Comedian Paul Mecurio promises an emotional show when he performs this week at Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy.
“There’s a lot of crying, a lot of weeping,” said Mecurio with a laugh. “Just kidding. It’s personal. I talk about my wife. I think it’s important for the crowd to get to know the comic.”
He took an unconventional road to comedy. The Rhode Island native worked on Wall Street until an accidental meeting with Jay Leno changed his trajectory.
“I was doing mergers and acquisitions at a big firm here in the city, and I started writing jokes as a hobby,” explained Mecurio, referring to New York City.
Soon, his firm was invited to a private function featuring Leno.
“I went up to him after the show, and I said, ‘I don’t know if you need jokes, but I have jokes, and you can have them,’” he said. “I had a massive document of jokes that I’ve been writing and saving at work, and in a password file, like a secret file.”
The self-proclaimed “Mr. Lawyer Wall Street guy” showed a few jokes to Leno, who suggested he put his name and phone number on the back. When Leno phoned, Mecurio thought one of his friends was playing a joke on him.
“I actually said to Jay Leno, ‘You do a lousy Jay Leno,’” he recalled.
The legendary comedian/TV host told Mecurio he could use the jokes in his act or on “The Tonight Show.” Mecurio was offered $50 per joke.
A week later, Mecurio heard his joke on TV.
“It completely blew my head off my shoulders,” Mecurio said. “I was the funniest lawyer in my law firm, which isn’t saying much. It’s kind of like saying, ‘I’m the sexiest IT guy.’”
He then quit his job, sold his apartment, and moved to a home outside of New York City. His resume now includes jokes for Stephen Colbert, Leno and John Stewart, and Emmy and Peabody awards.
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“This is a subjective business,” said Mecurio, who is “perfecting” an off-off Broadway show with legendary director Frank Oz called “Permission to Speak.”
“You could work really hard and practice your craft and still not get something because you may not be the right type or right height or whatever. I had to learn that there’s a lot of subjectivity in the world, and I had to get my head around that.”
Mecurio hosts his podcast, “Inside Out with Paul Mecurio” on iTunes, Spotify, iHeart, and Audioboom. His A-list have included Paul McCartney, Colbert, Kevin Costner, Bill Burr, Kyra Sedgwick, Spike Lee, Kristin Chenoweth, Billy Bob Thornton, Judd Apatow and Lewis Black
The comedian is thrilled to return to Phoenix, a city where he enjoys playing golf.
“It’s time for me to come back to Phoenix,” he said. “The audiences are always great, and the club is really top-notch. I’m pretty psyched.”
Paul Mecurio performs two shows on Friday, Dec. 12, and Saturday, Dec. 13, at Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy, 5350 E. High Street, Suite 105, Phoenix. For ticket information, call 480-420-3553 or visit az.houseofcomedy.net.
