Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Murphy.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My real name is Paul Murphy and I spent eleven years as an Essex County assistant district attorney, supervising several of Massachusetts’ busiest courthouses, before becoming a successful criminal-defense trial attorney. The unexpected twist to this story is that, under the pseudonym Paul D’Angelo, I was simultaneously becoming one of the nation’s top stand-up comedians.
I have headlined A-List comedy clubs around the country for over thirty years and I’ve performed at many other famed entertainment venues, ranging from the legendary Friar’s Clubs and the Waldorf Astoria’s main ballroom in New York City, to the main showroom at Harrah’s Casino and Caesar’s Palace.
I’ve been invited as a feature performer at the Montreal ‘Just for Laughs’ International Comedy Festival; was named “Boston’s Best Comedian” by Boston Magazine; and have been a finalist in a number of national and international comedy competitions, including the esteemed San Francisco International Comedy Competition. I am the writer/director/co-star of the original sitcom pilot A Fine Mess, which was featured at the prestigious New York International Independent Film Festival.
I’ve had the privilege of opening for over sixty internationally known recording acts, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Tom Jones, Tony Bennett, The Beach Boys, Chicago, The Doobie Brothers, Hall & Oates, Bad Company, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Jerry Lee Lewis, Huey Lewis & The News, Lyle Lovett, Kenny Rogers, Jay Leno, George Carlin, Joan Rivers and Dennis Miller.
I have entertained hundreds of prominent corporate clients at conventions and events all over the country, such as Ford Motor Company, Sony Music Corp., Hewlett-Packard Corp., Nike-Bauer International, Fidelity Investments, Bike Athletic Corp., CVS/Caremark Inc., American Airlines, Delta Airlines, NFL Charities, General Electric, Goldman-Sachs, Edward Jones Investments, UPS, the American Bar Association and the Burger King Corp, to name just a few.
I co-starred in Showtime’s popular stand-up comedy movie, The Godfathers of Comedy, and have also released two DVDs and three critically acclaimed comedy CDs that are played regularly on national radio.
My first book, Stories I Tell, is a collection of funny stories, anecdotes, dialogues and comedic routines that I don’t get an opportunity to perform onstage. It was voted a global Gold Medal Winner of the 2015 eLit Book Awards; named a Finalist in the 2015 International Book Awards; earned Honorable Mention in the 2015 New York Book Festival; and was voted ‘Comedy Book of the Year’ in the 2016 Los Angeles Awards.
The book’s sequel, More Stories to Tell, was also named a Gold Medal winner of the 2016 eLit Awards and a finalist in the 2016 International Book Awards; was voted a Finalist in the ‘Humor’ category in the 2016 Best Book Awards; voted a Silver Medal winner of the 2016 Global eBook Awards; and was a Winner in the humor category of the 2016 Book Excellence Awards.
My third book, L.A. Misérables: The Amusing Misadventures of a Boston Comic in La La Land, will be released soon and is the first in a series of hilarious diaries that I kept when I moved to Hollywood.
For more information on me you can go to my web-site at www.pdangelo.com or follow me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/comedianpauldangelo where you can view dozens of video excerpts from live performances and numerous humorous memes and promotions.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The business of professional stand-up comedy is, by nature, a roller-coaster ride of ups-and-downs. When I made my debut at an open-mike night in Boston in 1986, I was working as a prosecutor and had a great reputation as a trial attorney, so I did not have the luxury of going through the obligatory phase of being terrible at stand-up before I got good. Because I had conducted 100’s of bench and jury trials as an ADA, with much more at stake than just having a lousy set, I was not concerned with stage presence and spent a year or so writing material before I made my first appearance.
I only performed at a dozen or so open-mike showcases, when I quit under pressure from my family to “get a real job.” I interviewed with a number of Boston law firms (while I kept working hard to write additional material) and was set to accept a job offer when I broke rank, called several prominent Boston-area comedy bookers, and asked if I could audition for them. I was immediately booked as a headlining comedian and worked 3-7 nights every week, all over New England, while I still worked in the DA’s office.
Many of the highs and lows, successes and failures, achievements and disappointments, were tempered by the fact that I always had to get up and go to work at the courthouse the very next morning. After holding two full-time jobs for over seven years, I quit the DA’s office to move to LA and pursue my entertainment career. Through a series of unexpected and unintentional events, I inadvertently became a criminal-defense trial attorney and was very successful at it, but unhappy “doing good things for bad people,” as I have been known to characterize it. I finally moved to Hollywood, CA in 1996 and lived there for six years, experiencing the frustration of being in a business where talent does not always equate with success… but the experience definitely made me a better person, performer and writer. I moved back to Boston in 2002 and have since been based in this area, traveling wherever my schedule takes me.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Paul D’Angelo – what should we know?
I work very hard at my business, but it doesn’t always seem like work to me because I love what I do, so I consider myself very lucky.
Any shout-outs? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My earliest comedic influences were my father and Uncle Vito, who also lived in the house that I grew-up in. My father was incredibly funny, a great public speaker, and a fantastic joke teller. My uncle was an animated character and hilarious story teller. I was inspired by the way they made people laugh. My dad would have me watch all the great comedians on the old Ed Sullivan show…. Jackie Mason, Alan King, Henny Youngman, Phyllis Diller, George Carlin, etc. and I listened to my uncle’s Bill Cosby albums over and over again.
When it came time for me to start performing I was very fortunate to live in a city with an incredibly high standard of stand-up comedy talent that included Steve Sweeney, Lenny Clarke, Don Gavin, Mike Donovan, Steven Wright, Kenny Rogerson, Chance Langton, Mike McDonald, Tony V, Bob Seibel, Teddy Bergeron, Kevin Meaney, Barry Crimmons, Jimmy Tingle, DJ Hazard, etc… and was able to develop working the Boston comedy scene along with future stars who went on to great success, such as Louis C.K., Bill Burr, Dane Cook, Joe Rogan. John Pinette, Anthony Clarke, Nick DiPaulo, Wendy Liebman, Marc Maron and others.
Those incredible comics motivated me to work hard and constantly improve… and still do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pdangelo.com
- Email:pdangelocomic@aol.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pdangelocomic/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/comedianpauldangelo
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaulDAngelo2
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