Dan Forkell - The Funny Man

About Me

....
I wanted a place to store videos of my performances and my 20 year old son set me up on MySpace. I may be the oldest person on here but, then again, I'm way too immature to be as old as I am. Since I'm almostly completely bereft of hobbies (if you don't consider internet poker a hobby), this is my latest attempt to keep me out of trouble. I love comedy. Always have. Tried this stuff When I was in college at some local clubs in New York. Had one good night (that I remember) and more than a couple where I got booed off the stage. (If a couple of drinks loosen you up, a couple of bottles has to make you funnier---right???) I'm sober 23 years now, but most of the things I talk about on stage were from my experiences when I was still drinking. Yes, there was a midget... If you're visiting, please take a look and let me have your feedback. The clip is of my 3rd performance and when I won the Side Splitters Comedy Competition. I have since gotten the opportunity to do some guest shots and MC some shows. Getting better. Still a long way to go. Love the adrenalin rush.

My Interests

If I had any real interests I probably wouldn't be doing this. Actually making people laugh has always been pretty important. My understanding is that in order to be a truly successful comedian you need extemely low self-esteem and a desperate need for approval. if that's the case, I believe I not only have what it takes, but what it takes to excel.

I'd like to meet:

Abbott and Costello; Red Skelton; Jack Benny; Aah, I remember them well. As I'm walking up to the stage the other night I hear a guy say to his friend "dude, this guy is old. Do you think he will make it through his set?" Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. Keeps it interesting for the audience. They need to pay attention...

Music:

A litte Meatloaf, a little Springsteen, and a touch of Harry Chapin

Movies:

The Magnificent 7; Hook

Television:

Last Comic Standing; Mets' Games

Books:

The History of the World as seen on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Heroes:

Sponge Bob; Rodney Dangerfield (I actually got thrown out of Dangerfields's by Rodney himself, back in the 70's---I got no respect from the guy who made a living out of it---Needless to say I would have threw me out that night---Spun around on my bar stool and fell off right at Rodney's feet........................................................ ..........................................................I don't know who this is, but she is definitely one of my heroes. This might be the sexiest picture i ever saw and since this is my page I want to have something to enjoy whenever I visit...(Thank you Vixen)Another one of my heroes is Tracy. A young single mother that I met on MySpace who is going through some difficult and challenging times.She wrote the following:"Laughter is the break in the day and the goodness that drys the tears when the heart is at its last beat"Thank you Tracy. You are one of my true heroes. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX

My Blog

Sarasota Comedy Festival

I started this comedy stuff last March (2006) and have been working at it pretty diligently ever since. Started in a workshop at Side Splitters and had two excellent teachers / coaches. Aa...
Posted by Dan Forkell - The Funny Man on Sun, 11 Mar 2007 03:30:00 PST

Mouth faster than a speeding bullet

I have always been the quickest person I know. Not necessarily the smartest, but always the quickest. Usually this is a good thing. I can get to the right dtermination before others ...
Posted by Dan Forkell - The Funny Man on Sat, 23 Dec 2006 06:53:00 PST

My life in 30 seconds or less...(depends how fast you read)

Born, very poor, in the Bronx. Everyone else was very poor so I didn't realize we were poor until I took a 7th grade sociology class and found out. Spent the next 20 years trying to make t...
Posted by Dan Forkell - The Funny Man on Mon, 25 Sep 2006 01:07:00 PST

Amazing...

I was driving to the club and spotted a dead baby ghost on the side of the road. I pulled over and ran back, but it was too late, it was gone. All I found was a handkerchief... (I love tha...
Posted by Dan Forkell - The Funny Man on Wed, 16 Aug 2006 12:10:00 PST