So what does it take to
be considered a real 'Bad Boy' on the professional Comedy
Circuit? Just ask Mike Marino. From his TV appearances on
Becker, Frazier and the Tonite Show, this New Jersey native's
career is on the rise - and all eyes are turning to catch
a glimpse. Publicity Whore sat down to see just what makes
Mike Marino the "New Jersey Bad Boy" of comedy
and one of today's hottest tickets around.
PW:
So Mike, how did you get the title: 'New Jersey's
Bad Boy'?
MM:
I had done lots of TV commercials growing up, but I always
had blonde hair and blue eyes. I looked like a surfer dude.
Very All-American, that's the way I used to book these commercials.
I come from a full-blooded Italian family. My parents are
right off the boat from Italy. So growing up in Jersey you
as always had some sort of an edge. "Hey, how you doing"
(east coast style) ya know. "We're mixing cement over here".
Most of family was into construction.
cement mixers - there not just for
mixing bodies anymore!
So
when I came to California and was out here about 12 years
I started to do standup. Because I never really wanted to
be a comic, I didn't know what the hell being a comic was.
A guy said to me "Why don't you just get on stage and talk
like you talk, because you sure don't look like how you
sound. People are going to wonder 'what the hell is going
on with this kid'. 'If you start grabbing your balls and
acting Italian people aren't gonna believe it - they're
gonna think you are a surfer'. So I just started talking
about my family and how when people wouldn't laugh at me
I'd have them wacked. So people were like "Ya, he's like
the Bad Boy from New Jersey." Who would expect it? So the
whole persona was supposed to be I'm the bad boy from New
Jersey. Alright look - I'm not really that bad. Anyway I
thought it would be funny. Like a nice guy attitude who
was everybody's anybody. And that's the way it happened.
PW:
How long have you been doing comedy?
MM:
10 yrs. I've done clubs & colleges all across the country.
Couple of TV appearances with standup. Lots of charities,
corporate gigs. It's gone fast. Feels like just yesterday
I picked up a microphone. Things are slowing down now some,
I'm enjoying things more now. Can pick and choose where
I go, what I do. More money. Hopefully with eyes on a TV
series.
PW:
We understand you've been on the road with Andrew Dice Clay.
What's that like?
MM:
Unbelievable experience. First of all the guy is an icon.
Everybody knows who Andrew Dice Clay is. No one sells out
Madison Square Garden, but Dice. So when I was younger I
always hoped I'd be an opening act for him. And then when
we went to my hometown of New Jersey and we played Rascal's,
which is my home comedy club in West Orange.
The Dice man Cometh
I
always had this dream that I would walk on stage with six
bodyguards escorting me onto the stage and I'd do my 15
minutes in front of Dice. And it happened and it was tremendous.
I got a lot of fans & ended up playing the clubs I wanted
with or without Dice - and I booked a movie role. Opening
night, somebody handed me a script and told me I had to
do this film. Since then I've opened for Dice at the Comedy
Store, I just did a show with him last week. His crowds
are crazy. Phenomenal, Abundant, Sold out shows. He's very
professional & gives you the opportunity to do something
that a very limited amount of comedians get the opportunity
to do.
PW:
Why comedy, why did you get into this business?
MM:
That's a good question, I never really wanted to be
a comic. I come from television commercials, I come from
Soap Operas. But I wanted to be DeNiro, I wanted to do movies.
Every since I was a kid I had a flair for making people
laugh. So about 10 years ago I was making fun of my family
in a bar. A bunch of guys were like "man, this is hysterical."
Turns out a comedy promoter was listening and told me that
I didn't look how I sounded and that the way I talk and
speak and my delivery would be hilarious on stage. So he
gave an opportunity to go to an open mic where they were
having a comedy contest. I had never told a joke in my life.
Did 10 minutes talking about my mom …. and I won. It all
went on went on from there.
PW:
How long was it into your career when you realized you could
make a career out of comedy?
MM:
I'd say it was 7 years ago when I decided that stand-up
could be my living. And it has been ever since. So I was
doing standup about 4 years/5 years before I really got
a skill. And then I got turned on to the Comedy Store and
when I became a regular at the Comedy Store - when I got
picked up by Mitzy Shore - then I started working a lot.
And after a few years of working at the Comedy Store, then
you really get a rhythm. Every Night, Every Night. Then
more clubs across the county. Lots of the standup has actually
gotten me guest star roles on sitcoms. I actually did it
in reverse. I wanted to go from sitcoms to standup and I
went to standup and now sitcoms.
PW:
We heard you were in a movie recently where you play a New
Jersey Bartender. How did this come about?
'New Jersey's Bad Boy' stars as Nick Cuccini
in "Errors, Freaks & Oddities"
MM:
I was in New Jersey opening for "Dice" at Rascals in West
Orange. A young producer was in the audience, Dan Battista.
I believe they went there to see if they couldn't get "Dice"
to do the film. When I walked off the stage they made a
beeline for me and handed me a script and asked if I would
please read it. They were interested in me playing Nick
Cuccini, who is the lead character and bartender. I said
that I'd take a look at it. When I got back to Los Angeles
his brother Paul Battista who wrote the film was in California.
So Dan contacted his brother Paul and told him to go see
me live at the Comedy Store. So now Paul comes to the Comedy
Store and when he see's me he says "Ya, my brother Dan is
right, you're perfect!" Three months later we packed our
bags and went to New Jersey for three months to shoot this
movie "Errors, Freaks & Oddities." It's my sixth film, but
my first lead.
PW:
What's your favorite venue:
MM:
Well you never know where the venue is gonna be the best.
I'd say the Comedy Store, it's like my home club. It's always
sold out, I always get a good spot. Headlining at Rascals
in New Jersey is always great. It's home.
PW:
What's your least favorite?
MM:
I don't really have one. I've been known to play black
comedy clubs, latino comedy clubs. There is no venue I won't
play. I'll play to 1 person or 3000.
Mike
Marino is the Ultimate what you see is what
you get kind of guy. Or is he?
PW:
How would you describe your style and what can someone expect
to see at a Mike Marino show?
MM:
That might almost be the unexpected, I don't know what to
expect myself sometimes. Like I said, I've been playing
black clubs, latino clubs & prestigious white clubs so I
have material for everyone. I go anywhere from harcore edge,
I can make it extremely extremely dirty, and clean to the
point where I actually bore myself. But they're laughing.
PW:
Now that you got 10 years in the business, what advice can
you give to comics just starting out.
MM:
Well it's an uphill battle, but focus on your own career,
go out every single night to an open mic wherever you can
find one. Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse. And plan on being
funny in the 5th or 6th year … that's when you really find
your voice. I mean I tried everything from impersonations,
to political material to props. I
think around my 6th or 7th year I realized family material
and hitting people where they live is the funniest. And
your timing becomes impeccable, because you do it so much.
I mean I could make fun of your shirt for half an hour.
and you'd go buy another one - believe me.
(Mike proceeds to verbally shred this interviewer's black
and white shirt to pieces: As he puts it "Nothing like a
shirt you can play checkers on and get stoned off staring
at it at the same time. Ross for Less!, man you should have
paid a lot more")
PW:
Thanks Mike. I can tell you are a real fashion Diva yourself.
So tell us, if you were not doing comedy what would you
be doing?
MM:
I have no idea! Nothing like going to college for construction.
If I wasn't in show business I'd probably work for my dad.
I'm the middle brother of three and my parents are in the
construction business. So I'd probably have a wife, 2.2
kids and a career in cement. And I don't mean mobster style,
like making sidewalks, etc.
PW:
So, no cement shoes here?
MM:
Not right now, unless I don't like this story of course.
(joking …. at least we hope he is)
PW:
So who are your favorite comedians?
MM:
I mean Dice obviously, the guy is a legend. Eddie Murphy,
Rodney Dangerfield, Robin Williams, Jim Carey.
PW:
We heard you're into helping out charites and raising money
for all sorts of causes, what's that about?
MM:
Right, originally I was asked to start doing some charities
going back as much as 6 years ago. I did a comedy show for
the Havenhurst Home for battered women, raised money - squeaky
clean show. Then I did a few for team Earthworks which raises
money to save the planet, save the whales. It's owned by
John Paul DeJoria from Paul Mitchell Hair Care Systems.
I've continually done some for them. And then we did one
for the police. I've tons of charities for the police. All
the way from LAPD, to CHP, to the Sheriff to Gray Davis.
You'd
think I could get a get out of jail free card. When we did
one for September 11th we did it at the LA Police Academy,
it was like $100 to get in all the proceeds went to victims
of 9/11. We just did a back by popular demand show. It was
basically just for them to come and have some fun, it was
called "New Jersey's Bad Boy faces off the LAPD." All the
money went to families that had lost a fireman or a police
officer. Anyone in that line of duty.
PW:
Tell us about some of the TV roles you've had and what is
coming up.
MM:
Funny enough, I've actually played a cop and know where
to get a uniform. I played a cop on Frazier, guest starred
on the Nikki Cox show. Did a few episodes of Party of Five.
I also played a character on the TV show Becker with Ted
Danson. I've been a sketch comic on the Tonite Show for
about 3 years. We do sketches like you'd see on Saturday
Night Live, only these involve Jay Leno.
"now let's get this straight.
I wanna be the bad cop next time".
PW:
So what does the future hold for Mike Marino?
MM:
I hope to keep doing standup around the country. Hopefully
bigger and bigger venues. Maybe a concert. Would like to
do a one man show, would love to do an HBO or Comedy Central
special, which we're pretty close to getting. And the Mike
Marino series, like Seinfeld or Ray Ramano. Only my show
will have a little bit more of an edge. Nice blue-collar
show, takes place in Jersey. Ya "The Marino Show" - that's
how it should be.
PW:
When you aren't doing comedy and working what are you into?
MM:
I actually was a water skier most of my life. Grew up surfing
down by the Jersey shore. Right now my hobbies are maybe
going to the gym … and playing golf. I can't stand the game,
but man can you make connections on a golf course. It's
funny. I also love to cook. I'm an incredible cook. And
I'm a professional dater. I'm single so dating is my hobby.
I'd like to cash in those chips and meet a good Italian
girl and quit that hobby. Know Anybody?
PW:
Ya, I guess we could put that out to our readers (some real
gems I'm sure) and we'll find out quick.
MM:
Ya, it's like "I'm single - log on www.mmarino.com"
Just be careful what you write - there are readers out there!
My mom is reading my website. No more talk about the animals
in the different states.
Hey yo ladies, meet Mike Marino. He's
not your
typical New Jersey mama's boy. Meet a Bad Boy who can actually
cook!
PW:
and last but not least, what do you think of the crazy
guys at Publicity Whore?
MM:
They seem like nice guys & it's a fantastic magazine - we
got to get as many people as possible to read it! - hell
I'll even stand up in front of 2000 people on a night and
throw the Whore out to everyone. "Hey, it's a Whore for
Everybody, Somebody pick up a Whore! On every street corner,
especially Hollywood & Vine."
PW:
Now that's something we just may take you up on Mike!
For
more information on Mike Marino, visit
http://www.mmarino.com
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