1). What influenced you to get into comedy?
I grew up in a bar. My aunt and uncle owned it. It was your typical east coast Irash tap room. I would do my homework at the bar. My uncles were either bartending or drinking. All telling these great stories and jokes. In my family a sense of humor was a contact sport. My grandfather and I had a love for old movies. I think I was the proudest when my cousins were not allowed to watch the Three Stooges because they would slap each other like Moe. I wasn't allowed to watch the Marx Brothers because I became a smart ass.
The biggest influence on my comedy has to be The Dick Van Dyke Show. I really remember being around 3 or 4 seeing Rob Petry and saying to myself, "I want to be a comedy writer." I loved his life.
Finally, as far as my timing, I would have to say the big two influences were Bugs Bunny and Hawkeye Pearce.
2). How long have you been a professional comedian? What other kind of work have you done, & how have those other jobs helped to shape your current career?
I've been making drunks laugh for around 15 years. I painted houses, sold lightbulbs over the phone, worked in a vitamin factory. I sucked at them all.
3). How do you find your "muse," or does it find you?
It depends on the paycheck. I am on a local Philly [Philadelphia] radio station's morning show. The host has been really good at letting me create characters. There I have a deadline, so I have to create.
Sometimes it finds me. Any good comic is a detective. We train ourselves to observe everything in search for a joke. It's a mindset really.
4). You have a website: http://www.joeycallahan.com . How do you decide what to showcase on your site? Does it help you bring in new fans & what sorts of things do they say to you when they write in? How should a website reflect a profession, ie, a comedian would likely have a different focus to his site than, say, a scientist (or maybe not, if the scientist is funny!).
I love my website. It was created by an amazing web guy named Vince Yodis -- www.yodis.com . Any success I have on the web he is responsible for. Yes, the web is a great way to develop new fans, and business. I actually have three sites:
5). How do you flesh out your material? Do you use everyday incidents, or news items, or family stories -- or all -- to form your acts?
All of my material has some kind of autobiographical experience -- I have experienced in the real world and put it on stage.
6 ). Give us a bizarre/silly aspect of your writing process, ie, must have chocolate as you write, or do you write in your pajamas, or only while listening to a particular musician?
Okay, you asked. Some people read on the toilet. I go over bits. You asked!!!!!
Driving is a great place to write.
7). Do you write anything other than comedy? If so, tell us about some of your other writing work.
Grocery list that my wife changes. Apparently the family can't survive on Doritos alone.
8). How has your life influenced your art?
The birth of my children. Great material. If you are in a writing slump, have kids.
9). What new projects do you have on the horizon? Tell us about your current work.
10). What encourages you to pick up & read a certain book? What encourages you to see a certain film? What was the last film you saw? What's your favorite food -- why? This is the silly questions line.
I love "how to" books. The last movie I saw was "Batman Begins." I am a huge Batman geek and I loved it. My favorite food? My aunt Annie's potato salad.
11.) What is your advice to people still working to be publicly acknowledged for their art -- or in any profession, for that matter?
Do it because you love it, but develop a plan. Be a business person, and an artist. Take the business part as serious as you take yourself as an artist. I'm amazed how many people don't realize that they are salespeople and they are the product.
12). Are you touring now? Tell us where we can see you perform next. Remember, you're being read from all areas of the globe right now, so go for it.
1 3 ). Tell us about your family. Where do you live (in general)?
I'm a Philly boy. It's a great town. I can be anywhere in less than two hours. Atlantic City or Manhattan. I am a daddy and a husband to a very patient wife and two daughters, Emma and Robin.
15). Anything you'd like to add?
My new CD just came out, "Joey Callahan and the Diapers and Formula Tour!" You can buy it on my website.
