SL_Spotlight_1_19_Spotlight 1 / 14 / 19 3 : 41 PM Page 1 spotlight me , “ You should try to make a career in entertainment . ” I started thinking about it then , as a senior in high school . … It’s been great ; I never have to look forward to Friday , and I never have to dread Sunday nights . I know every day is going to be a great day . Riot Act Besides sharing stories about your daughter in your act , has fatherhood changed your comedy Comedian Chris Distefano has a story he wants you to hear . at all ? BYBILLDONAHUE Fatherhood has changed my comedy in the sense that I really only do what I want to do . If — CANDID , MATTER ? OF ? FACT , AND FUNNY AS HELL THAT’S CHRIS DISTEFANO . While it’s not worth my time , or if the money’s not his brand of expletive - laced comedy may look effortless , Distefano works hard to right , if it’s not going to further my career or share engaging stories disguised as riotous jokes . Fans see his act as refreshingly make [ my daughter’s ] life easier , I’ll just politely decline so I can spend time with my kid . It’s not honest and cutting without being cruel , brushed with the down - to - earth sincerity like I’m going to go to L.A . for two months just to he attained while coming of age in a gritty part of Brooklyn , N.Y . see if I can get on a TV show ; my time away from Having cut his teeth on the likes of MTV’s Guy Code and Girl Code , Netflix’s [ my daughter ] needs to be worth it . Otherwise Ultimate Beastmaster , and the IFC series Benders , Distefano has since become a I’ll just say no . darling of Comedy Central . The network recently extended his weekly interstitial series , Stupid Questions with Chris Distefano , and on Jan . 18 will premiere his hour - I really liked Benders , the show on IFC . Do you long special , Chris Distefano : Size 38 Waist . In the future , Distefano and Comedy have plans to do more straight - up acting , or is Central will collaborate on several other projects , including a second hour - long standup more your speed ? special , an unscripted series , and an animated series he sees as the perfect vehicle The day my daughter was born — May 19 , 2015 — for “ telling a story about my life . ” was the day of the first table read for Benders . After my daughter was born and she was safe in From Feb . 21 to 23 , Distefano will take the stage at Punch Line in Philadelphia’s of the nursery … I left for the table read . I’m sure I Fishtown neighborhood . He’s excited to return to Philly , which he characterizes as sy showed up at the table read with placenta on me . e “ an honest comedy town . ” urt But yeah , I’d love to do more acting . I wish Benders o “ If you suck , they’ll let you know you suck , ” he says . “ If you’re great , you’ll get a c hadn’t been cancelled , but that’s how it goes phy standing O . ” n sometimes . ra We caught up with Distefano to discuss humor as a coping mechanism , fatherhood , tog C and his fallback plan if , you know , this whole “ comedy thing ” doesn’t work out . Pho NB A lot of people have had the desire to break into the entertainment business in some way , shape , or form . How did you crack the code , so to speak ? My whole plan was to do comedy , but I understood that the chances were against me . I Q.A knew I needed a backup plan . Mine was to be a physical therapist . I had to go to three and a half years of school , post - undergrad , and nobody knew — my family didn’t know — that comedy was my goal . I was burning the candle at both ends in New York , which has a lot of competition [ among comics ] . I would go to work as a physical therapist , and then do open mics at night ; when you’re new , you can’t get on any real shows other than open mics , and you’re lucky if you get to fill the last spot at , like , 1 : 30 a.m . Eventually I fell into the right situations and was able to get on MTV’s Guy Code and Girl Code , and they both became pretty popular . I left my day job in March 2013 , and I’ve been doing comedy professionally ever since . Were you always “ the funny guy , ” or was that something you had to cultivate ? I never really did drugs or alcohol , so I would use humor to get me through tough times . My parents split up when I was , like , one year old , so I would try to be funny or silly when I was on the phone with my dad , probably using humor to mask my real emotions . Even on 9 / 11 , I was in a Catholic school in Queens , and we could see what was happening , and I tried to use humor to get through it . Subconsciously I was always trying to make everyone laugh . At one point , one of my teachers told SUBURBANLIFEMAGAZINE.COM JANUARY 2019 64 |