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Jerry Diner has been a comedian for a long, long time and the only reason that someone remains a comedian for a long, long time is because they are good at it. Usually comedians who are good at it are comedians who love what they do and Jerry loves what he does.
Let’s hear more from the funny man himself:
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How did you come to be?…basically, your origin as a performer.
I was living in San Francisco and learning Improv when a friend bet me 20 bucks he could get more laughs than I at an open mike night at the holy City Zoo. I wrote five of the dirtiest minutes of material and killed first time out. On the tape of me during the middle of the set I said, “I feel like I’m home!” It turns out that has been my home, doing standup, for over thirty years.
How long have you been doing it
I’ve been doing stand up for thirty years and acting (The Meisner Method) for twenty. I put it this was: Standup is the gates of Heaven… theater is walking through.
What kind of services do you offer? I mean, I know what you do, but could you give me a range of where you perform and what kind of events hire you?
I have always worked the road or The Original Improv in NYC back in the day. When I do corporate or special shows (bachelor parties, Christmas parties, etc) I enjoy finding out about the people who are going to be there and writing material especially for that event. I am not a roast kind of performer… and I gently make fun of the situation. I have opened for many famous bands and performers throughout the years. Those gigs are challenging and rewarding depending on the drugs the audience members have done.
What should a client look for when hiring you?
When a client hires me they get a professional comedian. I work the room whether clean or dirty and give the client more than what they ask for. After all this time I absolutely LOVE performing and I believe that love translates into a great rapport between myself and the audience
What are some things you look for in a client?
Payment
How do handle a situation with an unresponsive audience?
As a comic every moment can’t be the best so I am honest with the audience and I will switch material when something isn’t working. I always find something that the audience can hold onto and start them laughing… and then they are mine for the rest of the show.
What’s the best part of your job? the worst?
The best part of the job is the energy that I derive from the audience and then filter it and give it back a hundred fold to them. We are in it together and that’s the challenge and the joy.
What would you say to someone interested in doing that you’re doing?
Write… Write… Write. All of the universe is open to laughing. It’s the truth that’s funny universally… dig deep!
What’s your favorite story about an event at which you entertained?
All through junior and senior high school I sat next to Bonnie F in homeroom. She was one of the most gorgeous girls I had ever seen. In HS she was dating college guys. SHe would never go out with me although we used to talk a lot. Fifteen years after we graduated I was working as a singing telegram person. I would wear a red bellhop uniform and the whole bit. One night I was sent to a penthouse apartment to sing. The elevator doors opened and sitting there was Bonnie! I could see in her eyes that I had become the loser she always knew me to be… and my face was a red as the uniform I was wearing. It’s instances like that which make you stronger… after you lick your wounds, of course!
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There you have it, straight from the funny man’s mouth. If you want a professional comedian for your event, party, wedding, auction, corporate event, funeral (comedians put the ‘fun’ in ‘funeral’) or any get together, find Jerry Diner on GigMama.com at
http://www.gigmama.com/comedians/jerry-diner