*Imagine walking in on an interview subject and his pants are down around his ankles….if THAT isn’t a funny enough mental picture, keep reading….*

“You saw my thighs and everything? Oh Lord … were they ashy?”

Radio personality, comedian and community activist Rickey Smiley is referring to an awkward moment in the greenroom when, after finishing his 6-10 a.m. show on Dallas’ “The Beat” KBFB-FM (97.9), this writer passed by as he was being fitted for a new suit. On Saturday, the day after he turns 38, he’s the main attraction at Rickey Smiley’s Birthday Comedy Explosion, a live concert at Nokia Theatre also featuring Levar, Special K Douglas, Ced Delaney and John Witherspoon. With extensive film and television credits to his name (BET’s Comic View, Comedy Central and the 2002 movie Friday After Next), the Birmingham, Ala., native has earned loyal fans with his down-home humor; colorful, countrified characters (“Beaford,” “Lil’ Daryl” and “Bernice Jenkins”); and legendary prank phone calls, which fill six comedy CDs and are often the centerpieces of his live morning broadcasts.

After being assured that his thighs were ash-free, a relieved Mr. Smiley sat down after rehearsals to discuss the show, future projects and why he’s sure he won’t be stuck in a nursing home years from now.

Your daily morning show is the second-most popular with urban listeners (behind KKDA-FM) and No. 6 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. What do you attribute its success to?

I put God in my first 45 minutes, playing nothing but old-school gospel, and the other part is community, community, community, helping people, bringing about awareness and change. We work with single mothers, fathers paying child support not able to visit with their kids, and domestic violence. We discuss the presidential debates and have received e-mails from listeners saying they’ve never voted before, but since we’re talking about it, they’re getting out there. When Craig Watkins was running for district attorney, we stressed how important the election was and how we need people in office who understand our needs.

Why do so many of your listeners feel such a close connection to you?

Being here in Dallas is probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my entire career. God sent me here to help people, because many are out here suffering. I’ll tell you what: Any woman that’s being beaten by her husband can come to the station between 6 and 10 a.m., and we’ll point them in the right direction. Any mother with an unruly teenager, and the father’s nowhere in sight, bring them to me at the station and I will handle it, ‘cuz one thing I’m ain’t is scared of kids. If the father won’t step up, I will. I’ve probably got about 30 kids that I’ve mentored through the Big Brother of America program that call me at Christmastime every year telling me ‘Thank you’ and “I love you.’ … So what if you take your kids to the UniverSoul Circus, that’s what you’re supposed to do. If you see a single mother struggling with her kids, take her kids along, even if they get on your nerves, because when you’re 81, someone’s gonna have to wipe your behind and bring you a glass of water, and that might be done by the child you took out a couple of times. When I get to be 81, I ain’t got to be sittin’ in no nursing home, somebody’s gonna come see about me.”

You’re a part of Dallas’ premier hip-hop station, and the genre’s come under fire recently for misogynistic, violent lyrics. Do you agree with toning it down or outright censorship?

I totally agree with Al Sharpton about having responsibility with the music. I play it as part of the job, but I have to say as a Christian, I absolutely agree. It’s about what’s right, and if it’s having a negative effect on the mind-set of children, and the images of black women, then I totally stand behind it. That’s why I try to balance it out with gospel and community service.

Are your Christian principles why you insist on performing clean comedy?

Absolutely. I want parents to be able to bring the children to the show. It’s timeout for all that nasty, filthy humor. A lot of people are getting closer to Christ and want to have a good time without getting offended, and I try to provide that. It’s time for people to come out and have some good, clean fun.

What new projects are you working on right now?

I’ve got two coming out in January; one is another movie with Ice Cube and Katt Williams called First Sunday. I play Bernice Jenkins in the movie, it’s hilarious. I’m also working on a play called Ain’t Nobody Called Me and Told Me Nothin’, that’s gon’ be a mess!

When fans come out and see you perform, what should they expect?

I’ll be talking about church, funerals, growing up poor, things everybody can relate to. Folks are gonna have messed-up underwear, cracked ribs and flat stomachs from laughing so hard. There’s gonna be teary eyes, mascara runnin’, hair nappy, hands red from high-fiving, dirty clothes from fallin’ out and rolling everywhere, trust me. I just want people to laugh and feel entertained.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU2urx3hlw4