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Captain morgan: how did funnyman Tracy Morgan make the leap from Saturday Night Live to his very own sitcom? A lot of squats, for starters - End Zone - Interview

Men's Fitness, Feb, 2004 by Mark Remy

FOR SEVEN SEASONS, Tracy Morgan's characters, including animal enthusiast Brian Fellow; Woodrow, the homeless romantic; and Dominican Lou, have cracked up on SNL. The 35-year-old comedian, a native New Yorker, is the voice of Spoonie Luv on Comedy Central's Crank Yankers. And he does dead-on impressions of everyone from Maya Angelou to Mike Tyson. But his latest and greatest role is neither poet nor pugilist: It's Tracy Morgan, as in The Tracy Morgan Show, on NBC.

FIRST, THE IMPORTANT STUFF: WHO WOULD WIN IN A FIGHT, SAFARI PLANET HOST BRIAN FELLOW OR WOODROW? Brian Fellow would scratch Woodrow up.

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ONWARD. HAVE YOU EVER MET ANYONE YOU IMPERSONATE? LIKE MIKE TYSON OR STAR JONES? Mike is a friend of mine. I love him. We're from the same neighborhood. And Star Jones is a friend, too. In fact, I've been on The View.

HOW ABOUT MAYA ANGELOU? Nah, I've never met Ms. Angelou. I'd love to, though.

NOW THAT WE'VE GOT THAT OUT OF THE WAY, TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW SHOW. I play an auto mechanic, an entrepreneur, a pillar of the community, a husband, and a father. Just like my real life.

WHAT DO YOU DRIVE IN REAL LIFE? I have a few cars: an Escalade EXT, an Infiniti, a green Jaguar S-Type, and a red Jaguar S-Type. Those are my four babies.

DO YOU TINKER WITH THEM, LIKE ON THE SHOW? Nah, I'm totally clueless.

OH. WE WERE PICTURING YOU WORKING ON YOUR CAR WITH YOUR SHIRT OFF AND STUFF. That ain't me. I'm not a mechanical-type guy. More of an athlete. I never thought I'd have my own show. I thought I was going to the NFL. I wanted to halfback for the Dallas Cowboys, like Tony Dorsett. Either that or be a track star.

YOU WERE A FAST KID? Yeah. I had a few records at my high school in the Bronx. But kids today are much swifter than when we were young. I recently went back and got my diploma, and I didn't have any records anymore.

SO, ARE YOU RIPPED OR WHAT? No, no, no. I've been keeping in shape lately, tightening everything up, but I've still got my gut. My gut ain't going nowhere. But everything else is tight.

WHAT'S YOUR ROUTINE? A lot of cardiovascular, a lot of body sculpting. Just keeping the blood moving. Right now, my main focus is on my lower body. A lot of squats and lunges. I want to get some power in my legs.

COME ON, NO ONE FOCUSES ON THEIR LEGS. Yeah, I do. You need power in your legs for stamina. Bruce Lee knew it. See, I live by Bruce Lee's philosophy. I don't know what it is, but I live by it, whatever it was. The dragon, baby. He's the Mastah.

SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO STAY FOCUSED? You gotta stay focused and give guidance. Kids act wild now. Eleven-year-old girls get their nipples pierced like Britney and all of that. That ain't right. I'm sitting there getting a tattoo the other day, and there's a little girl in there. I'm like, "Yo, you got to get up out of here, yo." I told Holmes, "I know you're not going to pierce that little girl in front of me" I said, "Yo, girlfriend--you got to get out of here. Go to another parlor or something. Take that money and get some Now and Laters. Buy a double-dutch rope or something. Get your little ass out of here:'

DID THAT REALLY HAPPEN? NO. But it's happening all over America.

IN YOUR VIDEO-GAME COMMERCIALS, YOU TALK TRASH TO WARREN SAPP. IS THAT A WISE MOVE? Dude, that's what the character Reggie Reg does. He's a trashtalker. He comes with the funny stuff, like, "Your breath smells like Cheez Doodles. Light on the cheese, heavy on the doo-doo" Things like that.

BETWEEN YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR SUPER-BUSY PROFESSIONAL LIFE, HOW DO YOU EVER FIND TIME TO WORK OUT? I just Fred it. We've all got 24 hours in a day. If I can't work out for an hour, I'll work out for 20 minutes.

WHICH OF YOUR KIDS IS YOUR FAVORITE? Which is my favorite? YEAH. OFF THE RECORD, OBVIOUSLY. Nah, man, I don't have a favorite. I love all my kids and they all love me. That's a hurtful thing when parents have favorites.

YOU HAD A BIRTHDAY RECENTLY. HOW DID YOU CELEBRATE? With friends and family and cast members. Good times all around.

WAS MAYA ANGELOU INVITED? Maya Angelou was definitely invited.

MARK REMY was Stuff magazine's executive editor but couldn't bear the five-and-a-half-hour workdays and endless parade of seminude models. Today he freelances from his cramped Manhattan apartment, where the only one seminude is him, writing for such publications as Maxim, Blender, TV Guide, and Bicycling. Oh, yeah, and Men's Fitness--see his interview with comic actor Tracy Morgan on page 140. "I've always been a fan of Tracy's wicked impersonations," says Mark. "But when I talked with him, I quickly realized he's a really sweet guy. He said it was cool to be back in shape--not because of the fame, but because he can now keep up with his wife and kids."

Captain morgan: how did funnyman Tracy Morgan make the leap from Saturday Night Live to his very own sitcom? A lot of squats, for starters - End Zone - Interview

Men's Fitness, Feb, 2004 by Mark Remy

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