Phil O'Reilly

Today I am interviewing Phil O'Reilly, a comedian from New York, NY who has been doing comedy for about four years. To find out more about Phil, please visit his website.



Why did you start doing stand-up comedy?

Why? I just felt like a square peg in a roundhole world.
Making people laugh made me feel important.
My father had an acid tongue. Could put down the Pope.
Ranking on people was 2nd nature to my whole family.
My tongue got me into trouble and also got me out of trouble.
Then I realized that it was a vehicle for entertaining people.
I tried stand-up maybe 25 years ago. Lasted about a year. Not as many venues for your obsession then. I recall the big clubs, Improv, Catch, etc, had an open mic once a month. It was a long elaborate process that lasted all day. Sunday at the Improv. Early afternoon. Get on line for a number or a wristband. Catch a Rising Star was a weekday afternoon lineup. Come back later at night.
Getting on late just before closing.
I had taken a class at the Comic Strip and had a 4-5 person homeboy posse.
There was another place called the Good Times at 31st and 3rd Ave. Once a week, more like the open mics ya see now.
The open mics didn't cost ya money but did cost ya time.
I spent a lot of time at the Good Times, MCed once.
Joe Vega/JJ Ramirez/Cathy Ladman were the most famous comics coming up there.
I saw Seinfeld at Catch. He was a headliner then. Early 80's sometime.
I quit. Lost my nerve. Used to get so nervous. Lots of flop sweat. Close to getting physically sick the day of an appearance I was to make.
So I reasoned that this wasn't going to get any better even if or when I got good.
So I quit. Buried the urge, the jones, the rush, etc.
Every once in a while I still get the itch. The "I could of been somebody" speech.
Buried it. Working businesses, getting broke.
Drove a cab, limo, stretch. Worked long and hard enough to earn money and then ease up-lazy.
Never cared about money, only food. Sometimes pussy.

Can you tell me one weird thing about yourself?

I scrounge things off the streets. This past Friday's gig-very well-I'm wearing a sweater I found on the subway. I pick up shit on the streets while walking my dog. Pens, mostly. My daughter is mortified.

What was your first year doing stand-up comedy like?

The first year was very high and very low. No matter what your friends say, there's still this nagging self doubt in the back of your mind. Being this much older this time around has its benefits. My choices are slim. Quit, retire, get depressed and then bitter with the world. So I sort of painted myself into a corner because I waited so long for my big come back. But everyday I now feel special and have never been so challenged in my life. For example, I have 3 brothers. All 3 came last Friday. Great show, at times easy. They all said the same thing you, Slava, said - "You make a great MC". I'm fighting time but I'm having a ball.