'30 Rock' star Tracy Morgan released his autobiography entitled 'I Am the New Black,' which details his life growing up in the projects, his struggles with drug abuse, his father's death and his relationship with his mother, among many other personal revelations.The actor sat down to talk to PopEater about why he wrote the book, the challenges he faced and what he really thinks of former 'Saturday Night Live' cast members Cheri Oteri and Chris Kattan, whom he wrote negatively about."If I saw Cheri and Chris I would love them. If they would, I would hug them," he told us. Watch It
Why he wrote the book: "Why not? I just think that this was the right time. I mean, you know, I was mature enough. And I wanted to tell my story. I don't know how long I'm gonna be here, and I think, you know, the changing in the world and the president, all of those things that happened in world in the last two years inspired me. Just to see Barack [Obama,] do what he did, inspired me. It just inspired me. The title was the last thing to come. 'I Am the New Black,' and what inspired that was an update I did, rebutting Tina Fey. 'I Am the New Black.' And it had nothing to do with race, it had nothing to do with color. It was based upon - it's a trend, that we need to set in America.'I Am the New Black,' stands for, we have to try. There are no more excuses for nobody, no matter what color you are, you have to try, 'cause dreams do come true."
It was hard to write so candidly about his troubles: "If it ain't rough it ain't right. If it ain't loose it got to be tight, if it ain't black it must be white. A'ight? I don't want it if it ain't right. If it ain't rough I don't want it. I don't want it if - my man Tupac said, 'I don't want it if it's that easy.' Life got to be - is a struggle. With no struggle there's no progress. From the time your dad met your mom, it was a struggle. She wasn't easy, then he had to struggle to get her in the car, then he had to struggle to get her home, then he had to struggle to get the panties off, then he had to struggle to get it in, then the sperm had to struggle to get to the egg, then once the sperm hits the egg it has to struggle to get in, so life is a struggle! Then the baby has to struggle to develop, then the baby has to struggle to come down in the tube, then it has to struggle when it's born, then the struggle really begins. It's called life. You struggle from the day you hit - the day! From the very moment of conception, from the very moment that your parents - it's all a struggle, and with out that, there's no progress. So, that's what 'I Am the New Black' stands for. With out no struggle there is no progress.
There isn't one experience that defines him: "Absolutely not. I'm forty years old, I'll be 41 next year. And 200 pages in not enough pages for me to put my life in. That's just the tip of the iceberg baby."
He wants his kids to read it: "That's what the purpose of writing that book was for. So my kids', kids', kids' can say, well this was my grandfather, this is what he went through. So if he could do it, I could do it. I wanted to leave something behind; my father never got to write a book. But he left his memory behind, so in a sense, that's what I did. When I'm gone I left my memory behind."
Explaining negative remarks in the book about Chris Kattan and Cheri Oteri -- "All I have to say about that is, where's Chris Kattan now? Where's Cheri Oteri now? That b---- can't even get arrested:" "When I wrote the book and they asked me about that, I said what it was, it wasn't like I had to think and be methodical, no I just said what it was and I didn't really - it was like with, you know, Tim Meadows, we never really spoke because, it wasn't that we hated each other, he was part of another cast, that was already there long before me. So it was like not having allies there. He was with Chris Farley and them, I came in a different cast. So we have really no times to share, and you remember that time? It's just the way it is, it's like playing on a pro baseball team. The rookie that comes is not gonna be close with the veteran that has been there for twelve years. Veteran don't wanna speak to really a rookie. I mean, it's your job to trickin' them into giving you the knowledge, of the game. And that's all it was, but people sometimes become cynical in the media, and they want to turn it into some, 'cause that's the - that's where we're livin' at now. We thrive off of just, controversy, and everybody looking for a Kanye West moment. That's not the way, normal people don't act like that. We don't act like that towards each other. No way, if I saw Cheri and Chris I would love them. If they would, I would hug them."
Come back soon for part two of our interview, where Tracy talks about who who'd like to see on '30 Rock,' performing at Carnegie Hall and what's next for him.
