The "Comedy Tornado" will take the stage on Saturday night.
Paul VenierComedian Paul Venier may be the star of Saturday night’s Bud Light Stand Up Comedy Series at Springfield’s CityStage, but don’t expect him to just stand in front of a microphone cracking jokes all night.
Venier, who began his career as a rock star, said his show is more of “an entertainment kind of thing. In fact, he was recently honored at the Los Angeles Comedy Awards in March as the Most Hilarious Variety Act Comedian.
“It’s the first award I’ve ever won, and it sucked because I couldn’t be there after they changed the date. But they just sent me my plaque and that was a nice thing to do,” said Venier.
Along the way to climbing the comedy ladder, Venier picked up the nickname “the comedy tornado.”
“I have a very high energy act, it’s different, I’m constantly going on stage. Hit and run comedy, that’s me, and it’s how I got the nickname,” said Venier.
“Everyone has their own formula, and when you find one as a comedian that works for you, then that’s your show. Some do dirty, so are great at political comedy, some do great slapstick. I’m in the moment with my comedy and very interactive with the audience….whatever is going on in that room forms the basis of my act,” he added.
To learn how comedy came into Venier’s act, you have to travel back to the days when the comedian was living the exciting life of a rock and roller.
At age 16, the Long Island musician turned comedian was touring the country in 1970 as a member of the progressive band Stark Naked – using extensive fire and lighting in their act – and they had an album on RCA records that reached the Top 10 of the album charts.
Comedy entered Venier’s life and stage act when he went solo after performing with another group, Salty Dog.
“It was all quite by accident. I was performing at an inn in New Jersey around a big horseshoe bar where we were doing a lot of sing-a-longs and I was ad-libbing with the audience. From there I made my way to Rascal’s Comedy Club where they had an out-of-tune piano and I found myself doing even more comedy. Then, the next thing I knew I was being booked by more comedy club agents and owners,” said Venier .
Stepping off the stage, Venier has flexed his acting chops on the big screen appearing in the film “Cadillac Man” with Paul Robbins. His many television credits include “The Tonight Show,” on which he performed sketch comedy with Don Rickles. He has performed at many of the nation’s best comedy venues such as New York City’s Caroline’s and the Tropicana Hotel in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. In addition, he has opened shows for comedians Jay Leno and Jackie Mason, as well as singer Lou Reed.
looking for just the right material to come along to get into more acting, Venier has never stopped making music and recently completed a compact disc entitled “Better Late Than Never” which is available on his website at