The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Former teacher returns home to NEO for Hilarities shows
Once a middle school instructor, Northeast Ohio native Al Jackson has been shaking off the rust on the road
Northeast Ohio native Al Jackson can’t wait to come home, if for no other reason than to talk about his beloved Cleveland Browns.
“They’re really good on paper, and it’s scary,” said Jackson, who appears Aug. 27 and 28 at Hilarities 4th Street Theatre. “I’ve never seen a Browns team like this. It reminds me of a fantasy team.”
A fantasy is somewhat what Jackson has been living for the past decade and a half as a nationally touring comedian and current co-host of the nationally syndicated TV show “Daily Blast Live,” which can be seen at 2 p.m. weekdays on WKYC-TV 3.
As far as his love of comedy, that started when Jackson — a 1995 Beachwood High School graduate — was young. However, a path to fulfill his destiny wasn’t evident.
“It’s very weird because I loved comedy as a youngster, but unlike now, where you can now go on YouTube and figure out what kind of career you want and how you want to go about it, there was no blueprint when I was in high school during the ’90s,” said Jackson, calling from his Denver home.
“I always thought I was funny, but I thought all of my friends were funny, so I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
That’s why — after Jackson graduated with a teaching degree from Mississippi’s Tougaloo College (“Nobody knows the college, which sounds like something you’d yell at the end of a card game”) — he moved to Miami and started working as a middle school teacher.
Ironically, that experience emboldened Jackson to take a shot at an openmic night.
“I was fighting for my life as a middle school teacher, which was really the genesis of me kind of getting the courage to do stand-up,” Jackson said.
“I stood in front of 40 seventh graders for six hours every day. I kept their attention. I’m used to talking in a room where nobody else is talking. It’s a weird skillset, but it really transferred over.
“So I found an open mic in Miami. When I pulled up, I was so scared, but I knew if I didn’t go in and try, I would think about it for the rest of my life. I put my car in park, went in, and the rest is history.”
Less than six months later, Jackson, who was still teaching at the time, won a Maxim comedy contest and opened for Joe Rogan and Charlie Murphy.
“I remember thinking to myself right before I walked out, ‘This must be a dream,’” Jackson said.
“I was still like a fan who got picked to go out and do stand-up, but it’s been 15 years. I couldn’t be happier.”
Compared to the likes of Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock and George Carlin, observational funnyman Jackson has appeared on HBO, FX and Comedy Central.
Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the comedian has been off the
road for the last 18 months. He only recently restarted touring, which he admitted did require an acclimation period.
“Just like anything else, there’s still rust when you first get back out there,” Jackson said. “\You have to remember how this joke goes and let me keep my pacing together, but it’s like riding a bike.
“After you make it around the block one time, it’s all muscle memory. I’m excited to get back. It’s a good time to be alive.”