Lavell Crawford is one of the biggest comics standing. No, really. He's big!

I got a chance to talk to Crawford as he was preparing to leave his southern California home for a series of shows in Sacramento and the Bay Area.

Much of Crawford's act focuses on his childhood, his weight and about people's misconception of larger size people. "I just talk about the adversity and funny things about being a big guy." My mom was like a mother and father. She did a lot of funny things and a lot of contradictory things... I was a chunky kid and she would tell me that I couldn't fit into my school clothes but then told me I had to clean my plate! When I hurt my leg, she would give me a cookie instead of putting a bandaid on it."

But he insists that he works out and the doctors have given him a clean bill of health. "There is such thing as 'healthy fat'" he states.

Crawford, who has been performing for 20 years, began his career in St. Louis when a woman he knew would laugh hard at his jokes. "I told her that I was going to go on stage and make everyone laugh and she didn't believe me and outright dared me." Crawford promptly called 'The Funny Farm' and waited for over two months to get on the list. "I made a deal with God that if I make just one person laugh, then I am going to make this my career."

Well, God and the crowd both agreed that Crawford is a very funny man and that dare has led to a stellar career.

Over the last 20 years Crawford has amassed an enviable resume. Racking up multiple appearances on shows like; Def Comedy Jam and BET's Comic View in the early 90's, followed by Steve Harvey's Big Time and Jamie Foxx's Laffapalooza. He is also a regular on Chelsea Handler's E! television show, Chelsea Lately.

Then came the career boosting NBC's Last Comic Standing in 2005. Crawford finished in second place when he was narrowly beaten by Season 5 winner Jon Reep, from Hickory, North Carolina. When asked if it was hard to make the cross over from "urban" comedy where he got his start to the more tame routines required on Last Comic Standing, he replied that "laughter is universal" and explained that he just "talks about my problems and everyday things. People just listen to you more when you just talk to them."

"Having the global exposure of a show like Last Comic Standing also allowed me to have more control over my career. I don't have to work for a plate of chicken fingers anymore!"

What parts of the country does Crawford like to play? "Well, the south is great. New York is fast paced and I like that but I love coming to Sacramento and the bay area to perform. The Sacramento comedy scene is full of people that are real and come out to have fun and just have a good time and I like that."

You can see Lavell perform this week, January 28 - 31st at the Sacramento Punchline 2100 Arden Way, Sacramento, CA. Tickets are $20-$25. The show is open to anyone 18 or older.

Steven Bloom is the publisher of SacramentoComedy.Com, the Official Guide to Sacramento comedy. This web site is dedicated to interviews, comedian bios, videos and consolidatiing all of the Sacramento comedy events to a single site. You can send your questions directly to Steven@SacramentoComedy.Com