Felonious Munk

Felonious Munk

Munk and wife, Lontier Hicks, in November 2014 at the Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards
Birth name Dennis Banks
Born August 4, 1972 (Age 43)
Medium stand up, sketch comedy
Nationality American
Influences George Carlin, Dick Gregory, Richard Pryor, Bernie Mac, Chris Rock
Spouse Lontier Hicks (m. 2015)
Children 2
Notable works and roles Stop It B, Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore
Website http://www.munkcomedy.com

Felonious Munk (real name Dennis Banks)[1] is an American comedian, writer, actor, & social commentator, best known as a frequent contributor on the Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore[2] and for his viral YouTube series Stop It B.[3] "Felonious Monk" is a fictitious musician mentioned on the TV show The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis in the episode 'The Gigolo' (S03, E05 - First Aired: November 7, 1961). The name "Felonious Munk" is a reference to the famous jazz musician Thelonious Monk.

Early career

After leaving a job as a finance director for a new car dealership,[4] Munk pursued stand up comedy. Shortly after, he began a web series Stop It B. The series eventually gained attention in the political world for Munk's socio-political commentary. Following several appearances on Fox Business News' Imus in the Morning in 2011, Munk was hired by WPIX in New York to provide commentary for their 5 pm news broadcast, anchored by Jodi Applegate.[5] He was also a regular in the comedy clubs in the city, headlining Gotham in 2012/13[6][7] and making appearances on popular podcasts like Robert Kelly's You Know What Dude! podcast among others.

Chicago years

In 2012, former Tribune Company chief innovation officer Lee Abrams founded TouchVision a news media organization targeting millennials and hired Munk to provide the type of biting, edgy, and funny commentary he'd previously provided for WPIX. From 2013–2016 Munk and Touchvision provides Chicago and Touchvision's syndicated audience with Emmy worthy[8] commentary. While in Chicago, Munk has been an integral part in creating and growing the groundbreaking Afrofuturism [9][10] show in concert with the legendary sketch and improv theater The Second City.

Activism

While still living in New York, Munk was in the midst of the Trayvon Martin protests. His experiences began to influence his commentary as he became more outspoken about social issues as opposed to his previous focus on governmental politics. In August 2014, he traveled from Chicago to Ferguson, MO.[11] after Johnetta Elzie reached out to him via Twitter regarding the shooting of Mike Brown. Ferguson had a profound effect on his comedy and his commentary and he began speaking at colleges about what he learned.[12]

Personal life

On July 18, 2015 he married Lontier Hicks, an accountant from Oak Park, IL. They live in Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago. He has one daughter from a previous marriage. On August 12, 2016 he and his wife welcomed their first son.

References

  1. ↑ Nordlinger, Jay (October 11, 2011). "A Comedian Rises". National Review.
  2. ↑ "Felonious Munk". imdb.com. IMDB.http://www.imdb.com/name/nm7904378/
  3. ↑ Seidl, Jonathon (August 11, 2011). "This is Comedian Felonious Munk's Wild Anti-Obama Rant". The Blaze.
  4. ↑ McDonald, Sam. "Felonious Munk's comedy bounces from right to left". dailypress.com. Daily Press.http://articles.dailypress.com/2012-02-25/entertainment/dp-fea-felonious-munk-0226-20120225_1_fox-business-don-imus-glenn-beck/2
  5. ↑ Banks, Dennis. "First Day at WPIX". Tumblr.com. Tumblr.http://felonious-munk.tumblr.com/post/66517966306/1st-day-wpix-with-jodi-applegate
  6. ↑ Gotham. "You Can't Be Serious". Gotham Comedy Club. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  7. ↑ Gotham. "You Can't Be Serious Returns". Gotham Comedy Club. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  8. ↑ NATAS, Midwest. "Midwest Emmy 2014" (PDF). 2014 Midwest Emmy Nominations. NATAS.http://chicagoemmyonline.org/files/2015/05/2014-Emmy-Nominations-List.pdf
  9. ↑ Huang, May. "Second City's Afro-Futurism Delivers Comedy With a Conscience". The Chicago Maroon. University of Chicago.http://chicagomaroon.com/2016/02/29/second-citys-afro-futurism-delivers-comedy-with-a-conscience/
  10. ↑ Adler, Tony. "Afro-futurism". Chicago Reader. Sun-Times Media.http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/afro-futurism/Event?oid=21488596
  11. ↑ Glawe, Justin. "After A Night of Relative Calm, Have The Ferguson Police Made Things Worse Again?". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  12. ↑ Garcia, Nick. "We Want the Munk". The Lumberjack. Retrieved 2016-03-02.

External links

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