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Posts tagged as mike destefano

Tragedy Plus Time

Using Comedy to Help Overcome Addiction

by | March 5th, 2013

Welcome to the latest installment of Tragedy Plus Time. Each segment will focus on a particular ‘life crisis’ — sometimes globally tragic, sometimes more of a personal affair — and we’ll explore how many of the comedians we know and love have dealt with it.

Though no one has proved it scientifically, there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence to support the connection between creative types and recreational drug use. Whether it’s an openness to new experiences, a desire to numb the pain, or just the absence of a reason to get up early the next morning, many artists find themselves indulging at some point in their life. What starts as [...]

Year in Review

Ten Funny People Who Passed Away in 2011

by | December 30th, 2011

"Let's all drink to the death of a clown."

Another year, another group of people funnier than you or I who passed away. Death's such a bitch, isn't it? Below are 10 individuals — ranging from a Blacklisted comedy musical genius to an award-winning Colonel, from a woman who had her marble rye stolen to everyone's favorite ex-cop, security officer uncle, from a Jackass to a great football player-turned-even better comedic actor — that made us laugh, and were taken away from us in 2011. Here's hoping for a death-less 2012!

Careers

It's Never Too Late: 8 Comedy Late Bloomers

by | September 5th, 2012

Oh, young people, just look at you! Wandering around with all of your stupid hope and possibility. You probably even think the future will be good or something. Just remember that life will beat the living hell out of you and one day your goals will turn from, “I am going to make a movie!” to “I am going to update my Netflix Queue!”

Well the good news is that as you get dragged kicking and screaming through life, there are always chances to make your dreams come true! Here is a list of comedians, ranging from stand-ups to writers, who didn’t make it until they were well into [...]

Interview

A Last Conversation With Mike DeStefano

by | March 8th, 2011

I had the chance to chat with Mike DeStefano recently and was shocked and saddened to hear the news of his sudden death. He was very driven and talented and though his humor was rather dark, he was always warm. This particular interview took place on the stoop of the Comedy Cellar. DeStefano was chain-smoking and downing espresso shots, throughout. His sobriety inspired and helped many of his beloved fans and other fellow comics.

Tell me about your earliest memories of doing stand-up.

I began doing standup in '98 in Florida at The Comedy Corner. I happened to be living in Florida at the time, but I [...]

Standup

Stand-Up Comedy Is Riskier Than it May Seem

by | January 13th, 2012

Too many stand-up comedians have passed away this year, from the more well-known Patrice O'Neal and Mike DeStefano to the LA comic Angelo Bowers, who was killed after being hit by a drunk driver last week. Here's a thought-provoking essay on why stand-up comedy can be an unexpectedly dangerous profession.

We stay up late. Many of us drink and/or do other substances on the job. Much of this is done with the encouragement of our co-workers and management. Do you have a job like that? We have huge emotional swings. "I KILLED! I'M INVINCIBLE!" to "I ATE IT! I'M THE WORST!" And these can happen [...]

RIP

Comedian Mike DeStefano Dies of a Heart Attack

by | March 7th, 2011

Some sad news today: Punchline Magazine is reporting that standup Mike DeStefano died of a heart attack last night. DeStefano, who gained some mainstream success last year due to his final five stature in the most recent season of Last Comic Standing, was set to perform his one-man show A Cherry Tree in The Bronx on Wednesday at the Barrow Street Theater in New York City. He had just finished a run of sold-out shows, as he performed a similar show under the title Drugs, Disease and Death: A Comedy at the Producer’s Club Theater in New York.

For more on Mike's life, here's a link to [...]

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