Earthquake's deep bass voice rumbles down the fiberoptics from Kansas City, Mo., to Pittsburgh. "I was born to be funny," says the Pittsburgh-bound comic. "I didn't choose it. It chose me. It's never been a job. It's who I am." Well, he's not exactly who he used to be. For example, Earthquake isn't the name on his birth certificate. Why did he decide to name himself after a seismic belch? "Because by real name is Nathaniel Stroman," he says. "It doesn't roll off the tongue. 'Give it up for Nathaniel Stroman.' 'Boooo!' You gotta to have a fighting chance." Born in Washington, D.C., Earthquake enlisted in the Air Force, where he spent 10 years. He began doing stand-up during the military talent show "Tops & Blues." The outbreak of the Persian Gulf War convinced him that it was time to leave the military. He moved to Atlanta, where he honed his act and owned a club called the Uptown Comedy Club. "It takes a while to build your confidence and believe in yourself," he says. "I'm nothing special. What I do is special." He tries to deliver his comedy straight from the heart, an approach favored by one of his influences, Richard Pryor. "It's real life. A real act. No sets, no nothing, tell it straight from the heart how we feel. Like Pryor, it comes from your soul, what you truly believe in." Others seem to think so. Earthquake has shaken things up with appearances on Def Comedy Jam, "Comic View" on Black Entertainment Television and Comedy Central's "Premium Blend." He aired his half-hour special on Comedy Central in March, while he filmed an hourlong comedy special for release on DVD. His success can be read in the coded boilerplate of his bio, which reads "...immensely popular with urban audiences, mainstream audiences are now getting their chance to catch this red-hot comedian." Translation: White people are discovering him, too. "To be honest, we've always been funny," he says. "It's like everything in America. Sometimes you're stagnated and held back because you're in one predominating audience and other audiences won't get it. Funny is funny." An engaging blend of trash talk and humility, Earthquake is fond of holding forth on subjects such as the war in Iraq and the search for Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. "That's the worst ... search warrant I've ever seen in my life," he says. "They still haven't found it. This search warrant, I don't think it was warranted." While it might be home to the San Andreas Fault, this Earthquake would rather not reside in Los Angeles. Hollywood gives him a seismic pain. "Instead of them trying to capitalize on what you have already obtained, they try to put you in a circle that they perceive you to be," he says. "I don't like anything that's not genuine." Although he got decent notices while staring in a play titled "Listen to Your Woman," Hollywood still hasn't picked up on Earthquake's star quality and signed him to a film contract. "I got bad luck," he says. "I got Marion Barry luck. I'm not an actor. I'm a movie star." He looks fondly on his years in the Air Force. "To be honest, it helps with race relations. When you're in the military there's nothing better than seeing another man's color when he saves your life. They put a dude from Alabama and one from Arkansas and New York in one place. And we have a common goal. That helps breaks down barriers." If only something could break down those orange traffic barriers that kept Earthquake stuck in traffic when he played Pittsburgh at the Improv last year. "I was on my way to the airport. They had one lane open at 4 p.m. in the tunnel. Man, it took me 19 hours to get to the airport." Sorry to break this to you, 'quake, but the outbound tunnel is closed again. "Oh man," he groans. Additional Information:

Details

Earthquake 8 p.m. Thursday; 8 and 10 p.m. May 16; 7, 9 and 11 p.m. May 17; 7 p.m. May 18. $17 for Thursday and May 18; $20 for May 16 and 17. Pittsburgh Improv, 166 E. Bridge St., Waterfront, Homestead. (412) 462-5233

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