Center Stage: Joseph Vecsey

I was able to talk with Joseph Vecsey, an up and coming comic in the New York scene. Vecsey was a great guy that discussed his past and how he got to where he is today. Joe has opened for Godfrey, Donnell Rawlings, Jim Breuer, Susie Essman, and hosts The All Star Comedy Showcase at the Bay Street Theatre every year. This year’s event is June 17th and includes Kenny Garcia, Vic Henley, Chris Clarke, and Mark Riccadonna. Joe is definitely a busy guy who seems to have at least one hand in everything, but always gets the job done.

Born and raised in New York City, Vecsey got his start by teaching himself how to write feature length movie scripts in high school. Vecsey continued to sharpen his writing skills through college when some of his friends began to try their luck in stand up comedy. “My second or third year in college, a friend said maybe he wanted to start doing stand up or was thinking about it. I said ‘I’ll write some jokes for you.’ I didn’t want to do it. So I wrote a bunch of jokes and he was like ‘alright, you should do it too.’ I really didn’t want to but I went to an open mic, New York Comedy Club, there was like ten people. I was sh*tting my pants, scared to death. So I went up and I did well and I was hooked from that day.” Vecsey said of his comedic beginnings.

These days, when he isn’t doing stand up, Vecsey continues to keep him self busy in the comedy world through other avenues. He talked about writing for magazines and other “odd jobs” he did, but said one of his favorite things is playing basketball. “I play street ball. So I’ll play like, certain games. They’re actually called comedy basketball games. It’s like the poor mans globetrotters. I say that because we are not in arenas. We go to small high schools and gyms. But the court jesters put on quality games and we are up close and personal with kids similar to seeing a comic at a small venue as opposed to a huge one.” Vecsey Said “The team is called ‘The Court Jesters.’ So we’ll go to schools and play and do like trick basketball.”

Joe also has his own podcast, The Call Back, which he started about a year ago as an excuse to talk to comedians without seeming “weird.” Joe says “I wanted an excuse to talk to some of my idols without it seeming weird or invasive.” first guest was Aziz Ansari, pretty solid for a first guest. Since then other comedians on the show have included Garry Shandling, Chris Rock, Neal Brennan, Yannis Pappas, Tom Green and others. Joe’s podcast, The Call Back, is available for download on iTunes.

As for as the future goes, Vecsey says he will continue to do stand up all around town because he loves it. He hopes to someday return to his script writing ways and work up to acting in a movie that he has written, much like his favorite movie star, Adam Sandler. So who knows, you see him in a club now, but you may see him on the silver screen someday in the future.

Check out Joe Vecsey on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Also, don’t forget to pick up some tickets to his up coming show The All Star Comedy Showcase and download his podcast, The Call Back!