After two decades of being on the road, hitting audiences with her snappy, sassy sense of humor, B-Phlat now wants to do things her way. Unfortunately, social networking isnt one of those things.

Im not using Twitter or Facebook anymore, says Phlat, 42, on the phone from her Philadelphia home. I shut it down because I dont do it. My fans, the people who follow me, they dont be on Twitter or Facebook.

Although social networking has helped many comics get fans and followers, the St. Louis-born comic (real name: Beverly Perkins) finds that she doesnt need it. She says shes accumulated enough of an online fanbase via the periodic newsletter, which includes a calendar of her upcoming dates, she sends her fans via email.

Heres another thing about me: Ive never really followed trends because Ive been doing comedy before Twitter or Facebook, youknowhamsayin, she says. So, Ive always been able to reach out to my people. I have more people, a core of people, in my email that actually follow me versus the people on Facebook. And, with Twitter, Im like where are these people following me, cuz dont nobody come to my show, you know. I reach out to them in reference to where Im gonna be. I try to find out who came to the show from Facebook or Twitter. Thats never the case because everybody wants to just sit at home and think that youre gonna post all your material and everything on Facebook and Twitter.

I dont work like that. That dont pay me. And, besides, Im a stand-up comedian, so come to the show. People arent social like they should be. Get your [backside] out the house and come out and see a show, versus sitting at home, laughing and other people dont know youre laughing.

Getting off the road

Fans of the comedienne, especially those who are considering seeing her headline the Women of Comedy: A Night to Remember shows this weekend in Raleigh, may want to take her up on that. Just recently, the self-described hard-working road comedian has decided to lay off touring, stopping at the end of June. Phlat, who has performed not just in this country but in others, such as Mexico, Germany and England, says shes focusing on doing a few shows a year. More specifically, shes concentrating on doing her one-woman show, St. Philly: My Black Utopia.

Utopia has been Phlats baby for the past several years, having done stage productions of it in Los Angeles and Dallas. Its basically Phlats love letter to the place shes called home. The same place where she got her nickname, via a guy she used to work out with. (He was saying I was from the Midwest and I had a flat butt.) The place where she got her start doing stand-up in the mid-90s, while working at a law firm as a marketing director. The place where she would become a regular on the local comedy scene, befriending up-and-comers like rising star Kevin Hart. The place where she honed her comedic talent before landing TV spots on such stand-up shows as Def Comedy Jam and ComicView.

She says, Its about my neighborhood and my triumph here and just being a woman, having to overcome things in a funny story.

Phlat isnt limiting herself just to the stage. While she says shes never had luck breaking out in Tinseltown (Im so not the Hollywood type, believe me, she says with a laugh. Ive been put out of meetings!), she is intent on becoming a prominent figure in the literary and radio worlds.

Read more:
Comic wants laughs, success on her terms