Damon Wayans Keeps It Moving

Damon Wayans loves to keep it moving. The comedian, producer, actor and writer has several projects coming up on stage, on television and on the Web.

He'll be in New York on Nov. 9 to perform in concert at the city's Beacon Theater as part of the New York Comedy Festival.

The comedian will also be rolling out a new Web site, WayoutTV.com.

These projects come on the heels of a report that he's just signed a deal with ABC to star in a new sitcom that he'll write and executive produce with his "My Wife And Kids" collaborator, Don Reo.

Recently Wayans spoke to The ShowBuzz's Judy Faber about his busy schedule, controversy over his use of the "N" word, and some not-so-favorite high school memories.

Q: I heard you went to Murray Bergtraum High School in New York?

A: Yeah. I got thrown out. I was too funny. I was supposed to be in the first graduating class, but they threw me out after the 10th grade.

I went to three different high schools. I went there, I went to Charles Evans Hughes, and then I went to one of those high schools they send you to right before they send you to jail. So I ended up getting a GED and (joining) Job Corps.

Q: Have you ever run into any of your teachers?

I've run into teachers.

Q: What do they say?

A: They try to claim credit.

Q: Do any of them deserve it?

A: There was only one teacher who was ever really supportive of me and his name was Mr. Friedman. My science teacher, biology. He thought I was funny. He would tell me "you're funny" and he'd give me a little time at the end of the week to do my jokes.

Q: Have you found that in general, dealing with the suits in Hollywood, that if you don't play by the rules it freaks them out?

A: Oh yeah. Everybody wants to put you in a box and have you be "the black guy" on a show or in a movie. This is a town of -- it's a cookie-cutter town. That's why all the movies are the same and they do sequel after sequel because they want to make sure that they make money. They'd rather make mediocrity than take a chance and believe that that's going to make money.

Q: There's also a movie that you did called "Harlem Aria."

A: "Harlem Aria" never was released. It's a great movie; this is what I'm saying about, you know, Hollywood doesn't really support anything new. This is just a little independent film that was never released, but it's a really good film. It's about a retarded guy who sings, like an idiot savant. He's befriended by this homeless guy who convinces him that he's going to become a huge opera star. They become really good friends. It was not released at all. I don't even know where it is.

Q: That must be so frustrating for you.

A: Um, no. That's why I stay busy and don't give myself time to be disappointed by anything. At any given time I'm doing something and it's something that I want to do. If I had been sitting around waiting for "Harlem Aria" to come out, I would have killed myself.

Q: You taped a stand-up comedy special this summer. What are we going to hear from that routine?

A: I talk about how Paul McCartney's divorced and how he had to pay all this money to get rid of a woman with one leg. And he didn't even get a rebate for the part of her that was missing.

I'll also be talking about the "N" word and how it's something that was used in Europe and we're under the impression that it was created in a laboratory here. But it means poor, lowly, despicable people. So to know that white people are the original "n*****" takes all the sting out of it for me.

Q: Can you tell me about WayoutTV.com?

A: It's going to launch about the time of my special. It's basically me taking people under my wing and teaching them how to write, direct, produce and star in their own vehicles. It's just for streaming, it's not for downloading. It's kind of like cable TV back in the day.

Q: Do you have any lines that you won't cross?

A: You know, I think tact is really important in whatever you do. The only line I try not to cross is I don't do jokes about God because I don't want God to do jokes about Damon.

For me, I believe that a good comic should be able to go anywhere. Nothing should be off center. But then you learn that sometimes what you say can hurt. But, comics live in the moment, they don't think 'oh, I'm gonna hurt them.'