This week, Ira spoke with Nick Di Paolo, headlining in The Comedy Works at The Plaza, September 27 and 28. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Di Paolo talks about his role as a comic, which is to point out the truth; whether the pendulum is swinging back to free speech and away from political correctness; his first time performing in Las Vegas; why he doesn’t watch other comics; why he considers Colin Quinn the closest thing to a mentor; and why he never has optimism in his life, but still makes people laugh.
In this day of watered down comedy, Di Paolo’s brutally honest performances remind us of what great stand up should be: funny, socially relevant and a little bit reckless. Originally a Bostonian, he honed his seething, sarcastic style in New York City. Di Paolo’s range has allowed him to perform on shows as tame as The Tonight Show, yet as edgy as HBO’s Young Comedians Special, Late Night with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live and Conan O’ Brien.
He was twice nominated for an Emmy for his writing on HBO’s The Chris Rock Show. Di Paolo has also had three half hour standup specials of his own on Comedy Central, a one hour Showtime Special called Raw Nerve, and a self released one hour special, Another Senseless Killing. He was one of the stars on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, and a stand out on many Comedy Central Roasts.
Not limited to stand-up and writing, Di Paolo has had acting roles on FX’s Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, The Sopranos and CK’s critically acclaimed Horace and Pete as well as many sitcoms.
Presently, he hosts one of the most popular podcasts on iTunes, The Nick Di Paolo podcast.
Great article. Love all the details you provided. Will share with my community and Facebook group. TY!