Tony Rock follows brother Chris' comic trail

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

•	Tony Rock 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday The Laugh Factory at Marine Corps Base Hawaii's E Club $15 general; $10 military 931-4490 8 p.m. Thursday and June 20-22 The Laugh Factory at Queen Kapi'olani Hotel $20 general; $15 kama'aina and military 931-4490

"It's not a big deal to me," insisted Tony, 27, in town beginning Monday night for a week of performances at The Laugh Factory. "I have three older brothers, so I was always 'Little Chris,' 'Little Andre' or 'Skinny Charles.' It's the same thing I've been growing up with all my life."

As the middle Rock boy among seven brothers and one sister, Tony said, "I never wore the clothes first, never went to the parties first, didn't have a car first, and didn't do comedy first. I never did anything first. And it still hasn't changed."

Chuckling while recalling such memories, Tony credited Chris with turning him on to comedy long before his older brother got his first big break as a "Saturday Night Live" cast member in 1990. No, Tony's voice doesn't sound at all similar to Chris' Bedford-Stuyvesant class-clown rasp. Instead, imagine a calmer, gentler, less-caffeinated vox and a more laid-back sense of humor revolving around everyday life.

"I think I was bred to be a comic, because Chrissy would make us watch 'SNL' even if we didn't want to watch it," said Tony. And this was long before the elder Rock was even on the show.

Other comedy legends Chris fed Tony a steady diet of included Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Woody Allen and Dick Gregory.

Tony compared his brother's encouragement with that of an excited baseball parent who wanted above all else to get his kid into the majors.

"He just wanted us to appreciate it," Tony said of Chris' love of comedy. "If you're into classical music and you're listening with a friend, you really want them to understand the nuances and why you love it so much. You want them to see the beauty that you see in it. Chris was like that."

Tony finally went pro (read that as: became a full-time comic) five years ago. He'd spent the five years before that developing his act at New York comedy clubs while working day jobs.

"I'm on stage every night, seven days a week," Tony said of his present New York schedule. "On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays I probably do five clubs a night. I enjoy it that much."

Tony confessed that he was still working to find his own unique style, or "voice," as a comedian, but was well on his way.

He'll launch a hosting gig on a new (and obviously previously taped) Oxygen network game show, "Can You Tell," at 4:30 p.m. Monday, and will be in the cast of UPN's "All of Us," a new fall sitcom executive-produced by Will Smith.

"I would give all of that up for 'SNL,' though," said Tony, of the Saturday night comedy institution that launched his brother's career. "That's the dream job. That's the gig that pretty much made me want to be a comic. I'd work 24-hour shifts for 'SNL.' "

Describing the good and bad of attempting a comedy career in his brother's huge shadow, Tony was able to find humor in tales of an early manager who told him to consider changing his famous last name and peers who labeled him crazy for not asking Chris to put him in a movie or take him on tour. He took some deserved pride at, thus far, making it on his own and carving his own piece of the Rock family legacy.

"The name opens doors, but talent keeps you in the room," said Tony. "You don't believe me, go ask Frank Stallone."