Do you write all your own material?
Yes for the most part I do. Sometimes fans or friends may suggest an idea that I elaborate on further or might have a great story which works well as it is. I am lucky that a lot of my material comes to me on stage and over the years one liners have become 10 minute routines or sometimes a topic you may have heard has a new twist added to it. The show is always evolving both in the sense of the material and also as a performer I am always learning new things. If you listen to the albums consecutively you can hear the routines develop and change and get longer over the years and you will also hear how I have changed which is inevitable performing that many live shows over the years.
How did you get started?
When I was at University I started entertaining my class mates by making fun of lecturers at lunch. At parties I was always the one who would get up and tell jokes so a mate of mine suggested I go to the Comedy Store in Sydney and try out. That I did in July 1995. I went to every open comedy mic night I could and honed my act until I was given my first professional paid spot in January of 1996. I then had an idea in 1998 to put together a one man show combining my Italian and English stand up routines - which was the basis of my show today - and it worked. I then recorded an album which spread around Australia and released a second recording which made its way around the world via napster and I have been touring the world since on the success of those two albums. That's it in a nut shell. There are, ofcourse many wonderful and interesting (and terrible) experiences in between which I am most thankful for because they have made me the person I am today.
I heard you live in Canada?
It really made me realise the impact that the media had in regards to this issue. I don't ever remember giving an interview where I said I lived in Canada but since I spent so much time there, especially between 2001 and 2005, that everyone automatically assumed that I lived there because the media in Australia made it out to seem like that. The truth is that I did live there only while I was touring there. The tours took so long to complete because of the sheer number of shows and the preparation involved and sometimes I would be in Canada for 9 months straight. I actually lived in London between 2001 and 2006.
When are you touring solo again?
Over the past two years I have been touring with IL DAGO which I loved doing. IN 2012 I am touring in Australia with a show called Comicus Erectus which is another ensemble and as soon as I finish that tour in August 2012 I start my solo world tour starting in America and Canada at the end of 2012 and visiting Australia and the UK in 2013. That show will be me going back to my roots and performing my bi lingual show.
Who were your influences?
I really enjoy Bill Cosby and Seinfeld for the reason that they work clean. I am big fan of working clean. Billy Connolly is also great because of his amazing story telling abilities as is Billy Crystal. IN Australia I did my apprenticeship under a comedian called Austen Tayshus which in hindsight was probably one of the best experiences because of his antics anything can happen - people laugh uncontrollably, leave, throw stuff at him, abuse him, the audience gets abused. Its not your usual night of stand up. It kind of threw me in the deep end and I liked that because it forced me to be at my best and on my toes at all times.
I thought you had a ponytail when did you cut your hair?
I get this all the time. People say to me " what happened to your ponytail?". I actually hated it but kept it cause the girl I was seeing back then liked it. OHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I cut it off in January 2001. The funny thing is when people say that to me it tells me that they havnt seen any of my other DVDs or been to my shows since 2000 because that's the only time I ever had one and only one of my 4 DVD's shows me with a pony tail so get with program and get up to date with your DVD's. LOL.
I thought you were married?
I still have no idea why I get asked this question all the time - I am single and havn't even ever been engaged let alone married. SO THAT'S THAT.