JIVE TURKEY! AN INTERVIEW WITH COMEDIAN FRANK-OH! PETITTO!

Happy Thanksgiving from Brooklyn Original! As a special holiday treat we present to you this wonderful interview with up and coming comedian extraordinaire, Frank-Oh! Petitto. Enjoy and eat well!

Frank, you're a naturally funny guy, so when did you get the idea of turning that into a stand up comedy routine?

Well Jim.....that is your name right?? I had been throwing around the idea of doing stand up for a long time. Days in fact. Anyhoo, Ive heard over and over again that I should take it to the stage, and when you hear it from enough people, when you hear it from the RIGHT people, you start thinking. And like Wilford Brimley once said aboot Quaker Oats: "It's the right thing to do and the right way to do it". Plus if I'm successful, there's a lot of money to be made.

How do you come up with your material?

Well what I like to do is sit in front of my computer and write, and write, and write whatever is on my mind. Usually what I come up with sucks ass, so up until game time, (which technically has only been once), I don't have a final act until I hit the stage and sometimes that's when its the funniest. I find that my nitch is either telling stories or just spewing out one liners, which I think may be the way I'm gonna go on December 5th.

What are some of the challenges an up and coming comedian faces?

Being funny AND original. You don't wanna go up there not confident that what you're gonna say isn't going to get a reaction from the people. And you also don't want to go up there using someone else's material, because no matter how obscure the comedian who's material you are using is, there is gonna be someone out there who knows that you are borrowing, and that's not good. Also, being one of the last to go up on stage could be a disadvantage when you have people buying you all drinks all night until you get up there.

What is it like performing in front of a live audience, and does the crowd's reaction drive your act?

Well like I said before I've only done it once before, but I was lucky enough to have a good 60% of the audience there to see me. Hearing my name being chanted throughout the night, even before I got up there, was an adrenaline rush that you couldn't imagine.

Are there any stand-up comedians or performances, past or present, which have influenced your act in any way? And how do you think you stack up to those comedians or performances?

Honestly, I'm really not even into watching stand up comedy, but I'm a big fan of Norm MacDonald. His dry sense of humor and delivery always cracked me up. Plus he's Canadian so if you listen closely, you may here the word "aboot" thrown in there once in a while.

How do I stack up? I am the dominant force in comedy of course.....hey.....that rhymed.

What else inspires your comedy?

The children...I do it for the children...and Ang Lee.

How would you describe your act to people that haven't seen you?

Well, once again, like I said before, I've only done it once. The first time I told a story. A dirty, DIRTY about filthy pornography and evil masturbation. I was lucky enough to have my mother practically sitting on stage with me. She must have been so proud. I think this time I may change it around a little with some one liners and Jerry Seinfeld-like observations. I'm also working on something that compares the difference between men and women. Honestly I probably wont know what I'm doing until right before the show.

You grew up in Brooklyn, and in the last few years have moved out to Long Island. How did that transition affect you and your comedy?

Well I don't know if it affected my comedy, but it sure as hell affected my ability to parallel park!!!

Ok, since the move to LI didn't affect you, how did growing up in Brooklyn affect your sense of humor?

That's a good question and if you give me a half hour I'll give you a good answer...Ok, growing up in Brooklyn you meet alot of characters and those characters become your friends. You tend to grow up with people who have the same kind of humor as you do, and the longer you are with those people, the longer you have to perfect that sense of humor because we tend to feed off of each other. I do indeed credit growing up in Brooklyn, being somewhat responsible for the type of humor I present, which I have been told is quite odd and somewhat different. Make sense?

Yes completely! So, what are your predictions for 2008?

Hillary Clinton becomes the first ever female president, A-Rod leads the Pittsburgh Pirates to the World Series, and I finally change the address on my drivers license. *Frank's answer was prior to A-Rod coming back to the Yanks.

Finally, Thanksgiving Turkey vs. Jive Turkey, who wins and why?

Jive Turkey, cause you gotta talk Jive to get out of being cooked. Gobble Gobble!

Frank-Oh! will be performing @ Brokerage Comedy Club on December 5th @ 8pm. Please call 516-785-8655 and make reservations now!

Jive Turkey art by Anthony Picone