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By: Becky Ciletti | Main | Meet the UCBT Interns! »
April 13, 2007
Inside With: Paul Mecurio, Comedian, Audience Warmer at The Daily Show
By: Ben Kharakh
Veteran stand up Paul Mecurio once left behind a comfortable life of sensational Wall Street bonuses to pursue the call of comedy. Paul got his early start crafting jokes for Leno and soon found himself on the fledgling writing staff of The Daily Show. After chalking up an Emmy and a Peabody there, he decided to dive full time into stand up. Today, he's headlining clubs around the country, tours with the Bob & Tom Show, and has his own series pending approval from the networks. In addition to having all these pots on the stove, Paul continues every evening to punch in on the set of The Daily Show--no longer as a writer, but as the guy who warms up the audience. Let's see how Paul likes it when we needle him with our crowdwork. Put your hands together for Paul Mecurio.
Paul, we have heard anecdotally that you have something of a legendary status around The Daily Show set. Could you please confirm or deny the allegations? How long have you been with The Daily Show and how has your involvement with the show evolved over time?
I don't know if it's legendary. I have been on the show since it started in 1996. I was a writer on the show and I did on-air correspondent pieces as well as in-studio desk pieces. I've also been doing the warm-up on the show since we started having an audience in 1996.
How does an audience for The Daily Show compare to that of a comedy club?
They are exactly the same. I live in New York City and work at a bunch of NYC clubs on a regular basis--including The Comedy Cellar, Carolines, The Comic Strip, Gotham, The Laugh Factory, and Stand-Up NY--and the audiences in these clubs are generally pretty bright and get the joke, just like The Daily Show crowd. Same holds true for audiences across the country. I'd say the biggest difference is that in a comedy club the audiences are there to laugh and have their complete focus on the stage. A television audience can get a bit distracted by the studio, the set, etc. and literally forget to laugh out loud so they need to be reminded at the beginning to make sure they make themselves a real part of the show.
Can you use the same tricks to read them?
Absolutely. An audience is an audience and the first thing any comic has to do is read them. I tend to talk with the crowd in the beginning. You read their body language, the way they're dressed, the looks on their faces, etc. as a way to get what they are about.
There aren't "tricks," so to speak, in reading an audience. Rather, if I talk with the audience in an honest and real way so they don't feel compromised, they end up revealing everything about themselves and an immediate connection with them is made, and then it's easier to get them laughing once that real connection happens.
Are there ever any hecklers in a TV studio audience?
Occasionally. They aren't really hecklers like in a comedy club. Rather an audience can be in a bad mood if they've waited for a couple hours in line in lousy weather. They tend to be tougher to crack but eventually they come around.
You were once an investment banker. Although the wages of a comedian probably can't compare to that of your former clients, what sort of financial and investment tips do you have for comics?
Try to buy a house or an apartment, even if you share the cost with another comic. It gives you great tax write-offs and you build equity. If that's too much, put your money in T-Bills--they are a very safe investment.
Oh, yeah, and on the road, take as many free blueberry muffins from the hotel breakfast bar as you can. They can be a meal later in the day or at the very least, be used as a comfy pillow on the plane home.
On the Bob and Tom Show, you provide a service known as The Image Makeover. With all the heat Carlos Mencia has been getting for his alleged material stealing, how can he improve his image?
Be as original as possible and as true to what you want to say as you possibly can.
The Bob and Tom Show is a National Tour. Do you find that your material is equally well received across the country? Ever been booed off stage for saying something controversial?
Yes, it is equally well received. I don't really change my act from town to town. Wherever I go, people seem to enjoy seeing me smash vegetables while wearing suspenders and a festive hat.
And no, I have never been booed off stage, but once I had someone not agree with a particular political position I had taken on something and they shut down on me--stopped laughing for the rest of the show. We had a discussion afterwards about it, but it did not escalate into anything ugly. Early on I worked dive bars and open mic nights and would have drunk hecklers, and you'd just have to work through it. Like the time I had to follow a guy who got his neck slashed. I went on stage and said, "It's nice to be here, I always wanted to follow a slashing." He heard me say slashing, charged the stage swearing at me and threw a wad of bloody napkins at me that stuck to my white shirt. So that was fun.
How's your show Sports Central coming along? Do you find playing the waiting game with networks to be frustrating?
We are shopping it to networks and are about to begin shooting sports comedy pieces for the internet site, This Just In, a joint venture of HBO and AOL. It's definitely frustrating waiting, but who can complain? Having a chance to have my own show is a big compliment. The networks do everything by committee so that's why it takes so long. Plus, the networks are owned by larger companies who have oversight of the networks so it's layers of bureaucracy you are dealing with. People in the decision roles move very cautiously--making sure EVERYONE signs off on a project so they can cover themselves in case the show doesn't catch on. It is an art, but the business side can take its toll.
Posted by The Apiary at April 13, 2007 1:24 PM