JH: Tammy, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. So, how was your week?During Thanksgiving week, Tammy Pescatelli from seasons two and three of NBC’s Last Comic Standing headlined at the Cleveland Improv, the same club where she first took the stage over 11 years ago. She was kind enough to sit down and answer a few questions for Cleveland Yucks after her Sunday night show and talk about several topics including her career, the reality of reality shows, internet haters, Cleveland sports and being a household name.
JH: Tammy, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. So, how was your week?
Tammy: It was great, it was really, really fun to be home. I had a great time with my family. My Dad is pretty sick so that’s difficult, trying to juggle family obligations and friends that you haven’t seen in a while. It was non-stop. I literally felt like I did 50 shows, but only 12 were on stage, the rest were off stage.
JH: Did you get some more material hanging out with your family?
Tammy: Hopefully but I’m trying to not write anything new right now, I’m trying to hone everything for the special. I don’t want to write anything new because I don’t want to get caught up trying to fix it.
JH: Right I heard about your special, I want to talk about that in a minute. But first, let’s go back a bit, you started out here, on this stage at the Improv. How does it feel to be headlining here?
Tammy: This being my second time, it wasn’t as much of a big deal. If you had caught me last time, trust me, I mean you’re never going to be like “Oh it’s normal” – but last year when I came back, it was New Year’s Eve, and not only that, it was a special engagement. I remember it took me forever just to move from MC to feature! It was crazy. It’s nice. You really feel the growth of it. It’s fun to see some of the people that were around when you started, like the staff here who are happy for you and that’s cool.
JH: Take me through the progression of your career from amateur to MC to feature to where you are now. In a nutshell, how did that transpire?
Tammy: I started at an open mic night, sponsored by a radio station, and I won. This was when I was in college. It wasn’t like a real contest, but they liked me the best and they offered me a morning show. This is when I was visiting; I went to Kent but was doing some transfer classes in Illinois. I took the job at the radio station. I worked there for 2 ½ years while I became a house MC. But then my first professional gig was right back here when I moved home. I was MC’ing and I drove everywhere and I think I made $7,000 my first year as a professional comedian. And I lived at Reserve Square apartments downtown and they let me do every job possible – from being a receptionist to sitting at the security desk to working at the gym because every week I was off I needed to work. But I didn’t want to get a job at the club because I knew that if you worked as a doorman they would always see you as a doorman.
JH: Actually that’s an interesting point that I’ve talked about with other comedians, this notion that many bookers and the “powers that be” only see you as whatever you start out as.
Tammy: Absolutely. Do you see my picture up here? There are comics up here that haven’t been on stage this century. Granted we always had Arsenio and John Hinton and Steve Harvey and others from Cleveland but I’m a home grown comedian from that stage, you’d think there would be a nice picture of me somewhere, right? I had to print out my own headshots because they didn’t have a good one up.
JH: There does seem to be a bias against local talent. It’s like if you have an out-of-town credential you’re instantly funnier.
Tammy: Yeah, it is what it is. I literally had done the Tonight Show but it wasn’t until after Last Comic Standing that I got many opportunities.
JH: Was it harder making that leap from amateur to pro / MC or from MC to feature or from feature to headliner? What was the most difficult transition for you to make?
Tammy: For me, amateur to pro was simple because I was young and didn’t know the difference. I didn’t have any obligations and was used to being broke. The hardest leap was feature to headliner because I moved to LA 4 years ago and I was doing what is called “split-weeking” where I was headlining like the Monday, and the late show Saturday and Sunday while a big headliner was doing the other days and that was hard. Because when you live in LA they are not paying to fly you there, you’re paying for everything and you’re barely making ends meet. That was a really hard transition. I could have stayed at home and made good money but I knew that was the only growth I would have.
JH: Do you think it’s necessary for an up-and-coming comedian in a smaller market like Cleveland to move to NY or LA at some point?
Tammy: You’re going to have to at some point. Actually, all roads lead to LA, even if you move to NY to hone your comedy because they make television shows in LA, very few shows are being shot in NY, and if they are they’re usually series not sitcoms – if that’s the level of comic you want to be. You can be a very successful professional comedian and make lots of money and not have a TV show and not be a household name. So it just depends on what you want.
JH: Let’s talk about your act a little bit. You talk a lot about your family. How much of your act is based on actual personal experiences?
Tammy: All of it. All of my family experiences are true, now granted I may stretch it a little. Like when I talk about getting kicked out of Disneyland, we really got kicked out of Disneyland because my uncles were drunk. Now he did say “I’ll punch you in the dick”, but not that time. I just put the two together because it makes a better story. But those are all true. There’s so much I could tell you. I had no idea I was going to be a comedian but when you go back it would have been stupid if I wasn’t.
JH: I read that you grew up around a lot of boys. Was comedy your way of holding your own with them?
Tammy: Absolutely. It absolutely was. I’m glad you got that. I never picked on them, but you know how boys are, the banter, especially in an Italian family. They were stronger than me, but I could get them back with my mouth.
JH: You’re obviously a big Cleveland sports fan. Of the three, what is your favorite team? Or, let me put it this way – which team has disappointed you the least?
Tammy: Well I have personal friends on the Cavs. I’m very good friends with Zydrunas and his wife. I’ve been to more Cavs games but you just live and die with the Browns. My heart has just been ripped out so many times with them.
JH: Let me ask you this, this is one of those silly interview questions, but would you have traded the Last Comic Standing title for a Browns championship?
Tammy: [Laughing]. Here’s the thing. When I was there, I was sure I was going to win, before I realized that the executive producer managed three of the comics. If Cleveland people had a chance to vote a winner, we would have voted the Browns into the Super Bowl.
JH: Let’s talk about Last Comic Standing, obviously the show helped you become a recognized brand name in comedy. How has that impacted your career?
Tammy: It changed a lot of things, the weirdest part is that I didn’t know it was going to happen. I had been on the road 10 years at that point, I’m me, I saw the growth, but then all of a sudden 17 million people watch the show and you’re walking down the street and people are going “Hey aren’t you the comedian…”. And I was kind of headlining before but no one was coming specifically to see me, or they would say, “we don’t know who she is but we already got a sitter”. Now, people are coming specifically to see me. And if it weren’t for the bad weather, I would have had 4 sold out shows this week. And there’s a lot of pressure with that. When they pay specifically to come and see you, they have an expectation. And that’s a different thing.
JH: Was there a downside to being on the show?
Tammy: Yes and no. It’s all-great, and it all worked out, but I wasn’t prepared for how vicious people can be behind their computers. You know what I mean. I had no idea that people that can be that way.
JH: Yes, even on our local web site we have anonymous posters that just want to rip people apart for no reason.
Tammy: Yeah, it was just awful. Also, I was really tossed around in the Hollywood thing because I really believed it when I was in it, believing that I had a fair shake and everything. You know freedom, justice and the American Way. Here’s what I know, there’s no television program that has millions of dollars behind it and sponsored by corporations that is a contest that is on the air right now that does not have a projected winner from the beginning of the show. Those producers can mold anything. There was a situation with me where it looked like I was arguing with someone who hadn’t even been in the house for three weeks. I did different material every time but two times and they said they wouldn’t repeat our material, and sure enough they did. And they continued to repeat stuff and it looked like I only had 4 jokes and everything I was saying was “Hey I’m a wop, you want a meatball with that?” But that’s how they do it. Was that bad?, yeah that was bad. But ultimately did it give me some name recognition? - I don’t think it hurt me. In the middle of it, it hurt my feelings but it didn't hurt my career.
JH: Because of the show, did you burn through material?
Tammy: Oh God, we all did, especially the way they repeated stuff. I have this whole bit about my grandfather and I don’t do any Italian stuff. I probably lost 20 minutes of material. I could bring it back someday. There are people on the show that are already doing the exact material they did on the show. A lot of people want you to do that material. But for me, I don’t want to get lazy and repeat those jokes.
JH: What advice would you give to an amateur or someone bordering on professional status?
Tammy: Couple of things. You have to learn to value yourself. Know that when you first begin, stage time is very, very important but after a while when you’re driving four hours for $50…at some point you have to learn. But I would also say, don’t step out of your own head and think that you’re bigger than you actually are. Really just gauge it and know that comedy is not a sprint. There’s a lot of crap on the Internet that says for example, “you’re successful because you’re a woman”. Really? I was a woman 11 years ago and probably a much better looking woman too. So if I was going to be successful for that reason alone I wouldn’t have had to struggle and starve and go to Taco Bell and get a bean burrito for $.99 and a water, driving to Omaha in my leased car. And I would say, learn about yourself and then save a lot of money if you think you’re going to become a professional. You gotta love it though. I still love it every day. I get exhausted from the travel but I love comedy. Comedy has saved my life a million different times.
JH: That’s great. Before we wrap this up, tell me about the special that you’re taping next month.
Tammy: I’m taping a special for Comedy Central on December 18th in New York. It’s at the Hudson Theater where we actually did a set for Last Comic Standing. I’m really excited, hopefully some good things will come out of that. Ultimately, I just want to get my parents retired.
JH: Great, good luck with the special and everything else in 2006. Thanks so much for talking to us today.
Tammy: You’re welcome.
Note: Tammy’s Comedy Central special will be at the Hudson Theater on Sunday, December 18th. 145 W. 44th St. New York, NY 10036 Call (212) 768-4400 for tickets and represent for Cleveland if you’re in New York that weekend.
Tammy's website: http://www.tammypescatelli.com/