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Even before appearing on NBC'S 'Last Comic Standing', Alonzo Bodden knew there was nothing, absolutely nothing that would ever make him give up comedy. "That's the drug", he says "when they laugh it's like I'm a jazz musician and they hear it, and they get it. It's power to take the crowd wherever I want them to go. I love it when they laugh, especially when they relate through laughter. It's a beautiful thing. It also means I'm going to get paid, which is nice."

Bodden didn't always make his living as a stand up comic. A graduate of Aviation High School, for 9 years he earned a paycheck as a jet mechanic for Lockheed and McDonnell Douglas. While comics around the country were making audiences laugh at airline jokes, Bodden was working on the top secret Stealth Bomber. It was during a stint as trainer that Alonzo discovered his ability to entertain a group of people. “I was teaching airplane mechanics when I realized it was more fun to make them laugh,” Bodden explains. “I was laid off one more time and I never looked back, although it was nice to have a steady paycheck and benefits.” He enrolled in a comedy class and the rest as they say, is comedy history.

Alonzo has always appreciated the benefits of doing stand up comedy, one of which is having fun on stage. He recalls one of his favorite experiences, I was working at the Brea Improv and in the middle of my set, a guy had a seizure. After the paramedics carted him off, I went up there, did 10 killer minutes on seizures and then got back to my set and the show kept rolling. It was great.

Bodden has ventured off the stage to have fun with his many roles on television and in film. He was the security guard, bouncer, crook, and/or a cop in 'Bringin Down the House', 'The Girl Next Door', 'Angel', and 'Grounded For Life', to name a few. Alonzo won the Season 3 grand prize on NBC's 'Last Comic Standing' after placing as runner-up on Season 2. He’s also appeared on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and the “Late, Late Show” with Craig Kilbourne.

Alonzo describes his material as cynically good natured in an angry suburban Negro kind of way. While he strongly believes that all young comics should study Bill Cosby, he freely admits that his mom is the funniest person he knows. When his family and friends attend his shows he loves and appreciates it.

One of the great things about Bodden's career is that he can make you laugh and fix your Learjet. One day Alonzo hopes to have his own Learjet.

Added by thedcimprov on October 19, 2012

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