Day: April 7, 2010

What do they say about New York City: There are eight million stories, and sometimes it seems as though eight million of the people telling them think they're comedians? No, that's not it. It is a fact, though, that America's biggest city is also its biggest comedy mecca. Hollywood may be Hollywood, but New York City is where comedians are born funny, become funny or arrive to thrust their funny upon us. I think we should meet some of these people. This is a new recurring feature, a mini-profile of newcomers, up-and-comers and overcomers of New York's vibrant comedy scene. It's called Meet Me In New York. Victor Varnado (photographed by Rafael Fuchs) is many things. Yes, he is a black albino and he'll be the first to joke about that. Varnado also is a talented comedian, actor and filmmaker. You may have seen him on Conan, or perhaps Julien Donkey-Boy, End of Days, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, or My Name is Earl. And he is the brains behind the camera and sometimes in front of it, helming the stand-up documentary film, The Awkward Comedy Show, which debuts on TV April 9 on Comedy Central, and comes out later this year on DVD. (See my early review, when it was called the Awkward Kings of Comedy) But before all of that. He was just another comedian moving to New York City to...