Cancer be damned: Comedian Quincy Jones gets his stand-up special
Despite being diagnosed with terminal mesothelioma and given just a year to live, comedian Quincy Jones looks to produce a stand-up special thanks to others' kindness.
Jones visited Atlanta last March to hit the Laughing Skull Comedy Festival. The Monday before, Jones performed at Star Bar’s weekly showcase which was packed with fellow out-of-towners and locals — including myself. As I came off stage after my set, we exchanged brief greetings in transition as he waited for his intro. He proceeded to go up and slay the notorious dive bar’s large crowd. Just a year later — August 6, 2015 — he was diagnosed with terminal stage-four mesothelioma. Doctors gave Jones only one year to live, so trust he plans to waste no time.
The 32-year-old has been performing stand-up for seven years, starting first in Atlanta. Four years ago, he moved to Los Angeles with visions to become one of the greats. With unwavering focus, the comedian committed to going out and performing every night — racking up a whopping 1,000 sets in one single year.
Jones’ friend Nicole Blain sought to fulfill Jones' "final wish" and set up a Kickstarter late last month to raise the money for production costs. Asking for a mere $4,985, friends and strangers raised double that before the first day’s end. Jones’ campaign and story went viral, hitting the social media cycle and getting snatched up by such publications as Splitsider and — thanks to some help from TV talk show heavyweight Ellen Degeneres — Entertainment Weekly, Vulture, and more.
On March 14, the titular host of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" invited Jones to set to share his story, his comedy, and his fear of pigeons. “They don’t have smooth take-off patterns at all,” Jones says.
A serious health diagnosis is daunting situation for anyone, but Jones faces his reality with positivity and laughter. His campaign had been going strong for days but got gargantuan Ellen added a $10,000 check to the pile. And, after imploring a few network executives, DeGeneres surprised Jones the following week with the news that HBO will be airing his special.
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Now completed, the Kickstarter raised a hefty total of $50,273 (plus the dough from Degeneres) that will go towards making the best special possible and making Jones’ ensuing days more comfortable. Despite a rigorous chemotherapy schedule, Jones says he knows there's still work to be done. The exhausting treatments may prevent him from continuing with his day job, but he has enough energy on reserve to hustle Los Angeles’ many comedy spots at night. When Jones is on stage, for a time, he performs “cancer-free.”
L.A.’s standard five- and 10-minute sets isn't enough to sate his appetite to entertain, so Jones is hitting the road to work out his hour before the April 6 recording. He returns to Atlanta tonight for a special show at the Highland Inn Ballroom. Fellow comics and friends like David Perdue and Ben Palmer are slated to join. It’s just another show, another city, another audience to leave his legacy of joy with.
Quincy Jones performs Tues., March 22, at 8 p.m. at Highland Inn Ballroom. $10-$15.