Stand-up comic and Jersey Shore Native John Poveromo is a veteran of the comedy game that performs nationally, appears regularly on syndicated radio shows, has already released his first book and is routinely in talks to take his talents to television. This month he’s coming home to Jersey to kick-off a new comedy show at Jenks in Point Pleasant Beach.
The Pop Break’s Angelo Gingerelli (a stand-up comic that has worked with Poveromo several times) caught up with John to talk about this home coming show…
As a comic that has performed at the Jersey Shore as well as toured nationally, how would you describe Jersey’s comedy scene?
Let’s be honest, there’s really only three major comedy clubs in New Jersey that produce quality shows; Bananas Comedy Club in Hasbrouck Heights, The Comedy Cove in Springfield, and The Stress Factory in New Brunswick. Those are the clubs audiences flock to, and comics work towards.
The best thing about Jersey’s comedy scene is that there now seem to be pockets of clubs that showcase comics in different venues almost every night of the week. Asbury Park has become this beacon for not only the music scene again, but also for stand-ups thanks to comics like yourself, Jess Alaimo, and Allie Mae Brand who are continuously producing great shows throughout the area.
Now Jenks is getting into the game with a monthly stand-up show down in Point Pleasant. This is the first one and I’m really excited to be a part of it. I’ve seen a ton of concerts at Jenks so it’s pretty sweet now to be able to grace that stage as a comedian.
You’re from Toms River and Jenks in Point Pleasant is basically like a “home game” for you, how is performing for a hometown crowd different than a comedy club in any other part of the country?
Hometown crowds are great. They’re excited to see you, and it’s usually a mix of friends, family and comedy fans. Summer hometown crowds are f**king crazy. They’re drunk. They’re excited. They’re not locals, but they vacation here and they’re super friendly so they act like they’ve known you for years. It gets to the point where even I’m like, “Maybe I do know this person!” You gotta bring your ‘A’ game because there’s absolutely no chance you’re not going to run into them at a WaWa at two in the morning trying to order a cheesesteak out of one bloodshot eye.
Where are some of your favorite places to perform and who are your favorite comics to work with?
We’ll keep it local. Bananas Comedy Club is basically my home club. It’s where I first got to open for a lot of my favorite national headliners and they’ve always been really good to me over the years.
My favorite comics are always gonna be the people I came up with and the ones that helped guide me along the way when I was starting out, who’ve become great friends. It gets hard because as you all move along in your careers you’re not always on the same shows anymore. So running into them on the road or at a club makes it a lot of fun. Joe Fernandes and I just ran into each other at a fun show in Montclair and it was a blast catching up. Comics like: Joanne Filan, Vinnie Nardiello, Kevin Israel, Ty Raney, Steve Adiletta, Buddy Fitzpatrick, Joe Starr, Mike Burton, Carole Montgomery, Alex Giampapa, Julia Scotti, and I could go on, but you get the idea.
What other projects should we look for besides stand-up performances?
My book Drawings from a Nobody is still available on my website, and I’m currently working on another. There’s a couple projects…I can’t talk about right now because they’re still in development, but I’m really excited. It’s a show I wrote and I’ve been pitching for a while that finally seems like it’s going to be sold soon. So, fingers crossed. I’ll be on John Fugelsang’s “Tell Me Everything” on Sirius/XM June 28th.
What are the future plans for the show at Jenks?
As far as I know it’s going to be a run of monthly shows hosted by Ryan Maher.
Jenks is a pretty iconic Jersey Shore spot, do you have any crazy stories from partying there?
Of course but if you want details you’ll have to ask my friends. Most of my memories involve waking up on the beach with a hangover next to a half-eaten slice of boardwalk pizza.
If you want to check out John and the rest of the line-up at Jenks first comedy show here are the details…
