Don’t Ban D-Rock!

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Photo: D-Rock - www.kasoyf.com

D-Rock

D-Rock

Local comedian D-Rock recent entered rarified air for the city's funny folk when his “Don’t Ban Me” special was picked up by television streaming service Tubi. He is willing, however, to share that honor with the city he reps. 

“That’s why I said we on Tubi, more than just me,” he recalls of the video he posted on social media about the hour of chuckles being distributed by the free video streamer. Word on the Little Rock/Pine Bluff, AR native who grew up in Milwaukee made its way to the suits at the company because, as D-Rock notes, “Tubi reached out (to me), so there it was, an opportunity.” 

“Don’t Ban Me” may be enjoyed by anyone with internet access and already has or wants to create a Tubi account. Anyone wanting to see D-Rock in the capacity of a joke-cracking event host can do so 6 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 21 when he takes the mic to fete Milwaukee's self-proclaimed “baddest band in the land,” Cigarette Break, on the occasion of their 20th anniversary for “Encore: The All White Band Bazaar” held at The Garage at The Harley Davidson Museum (400 W. Canal St.).

As with many of his dates, D-Rock will likely be among fellow adults at Cigarette Break’s bazaar. That differs from his day job at Milwaukee Public Schools. “I am a safety aid trainer for the Division of School Safety. Over 12 years,” he proclaims. His work during fall-to spring daylight hours also provides him fodder for some of his most of his uproarious bits. 

Funny Stories

“I feel that it is a lot of funny things that go on at our jobs each and every day and we are educating the public while making them laugh about our jobs,” D-Rock observes regarding his and other comics’ current or former work in education. Viewers of “Don’t Ban Me” will certainly get a feel for D-Rock’s town via his material about his association with MPS and stories about his family. 

But the special contains many moments of Milwaukee that will resonate with locals and builds the world around D-Rock for anyone not familiar with his home town. “Well, growing up in the city of Milwaukee … is very interesting,” he shares, adding that his Southern birthplace “is so different from the North. Being raised here was always funny to me.”

Of his comedy epiphany, he remembers that he was in his early 20s “when I understood that something was there, always being funny in class at school and in the neighborhood, It was always natural. But after seeing a live comedy show hosted by Damon Williams from Chicago was (the impetus) of me getting paid to be funny.” 

“Don’t Ban Me” represents both a milestone for D-Rock personally and greater visibility for Milwaukee comedy in the main. And just as he shares that career triumph with the place where he developed his talent, he wants to bring others on board with him as his profile rises. 

“I want to have more specials, to be on a bigger platform like Netflix, or even Tubi again, all showing other comedians that are not yet seen like myself, helping them like I was helped.” 

Since “Don’t Ban Me”hasn’t been broken up into smaller bits for distribution apart from Tubi, here's D-Rock’s promotional video from his pre-streaming stardom days, wherein he elicits a good many well-earned, adroitly set-up laughs: