COMEDY: Mo Alexander, Evil Mastermind

THE SIGNAL is honored to announce a new regular contributor — the one and only Mo Alexander! Mo has graciously agreed to write a monthly column for THE SIGNAL. Read more about this “evil mastermind” and his plot to melt your mind with his madness. Then he'll put your brain back together — better, smarter and weirder.

”I’m trying to save the world, one comedy show at a time," says  Memphis, Tenn.-based comedian Mo Alexander, who describes himself as “Part evil mastermind; part werekoala of hilarity.”

The mastermind part is spot-on, but I've never actually witnessed his transformation into a eucalyptus-munching werebeast. (That's only after about a dozen shots of Patron, I hear. Give him Jose Cuervo and prepare for the koala to maul your face.)

Mo has been in comedy for almost two decades and has headlined all over the country in top clubs and theaters.

Locals know and love him from his legendary standup gigs at the late-and-lamented Parrot Bay nightclub in Galax, Galax Comedy Club and The Galax Smokehouse.

Mo says his style is twisted, insightful and aims to “offend those people and ideals that have offended him; ideals such as ignorance, narrow-mindedness and, for that matter, the easily offended.”

“Offensive” is subjective, of course, and part of his goal is to get people talking and thinking about things that society says they shouldn't. The result may leave your mouth hanging open like a trout, but your mind will be open, too.

The only predictability from his shows is that laughter and thought will ensue.

Mo has made it his mission in life to “Slap The Stupid,” a mantra he has also turned into a marketing plan with T-shirts and other merchandise.

His comedy is a fun, contradictory social study. That's the “mastermind” part of the equation.

Mo says he's “lovably evil” than diabolical, and a “techno-geek with social skills.”

He's into “geeky fun stuff,” but “not Magic Cards of D&D,” he says.

In other words, if he ever builds that death ray on his island lair, it will probably kill you with laughter or leave a gaping hole in your face where you're inhibitions and ability to be offended used to be.

Mo grew up in Memphis, on a steady diet of comedy classics like W.C. Fields, The Marx Bros., Bob Hope films, George Carlin and old Saturday Night Live skits. Watching A&E’s Evening at the Improv, he realized, “I’m better than these folks, I can do this!”

Soon after, he went to a local open mic in Memphis and began doing standup.

A few months into his newly found "hobby," Mo saw the late Bill Hicks perform, which changed his life. Mo said he threw away his notebook of jokes and started all over again, writing material that actually meant something to himself and other people.

He won the "Funniest Person in Memphis" contest before he even started headlining.

Mo came to national attention in 1999, when he opened for Keenan Ivory Wayans's comedy tour. He was in the running with actress/comedian Wanda Sykes for the opening slot on the tour, and Keenan chose Mo.

Touring with Wayans was a door for allowing him to be a contributing writer to Wayans’ hit Scary Movie.

He also had his own theater show, “The Mo Funny Show” in Las Vegas, with his partner in crime and comedy Matt Davis.

In 2010, Mo participated in the San Francisco comedy competition where he missed making the semi-finals by a .006 percent.

He has released four CDs of original material — The Mo Files (2000), Evolution (2004), Nappy Headed Hoes and Other FCC Infractions (2008) and his latest, 2012's Just in Case the Mayans are Right. He also has released one compilation, 2010's Teabaggin. 

BUY Mo's comedy CDs at CDBABy.com right here — www.cdbaby.com/cd/moalexander4

Mo has appeared on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, Comedy Central’s Laugh Riot, the BET staple Comic View and has even made an appearance in Poison’s Bret Michael’s film, Letters from Death Row.

He is a weekly guest of ESPN Radio’s Out of Bounds with Spanky Brown and The Spanky Brown Show, which can be heard on BlogTalkRadio.com. Mo can also be seen in drag in the movie Ray Stevens’ Get Serious, but he’d rather not talk about that.

In February 2012, he was featured on the nationally syndicated Bob & Tom radio program, where he has been invited to return soon to earn the moniker of a Bob & Tom regular.

Seeing Mo's live standup is where you get the best sense of the man. If you go to a show, buy him a shot — or 10 — of higher-end tequila (no Cuervo!) and watch a true entertainer push the limits of what you thought was possible in comedy, without ending up at your local police department.

You still might get locked up if you follow Mo's nightly advice to “get nekkid and go to Walmart.”

That's totally up to you.

We hope to launch Mo's new column this month at THE SIGNAL. In the meantime, you can visit his website, www.slapthestupid.com; keep up with his ongoing efforts at world domination on Facebook at www.facebook.com/comedianmoalexander or follow him on Twitter for a regular dose of insanity, www.twitter.com/moalexander.