Marshall Ramsey

Roasting a person is a fine art. A lot of what you say depends on the person.  A little bit is determined by the audience.  For example, if you’re roasting a preacher, you don’t drop the F-bomb on the crowd.  You figure out where the line is and you dance on it. You cross it occasionally and kick the person’s butt.  Then you jump back. It can be as difficult as threading a needle while riding a motorcycle — one false move and someone will get hurt. (well, the wrong person anyway).

Tonight I helped roast Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann at the Marriott in downtown Jackson.  I got to dress up in my tux (I looked like a waiter ) and tell a few jokes at Delbert’s expense.  Mother Theresa would have been easier to roast.  Making jokes about Delbert is like trying to cut down a Boy Scout  — you can do it, but it kind of feels wrong.  But since it was for such an important cause (the roast was for the Mississippi chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.), how could I say no?

Most of the roasters were good friends of the Secretary of State — so they had childhood stories.  All were brief and most were very funny. I’m sure the audience appreciated it. Two things I like at a roast: 1. Funny and 2. Brief.   But I didn’t have stories.  I just had cartoons.  And I didn’t write a script.  Heck, I had no idea what I was going to say.  I included seven cartoons I’ve done of him and winged it. I think I did ok. I heard lots of laughs which is usually the universal sign you didn’t suck.

A few observations:

1. From the comments I heard and the applause I got, I am amazingly blessed that the people in this community support me like they do.
2. Delbert Hosemann has a very dry wit and is very funny.
3. If I had started a drinking game that said that you had to drink when a joke was made about “Dilbert” or another name from the commercial, we’d have been passed out by the third roaster.
4. It was a huge honor to be invited to help out for such an important cause. It’s love giving back to a community that has given me so much.

A month ago I was told that my job status with The Clarion-Ledger was changing.  I was in shock.

I had two choices.  Get mad or get busy.  I chose the second option.  Why?  Getting mad didn’t help protect my children. It didn’t allow me to continue to pursue my dreams.  It was an acid that would only hurt me, not the person (whoever it may be) who made the decision to make me part-time.

One month into my “new” life, I can honestly say this:

I’m happy I still have a relationship with The Clarion-Ledger and have been shown kindness by many of the people there. I enjoy drawing editorial cartoons as much as my many fans love reading them and am thankful there is still a print home for them.  I also love the people I’ve worked with there.   I enjoy getting to go into the office on occasion to see them.

I’m also very happy I have the freedom to use my talents to not only make money, but to create and expand my horizons.  I’ve edited film, spoken, drawn, written and even created this website. I’ve started my own business and I’m learning how grow it.  And I’ve been able to motivate and inspire people. That’s a huge blessing to me.

The past month has been very busy.  It’s also been an emotional roller coaster.  But that roller coaster hasn’t been all scary — at times it has been thrilling.  I didn’t ask for the change that happened to me, but I embrace it and know that in the end, it will be a blessing to me and my family.  Do I get down? Of course.  But with the talent I’ve been blessed with, a good attitude, a strong work ethic and an amazing family, I know that the sky is the limit for me.