An AmericasComedy Video Interview

You may not recognize the name of stand-up comedian Paul Mecurio, but if you’ve ever watched “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” you certainly know his writing. Mecurio, the winner of two Emmy awards and a Peabody award for his writing on that show takes to the stage like it is the only thing he is meant to do.

AmericasComedy.Com was able to secure an interview with the award winning writer/producer/comedian and began with a very benign question: “So, how did you get into the business?” The answer will intrigue you, captivate you and maybe even make you tear up just a little bit.

This video series encompasses an almost one hour session with Mecurio as he takes us through the process of going from an Ivy League law school graduate and a Mergers & Acquisition attorney, then as an investment banker, and ultimately to one of the hardest roles in the entertainment business today; that of stand–up comic. If you’re a fan of going behind the scenes in understanding what makes an award winning comedian tick, then watch all three parts of this video series. The fourth part is a “name association” of some of the many stars that Mecurio has been in contact with over the years.

So let’s get this party started. In this video Mercurio talks about his family, his wiseguy and drug addled family, his rise to fame in the investment banking business and ultimately giving in to the nagging knowledge that this wasn’t what he was supposed to be doing.

Fish or cut bait? It’s decision time

In part 2, Mecurio takes us from an open mic slashing (at the aptly named Downtown Beirut 2 bar), to an IRS audit and a girlfriend who thinks that Mecurio is cheating because he comes home at night smelling like beer and cigarettes. Watch as he goes full circle from banker to comedian and then back to being a banker.

“Hey everyone! My investment banker is a comedian!!”

In part 3, we watch as Mecurio receives the vindication and approval he was always looking for. How his commitment lead to being a long term writer for “The Daily Show” even before Jon Stewart came on board. Today, you can see him headline at comedy clubs across the country (he is appearing May 12-15 at the Miami Improv). Mecurio has written and produced shows and pilots and appears regularly on Fox’s Redeye and Sean Hannity shows and will be seen this month on the Joy Beyhar Show on CNN.

And now for something completely spontaneous!

We thought we would round off our interview with some name association with some of the superstars that Mecurio has met. These are the only ones that we could publish!

The 31st annual Comedy Day! celebration has ended for this year. The free, 5 hour comedy concert in San Francisco’s historic Golden Gate Park featured over 30 comedians, some incredible sunshine and a crown of many thousands.

It has been a hard and long task to take our almost 200 pictures from this year’s Comedy Day! and glean some of the very best pictures for you. Amongst them you will find comedians who performed and comedians that were invited to just hang out backstage and network with fellow performers, some who got their start in San Francisco and have moved to LA or the East Coast and return annually for this day.

“This is our [San Francisco's comedy scene] annual company picnic,” explains Barry Katzmann, a board member and organizer of the non-profit. “This is an opportunity to just hang out with our peers, perform for the city and have a great day.”

So, here are the pictures. The video interviews (Robin Williams, Rick Overton, Kevin Meany, former Kids in the Hall players Scott Thompson & Kevin McDonald, Will Durst and over 30 more) will be up on a separate page shortly.

In the mean time, live the joy vicariously through our lens!

The comedian known as just ANT tells us about how he chose that name, (Andromeda?), about his pre-comedy career (Lynda Carter, yes, WonderWoman, got him fired!) and how he stranded his parents in Europe!

Join ANT and AmericasComedy.Com’s correspondent, Carin Beede as he was preparing to go on stage in celebration of pride week at Sacramento State University (Sac State according to ANT).

A special thank you to Zenia LaPorte, Director of Sacramento State’s UNIQUE program.

Appearing to be completely comfortable on stage himself, Malow quickly relaxes his audience with his boyish, geeky charm. A master of wordplay, Malow cleverly weaves scientific concepts and their vocabularies throughout his comedy in ways that are understandable to all. Puns that quench the thirst of word lovers abound. His love of learning and openness of mind give an energy to his comedy that is contagious. No wonder he’s going viral. To date, his most watched video, “A Virus Walks into a bar,” has over 360,000 views.

Malow is also a freelance video correspondent for Time Magazine online and photographs insects for fun. His Neil Armstrong routine was once heard aboard an orbiting space shuttle. And he entertains scientific communities and catalyzes laughter at various science museums and company events.

A few days ago, AmericasComedy.Com had the wondrous intergalactic adventure of catching up with Brian Malow at “The Comedy Spot” in Sacramento before his show.

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The Malow continuum
His passion for science began at an early age. Malow began reading science fiction by authors who also wrote non-fiction, such as Isaac Asimov, and soon was devouring both sci-fi and non-fi.

He plied his parents for answers to questions such as, “Why is the sky blue?” His dad told him to go ask his mother and his mother told him, “Because I said so!” It was then, Malow said, that he realized that his parents weren’t reliable resources on matters of science.

Growing up, Malow had some close friends who shared his love of science, too. In high school, his friend Chuck and he wanted to be rock stars by night and scientists by day. Malow wrote the lyrics and Chuck wrote the music and played piano and keyboards. Here is a verse Malow wrote to one of Chuck’s melodies:  Outside her window, another winter sky | The fall of moonlight was not a lullaby.

Longingly, Malow said, “”I wish I had been forced to master a musical instrument when I was young.”” He took piano and drum lessons for a brief time, but that was it.

Eclectic at first
When Malow first began stand-up, his jokes covered a wide range of topics. But his passion for science shone through and began to predominate. As time progressed, Malow decided to develop a niche as a science comedian. “I realized that I should find audiences that I could be myself with,” said Malow. One of Malow’s friends made the comment, “Your jokes have more information than most comics’ jokes.”

Venn diagram of love
Malow says that being a geek has been good for his love life. He’s head over heels in love with his girlfriend, Tara, a tall, beautiful geek herself.

“She is a voracious reader, loves sci-fi and science and is into photography. If we were a Venn diagram, there’d be a lot of overlapping. What you’d like to find in a mate is someone who is like your best friend, but in girl form.”

The intersection of art and science
Malow photographs insects. His entomological glamour shots began when he got a macro lens for his camera, which allowed him to capture and magnify the beauty of tiny things. Life is full of surprises. The device — the macro lens –  led him to the art, not vice versa.

Wicked cool
Praying mantids are among Malow’s favorite insects. “They’re so wicked cool, so alien looking with their heads turning from side-to-side.”

Another favorite insect of Malow’s is the “hopper.” There are a lot of different kinds of “hoppers,” but the “sharp shooter” is a particular favorite. “They’re so cute. They’re skinny like a dachshund and come in all different colors.” Malow described how they try to hide themselves behind a stem when he photographs them. When he moved to get a different vantage point, the hopper would scoot to the side of the stem opposite Malow. Some hoppers are the scourge of the wine industry, though, but as photography subjects, they’re fabulous.

As for butterflies, said Malow, “They are the supermodels of the insect world.”

One question
Malow was among the few people invited to submit one written question to Stephen Hawking, the English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, when he came to Washington, D.C. a couple years ago to give a speech for NASA’s 50th anniversary. While the format of the lecture changed and it ended up that no questions were allowed, this writer — fascinated by Malow’s thought process — had to know what one question Malow would have asked Hawking, who is one of his heroes.

Malow’s question? “What is the question you’d most like the answer to?”

Advice for budding comedians
Malow got his start in comedy in Austin, Texas, where he gained invaluable experience in “The Velveeta Room” and other tough rooms. Malow said, “Comedy clubs are easy compared to tough rooms.” His advice to young comedians? Begin in tough rooms. It only gets better from there.

On profanity in comedy
Malow is no prude. He can drop the f-bomb with the best of them. But to go for shock laughs instead of having truly funny material is weak. Malow said that a lot of comics mistake being dirty for being “edgy” and that they’re missing the point.

“A lot of young comics are very dirty (or what they think of as ‘edgy’) because they are trying to emulate their heroes, like Richard Pryor and George Carlin. Whereas it’s easy to mimic their foul language, it’s not as easy to mimic their insight into human nature.”

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. is one of Malow’s favorite authors. Malow shared that, in Vonnegut’s book, “Hocus Pocus,” one of the characters says, “When you use foul language, you give people an excuse to dismiss what you are saying.”

Brian Malow, where comedy and science overlap for a rollicking good time
There is something else quite notable about Malow on stage and off. He listens intently and is as curious about the people he’s entertaining or the person with whom he’s speaking as he is about whether or not dark matter exists. There is a deep love of people in his comedy that makes the audience want to embrace the science. Malow interplays with his audience and builds a fabulous rapport.

Malow’s curiosity permeates every bit of his act. He inspires us all to find our innocence again and explore the universe with the wide-open eyes of a child. After all, life is one open question, isn’t it? Just when we think we’ve found a definitive answer, a law or an equation to wrap it up in a neat little package, something new shows up that demands we explore a little further.

Brian Malow proves that laughter does make you smarter. Also, that intelligent, geeky people do indeed possess a sense of humor. Be sure to check out Malow’s CD, “Rational Comedy for an Irrational Planet,” available at ScienceComedian.com. You can find Malow on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube as “sciencecomedian.” To see his insect photography, go to www.insectpaparazzi.com.

An AmericasComedy.Com Video Interview

We caught up with Paul in the green room of Tommy T’s Comedy Club in Sacramento. He arrived late as he had been flown to Fresno, CA for the day to meet with Congresswoman Barbara Boxer to lobby for the passage of a fair water policy in California.

Rodriguez talked about his 32 years in the entertainment business, how after 40 films, his first love is still stand up and his secret career desire to act in a play on Broadway. He also gives some advice to new comedians as they shape their career.

During the interview, Rodriguez was stunned to learn that his good friend and collaborator, Robert Schimmel had died as a result of injuries sustained in a automobile accident the day prior. His reaction is very real and poignant.

We welcome your comments below.

An AmericasComedy.Com Interview

We caught up with Laurie as she arrived at the Sacramento Punchline Comedy Club, three-year old son in tow and ranting about the traffic.

Not to be intimidated, we asked her about leaving the west coast for New York and returning to L.A. to write for the Bonnie Hunt show, her son whom she says is going to grow up “dark and angry” and how being one of the Top 10 Finalists in Season 7 of Last Comic Standing has effected her career and her sex life. Plus, she dishes about Comedy Central’s Colin Quinn’s Tough Crowd, which aired from 2003 to 2004, could have been a major YouTube contributor if only YouTube existed then.

Enjoy!

Click Here To Watch Laurie’s Interview on YouTube!

An AmericasComedy.Com Video Interview

Iliza Shlesinger is sweet, smart and sexy. In addition to being the first woman winner of NBC’s Last Comic Standing in Season 6, she is also the youngest person to win that honor.

In a fortuitous turn of events, AmericasComedy.Com caught up with Shlesinger in the green room at the Pepperbellys Comedy Club in Fairfield, CA where she graciously allowed us a spur-of-the-moment interview before her show. Lucky for us, we had our video camera with us!

Watch as she talks about Last Comic Standing, how the $250,000 prize changed her life, her dog Blanche with the floppy vagina, and the fact that she has, in fact had sex. And the fact that although she loves Facebook,  she is an angry tweeter.

Please enjoy and excuse our production values!

Click Here To Watch Iliza’s Interview on YouTube!

An AmericasComedy.Com Video Interview

Melissa Peterman takes her time weaving through the audience, savoring the tidal wave of energy she has created, even stopping to dance with a lucky young lad in the front row before taking the mic and unabashedly flirting with an even luckier older lad in the front row… who just happens to be out with his wife, daughter, and her date…who just happens to be the aforementioned younger lad. And the stage is set.

Before the night is over, Peterman has invited a recent divorce onstage to flaunt her newfound freedom, knocked over a table in a fit of blonde rage, and made older-lad’s wife spit out her water. Melissa Peterman is an unstoppable force on stage. Well versed in improvisation, she transitions seamlessly between audience play and a sharp set that is elegantly balanced between physical comedy and intelligent wit. Not a single inch of the sold out room was left unattended by Peterman for a solid 60 minutes.

If you missed Melissa Peterman the first time around, fear not! You may be able to catch her soon, starring on her new CMT sitcom, “Working Class” which is one of four pilots ordered for two slots. After watching Peterman, we know that the odds are stacked WAY in her favor!

Here is some video of the AmericasComedy.Com interview with Melissa… Enjoy!

Click Here To Watch Melissa’s Funny Interview on YouTube!

What happens when you get five very funny women on one stage, at one time? You get estrogen charged hilarity! This group, led by Sacramento’s favorite cougar, Cheryl “The Soccer Mom” Anderson, is joined by Kristen Frisk, Kimmie Kay, Stephanie Garcia and Sinderella. And even if they don’t all live in Rio Linda, isn’t Rio Linda really just a state of mind?

Watch The Real (Funny) Housewives of Rio Linda’s Video Interview on YouTube!

Join us as national touring comedic phenom, Bill Burr discusses the taping of his new one hour Comedy Central special, his almost disaster during his taping as the first comedian to appear on the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien and much more.

Enjoy!

Click Here To Watch Bill Burr’s Interview Video!