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 Views,
Reviews, and Interviews
by Dianne R. Davis
diannerd@aol.com
Photos by Dianne or Burt Davis
Vinnie
Favorito is funnnnny.
See him at O’Shea's
Vinnie Favorito is funny.
I saw Vinnie Favorito perform at O’Shea's on the strip. The casino is
not what I’d consider among the top ten, but the act is a hoot and a
half. Vinnie has his own style and uses the audience as the subject of
his humor. I heard that the act is different so I tested that theory by
going two nights in a row. I laughed Friday night. I laughed Saturday
night. Then I asked Vinnie a few questions.
DD: Barry Manilow has Fanilows. The Osmonds have fans that travel
throughout the country to see their performances. Celine has a following
that goes repeatedly to her shows. Do you have groupies? How often do
you see the same people in your audience?
VF: I wouldn’t call them groupies. I call them dedicated fans. There’s
not one show I do that someone doesn’t leave and say this is my seventh,
or third, or tenth time. One lady has seen my show 32 times. We have a
lot of repeat customers. Every night at least one, sometimes a few, come
up and tell us how many times they’ve been to my show.
DD: What makes your humor work?
VF: People enjoy the show because the first time they come they don’t
know what to expect. By the end, they realize everybody is really equal.
Nobody gets special treatment. That’s why I stand my ground.
DD: Is there anything that is off limits for your humor?
VF: No, I involve anyone. You gotta be stabbing someone to get thrown
out of my show. George Carlin said to me, “I love you Vinnie cause you
walk that line I love.”
I have cancer patients that come to the show. One lady thinks I put her
into remission. Laughter is great. What is different is that my show is
not a standard set up punch line. I love to dig myself in a hole.
DD: You have an amazing ability to remember the names and information
about everyone that you speak to. How can you do that?
VF: Memory: it’s scary. If we were standing in your kitchen, and you
introduced to me to your friends, I might night remember their names.
For some reason onstage, 99.9% of the time, I remember who they are,
where they are, and what they did. I build. Load the gun.
DD: Your humor is decidedly edgy. How often do you find people that are
offended?
VF: Never. When I worked the road, I saw three comedians that got
physically attacked, Bobby Slayton has been attacked. His stuff is more
direct. I walk off stage and kiss somebody. I won’t let anybody tear the
show down. Twice, I have had to say I need a bottle of water. That means
calm them down. There are people who plan to mess with me. Once they are
in the room, they realize 95 % of the time, they realize I am not the
guy to do this with.
DD: How do you prepare for a show?
VF: That’s the best part. I don’t. I know. I turn ad libs into jokes. I
don’t prepare. This is all I do. I look at ethnicity and age.
DD: Do you have a name for your brand of humor?
VF: I’m a roaster. That’s really what I am. When I need to get them on
same page. I like the difference in responses, I need the challenge.
That’s what I love about my show. I don’t get bored with it. I have a
beautiful wife. Sometimes I talk about her on stage. I was engaged 3
times before her. She is very supportive. She was a waitress in one the
comedy clubs. We’ve been together 10 1/2 years.
DD: What makes your humor/ shtick work?
VF: My personality. I grew up inner city Boston. I was in school when
busing started. I grew to be five foot seven. I had to come and go in
other neighborhoods. I was a quick talker, a fast talker with teachers.
Creative, a good liar.
I think the real key to my show is the audience members, not me. They
don’t realize how funny they are. I get into their heads that much. I
don’t like a boring show. I don’t like a boring crowd. Someone making
noise who wants my attention, won’t get it. The key to me is I always
try to find that bright side. What can make people laugh about the
subject, but not the subject. The flip side is to try to take shy person
and involve him or her in the show. Make the old lady feel like I have
shot at sleeping with him.
DD: How did you get started?
VF: I was in the Navy, then worked for the government, then sold cars. I
did it but wasn’t my kind of thing. I was funny. I did impressions as a
kid. I was listed in the yearbook as the class clown..
DD: How do you unwind after work?
VF: I’m not a club person, not a party person. I play poker, watch a lot
of movies. And I like sports.
DD: Who are your comedic heroes?
VF: Honestly, I have no select comedic favorite. I enjoy all styles. I
have a lot of respect for Rickles. I am compared to him. I got to meet
him at the Friars Club. Milton Berle was the one who named me “Rickles
with venom” I told Rickles, “I will do a week or month at no cost if can
open for you” He said, “You will never open for me” He does not have a
comedian open for him.
DD: Have you had mentors in the profession?
VF: Well, Boston comics were very helpful. Don Gavin out of Boston has
been there since day one. My favorite Boston comic took me on first road
gig.
DD: What is your professional goal?
VF: I had two. One was to have my own TV show. Or a show in Vegas. I did
a pilot with Fox, but it wasn’t picked up. And I love it. There’s a new
crowd every day, every week. I got lot of years left in me. We took a
dead nothing room at O’Shea’s and now it’s a money maker. If I can do
what I do with nothing, when I get to a final resting stop, I know it
will be fabulous. I have a dream show idea. I’m just waiting.
DD: Do you have a pet peeve?
VF: My biggest would be stupidity. Sometimes people get so loose at my
show they say something stupid thinking it is funny. They say something
way off the wall. That one person who tries to be funny with crowd
doesn’t realize they aren’t laughing.
DD: Is what we see what we get?
VF: I am the most real person in the room. No glamour. No cables.
DD: What do you want people to know about you?
VF: That I am here. I am funny. I care about what I do when you are in
my room. When you leave, I will give you an autograph. People leave
happy. I have no ego. I’m not important enough to say I can’t talk to
you. You can take photos with me. There’s no charge. That day will never
come. My team loves me.
DD: Do you have any favorite movie lines?
VF: “I know it was you Fredo.” From The Godfather. The other one is,
“Cause I’ve been with Del Griffith.” That’s from Planes, Trains and
Automobiles.
DD: Who do you want to meet?
VF: DeNiro, Pesci, and Pacino. If I could break bread with them, I would
be so happy. I love them. Just to meet them would mean the world to me
DD: When and where would you want people to ignore you or say hi to you?
When should your fans acknowledge you and when should they leave you
alone?
VF: Ah, honest, if I was eating dinner and someone recognized me, wanted
an autograph, I would give it to them. A lot of people recognize me when
I play poker. I get more customers from poker.
DD: What turns you on? Makes you happy?
VF: My wife, my family, my dogs, and my home.
Vinnie performs at 7:30pm and 1030pm Tuesday thru Saturday. Tickets are
$56.60 VIP and $45.60 general admission. Tax and fees are included. For
reservations, call 702-733-3333 .
Join Darren La Croix’s Humor Boot Camp December 5& 6
Darren La Croix was a student of Vinnie Favorito’s back in Boston. He
went on to become the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking. The
friendship that developed between Darren and Vinnie has lead to the
Humor Boot Camp scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, December 5 & 6 at
O’Shea’s on the Las Vegas Strip.. The workshop is for anyone who wants
to be funnier than they are. If you do any public speaking, if you want
to speak, if you just want to learn how to be funny, than this may be
the golden opportunity.
Darren is an award winning public speaker and he learned humor from
Vinnie. Reports from previous classes are glowing. Add Vinnie to this
mix, and it is bound to be entertaining as well as informative. And if
that isn’t enough, you get a ticket to Vinnie’s show.
I’m planning to be there and will report back on this unique opportunity
to improve my funny bone. If you are in Vegas, please join me there.
Information on the Humor Boot Camp can be found at
http://www.humor411.com/bootcamp/humorboot.html
HUMOR Boot CampTM
Las Vegas - December 5 & 6, 2007 (Wed & Thurs)
GIVE US JUST 2 DAYS &
WE'LL MAKE YOU FUNNIER FOR LIFE!
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