Sandhyaan, but maybe instead of cup, say mug. This girl says to me have you ever tried speaking with an American accent? Now, this is a comedian that I was following on Instagram, and you notice. I said was, and she said have you ever tried doing comedy with an American accent?

Corie: 37:25

Are you snorting again?

Cindy Ann: 37:30

With an American accent. And I said no. And she said well, I think you should, I think, oh, that was her feedback yeah, yeah, yeah. And I said before I could say anything, one of the guys said you know, I think maybe five, ten years ago I would say yes, but we're living in a world now that has become so open and so diverse and people are so much more exposed, I think Sundaian will be fine. And she goes on to say Nicki Minaj is from Trinidad. Now she's, I think, southern, american or whatever. So she has an American, southern kind of accent. And she goes Nicki Minaj is from Trinidad, but you don't hear her speaking like that, she doesn't speak with a Trini accent. And she goes Nicki Minaj is from Trinidad, but you don't hear her Speaking like that, she doesn't speak With her Trini accent. And she goes on and on, and on and I say Look, the accent stays. And she says Good luck with that. And I say thank you and I log off the call Because by now I'm hurt.

Corie: 38:29

Of course. Yeah, that seems like A personal. Yeah, that's not feedback.

Cindy Ann: 38:32

So at this point I'm I'm embarrassed because this is someone I was following on Instagram. I'm thinking oh, this person is doing well.

Corie: 38:40

She's a comedian.

Cindy Ann: 38:41

Let me see what I can learn from this person. And now you're saying to me my accent is not enough. I was embarrassed, I was hurt, I was angry. I'm like what do I do now? And it took me a while to get back on track, although I said the accent stays. I mean that was kind of like hurt and anger speaking, but when the lights, go down and you sit on it.

Cindy Ann: 39:08

It's like, is she right? You sit on it. It's like, is she right? Because there is no one on the global stage, on even, I would say, on a national stage now doing stand-up comedy with a Trini accent. I would be bold enough to say that maybe I am the only.

Corie: 39:26

Yeah. Maybe female or in the US doing comedy with a trini accent yeah, you see some people who do it as part of what they do, or they pretend or make up a trini accent or they right, you know I'm not.

Cindy Ann: 39:43

I'm not seeing anybody who's doing a full set, who's native trinidadian with a trini accent, and so for a long time I kept searching for representation are you creating your representation correct?

Cindy Ann: 39:56

and then it, like I said, it took me a while to be like okay, because I wanted to meet someone who'd be like well, how did you break through with this accent? You know, how did you stand your ground with not changing your accent and still being successful, yeah, um, and I couldn't find anyone and I was like I'm like, maybe Sundian, you are the representation so that people here could realize, wait, if Sundian is opening for big comedians with that accent, so then there is value to it. Now do I slow down to speak, of course, okay, okay, do I get on stage and say good night to all year 100? No, no, there's certain things I cannot and will not say, because then I'm shooting myself, of course you have to be aware.

Corie: 40:44

And I guess, cultural context, all those things, yeah, you know what I mean.

Cindy Ann: 40:47

You have to be aware of where you are, your audience and so, but I do this, is it? You know, there are some things I do say yeah, and like I use my r's more like I would say weird as opposed to weird, weird you know, I would say weird um it makes sense, though.

Corie: 41:06

I mean, if you travel throughout the caribbean, like in jamaica, if you don't say r is sung, a little weird, you know. They don't understand what's right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but it's something a little weird, you know they don't understand, right, right, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Corie: 41:14

But it's something I appreciate watching you because I feel like it gives all of us who are trying to do things in the creative space to just you say honesty a lot. And it just feels more honest to me if I talk how I talk, not saying I wouldn't adjust or slow down if I have Correct. And it's in business, it's in podcasting, it's in comedy, it's wherever it is.

Corie: 41:32

So I appreciate the fact that you push it there. I was real surprised the first time I saw that you were abroad. The first set of clips I saw from you some years ago, I was thinking, well, we're in Trinidad, that's how people do in stand-up, it's like which part, where to go. And then I realized it was abroad and people laughing, people with you A.

Cindy Ann: 41:48

A couple of the clips are filmed in Trini.

Corie: 41:51

Some of them I saw. There's one in particular I wanted to talk about right Before we go back to back in the days. They would kill me if I didn't get your origin story, but I usually have classes where we have to talk about doing international business and there's a module on culture going to different countries, understanding the culture and so on. Right, and I always talk about our culture and you have a joke that sums up what I've been trying to say for years, because you see, trini, on this good morning thing in Jesus' name, I don't understand. I understand the manners and the grandparents beat it into you and that kind of thing.

Corie: 42:23

But I've never seen it put better. I don't want to like botch up your thing, but the aggression that people come at you with here if you do say good morning Listen.

Cindy Ann: 42:36

I, I tell you baptism by listen, by fire. I was like, oh, sugars, Good morning. I'm sorry, but I'm dying. You know what I mean. Could we address the fact that I'm bleeding?

Corie: 42:55

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no man is first, I tell you, I tell you, I'm telling you salutations before resuscitation. You can say it on WhatsApp too. You know, somebody might say David, let's do it, Corey, so so, so, so. So you had to talk to the thing we have a call.

Cindy Ann: 43:04

Oh sorry morning.

Cindy Ann: 43:14

You know, before you get the attack night over there people are confused. They're like what's happening? Like is he sure what? Like why is she already going to bed? You know what I mean. Like what we just got here. Like what do you mean good night. And so I love getting straight to business. I love being able to just say your file is in the drawer, the book is in the dump. Now I do appreciate the good morning, I do. It makes me feel a little warm inside, but sometimes I'm already heated inside. I don't need any more rooms. Look, the book is in the drawer. I've done warm already my morning and start off. Good are hot. Meet me at the mall. Good morning, good afternoon. I'm like Jesus.

Corie: 43:53

Christ, here's a place. You need a little small talk manually and a little small talk, then we could get everywhere is different.

Cindy Ann: 43:59

I remember, um, I came in here and we still have that form thing right, and I'm like, here we go again, the immigration form. Now jamaica has it online yeah, they do it online.

Cindy Ann: 44:11

You get there and they give it. So I get to jamaica. Yeah, they do it online. You get there and they give it. So I get to Jamaica. I played in Jamaica last year. I get there, I fill out the form, I get to the officer and she goes why are you here? And I said I'm here to do a comedy show, all right. She's like are you a comedian? I interesting, but that she didn't say it. So really interesting. That's not what you put here on your form. You have here as your occupation housewife.

Corie: 44:42

I see.

Cindy Ann: 44:44

I'm like, yeah, because that's how I make my money. End scene stamp up yes, go long, go long, honey, go long.

Corie: 45:00

It's crazy so let me talk about the early days, though. I saw somewhere where you said you were really going to the states with your son. Your son was pursuing school and things. Don't make it sound so bad, you can get out of my hard time. You were going to the states following your son at that time. You son, your son, was pursuing school and things. Don't make it sound so bad, you can get out of my hard time. You're going to the States following your son At that time. You're doing comedy and stuff already. No, but you had aspirations.

Cindy Ann: 45:20

Oh yeah, yeah, In 2009,. I did a play here with Errol Sprangalang, wendell Etienne, okay when you say them things.

Corie: 45:31

How do you get to that?

Cindy Ann: 45:32

To do the play You're not at school, no, no no, no, I knew Errol from before and when him and Nigel used to do the courts ads.

Corie: 45:41

Oh, yeah, courts you can Courts you can.

Cindy Ann: 45:45

It was the twin.

Corie: 45:45

The brothers Nigel and Errol Correct.

Cindy Ann: 45:48

And so the time I think I was going to school I can't remember, but I had a very good friend, joanne we look alike, and so we would see her, like I would see her all out and say like yo, you and Nigel, missing two sisters on this thing, you know, got it. Eventually we'd be Errol and I became friendly. I actually worked with him and George on 105 from Mixed Nuts. I did a few of those episodes, right, yeah, and that's what you think. What's the thing I did? The first episodes of the very first one they had. When do you start people?

Corie: 46:18

calling in right bacchanal wednesday yeah, that's not the thing.

Cindy Ann: 46:19

Yeah, that was the original one right, I did the first bacchanal wednesday, right, so I used to work with errol and um, I came back, I was, I was. I went to caracas or something with my son for swimming. I came back and I was like, hey, they're, they're doing this play. Wendell would like for you to audition to read for this play. It was called A man in my Bedroom or In the Bedroom Right, and I auditioned and I got the part and I was the only female. I was the lead female in it. It was where I was involved with one of them I think I was involved with Wendell, but also with Sprung, and so there was a whole mix up a man in my bedroom, but I was, I guess I was how a lot I was going to say Trinidad.

Corie: 47:00

I don't know why.

Cindy Ann: 47:01

Right, yeah, yeah, yeah, so, and so I did that run. We did that at Cipriani Labor College for five nights and I remember the end of the last night I said to Wendell I was like you know what I want to do? Stand-up comedy. Always loved it. My brother had turned me on to stand-up when we were younger because he used to watch, like Sinbad, I'm the last, I have 51 first cousins and I'm the baby, and so they would be watching Raw, eddie Murphy and all those things, and so I always saw it. I always loved storytelling. I'm like I said to anna, I'm like I want to do stand-up comedy and he's like, let's do it.

Cindy Ann: 47:37

And I'm like, well, I'm migrating so it doesn't make sense starting anything, and as soon as I got rid of my son, as soon as you got rid of yourself yeah, some people get rid of them before.

Cindy Ann: 47:50

Some people get rid of them before. Some people get rid of them after. I'm afraid to ask Don't, do not. But listen. My son is the love of my life. As soon as he left for college, I was like, okay, let me give this a shot. I always love storytelling, right, always. I've always been the class clown. What school you went to? San Francisco, oh, gotcha. St Franco. Skigan used to swim and I would hold court at the pool. Parents would come to the pool, the kids would be swimming and I would be on stage like Cindy does flying fish. You know, I'd be story after story, and so I did a course at the improv, a workshop. Not because I didn't think I was funny. I wanted to see if my accent would translate. I wanted to see if I can be brave enough to stand in front of an audience and do it, and I did so. I did that in June 2014.

Corie: 48:47

Right.

Cindy Ann: 48:48

And then I lost my dad in.

Corie: 48:53

September 2014.

Cindy Ann: 48:57

Right, and so that was sudden. So you see tragedy plus time. I haven't been able to make this funny yet. It's been, it's been, it's been what? Almost 11 years right. And so I stopped in September. So I did comedy for like two months and then I stopped so from the improv.

Corie: 49:20

You're performing abroad since then. Your initial performances were over there.

Cindy Ann: 49:26

Yeah, I've never done it. The first time I did it here was 2017. I see I'm glad, though.

Corie: 49:31

Yeah.

Cindy Ann: 49:32

I would have had some really bad habits. Yeah, if I start, particularly back then.

Cindy Ann: 49:38

Yeah, in terms of the art form, um, I would have had bad habits, and so the being able to in 2017, um or 18, one of the shows. I was trying to book somebody here to perform at one of my shows and I said, oh, I need you for 10 minutes, and they said 10 minutes, my things will take me 15 minutes. I said yeah, but I only need 10. And he was like well, what do you want me to do? I said I want you to do 10 minutes and he's like, yeah, but I had to start. I was like you know what? Thank you, that's it. That's it. I need 10 minutes.

Corie: 50:21

No so now you had to lengthen your show. You know through the intro you had to make the show six hours.

Cindy Ann: 50:25

No, but I go to open for people. Sometimes I do. I open for this guy in. New York five minutes. Yeah, yeah, what you want me to tell him, how about?

Corie: 50:35

joke, that's last seven. Like when you say for punch up, for instance, you, I want a three minute thing. You helping to train people to do some things that you would.

Cindy Ann: 50:43

You know that's that's something that we are looking into right because when I did my show here this year in February, um, like I think I mentioned earlier, somebody, somebody was like you did the same joke. And then they were like will you consider doing a workshop to educate people on the art form of stand-up? I actually do a workshop in Florida, but it's for kids seven to 13.

Corie: 51:12

On stand-up.

Cindy Ann: 51:13

Yeah, it's called Tickled, and we have kids come in for one day and we teach them the essence of what stand-up is, you know, because it's more than just comedy. It also teaches public speaking, it teaches networking, community, you know, it gives you, it builds confidence. And so the kids come in, we do some warm-up improv exercises and then we teach them and at the end of the workshop they perform for their parents. They do like a minute yeah you know 90 seconds um and kids are just genuinely funny and honest and so they're honest, and that's what makes it so true and so hilarious.

Cindy Ann: 51:53

So, the parents come at the end of the day and they sit, and then the kids go on the stage and they are shocked to see what the kids are revealing about them.

Corie: 52:01

Oh.

Cindy Ann: 52:03

Right.

Corie: 52:05

I was going to send my son, but I didn't.

Cindy Ann: 52:08

Because they're like they can't believe the kids feel that way about them because it's very like we had one show, one workshop we did and a parent wanted to stay. And so my colleagues and I I'm like the child is not going to be comfortable to open up, you know. And so after a while I took the child, I'm like do you want to talk at all? And he was like I don't want to talk in front of my dad. And I was like okay't want to talk in front of my dad. And I was like okay. So I just went very nicely I said you know, he's safe, we're not planning to leave here sure could you come back this afternoon?

Cindy Ann: 52:42

and he was like, okay, he wanted to see the evolution, blah blah. I'm like you're gonna see it this evening, you know, and it's just from nine to three okay and if kids can do it, adults can too.

Cindy Ann: 52:51

However, when adults think they already know, yeah, you understand what I mean it's coming here with yourself because you live in foreign, you feel you know everything we know. I don't think I have the capacity right, I don't think so to deal with and I'll tell you and I may get a lot of flack for this Sure, we are very spoiled and entitled. Yeah, so spoiled and entitled, and I could speak about myself migrating as an adult when I started comedy and going to an open mic in a dive bar, people drunk talking over you. I remember doing one jumping in my can. I'm like listen, george and Lucille, boss or daughter, are going through this. You understand what I'm saying hello, hello I am from Paramed.

Cindy Ann: 53:48

excuse me, sir, you don't drink while I'm speaking, and so I left there like what the hell. Excuse me, sir, you don't drink while I'm speaking, and so I left there. Like what the hell is, I have to do this. No, I want to walk on stage and perform and da-da-da-da-da Honey.

Corie: 54:05

no, yeah, yeah.

Cindy Ann: 54:06

You see people here now with Netflix specials on Hulu, on da-da-da-da-da. We are performing in the same dive bar. They have not made it the Dave Chappelle's, the Bilbo's, the Kevin Hart's and those people. They have made it. But before you make it, let me tell you you are sweating in a dive bar. You are struggling the grind. They call it the grind for a reason. Got it Because you're grinding, you're teething sleep, you're grinding your heart. Listen to my honest here, and I think from my perspective, we get very spoiled with the taste of money too, because years ago somebody booked me, reached out to me to do an event and when I told them my price, they were like, is that us? And I said no, tt. And she was like are you crazy sundian people making 10 times that? And I was like, really okay, because that's not what happens in the real world here, compared to where you are of course people here want they.

Cindy Ann: 55:13

They just got started and they want to tell you so when. Remember we joke last night about up and coming yeah, I was.

Corie: 55:20

I was asking you basically, okay, so it's punch up for people who made it, who?

Cindy Ann: 55:25

has made it. Here's a stand-up comedy. No, because, no, no, no, no. Who?

Corie: 55:30

I haven't made it. Yeah, I was surprised to hear say that. To be honest, as far as I can, see you made it.

Cindy Ann: 55:33

Yeah, I was surprised to hear you say that. To be honest, how as far?

Corie: 55:33

as I can see, you made it. Oh, you see. Well, you see, I guess, I'm judging it by everybody know your name, you know.

Cindy Ann: 55:39

Everybody, everybody.

Corie: 55:41

All the way.

Cindy Ann: 55:42

No, now don't misunderstand when I say I am proud of my accomplishments. I am proud of my accomplishments I have, but I have not listen. I've not made anything except an attempt to come here today. I make an effort to go on stage every time I get there Made it. I don't know of a comedian here that has made it, and I how.

Cindy Ann: 56:16

What is made it? It was a metric. What is made it? Yeah, and I how? What is made it? It was a metric. What is made it? You know and again, I'm not taking anything away from anybody else, because everybody's metric or measurement of success is very different, right? So maybe somebody here is like I made it because I was able to stand and perform for an hour, I've made it. Okay, I have not made it because there's so much more I want.

Corie: 56:34

What would that look like for you? Like if you had to compare yourself, in other words, selling out big arenas. What has made it for you?

Cindy Ann: 56:39

Not even selling out big arenas because even there's so much logistics in doing comedy in a large arena. People like Bill Burr can do that. But you have a lot of comics here. But you have a lot of comics here. If you tell them 1,500, 2,000 people, they tell you no.

Corie: 56:52

Oh, I see.

Cindy Ann: 56:53

Because they need intimacy because of what they do. So they much prefer a smaller, intimate vibe in room to do well, and if they're not having fun, you're not having fun.

Corie: 57:07

You were saying you prefer that too, like an intimate.

Cindy Ann: 57:10

Yeah, I cannot see myself doing a show like in a Jean Pierre complex.

Corie: 57:13

No, no, no, prefer that too like an intimate. Yeah, I cannot see myself doing a show like in a gene beer complex.

Cindy Ann: 57:15

No, no, no, you have that thing, my thing. And then people walking around. I tell you how sensitive when I look up and I see two people walking around you know that was one of the so funny.

Corie: 57:26

You say that that was one of my most shocking things when I went to that. Um, who's name of the place again? Hollywood, hard Rock. I can never remember Hard Rock, hard Rock do you remember my name, corey?

Corie: 57:37

I haven't written that one, so yeah, one of my more surprising things in that arena was just how much people would be walking around. I didn't know. You see, when you watch a special, you see it. You only see the stage more or less Correct. So I went back After Bilbo. We saw Chappelle advertising so he was like we're going back for that and when Chappelle was drunk like a fisher.

Cindy Ann: 57:56

Yeah, and smoking. He was drunk and smoking.

Corie: 57:59

But he couldn't do the act. It was what he has now on Netflix called the dreamer was the act that we saw. So when you said repeating jokes, it's like what we saw on stage is where he have in his special. He was doing it across the states, correct? But you see that now as one of the habits of a comedy world for developing poly compared to where you are, because that well, you said it that is not going to fly here.

Cindy Ann: 58:21

It's not like if I don't think it's not going to fly. I think it takes. It will take time.

Corie: 58:27

Right.

Cindy Ann: 58:28

And it will take someone to have the balls to do it Right. That's you. I don't live here.

Corie: 58:35

But you're changing it, you're doing shows.

Cindy Ann: 58:36

You're telling people you're coming back. I have impacted the way stand-up comedy is done here 100%. You know, when I did my show here in 2017, kivo was on the show. It was two hours. People had never seen or experienced anything like that before, yeah, and so they really enjoyed it. And then, when I did the one I did at Bricks and this year at Art Society was a.

Cindy Ann: 59:01

BYOB Got it. You bring your cooler. So I think thing fit, but without the fit Right. So I have. I know that I have changed the face of it and have impacted the lives of, I hope, some of the local talent here. But I think it can happen. But you have to really just stand firm in your belief. You know what I mean. I'll tell you something in your belief. You know what I mean. I'll tell you something. Last year, I think it was, yeah, I came home and I went to Teddison John.

Cindy Ann: 59:40

Right Did something during the carnival that I had dreamed of for a long time. Yeah, he was brave enough to do it At a time where everybody is jumping, waving whining. He was brave enough to do it at a time where everybody is jumping, waving whining.

Cindy Ann: 59:56

he was like come to Napa and sit for two hours, three hours, and hear me sing a stripped down version of, and people bought into it it was well, it was talked about, it was well received and so when I said I was doing my show here in february, people were like carnival time and we booked the show a month out because I wasn't sure and everything just happened so quickly. People came. Not everybody wants to jump and wave and whine yeah, you know and so, um, I think, if people start creating it and building on it, people will buy into it, because, like you, there are people who go abroad to look at comedy.

Corie: 1:00:42

Yes.

Cindy Ann: 1:00:42

There are people who go to comedy clubs in New York. There are people, of course, and so it is an education. It is a matter of making people aware of why it's done, because if I say to you, okay, but why? I keep telling the same jokes and I explain but do you go to see Kes every Tuesday, on every Convo?

Corie: 1:01:04

Tuesday, tuesday night, yeah.

Cindy Ann: 1:01:05

He comes out and he sings hello is a must. And so you have your jokes that you know will get people in. Let me tell you, if I come here and tell you the minute I start saying, a Trinidadian, a Bajan and a Jamaican was in jail and waiting for mango season. The man said waiting for mango season. That joke has been around since 19-nothing, not even years behind the year 19,. Not 100, 0019.

Cindy Ann: 1:01:33

That joke has been running a man you know a man stand up a man walking in the market like this and a fella say what happened, he say, oh shit, I didn't realize my watermelon fall out. Them kind of hacky, but you would still laugh people will go by Brooklyn bar, by the rum shop, and the minute a man say you know, man, a Trini fella and a Bajon fella, people start, they tune in. Of course, yeah, people will go by Brooklyn Bar, by the rum shop and the minute a man say you know, man, a Trini fella, a Bajon fella, people start, they tune in.

Corie: 1:02:00

They've heard the joke a million times. Yeah, I guess it's why, chappelle and them, lock up your phones too. They're trying to ensure that people don't record it and put it out.

Cindy Ann: 1:02:05

And so it's the same idea. It's the same concept and I am doing jokes I started doing in 2014. But you change, you grow, you become something different, the world change. So let's just say I had a joke where I say and man, I just slammed the phone down on my, I can't do this again no I understand so the world is changing.

Cindy Ann: 1:02:35

There's now things like matcha. You could include matcha. Instead of saying you understand, you know the evolution has changed long time you'll do a joke and say well, you went by the obama. Now you say go by the psychic.

Corie: 1:02:51

No, of course I see, I see.

Cindy Ann: 1:02:54

So you keep a joke and you work it until and the thing is you can start a joke that's one minute long.

Corie: 1:03:02

Right.

Cindy Ann: 1:03:03

And over years it becomes a 10 minute long. But you've heard the first part before. But now you're like man she doing the same joke Because you're already pissed you know, with your sour self. Come liming on the inside and laughing on the inside. You hear the first part. You're like you miss the whole nine minutes. That's so new and fresh, yeah you understand.

Cindy Ann: 1:03:27

And so, cory, if I tell you I don't suffer fools anymore. I don't care. People call me all the time. They always have advice. You should do a joke about a man who have a jersey with a button missing. Get the shit out my face. You do it.

Corie: 1:03:42

I had to get some of that. I had to work on some of that, so you ensure that people have a different experience by building on it. You add new and you yeah. Or sometimes I'll tell you I did a show and I got there.

Cindy Ann: 1:04:00

The lady came over to me and she said she saw me walking in. That's why I don't like to see anybody before I get on stage. I don't like to see. She saw me walking in. She's like I hope you do your joke about the flags. I told my friend about now immediately. I didn't have it in my set. I see I'm backstage thinking how do I fit this in? I didn't plan on doing this joke, you know, oh my God, like because now you want to appease this one person who was probably living a life, a miserable life, you know, depending on your one flag, joke for them to live for a week like mom, you know, do therapy using therapy?

Corie: 1:04:33

yes, you use therapy. People come in to see and it's true yeah, it's true I am in therapy. I am a psychiatrist, yeah, unless a psychiatrist you understand, I level up, I level up.

Cindy Ann: 1:04:50

I'm with a psychiatrist and she's the best thing that has ever happened to me. You know, and I knew it the first time we met. She got on a Zoom call late, completely disheveled. I mean I'm like, okay, this bitch more messed up. We offed a very good start. I was like, hi, kathy, just the only favor. One thing I ask of you schedule my session after yours so. I get you in a good place. Don't come to me before you see us, before you see your therapist.

Cindy Ann: 1:05:27

Do not see me come to me in a good place so that you can also hand down the knowledge you just got.

Corie: 1:05:34

Oh, I'm with you, you understand, you had a. All right, you maximized it. I like it. So, going back to that, move to the States. Right, you said you went to do the improv workshop, but also saw you went to a performing arts school.

Cindy Ann: 1:05:46

Stella Adler, yeah, stella Adler, in New York.

Corie: 1:05:49

You went there with comedy in mind, or?

Cindy Ann: 1:05:51

just performing arts in general, acting Okay, so something you want to do. Yeah, I've done drama for a long time. I've done improv, All those things held comedy. But acting I love. I prefer theatre, the live thing you prefer.

Corie: 1:06:07

That.

Cindy Ann: 1:06:07

Yeah, you could be bolder Acting. You have to be a little more.

Corie: 1:06:12

I suppose you. You could be bolder Acting. You have to be a little more. I suppose you know quiet?

Cindy Ann: 1:06:15

Yeah. Acting TV or screen versus theatre? Yes, it's very different to live theatre. Got it yeah?

Corie: 1:06:19

Why is you like this live thing so much? I try to run from live. You hadn't had first internet.

Cindy Ann: 1:06:24

I tell you I've seen a psychiatrist, I have mental issues. What you didn't get, you know Clearly.

Corie: 1:06:29

Clearly that is where it had to be. When you're on television?

Cindy Ann: 1:06:31

at no point, do you not television? Let's just say I'm in a movie and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah and somebody pissed me off. I can't smash this cup, but if I'm doing stand-up and somebody says something, oh, I could just take the stool and throw it off. You know what I mean.

Corie: 1:06:47

I could have a moment of passion. A moment of passion is wild.

Cindy Ann: 1:06:51

I can have a moment of passion. You know, I call it passion. What do you call it? What do you call it? I don't call it nothing.

Corie: 1:06:59

I can have a moment of passion. I with you, I with you. So what's your biggest difference when you do shows here versus the shows you would do over there, in terms of our audience, outside of just the idea of the feeling of repeating jokes? How are you adjusted?

Cindy Ann: 1:07:14

First of all, if I'm doing a show home, I come home a week or two before the show. I have to remember how we live, because I forget so like the good morning, like if I came the day before and jump on stage, I wouldn't remember good morning. That was a cold hard.

Corie: 1:07:29

Yeah, yeah boy um, this is the real thing you're talking about. You experience it and bring it in.

Cindy Ann: 1:07:36

My comedy is about. I tell you I don't make up anything on stage. It's life, it's the truth. I punch up.

Cindy Ann: 1:07:42

That's where it comes in. So I will punch up a joke, and so that's where the writing and the creative thing comes in. So you saw Dave Chappelle, you see Bill Bull, some things. You're I wonder if you really did that. Sometimes you don't, but it's believable because this story has happened Right, and so you punch it up. And so sometimes, when they say you punch down is when you start hurting people. You've heard the term right there, of course.

Cindy Ann: 1:08:11

Anyway, and so for me, I think usually I spend the first 10, 15 minutes talking about home, relaxing, you know, just getting people ready. So I come, I make sure. This time I brought my son for the first time he experienced carnival.

Corie: 1:08:29

Right, I see.

Cindy Ann: 1:08:30

Panorama. I took him to Pan and after Pan I said to him I was like how was it? And he's like it was weird, mommy, like it was so overstimulating. He was like there was a group playing like a beaten iron thing here, and then the music, and then the pan, and then people talking and then they're walking. And he was like it was just so much, he said, but I felt safe, you know, because there was room, it wasn't overcrowded. I felt safe.

Corie: 1:08:58

And.

Cindy Ann: 1:08:58

I said everything you've described to me. The safety is the one thing I hated about Panorama. Yeah, oh yeah. This year I went to Pan and felt safe. I'm never going back.

Corie: 1:09:09

So what do you want to feel?

Cindy Ann: 1:09:10

I want to go. I want a man to try to lick my neck. You know that is essence. Listen, panorama is pandemonium. I want to be able to go to the restroom. And all the toilets full, so now I have to pee under the not stand. It's an experience you understand. I came home there was police fire. You couldn't stand on the staircase.

Cindy Ann: 1:09:33

I'm like this is shit, I couldn't do that. Daily I come to Panorama for me to be walking through the crowd, somebody tried to pinch my bottom, my elbow there, my thing is a hole back and on.

Cindy Ann: 1:09:46

Be, careful what you say. Well, I'm not going back, so nobody try it. But also, I didn't end with what happens to them. Remember there also is an exchange. So they pinch my bottom, I punch them in the face. Police come, I go home, I get up I say Pan was real good, you know, I know Pan was real good. Yeah, he end up in jail. I go. You know what I mean? I'm like I had a real good time. This is not good at all. But Panorama, I mean I'd get there early and we knew. We knew when we saw a certain, a select group of people arrive, the gate coming down in about 10 minutes.

Corie: 1:10:25

I was about storming Of course I was in the east.

Cindy Ann: 1:10:28

I paid $500 to go into Panama this year.

Corie: 1:10:30

Imagine that we'd have never thought Listen to hell was with that.

Cindy Ann: 1:10:32

We'd have never thought you know why For safety and shit.

Corie: 1:10:35

Yeah, that's what you sound. You sound right. I like him a lot. I like him a lot I felt so safe.

Cindy Ann: 1:10:41

I'm like yuck, yuck. That's why children today, everything they gain fever, they're sick, they can't stand up, they're tired. They can't walk, they're in fever and they're safe, oh my.

Corie: 1:10:50

God Any day of the week? No, no, no. But I see what. Even in this panorama thing, I can see where you come, you observe, and then your first part you give us some of us.

Cindy Ann: 1:11:01

I take it in. It's always beautiful for me and it happens every single time I get in the car on my way here and it takes me about. This time it took me a little less time about 20 seconds Because as soon as I sit in the car I'm like shit. I mean they say crime, bad, but they thief the steering wheel Before I realized. I'm sitting on the wrong side of the car. I'm staring at the dashboard like like they took the steering wheel and fix it back.

Corie: 1:11:40

So they were good.

Cindy Ann: 1:11:41

they're so good, I mean I mean, I didn't realize the criminal's so good. And I look over and I'm like, nah, they're so good, they're good, but they're so good. So now you're still, you're good, you're good, just just switch sides. Um, yeah, yeah, yeah. So by the time you reach stage those observations.

Corie: 1:12:02

You're writing and making it into something, or you're observing and you're going on stage. No, no, no, no, no.

Cindy Ann: 1:12:06

I'm writing, I'm writing, I'm writing, I get by. So by the time I get there I open up with home, with coming home and that experience Taking my son to my childhood home and him running to tell me Mom, a rooster. I'm like Jesus, where did I fail this child? I'm like it's a yard foul, it's a rooster.

Corie: 1:12:30

I like Keegan a lot. I also like him more. What do you think is a rooster?

Cindy Ann: 1:12:33

I said Mom a rooster. I'm like a what?

Corie: 1:12:44

I said, listen, baby, it rooster. I'm like a, what I'm sick.

Cindy Ann: 1:12:45

I said listen, baby, it's a yard, you know, we don't have roosters. We don't have roosters here. And he says it really are too. It's a rooster, um, but he's still very triniac because he left here at 15.

Corie: 1:12:51

Okay, so he went to fatima college yeah, he's a good boy and so yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I wonder sometimes, like when I watch comedians here, as I say I love it, so any chance I get like I did the Yanga Tang thing and the Caribbean Comedy Festival in those days, right, yeah, and I mean I guess somebody who writes and scripts it, because when you talk it does not feel written or scripted. But so when I go to yanga tang a lot of it feels like improv more than stand-up comedy.

Corie: 1:13:21

It doesn't feel like somebody who's writing jokes, telling a whole story or putting together a whole set. Okay, but I don't know if that's your experience with the local comedy scene here. It feels like somebody just talking rather than writing and building on jokes.

Cindy Ann: 1:13:31

No, um, I haven't experienced it for a while, but I I think you think it's somebody just talking, it feels that way more.

Corie: 1:13:40

As opposed to writing yeah, I'll give you an example, right Like the Calypso Tent was a place where a lot of comedians you would see sprang along Tommy Racial Price Day, but they would be more like a host like you said, a host Right. So it's less stand-up comedy and more hosts. So when they come out, what they talk about is what just happened with the last person, or they called them back on or something that happened with the crowd and maybe they have a few joke jokes, but it feels like they're just talking about what's going on.

Cindy Ann: 1:14:06

Right, which is hosting. But hosting also has stand-up bits built in Right. But hosting is more about the audience and you, yeah, um, yeah, I think so. I think um, maybe, because a lot of it here is very political and bacchanalish, right, right, I, I grew up where comedy was very, very politically aligned, you know what I mean, or very something. Some confusion happened.

Corie: 1:14:38

Yeah, like current affairs. Current affairs, whatever mini politics, whatever bacchanal going on. That's what the topic seemed to me.

Cindy Ann: 1:14:43

As opposed to people's personal lives, which is my. My comedy is about my life and my views. Of course it will. There will be some overlap with what's happening in your world, cause I live in your world, you know but it's about me and who Cindy Ann is, so that when an audience leaves they have a general, like you can tell. Oh, Cindy Ann has a son, she is married. She doesn't really understand how people kiss dogs in the mouth.

Corie: 1:15:18

You understand what I'm saying. She's seen a psychiatrist.

Cindy Ann: 1:15:20

She's kind of fucked up in the head. Yeah, um, you know who I am. If I were to take a broad look at the comedians that I grew up watching I don't know who they are in terms of yes and and going to shows. I don't know. Know, maybe I was too young, maybe I missed some stuff.

Corie: 1:15:42

No, I don't think it's that I think you're saying it much better than I'm saying it, because that is what tends to happen. The comedian here, so the great, the ones who I have as the greats here, they sprang along Tommy Rish, all of them would have been that hero. Right, they were talking about stuff, but not so much Like it wasn't as reflective as your comedy, or as I mean Bilbo. You might say he's talking politics and stuff, but it's really just his viewpoint, it's just the way and his life.

Cindy Ann: 1:16:07

You know he has anger issues.

Corie: 1:16:09

This is what I mean.

Cindy Ann: 1:16:09

You know he's married. You know he has two children.

Corie: 1:16:12

So you see anybody here doing a lot of that I can't say. I will say yeah, you know Sina. I will say no.

Cindy Ann: 1:16:17

Kwame and Jerome opened Right and I felt I was pleasantly surprised at how well structured I think their stuff was. I cannot tell, because I was performing too.

Corie: 1:16:35

So to tell you their jokes.

Cindy Ann: 1:16:36

I don't remember their jokes, you know I was more, you know. But the reaction of the crowd, the way they presented themselves, I think I was very happy, like I was like, oh, this is really nice refreshing to see that they're doing their stuff and they're not just out there doing hacky jokes. So hacky jokes would be like I tell you, like you know, I turn around and I'm at a pageant and I'm saying Are we getting a joke?

Corie: 1:16:56

Yeah, are we getting a joke?

Cindy Ann: 1:16:58

yeah yeah, they were doing stuff that I felt, okay, all right, these guys are putting in the work now. As to to your question about, uh, they're at a disadvantage because they don't have the luxury of doing the same thing repeatedly, probably, but then they are the ones to decide what they want to be what they want out of this.

Cindy Ann: 1:17:20

You know what I mean and where you want to take it. And I had to decide that too, because, coming here every year, because I did a show here 17, 2018, I took the show to a little Carib theater, again telling me it cannot be done. They were like you cannot do this. We sold out the show. It was amazing. I brought somebody from the us. I've brought three comics here since I've been here. So the first day I brought a girl, a trini, uh, an american girl, and people asked me you bring in another comedian here. What if they book her and not you?

Cindy Ann: 1:17:54

well, like who'd they anybody, because you know people would be like, wait, now there's a comedy show, I could do a comedy show too. Let me get this girl. You know like aren't you afraid that she takes your place? And I'm like absolutely 100% no, because if we live in that space we do not grow. You understand what I mean. So for me, I am pretty sure of who I am and what I can bring. And am pretty sure of who I am and what I can bring. And I know if somebody wants what I have, you cannot give it. Regardless of if we walk in your room together, we wear the same dress. We do you. You could never be a cindy ann, and so I can never be a cory.

Cindy Ann: 1:18:32

So the idea of being that sort of crab in the hole kind of mentality yeah, like man, if I, if I, but yeah, if, if I put Sinead in front, then she's not going to get the no. So I brought her home. I brought another guy here, and I brought another guy here and I saw the difference in people's appreciation for them as opposed to me, because they spoke with an American accent.

Corie: 1:18:54

But they translate well, people will receive.

Cindy Ann: 1:18:57

I think everybody said they preferred me, they enjoyed it, but they said it was different and funny enough. I spoke to a friend yesterday who came to my show at the Bricks and she said I can see the difference in your style, sandhyaan.

Corie: 1:19:12

Over the years.

Cindy Ann: 1:19:13

Yeah, and I said thank you Because I don't have to change my accent, but I feel it has to be marketed or boxed or in a way that it's acceptable, it's palpable to a different audience. So I'm not going to say, hey, you guys, do you want to come and have a cup of tea with me today? I'm not going to do that because that's not who I am. But being able to get on a stage not knowing who's in the audience and having them fall deeply in love with me is huge. You know it's huge. So I don't think I still haven't made it, could you?

Corie: 1:19:56

imagine yeah, I like this hasn't made it thing, I like it a lot how long your set usually is when you do a show here.

Cindy Ann: 1:20:04

Entry Like 45 minutes.

Corie: 1:20:05

Oh, it's long 50 minutes yeah. And people sit with it, people not. Yeah, well, I think even that's in the end, that's changing.

Cindy Ann: 1:20:14

You know what I'm getting from this? My shows, and I've done four. No, yeah, so then you say that I've made it. But how much have I made it if you have not even been to see it.

Corie: 1:20:21

When you see, I see people make it on Instagram and saying make it to me. That's so funny. Instagram famous, oh please.

Cindy Ann: 1:20:28

Yeah, no, no, no, no, no. 45 minutes done hours, how long I do when I come do shows in florida too, where I have a nice caribbean audience that comes out, um, and that's when I could say these things like armhole yeah where's our armhole? You know our armhole, jersey. See many people macy's asking.

Corie: 1:20:49

Excuse me that is hilarious, I'm looking for a really nice armhole top.

Cindy Ann: 1:20:53

The girl is like a what? And I cannot think of the other word because now I'm like but what do you mean? Armhole, like I asked. You know you never hear armhole, yeah, no, could you show me what you're speaking of? Can you, can you point to it? And I'm like she's like oh, you mean sleeveless?

Corie: 1:21:12

yeah.

Cindy Ann: 1:21:12

I'm like same damn thing. But what is an armhole really? What's an?

Corie: 1:21:16

armhole. We should pay attention. These things, you know because things, because you also talk about one way of sending everybody to home before it's wild.

Cindy Ann: 1:21:23

It's crazy, listen. I texted my neighbor. We used to run and one day she said to me she's like it's raining, sandhya, and we cannot run today. So she sent a message. I am driving, I pick up my phone at the traffic light. Very quickly, she said this rain is ruining our run. Blah, blah, blah. I take out my phone and I text end and I'm back on the road. Right, think nothing of it. The next day I get home, she comes over. She's like how do you feel? Oh, she's the ent ear, nose and throat. So I'm like how do I feel? I feel good, she's like. So what did the doctor say? Oh, my god, I'm like. Which doctor she's like? You texted me. I said that you were going to the doctor's and then, I'm like, I did not. She's like I know you have allergies, which I do. She's like well, I know you have allergies. I'm like do she's like? Well, I know you have allergies. I'm like, but I never said that I'm like.

Cindy Ann: 1:22:21

I don't, she's like, she's like. You texted me E-N-T. I'm like, I love it Okay, wait, I said Gil. All that means is right. Like you telling me it's a complete sentence. End. Yeah, for many yeah yeah, she saw and read ear, nose and throat. Of course, of course, of course so the comedy is built in to my life because I'm like what doctor are we talking about here?

Corie: 1:22:49

and that is just a doctor. We don't specialize here.

Cindy Ann: 1:22:51

Yeah, yeah yeah, you know, and you put some um broad leave time in the ears for eric. We don't go to the doctor, it.

Corie: 1:22:57

You're good to go. It reminds me of like when they say end just now.

Cindy Ann: 1:23:02

I remember people just now.

Corie: 1:23:04

They're like okay, I don't understand what you mean, Because when they say just now, like it could be right now, like soon or just now could be days, what is?

Cindy Ann: 1:23:10

just, I get that too. I don't even know.

Corie: 1:23:14

Beers, honey, just buckle down, I'll be there, it'll happen when it happens just now of course, of course so that for me is is where my comedy lives right, um, so this is why I had to ask you I'm sorry to go back to punch up all the time. I'm excited about the idea of the event where it creates this space, but when you're judging people, you are you wanting to judge us? No, oh, I see, I see, I see. Okay, no, because I was wondering, if you're looking for that style of comedy, if we could come with the trinity jamaican and the grenadian and them kind of thing. You 100.

Cindy Ann: 1:23:46

No, no, you bring your style, we're looking for the funny no, I see we're looking for the authenticity, we're looking for the creativity, we're looking for the funny right, um yeah no, no, no. It can't be mean. How can you expect people to to have what you know?

Corie: 1:24:01

no, no no, no, unrealistic.

Cindy Ann: 1:24:03

Unrealistic. And I think it's so important to like for me, like with my Red Woman tour, for example. Now that I'm doing the tour, I did Atlanta, I just went. I did the Bahamas, I did Philly. We're going to Toronto on October 1st. It's so important for people to see us in those spaces because we tend to do shows in a community hall, or you know what I mean, and I don't know if that's a space for me. You know, I mean sometimes you could do stuff in a restaurant, but this lighting has to be right, this setting has to be right. You know what I mean. And so comedy clubs globally. How wonderful it would be to see somebody do like you said. This guy just did Canada right.

Cindy Ann: 1:24:57

But to see more of it, of our accent, whether it's me, whether it's whoever else in those spaces, particularly women, because we don't get the luxury of being angry, we don't have it Of feeling without being judged or labeled. So I did a show with this guy and the show was shit. You know it was shit, but as a professional I mean, I just sat there, he went on stage and like 30 seconds into his set he said on the mic he's like man, fuck this show, dropped the mic and walked off. No one bat an eye, everybody just went like, oh my.

Corie: 1:25:40

God.

Cindy Ann: 1:25:40

Had I done that yeah oh my god, it would have been this now. First of all, angry black woman. She's an angry black woman going through menopause. She must be on her period. The list of what was wrong with me would have been mild.

Corie: 1:25:57

No no.

Cindy Ann: 1:26:01

Women do not get a pass to be expressive or to take a stand. Oh, who's that? If I say. If you say, hey, would you like a mic, I say no, Is it cordless or corded? I want a cordless. You go in the back and you know what you'll say. God, she miserable.

Corie: 1:26:25

Yeah, difficult.

Cindy Ann: 1:26:26

Yeah, she's so difficult. Ask David or any one of your partners you want a cordless or you want a mic with a and they say no, no, no, no, no, no, no, get me a mic with. I don't want either of those. I want a mic that like a little. What do you call it?

Corie: 1:26:41

A little apple.

Cindy Ann: 1:26:43

A little apple mic. You know what you're going to tell your partner. He's a leader boy. That man know what he wants. You see the difference. I'm miserable. Oh God Is this?

Corie: 1:26:53

a mic.

Cindy Ann: 1:27:00

The guy comes in here and says, no, I don't want any of these mics here. In fact, go by me.

Corie: 1:27:04

You know what you say that fella is a boss, he's a leader. He's a leader Taking control.

Cindy Ann: 1:27:06

I see in my period you know what I'm saying I go into menopause. I have real issues when I see that she can't get no man because she don't think, she don't know what she wants in a mic. That's the conversation that happens. So women do not get a pass. I see it and we live it and people think it's changing. All these Me Too movement and all these feminists it's changing. Maybe bucket a draw? Yeah, we could vote now and we could do this. We do have some things that we can do, but there is still so much work to be done for us to to.

Cindy Ann: 1:27:46

I don't. Let me be very clear. I don't want to be a man. I don't want to change a flat tire. I don't want to kill a cockroach. I don't want to care. I don't. I don't want none of those responsibilities, right, um? But I do want to be able to take a stand and not be labeled as a personality or miserable, just be labeled as somebody who's a boss bitch too but you find that the comedy space now I mean male dominated, like heavily a hundred percent so you get a lot of that, of course, yeah.

Cindy Ann: 1:28:18

Yeah, you do. You do get a lot of male, white male. It's not easy and, like I said, the minute you take a stand you become problematic.

Corie: 1:28:29

You know you're talking about it now, like I keep flashing back to Monique Because you see a lot of the some of the same words you're using now are the words that people use to describe Monique, who's one of the greats in stand-up comedy to me. I don't know the backstory and what the issues that she deals with, but I do hear some of those same things.

Cindy Ann: 1:28:46

Yeah yeah, yeah, and there is some truth to us being more emotional, true, but we have children too. We give birth. Men don't have nothing, nothing other than what you do to get up and think. Men don't have nothing, nothing other than what you do to get up and cream up your face? Dust off your bald head. You've had a little bit once in a while You've had. You've had what boy?

Cindy Ann: 1:29:07

or girl, no but I think this Red Woman tour is an opportunity for me to be seen in spaces and be in stages where Caribbean women are not seen and heard. Punched Up is an opportunity to grow and develop, to give back, to foster, for whoever wants the information, to share as much as I can with them.

Cindy Ann: 1:29:38

Because I always said if ever I do make it with them, because I always said, if ever I do make it right, um, it's not going to happen without me giving to home in a way that people can benefit in a way, you know, in, in a way that also benefits them and not me, because sometimes people give more for themselves of course right, yeah, so I mean god bless the day that I can really open doors and pathways for for people.

Corie: 1:30:09

I feel in a sense you're doing it, maybe not where you want to be yet, but yeah I'll give you an example. Like I appreciate you bringing up the, the, the discussion about Right, because when I think of even punched up and I think of people who can enter my list in my head now does not have a woman. You see, yes, and there are women here.

Cindy Ann: 1:30:29

There's this girl. When I did the show the Bricks, she was heading to a festival in New York Lyrics Right and she came as a guest to Jerome and I was like, hey, you want to test out the material tonight. You know you could do five minutes or however long. And I gave her a spot because I know how much those things mean. In the grand scheme of things, she's going to New York, you have come test it, do some work here. And I gave her a chance. You know, and I think those things help us and she's a woman. You know what I mean. Maybe if it was you I wouldn't have given her a chance.

Corie: 1:31:01

But I'm like let me give my sister a break.

Cindy Ann: 1:31:03

Let me give my sister a break. No, no, no, but women do not have the luxury, and when we do, when it does happen, it's so beautiful you can get people to really just understand. Okay, yeah, maybe I might be a little emotional and sensitive and whatever, but I am also a boss. Yeah, bitch, you know what I mean. I'm also a leader. I'm also about you know, and so let's try to get away from those. Let us, let us do our thing with all emotion.

Corie: 1:31:35

Yeah, yeah, yeah, appreciate you saying that. So before david and them start to wrap up, right? Yeah, just a couple of questions on that. I was looking at the environment in the States now. It's tricky. You know what I mean, especially when it comes to people who live in Trinidad or immigrants, whatever the word you want to use. You don't build a lot of that stuff into your comedy. You stay away from topics like those.

Cindy Ann: 1:31:55

Like politics and stuff.

Corie: 1:31:56

Yeah, so for instance, sending people home and them kind of thing, and ice you not?

Cindy Ann: 1:32:00

you're right because I don't even understand politics. I don't think generally if you're not in it. I don't think any of us truly understand what's taking place, because none of it makes sense to me, none of it none of it, home or abroad home or abroad, like I'm not for anybody, because I feel let's just say, for example, let's just say, you have a party right and.

Cindy Ann: 1:32:20

I'm like I support Corey. Corey is da-da-da-da-da Down the road and I don't support David or I don't support Anthony or whoever right, because I don't like their policies and I'm campaigning for you. Heads down every morning. Take my Corey vote Corey jersey. I like it. You like it already. Right? Vote Corey Shepard. He is the best. And four years down the road, you and Anthony go and form a coalition. Where are you sitting now, after I done? Say Anthony, he's a big stink thief. He does rip off people money. Anthony, you're on nothing, nothing, nothing. I'll never vote you coming out to tell me Anthony's actually a really good fellow. You and I sit down days, I do anything and put anything in our bag so we could. You know what I mean. I don't understand politics. I don't understand politicians. I don't care to get into any discussion about it.

Corie: 1:33:15

No, stay away from it.

Cindy Ann: 1:33:16

Yes, if something happens and it kind of jolt and it affects me personally, then I'll talk about it. No, you stay away from it. Yes, yeah, if something happens and and it kind of jolt and it affects me personally, then I'll talk about it, but I'm not getting on a stage to talk about, um anything right if you are.

Cindy Ann: 1:33:30

Let's just say and I want to touch on this too, because this is very important um for me when I left trinidad, I didn't know anybody openly in the LGBTQ community. I didn't know anyone. I moved to the US and now I'm in the arts, I'm meeting people, I'm friends with people, very good friends. But I felt so uncomfortable because I'm like man. Imagine 15 years ago I am in a picture with a guy. People are likeindy and gone. I always had an inkling.

Cindy Ann: 1:34:06

You know, this girl was on some phone what kind of foolishness is this going on here? Right, because as a society we so closed up. I think I I gather from social media people are opening up more. This is just one thing. Um, and so, although I had friends who were in that I used to go in the closet to tell them hello, I am waiting for them to come out. When they come out, I gone. I'm like sorry, my father can't even see me talking or my mother cannot.

Cindy Ann: 1:34:45

They'll be like what are you doing? Because there is this label and this, this dark cloud over right and being able to not give a shit and be so open and welcoming to people just yeah, because the truth is we all, in one way or the other, have our own little community going on.

Cindy Ann: 1:35:10

Yes, you know what I'm saying and so it's such for me, it's been such a blessing. I resisted migrating for many years my husband, when we got married I could have migrated and I was like I'm not going there. Trinidad will always be my home and I still feel very strong. I get an emotional thinking about it because I love this place like no other but there's been so much growth and development and benefit to me living in a space where there are not that many people like me and in order for me to do anything, to grow, to live in a space that I'm happy and I can thrive, I've had to put down and tear down so many walls.

Corie: 1:35:58

Yeah, yeah, yeah, some of those walls coming down here, but it's not, it's like you say, with women you could vote now. You know some of them, things changing a little bit yeah, but don't vote for cory.

Cindy Ann: 1:36:07

Vote for anthony, yeah, but that's that to answer your question.

Corie: 1:36:16

I don't understand it and I'm not getting into it I appreciate the fact and I figured it was the case. So, even talking to you now, I get a better sense and appreciation for your approach, because I'm not surprised to hear say like, if it affects me, which, again, as I tell you, as a fan of comedy, that's the thing that I like the most. I do like people who just bring their own lives.

Cindy Ann: 1:36:35

It feels more like storytelling, listening to you done, done, haha, jokes and I want to clarify what me means there, because it doesn't mean in a selfish way me alone. I mean if something affects my loved ones then, it affects me so when I say affect me it's not just cindy ann, but me as a whole.

Corie: 1:36:55

I'm with you. I'm with you. I think and you'll tell me if I do a good job my biggest takeaway is your viewpoint. It's your viewpoint, and I do like the fact that we get a chance to see the way you see the world. Yeah, and if you observe and you can see some of the tragedies you talk about today, I could turn that into any form of comedy. I think greats have always done that, you know, yeah, greats have always done that thank you. So, before we go, how to ask you about the greats?

Cindy Ann: 1:37:23

now my great yeah, have you ever monk rush?

Corie: 1:37:24

nothing, you know okay, no, not my great. Like fly out your greats in comedy or in life yeah, one day in comedy or in life, I kind of like that. Let me start with comedy. You know, abroad first foreigners, foreigners I Foreigners.

Cindy Ann: 1:37:36

Foreigners, I would say Patrice O'Neill, bill Burr. There is Wanda Sykes that I really love as well. Yeah, she's bad. Maria Bamford I don't know Maria Bamford. Get to know Maria.

Corie: 1:37:55

Bamford yeah, okay, so that's your four, yeah, local.

Cindy Ann: 1:38:00

Comedian, yeah, who do stand-up, or just funny people.

Corie: 1:38:06

Funny people. I say funny people just in case.

Cindy Ann: 1:38:09

Stokes and Hill. Ah oh, Stokes and Hill.

Corie: 1:38:12

Yeah.

Cindy Ann: 1:38:13

John Agitation. I'm trying to give some young people some blights too, but I'm really not too familiar with the work. I'm not too familiar with the work and I'm selling out my age but, this girl cosmetic surgery working. She looking good for 92.

Corie: 1:38:38

I love it, you know, because you're sending people to do the Googles.

Cindy Ann: 1:38:41

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, errol, we didn't have that many women. Beulah, I would say I'm trying to remember myself growing up and really tapping in. I always loved Stokes and Hill. There was a drunk mystery about him that appealed to my soul.

Corie: 1:38:59

Yeah, and there's still plenty with a little bit of words in it. Yeah, I love that.

Cindy Ann: 1:39:02

I love that and I grew up an old soul too, you know, yeah, we didn't have that many women.

Corie: 1:39:10

Yeah, now that I'm thinking about it, but you're changing that. You're changing that now.

Cindy Ann: 1:39:12

Yeah, we're changing that now.

Corie: 1:39:14

But you say in life, in life, yeah.

Cindy Ann: 1:39:18

My dad, my dad, my mom, my dad, my dad. I could have him. Yeah, you could have him four times. My father was the love of my life. I would say my son, because he's my son. But I don't know if he's ready for Mount Rushmore, so take him off. Can, but I don't know if you're ready for Mount Rushmore, so take him off.

Corie: 1:39:40

Can we start over? He's paying attention to the things you say, and I ask you that too.

Cindy Ann: 1:39:43

He's paying attention because of course, but you know what, you know why. It doesn't bother him at least because, he knows that he has me wrapped around all these things are really what I wish I could do, but I can't, so I'm like it. So at least I feel empowered by it but he would go and say mom, and I'll be like what happened? What do you need? I'm coming whereas I could say here fuck them kids and then I fall on the ground for him, but I would put my parents as my mom.

Cindy Ann: 1:40:09

Rush mom got. It got a big influence for you and paramin born yeah well then, we could put three of them on a bundle of size all right, good, that works.

Corie: 1:40:17

That works, david, you do a good job. Excellent, ma'am, thank you very much. I appreciate you coming, I'm going to tell everybody Cindy Ann Boston flying to come and record it with she comes with a specific purpose. We important like hell because she's dropped everything and she took a private jet the day before and she came back.

Cindy Ann: 1:40:34

Because she's made it A hundred percent. Oh my God, you know what I?

Corie: 1:40:37

mean, and you're welcome back anytime. We want you back as often as you come. I hope that I was telling you both, Kivo.

Cindy Ann: 1:40:46

I told them as well that when you come, closer to the event and you have everything and I'll come back. I would love to talk about it. We could do a nice panel discussion For sure. Oh, that would be so good. Maybe we