Damon Rozier “Beating The Odds”

Damon Rozier

He’s funny, creative and full of life.  He has travelled all over the world to make people laugh.   He’s a comedian and definitely headed in the right direction.   He’s a shining star who would light up your life with his smile…  He’s Damon Rozier…..  A man on a mission.    

*I’ve seen you at the Laugh Lounge.  Now you’re at The Essence Bar and Lounge hosting your own show.  Tell me a little something about your new job as a host.

Damon:  Well…  I did a gig there several years ago.  Pretty much when I first started doing comedy, the owner asked me to host a show one day after I had performed in his place.  We had such a good connection. Arthur (the owner) decided to give me a job hosting events in his lounge.  It’s been 9 years now and I still have a great time doing it. 

*So, he basically took you under his wings.

Damon:   Well, I took him under my wings to be exact.  I bring the show.  He gives me a budget to do the show.  But I bring the best show that I can bring every week. 

*The first time I saw you, you we’re at the Laugh Lounge.  How did you start working there?

Damon:  A great promoter of the establishment, “Grant Cooper”, invited me to do a show there.  He was very nice to me.  As I was doing the show,   people just laughed at all of my jokes.  Because of the audience response, Grant   invited me back to do other shows.  The Laugh Lounge had a lot of stairs and the stage was in the lower part of the establishment.   They had an elevator  in the Lounge.   I was able to go up and down the elevator because I am in a wheel chair you know.  They made it very simple for me..  The Laugh Lounge closed down since then.    

*What made you get into comedy?

Damon:  I’ve been doing comedy for 10 years now.  I started comedy because I’ve never seen anyone in a wheelchair doing it.  So the hustler side of me said, How lucrative my life would be if I became really funny and then eventually got on television.  I just started thinking about my life and everything I’ve been through.   With the situation I’m in, I knew I had to make my jokes funny.  My topics are not about political stuff.  I don’t go into a lot of political jokes.  I talk about my life, my children’s life.  I also talk about dating while in my situation.  I talk about travelling and just about my everyday antics of what I do to keep myself lifted.  People enjoy my jokes. 

*Can you give me a synopsis of the type of jokes you would say to a crowd?

Damon:  Normally, when I come to the stage, I would try to get the women on my side because the show is predominantly women. Women are more in tune with their sensitive side.   So, I begin my comedy like this;   Ladies…  You need to stop messing with these walking men.  Because walking men aren’t about  nothing.  They hurt your feelings.  And I’m not here to just tell some jokes.  I’m here to prove a point.  Ladies and Ladies only, I need your help.  Be honest with me tonight.  By round of applause;   if you’ve ever been hurt by a man just one time, clap it up.  Every woman claps because every woman has been hurt by a man.  I then say…   Since you ladies are being so honest with me, tell me; how many ladies in the house tonight been hurt by a man in a wheelchair?  Silence, no one claps.  They burst into laughter.  I then say….  Statistics say that one of y’all should talk to me when I get off this stage.  You know I’m looking sexier and sexier by the minute.  By now, everyone is laughing even harder.  So yeah, once I break that ice, I can go anywhere with my jokes.

*Where were you born and raised? And what schools have you attended?

Damon:  I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY.  My mom is still alive but my dad died when I was younger.  I went to John Dewey High School.  I graduated from there and I had to immediately started working.  I didn’t have the opportunity to go to college.   Reality of life took the place of attending college 17 years ago.  I had things to do that were more important than attending college at that time. I’m 47 years old.  I will be 48 next year in 2015.  I’m looking forward to hitting that 50 mark two years from now. I work out a lot to keep myself healthy and looking good.   I just want to be as sexy as I can be. That’s all I’m talking about.  I just want to look sexy when I get there. 

*Do you have any children?

Damon:  Yes I do.  I’ve been blessed to have two sons.  They are 18 and 19 right now and the both of them are in college.  I’m a single father.  I raised them both on my own.  Their names are Damon Jr. and Dashaun.  Both of my kids live with me and they both attend Kingsborough Community College.  I’m so proud of them.  I was never married but, I was engaged to their mother.  It didn’t work out after I as injured.  Right now, I’m working on getting married.    I’ve been with my Fiancé Crystal for 7 years.  She looks like she’s the winner – GOD willing.  Nothing is promised, but I think she’s going to be Mrs. Rozier.  She holds me down and that’s a beautiful thing.  She had always had my back. 

*Tell me a little something about your debut on B.E.T.

Damon:  Wow!!  B.E.T., I appeared on B.E.T. in 2010.  Bob Sumner – who’s been in the comedy game for a long time gave me my shot and I pretty much nailed it.  The world was opened up to something on that day.  Something they had never seen before, something totally different, and that was me.  To be able to take people on a ride in the comedy world has been amazing.  When you see me in a wheelchair, you automatically want to feel sorry for me.  But, you can’t feel sorry for me because my life is too busy.  I nailed it.  I nailed the show for B.E.T.  It went National.  After the show, I received a lot of phone calls to work with Kevin Hart.  Kevin Hart hosted the show.  It was a pleasure working with him.  Right now, we all know that he is on top of the universe.  (Damon and I laughed).  But yeah, I’m coming too.  I’m coming up.   It’s in the atmosphere.  It’s a beautiful thing to be able to travel to all of these different places like LA and other places and perform.  I’m able to take people on a ride they have never been on before.  I’m excited. 

*Damon.  I want you to tell me something no one knows about you.  

Damon:  Well…. – I’ve been in 9 New York City Marathons and I finished each and every one of them.  I’ve been involved with the Marathon since I’ve been injured.   I want to do #10 (NYC Marathon) which is coming up next year in 2015.   Each marathon was 26.2 miles.  The last one I ran was in 2012.  GOD willing, I will be in the next marathon in 2015.  I want it.  So pretty much what I want I get.   So yeah, I will be in the next one. 

    -Another thing people don’t know about me is…  I play wheelchair rugby and   I swim.  Yes I swim.   I try not to leave any avenues unlocked in my world.  I open up all avenues with GOD.  All praise due.  All credit goes to GOD.  A month ago in November of this year, I got picked to do this study with this Exo Skeleton  Professirx.  It’s a backpack which is placed on my back and it’s connected to a lower place where it locks to my feet.  I was able to take my first steps with this machine. The company has been looking for people for this study.  It’s a beautiful thing that I was chosen.  We do have video of that on You tube – Damonrozier45walks. Go to You Tube and watch me walk. 

    -I drive.  Yes I do.  I’ve been driving all my life. I’ve been driving before and since my   injury 17 years ago.  (Damon reminisces about his accident). I was involved in a motorcycle accident 17 years ago.  A lady made an illegal u-turn and she clipped my motorcycle.    But with the blessings of life we’re able to do whatever we want to do.  With me being able to drive and everything else, is all due to GOD.

    -I also ski.   I ski with my hands.  My hands are strong enough to do that.  My hands are strong enough for everything I do.  I’m pretty much living a normal life as if I was walking.  But I’m in a wheelchair.  Go figure. 

*Damon.  When and how did the accident occur?   

Damon:  The accident happened on April 30, 1997.  It was a regular day.  Instead of taking my car, I decided to take my motorcycle.  I drove my motorcycle to an event and I decided to leave a little early to pick up my Fiancé.  I was riding my motorcycle when a car, which was driven by a lady, made an illegal u-turn and clipped the side of my bike. The bike flew and landed on my head snapping my neck in two places.   It also broke my hip. I had to get 84 stitches in my hip.  It took 6 surgeons to stabilize me.  This injury left me paralyzed from my chest down.  I’m considered to be a quadriplegic.   All four of my limbs are damaged in some kind of way.  They rushed me to a hospital in Staten Island first and then they transferred me to Mount Sinai hospital in Manhattan.  I was in Mount Sinai for 6 months in the rehabilitation unit.  Mount Sinai showed me the basics of what it was going to be like –  living in the world again. 

When I was in the hospital, everyone came to visit me.  They came to help me.  They showed support.  But when you get home, reality sits in and lets you know that you are truly different from this point on.   The therapy really helped me a lot.  I had to think about my kids while going through therapy.  I didn’t have time to mourn about my condition or my situation because I didn’t want my kids to see me weak.   I wasn’t weak when I was on my feet.  I had to go back to fighting immediately.  Of course I thought about death at that point.  Absolutely, death was easy.  Living this life right here was hard.  Especially coming from where I was because I wasn’t born like this.  And then you really get to see how people treat you differently when you’re in a wheelchair.  They really do.  It was a real process to try to put myself back in order and my faith carried me through it a lot.  I thought about my kids.  Who was going to raise my kids if I killed myself.  I knew how vicious this world could be.  So, I decided to fight back.   

17 years later, I’m just defying the odds.  When your heart is strong, you just refuse to give up.  I used to say this to myself….  You’re a hard battle to fight.  You’re not giving up.  You’re not laying down.  So every obstacle this world has given me, I have risen above it.  That’s where I’m at right now.  I’m just giving a lot of people a lot of inspiration and hope.  I’m not just talking about people with disabilities, I’m talking about everyone who’s been on my Face Book, my Twitter and my Instagram.  You can see everything that I go through on social media because social media is showing it to you.   The World gets to see my life.   I’m actually happy to bring that much love to the world.  People could be inspired by me.     

*So Damon, what’s next? 

Damon:  The stars.  The stars are next.  I want my own T.V. show.  I want to see more people in my situation get movie roles.  I want them to get their own sitcoms.  It’s just time.  It’s time for us to break out and do what we need to do.  My biggest thing is comedy.  It’s always good.  Comedy is always good. 

Damon has many ideas – and they are definitely heading in the right direction.  He’s been hosting his own show for 9 years; been on B.E.T.; He’s travelled around the world and been in the comedy spotlight for a very long time.  He can walk, swim, ski and drive.  He’s definitely beating the odds.  Odds doctors told him he won’t be able to do.  Maybe he will get his own show on television.   “It’s in The Universe.”