“My stand-up show is usually really different. I am trying to do a show where people leave and say to themselves, ‘I have never seen anything like that,’” he said.
Mecurio has been taking a lot of inspiration from his one-man show called “Permission to Speak With Paul Mecurio.” The show is semi-improvisational with his usual comedic flare. He asks the audience questions and even has people come up on stage.
“Everybody has a story. If we take a minute to hear each other’s stories, we would get along so much better. I like to talk to an audience, and we have great conversations that you could never write,” Mecurio said.
One couple who came to the show were in their 80s, and after some questions, Mecurio found out that they actually met on an S&M website. That’s definitely not something that could be planned.
His focus on people’s stories continues with his podcast. On “The Paul Mecurio Show,” the comic has interviewed such notable names as Paul McCartney, Bryan Cranston, Jay Leno and Stephen Colbert.
“It’s a different outlet than stand-up. I like to interview people who can do and understand things that I can’t,” he said
He’s had some wild stories of his own to tell over the years. His venture into comedy was a little different than most. He went from making buko bucks on Wall Street to performing in dive bars in New York City.
A guy once got stabbed while Mecurio was performing, and proceeded to throw bloody napkins on the comic, ruining a $3,000 suit. Mecurio had to hide the blood stains from his lawyer and banker colleagues.
This “double life” he led could one day be part of a book. As if the comic didn’t have enough to do.
“I’ve got some crazy stories,” he said. He relayed a story about getting in a fight with someone on an Amtrak, so a book is definitely “an angle” he wants to pursue.
Lately, he’s been the warm-up comic for Late Night with Stephen Colbert. This role has him “spinning a lot of plates at once” as he tries to get the audience ready for the show.
And there are his appearances on CNN and CBS, just to name a few. His segments typically find him giving commentary on news events, but with a funny twist.
“I use humor to make a point about a topic in the news cycle. Humor helps to make the point clearer,” Mecurio said.
Mecurio will share his adventures at the Dayton Funny Bone Friday, Dec. 7 through Sunday, Dec. 9. Visit www.dayton.funnybone.com for tickets or call the box office at 429-5233.
To keep up on Mecurio's numerous projects, visit his website at www.paulmecurio.com.
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