S A S E D D R I C K. Immediately the laughter rises within my soul just thinking about the time I spent with funny man Saseddrick on a quiet Sunday afternoon off of Peach Orchard sitting in a coffee shop. Man O’ Man…Saseddrick is funny and full of life with great energy; you can sense it. For a minute there; I thought, I was being interviewed by Saseddrick; he quickly flipped the script on me and I became the interviewee which allowed our conversation to flow with great ease. I felt like I had known him all my life; he felt like a family member. We had a great conversation talking about random things around Augusta, the entertainment industry, our kids and life in general. I asked him what was something on his bucket list…and quickly, his mind shifted as he thought about his dreams and future aspirations.
He said, besides traveling to LA and NYC this was a very good question for him. My bucket list is kind of full of stuff you just don’t understand. I became a parent very early in life and so this has been my primary focus regardless of my dreams and aspirations; working and parenting were the focus. But, now they are grown!!! Now, I get to think about so much; like, what do I do with myself now, hmm! The first thing on my bucket is for me to become a full-time entertainer. I want to do comedy full-time and travel around the country seeing all types of things. My next bucket list item would be to travel outside the country to places like Paris, Greece, Rome, Italy to really have a new experience. I did live in Panama for a while; but, that’s not as far as I would like to travel. That was when my dad was in the military. It’s the various cultures I would like to experience and see firsthand; I want to see how people live. Please continue learning more about Comedian Saseddrick. . .
QUESTIONS:
Q. What inspired you or led you to your current career?
A. I’ve always enjoyed laughing and entertainment and performing. Being inspired by comedians; I watched them while I was growing up; such comedians like Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, and Bill Cosby. I looked at them and said, I want to do that. That one thing that I noticed was that they were spreading joy and by sharing that gift it caused people to laugh and to experience this joy even beyond that immediate joke shared. Comedians take few troubles away from people even if just for a brief moment. I wanted to do that—to be a comedian and bring joy to others.
Q. What is your favorite restaurant in Augusta, and what do you love there?
A. That’s a great question. There are a couple of restaurants that I tend to enjoy in Augusta; you know, I am trying my best to stay away from fast foods. Red Shark, they offer a variety of foods for the palate. This is my favorite late-night spot. Longhorns. . . oh, boy’ they are another favorite of mine; they are located off of Washington Road. They have the best steak and their chicken is good as well.
Q. How long have you lived or worked in Augusta?
A. I’ve lived in Augusta since I was in second grade; actually, I have resided in this area for 30 years. We are originally from Southwest Georgia. My dad moved here in the military.
Q. Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in Augusta? Who would you like to see nominated as a Face of Augusta?
A. I’ve met a lot of diverse people here. The most interesting person I know in Augusta is probably, Mayor Hardy Davis. With his background as a pastor, being a senator and also coming back here to be the mayor and being Black; that’s very, very profound. Very professional brother, he’s grace under fire.
Q. If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be? And why?
A. Probably New York or Los Angeles. I have never been to either one of those places; I just want to see the lights. I’ve got to get there. That’s on my bucket list, very soon to-do bucket list. I need that man. The pizza. #Yeah. I get tired of everything closing in Augusta so early. Everything shuts down here at two o’clock a.m. and I am not able to get various types of food real late at night. See that’s why I love Red Shark they are 24 hours and they cook different types of food. I just want to see the sights and take it all in. I’ve got a good friend that lives in LA; he’s an actor and a singer. He’s been trying to get me to visit for years; my kids are grown now and I am just going to do it–I am going to go.
Q. What is your favorite movie OR what is the first movie you remember seeing in a theatre?
A. The Rocky series. The first movie I can remember is Aristocats.
Q. What advice would you give a crowd of people?
A. Live. Love. Laugh every day and think outside the box. Never believe that anything is impossible. The way the world is set up now there are so many things that are available; so many opportunities we need to take advantage of. You just have to believe that you can achieve different things and you can, if only you think outside the box. I believe, when we don’t think outside the box–you hold yourself back.
Q. What is something on your bucket list?
A. Besides traveling to LA and NYC; that’s a very good question again. My bucket list is kind of full of stuff; you don’t understand. I became a parent very early in life and so this has been my focus; working and parenting. But, now they are grown!!! Now, I think about so much; like, what do I do with myself now. The first thing on my bucket is for me to become a full-time entertainer. I want to do comedy full-time and travel around the country seeing all types of things. My next bucket list item would be to travel outside the country to places like Paris, Greece, Rome, Italy to really have a new experience. I did live in Panama for a while; but, that’s not as far as I would like to travel. That was when my dad was in the military. It’s the various cultures I would like to experience and see firsthand; I want to see how people live.
Q. What is your favorite music/ 3 bands you would like to see (dead or alive)?
A. Can we say R&B Music? Yes, I love R&B music. I love music more than I love comedy; I am just better at being a comedian than a musician. Three people I would like to see dead or alive: Michael Jackson, Prince and Frankie Beverly & Maze. I’ve seen Frankie Beverly & Maze already like four times. I just want to see them again; it is crazy because their music is so nostalgic that they perform and they haven’t had a studio album in almost 30 years.
Q. What current / former local business makes you the most nostalgic about Augusta?
A. I’ve been here for a long time. I’ve seen a lot of stuff come and go and I think the longevity of something like Pyramid Music stays with me. When you go into their location and you look at the number of stars that have been in there establishment by the photos on their walls, and the fact that they’re Black own and they’re still in business; that is so amazing. They are a staple in Augusta and should be recognized as such. The father was able to pass the business on to his daughters who work there and it’s just a nostalgic feeling about the Augusta culture. You get to what it was like when Augusta was really hot and really popping like the people that came through this town and the level of artists on their walls is amazing. I advise anybody if you are downtown; just stop by and check out there music selection and take a look at the Polaroids that they have on the wall, the different stars and it puts you in perspective of where Augusta really was.
Q. Choosing anyone alive and a non-relative: with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? Where in Augusta would you have lunch?
A. I would like to sit and talk with somebody like Martin Luther King and just talk about causes. I think we lost a sense of Black pride over the years. The younger generation is so much more technologically advanced. They’re not in touch with, you know, being proud of being Black or knowing what it means to be Black. So, I would like to sit down and talk with Martin Luther King about the things that he went through and asked him about the plight of the things occurring today to see what his take on it would be. Another person I would like to sit and talk too would be President Barack Obama. Barack really transcended into something no other Black person has ever accomplished. Being the president of the United States and the scrutiny that he was under Barack is very happy right now. He chilling, he is laughing because they had that brother stressed out.
Q. What is your favorite thing or something unique about Augusta?
A. The Riverwalk area.
Q. Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?
A. Traveling and doing comedy shows. Hopefully, traveling and exploring the world and not residing in Augusta.
Q. (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
A. Oh, I’m pretty transparent. I think everything about me is pretty much hands-on. Many don’t know this about me; I like hanging out with white people. I love the white culture. I listen to white music from time to time. I’m very in tune musically and pretty much eclectic. If it sounds good to me, I can roll with it. You know, I listen to all types of music. I listened to country-pop music because we came up in an era where it wasn’t just defined as R&B. Everything was kind of in the melting pot. They call it all pop at one time: Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, but he’s really an R&B artist. You know, we didn’t have all these video shows as they have now.
Q. Can you describe the neighborhood you grew up in?
A. My neighborhood was a cool laidback and middle-class. I grew up in what Woodvalley Estates herein Augusta. You had a lot of working-class people and a lot of military people.
Q. What 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
A. (1) Home (2) Comfort and d(3) Family
Q. If you were cast into a major motion picture and had your choice of anyone to be your co-star, who would you choose?
A. Megan Good
Q. If you had a full-time staff member that was fully paid for, who would you choose? {Chef, Housekeeper, Driver, Coach, Physical Fitness Trainer, or Nanny} WHY?
A. It’s between the housekeeper and physical fitness training. Because I know I need that; the fitness training to get right.
Q. If you could hold on to one memory from your life forever, what would that be?
A. One memory for life? It would be the very first time I opened up for Steve Harvey; I felt like I was on top of the world. I had made it and I had never performed for that many people before at one time. Well, actually I did it. I think in 2012 would probably be the most memorable moment; because I actually had a long conversation with him and he got to see me perform. He gave me some great advice because I was new back then. What stands out for me…I shook his hand and his hand was so heavy because he had this big watch on and his whole jacket was like incrusted with something shiny and it was like, man, I don’t know what to say at this moment.
Q. Who has been the biggest influence on your life? What lessons did that person teach you?
A. The biggest influence on my life has been my grandmother. She’s always taught me that, that no matter what happens in life, you can still overcome various circumstances. She has never once, turned her back on me or ever, ever spoken anything negative. No matter what I did, she always kept it positive and she’s always believed in me. It’s good to have someone in your corner. A lot of times when you are creative, most people don’t get you, they don’t understand because they can’t see how you envision things.
OUR FINAL QUESTION
Q. IF YOU COULD SHARE ONE PIECE OF ADVICE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
My father always told me that, if you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything. You have to know who you are and what you’re trying to do; what you’re trying to accomplish. You cannot let anyone else take that away from you. You have to form an idea of what you want to do. Most people fail to plan. So you have to be strong mentally and keep that in mind.
Thank you Saseddrick. You made my experience easy and comfortable. To new beginnings. Friends for Life.
