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check out - Bryan McCree THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Sunday, June 18, 2006 By Doug Pullen dpullen@flintjournal.com 810.766.6140 QUICK TAKE Hear a sample of Bryan McCree's act online at www.mlive.com/edge or listen over The Journal's VoiceLine by calling (810) 767-2274 or (800) 979-2274 and punching in BAND (2263) when asked for a selection code.


Home Base: Flint

On Uncle Floyd: Comedian McCree, who jokes he's "Irish on my master's side," is the nephew of the late Floyd McCree, a local civil rights pioneer who was elected Flint mayor in 1966, making him Flint's first black mayor and the first black mayor of an American city its size. McCree, who is also an actor, played his uncle in a living history project at Sloan Museum four years ago. How has his lineage affected his life?

"It's certainly given me a sense of pride knowing that's my bloodline and more importantly the feeling of, hey, perhaps this type of greatness and trailblazing is inside me as well. My uncle's legacy also makes me not want to get into any legal trouble. How bad would it suck to be the defendant and brought into the building bearing your name for the trial, your uncle's picture staring at you on the wall, with embarrassment and disappointment, looking at me like, 'Boy, what the hell is your problem, Bryan McCree?' ... It's also given me a killer three-minute bit."

Living in Two Worlds: McCree's wife, Marcia, is white. They have three children - Jacob, Bryan II and Camille. The mixed-race family provides fodder for his stand-up act (McCree performs all over the country), but also can make for some uneasy moments when the family goes out to dinner.

"You know, in a way it's sad because as a biracial couple you get to see the hatred and racism that still exist in this country first-hand, almost on a daily basis. On the flip side of that, ignorance is almost always funny," he said.

"The thing about being in a biracial relationship that infuses my comedy also is that somebody is always the fish out of water. If she comes to a family reunion with me, she's the fish out of water. If I go to Thanksgiving with her, I'm the fish out of water. The menu gets complicated celebrating the holidays with both our families. You know " stuffing versus dressing, collard greens versus green beans, rock versus powder. It's complicated."

A Real Sickler: McCree has battled sickle cell anemia since his youth, but he doesn't like to make a big deal out of it. He's got it under control and has learned when to say no to offers and when to take them. "Having sickle cell disease is hard enough to deal with on its own, let alone as a touring stand-up comedian. The older I get the more I find myself saying no to gigs," McCree said, adding he turns down less appealing or inconvenient offers. "I'd rather stay home and play the Xbox with my children. I'd rather stay home and get in a fight with my wife than drive 19 hours and hear some moron yell out 'Git-r-done' in the middle of my set!"

For Your Ears: McCree's first CD, "Sum'n Wrong Wit' Dat Boy!," was "recorded in 2005 all over the place. I've got bits on there from all over the country." It's available at www.bryanmccree.com, but isn't in any stores yet. "If there are any stores out there that would like to carry my CD," he said, "tell them to give me a holla."

Love You Live: You can see McCree at the "Laughs for a Miracle" concert, a benefit for the Children's Miracle Network, at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Clio Amphitheater (with Norm Stulz and Chrissy Burns). He performs June 28-July 1 at Joey's in Livonia.