Joker of Queens: Ted Alexandro

COMEDIAN AND QUEENS NATIVE TED ALEXANDRO once dreamed of becoming a hip-hop music star. Growing up across town from Run-DMC and Hollis Crew back in the day, it was hard not to. He had a rap duo together with his brother called Brotherly Love and the two would mesmerize the neighborhood with rhymes like this:

"Whatever is clever is what I endeavor / A mellow rhyme will live forever / I never half step for a quick paycheck / Nah, I'm a technician and this is high-tech."

Alas, Royal Tee and brother MC Mellow's days were few. The guys brought their game to the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem but were caned by Sandman Sims, who shuffled them off the stage and into the annals of hip-hop history.

But the Alexandro name became inextricably linked to the world of entertainment anyway.

Ted Alexandro, now an up-and-coming comic and sometime actor (he made an appearance or two in the final season of HBO television series "Oz"), never lost the gift for gab.

Express talked to the joker of Queens, who returns to the DC Improv on December 18 through 22.

» EXPRESS: Were you a class clown in school?
» ALEXANDRO: No, but I've always liked to entertain. When inclement weather canceled recess, the teacher would sometimes let me play the piano. My parents were both teachers, so I had respect enough not to disrupt.

» EXPRESS: You were a teacher at one time yourself, correct?
» ALEXANDRO: I was an elementary school music teacher for five years after college. It allowed me nights and weekends to work on my stand-up. It was fulfilling. ... It gave me food for thought and more than a few comedy routines.

» EXPRESS: Do you ever tire of playing comedy clubs?
» ALEXANDRO: Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I love the intimacy of a small club. Theater venues are the goal, but until I reach that point I have to continue playing the clubs. ... They've been good to me, so I can't really bemoan them.

» EXPRESS: Would you like a second chance at the Apollo Theater?
» ALEXANDRO: Yeah, I would! The Apollo Theater is an institution. People are crazy not to try their hand at performing there ... white performers especially, if given the opportunity to do their thing unencumbered.

» EXPRESS: Has the comedy world responded to the Michael Richards episode?
» ALEXANDRO: A lot of comedians talk about it in their acts. When I first heard about it, I heard a teaser on the news: "Shocking development! Comedian Michael Richards uses the 'N' word!" I thought, "That guy's a comedian?" When you're done apologizing to black America, Michael, you owe comedians an apology next.

» DC Improv, 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW; Tue.-Sun., $15-$17; 202-296-7008. (Farragut North)

Written by Express contributor Johnathan Rickman

Photos by Jen Joyce Davis