How to Go
What: Sinbad
Where: Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Cincinnati
When: 7 p.m., May 13
Cost: $42.50
More Info: 513-232-6220 or www.tafttheatre.org.
The stand-up comedian and actor, Sinbad, whose appearance at the Taft Theatre this weekend is one of 200 shows he performs annually, is also known for speaking at events such as Macworld, the annual Apple trade show, where he tells jokes and gives knowledgeable opinions about computer operating systems.
“I’m a tech nerd, I had a computer in 1983,” he said. “Young people like to make fun of us old guys, but we built that crap back when it was hard to do. I was staying in a hotel once where I had to unscrew the phone to get my modem going. The maids called security because they thought I was a terrorist.”
Sinbad achieved his greatest visibility in the 1990s, beginning as a stand-up comic and then starring in popular movies like “Necessary Roughness” and “Houseguest,” as well as his own Fox sitcom. “The Sinbad Show” was canceled after one season in 1994, along with “Roc,” “In Living Color,” and “South Central” in what might be called a veritable bloodbath of African-American-themed television. Network executives cited low ratings, but Sinbad stated without a shred of doubt that institutional racism was (and is) still strong enough to trump even a healthy bottom line.
“There’s no theory here, man,” he said. “They put on a lot of black shows, and once they get successful, they let them go, like they’ve had enough of them. It’s called the white washout. There’s an older group of Americans who haven’t grown as America has grown. We’re a generation from that ending, I think, so there is hope.”
Indeed, Sinbad is resolutely unimpressed by the popularity of current shows, such as “Black-ish” and “Empire.”
“That’s two shows,” he said. “What does that tell you?”
Nonetheless, Sinbad is eager to return to Hollywood, in either the TV or film mediums.
“I’m writing some stuff,” he said. “I’ll do my pitches and see who catches. What I did before is just the tip of the iceberg. I want to do drama, horror movies. I never wanted to do just one thing. I want to do everything, like Robin Williams, Bill Murray, and Denzel.”
Sinbad had the unique experience of spending time with both Hilary Clinton (during a 1990s USO tour of the Balkans) and Donald Trump (Sinbad appeared on “The Celebrity: Apprentice” in 2010). Among non-politicians, this gives him a perspective on the presumptive upcoming electoral battle that’s more unique than most.
“What you see is what you get from Hilary,” he said. “I knew Donald, but I don’t know who this Donald is. I think he’s suffering from dementia. I think there’s something seriously wrong with him and nobody wants to say anything.”
Like several people who were personally close to Bill Cosby — his former co-stars, Phylicia Rashad and Keshia Knight Pulliam, for instance — Sinbad can’t help but doubt the mounting allegations against him.
“I would never put it down if something happened,” he said. “It’s just that when you know somebody so well, and you’ve never seen that behavior… I think Gloria Allred (the civil rights lawyer representing several of Cosby’s alleged victims) destroyed him with the numbers game.
“There’s supposedly 50 women, but some of them dropped, some admitted they lied. There are only three strong cases. People ask me, ‘What if it was your daughter?’ And my point is, where are the men? Where are the husbands, fathers, and brothers of these women? Why haven’t they spoken out? We won’t know until it goes to court, and I’m glad it’s going to court.”
About the Author