Stand-up comedy meets the Fray? With Johnny Cardinale, that’s what it’s all about.
A comedian who’s been doing stand-up for about eight years, Cardinale combines popular music and his guitar with funny comic skits. The Mirror was able to catch up with Cardinale before his performance at Fairfield on Friday night.
The Mirror: How did you get into stand-up comedy?
Johnny Cardinale: I used to do some sketch comedy and some singing and songwriting, and I just kind of fell into doing stand-up. I still do the singing and songwriting, but stand-up has sort of taken over.
TM: What would you say is the best part of doing stand-up?
JC: It’s always the stage time. It sounds so typical, but nothing beats seeing people laugh. You don’t know them, it’s kind of an odd thing, but I think any performer will tell you that.
TM: Your acts involve a lot of guitar music. How long have you been playing?
JC: Since I was young, probably about 15. And I was self taught. I wanted to learn it well enough to accompany myself and to get chicks. Those are the two reasons I picked it up, if we’re going to be honest here.
TM: That adds a unique touch. What inspired you to combine your singing and songwriting with stand-up?
JC: I was in a sketch group, like SNL, and I just happened to write some comedic songs for the group and they became really popular. When the group kind of dissolved, I said let’s hit the stand up clubs and use some of these songs. It was a hit right off the bat.
TM: How did you come up with the ideas for these songwriting skits?
JC: I’ve always had the ability to sound a lot like artists. I don’t really think of myself as an impressionist, but I can generally sound very close to most singers if I set out to. Then I started working on having a persona up there, instead of just singing a bunch of songs together.
TM: Do you play a lot of college shows, and do you like doing them?
JC: In the last year I’ve done a lot, and they’re challenging. Generally comedy clubs are all pretty similar, but with colleges you’re in an auditorium one day and a coffeehouse the next. But I like it, because you have to be on your toes. It forces you to be current, a little smarter, and a lot cleaner!
TM: Have any favorite comedians?
JC: Steve Martin when he was in stand-up, I very much enjoyed him. You just don’t see stand-up like that anymore. In today’s standards, I like Brian Regan a lot. Oddly enough he cites his number one influence as Steve Martin as well.
TM: How about one of the funniest things you’ve had happen while doing a show?
JC: I was performing at Hollywood Improv a little over a year ago, emceeing the show. So I would go on between acts, and my guitar was plugged in flat at the very back of this really long stage. So Michael Richards came in and wanted to go on stage, and of course we let him ’cause he was Michael Richards, he was a star. He was doing a bunch of wild antics, running and jumping around on stage, and he fell backwards and stepped on my guitar and cracked it. When he got off stage I ran out to the lobby of the comedy club and I had to sit there with Michael Richards for about 15 minutes explaining that he broke my guitar and I needed a new one. Finally the manager of the club came out and Michael Richards said, “take this guy, get him a new guitar, and I’ll pay for it.” So the guitar I use now Michael Richards bought. And I had to give him my old crap guitar so he could hang it in his house because he thought it was hilarious that he broke someone else’s guitar.
TM: That’s quite the interesting story!
JC: Yeah it’s pretty cool, but then six months later he had that whole thing at the comedy club with the “n” word and nobody knows his whereabouts since.
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