Living the Italian Life Down Under A Conversation with Comedian Joe Avati Written by Elias Stimac

Comedian Joe Avati is selling out – selling out CDS (80,000 and counting) and selling out live shows (one appearance in Toronto sold out in nine minutes).

Known as the Australian/Italian version of Jerry Seinfeld, Avati is back in the U.S. and readying the national tour of his new show, “Joe Avati Live.” The schedule kicks off on Friday October 6th at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and playing several area dates:

Oct 6 & 8: New Jersey -- The New Jersey Performing Arts Center – call 1-888-GO-NJPAC or log on to www.njpac.org.
Oct 7: Staten Island -- The Center for the Arts, College of Staten Island– call 718-982-ARTS or visit www.cfashows.com.
Oct 8: Long Island -- Hofstra University, John Cranford Adams Playhouse – call Ticketmaster at 631-888-9000 or go to www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, check out his website at www.joeavati.com.

If you are familiar with his album “Live and Unpluggato” or caught him on his first tour of the country in 2004, Joe’s comedy surrounds the day-to-day life of his Italian family and all the outrageous things they do. the world is over when the doctor orders him to stop drinking his beloved red wine! The storyteller possesses “spot-on delivery and down-to-earth Aussie charm,” a winning combination for a killer comedy career. NewYorkCool.com had a chance to catch up with the comic recently and find out the secrets of his success.

NYCool: When did you first start performing comedy?

Avati: I started performing comedy in 1995 so that would make it about 11 years now.

NYCool: When did you first realize you had a talent for being funny?

Avati: I used to be able to tell lots of old jokes at birthday parties. I had a good memory for jokes. I also used to impersonate university lecturers at lunchtime. I completed a food science degree and one particular lecturer used to say Hydrocarbates instead of Carbohydrates.

NYCool: You have been called the Australian/Italian Seinfeld -- why did you get that title?

Avati: The media in Australia labeled me “The Italian Seinfeld” because my style of comedy is observational and my show is clean. At the time, Seinfeld was the most famous comedian in the world and so the comparison was an easy one that everyone could relate to. I don’t think, however, that they call Seinfeld the New York Joe Avati!

NYCool: What aspects of your upbringing in Australia contributed to your sense of humor?

Avati: Australians have a very self-deprecating sense of humor and it helped me look at myself and the Italian community in the same way. Also having grown up in Australia we were brought up on sitcoms from England and from America so it gave me an in-depth understanding of the differences in humor around the world and made me adapt my act accordingly.

NYCool: How does your Australian and Italian heritage fit into your routines?

Avati: Having an Italian heritage and growing up in Australia produces someone like me -- the child of immigrants -- which produces so much comic material because our Grandparents and parents didn’t speak English that well or understand the Australian way of life so their stories about living in an English speaking country having just arrived from Italy are the essence of my routines. What is interesting is that children of Italian extraction in English speaking countries have the same experiences. For example my grandparents have formed their own language called “Italese” which is what happens when you combine English and Italian, the same way as the grandparents have done here in the USA or in Canada or in England. I take that language and impersonate them as I tell their stories and right at that point is where the humor originates from.

NYCool: You have sold out lots of shows in Canada, what is your appeal there?

Avati: My appeal in Canada stems from the fact that comedy based on your ethnic extraction wasn’t ever explored and they were crying out for it. Combine that with a very strong and united Italian community and mix in a little bit of the Australian accent and you get sell out shows.

NYCool: What factors do you attribute to the success of your "Live and Unpluggato" CD?

Avati: I guess I was the first bilingual stand-up comedian who put out a comedy album which would have contributed to the success of that CD going to number one and staying there for so long. Also probably my most downloaded track, “Nonno's Car Accident” -- which is a routine about what happens when my Italian Grandfather has a smash with a Chinese guy -- was on that album. That routine is to me what “Thriller” was to Michael Jackson.

NYCool: Tell us about your first tour of the States in 2004.

Avati: It was great. Its always great to explore new territories and it had taken about 2 years to be able to co ordinate that tour and the response from the audiences was amazing. I will never forget the standing ovation at Queens College -- 1500 Italians cheering at the end of the show as if they had just won the world cup -- is a memory that I will take with to my last days. It was special because it was my inaugural visit and the anticipation to finally perform in the US was well worth it.

NYCool: What are looking forward to on this current tour?

Avati: I am looking forward to show casing my new show and to performing to fans in places I have never been to before like Boston, San Diego, and Connecticut. The second tour to a particular city or country is the most difficult because there is a lot of pressure to better the performance the fans saw two and half years ago. That’s what the challenge is.

NYCool: What are your impressions of New York City?

Avati: I love it. Its such a vibrant and exciting city. The choice of whatever you want is all here. I love that. The eclectic mix of people makes for a very interesting experience. I personally like grandeur and opulence and that is certainly present in New York. As someone who grew up watching American sitcoms and films you instantly feel like you belong because you already know so much about the city and your in awe when you see buildings or places you have seen on TV or on the big screen. Things that New Yorkers may take for granted we get “wowed” about. And the “wow” factor is a thing that happens every time you step out of your hotel and discover a new part of your amazing city.

NYCool: What advice do you have for aspiring comedians?

Avati: Quit now! I don’t need the competition. (laughs) Seriously, though, I always have two pieces of advice. The first is that if you get up on stage and can make people laugh, even for one minute, you have what it takes to be a comedian. All you need to do is find another 89 minutes of routines that make people laugh and you have a show. The second piece of advice is to never give it once you realize you have what it takes. Just keep at it and get as much stage time as possible. Go to as many open mikes and tryout nights as possible and watch the professionals and see why and how they construct jokes to make people laugh. Just because your funny off stage doesn’t mean your funny on stage. You have to learn how to bring the funny “you” off the stage and make it funny on
stage.