Pinette serves up food-related comedy on ‘Still Hungry’ tour
When in Syracuse, comedian John Pinette opts for pizza or wings, but never Chinese food. Fans who have heard his most famous bit, ‘Show Me the Buffet,’ know that he and his bottomless stomach are not welcome in Chinese restaurants.
Pinette, best known for making food funny, will make a stop on his ‘Still Hungry’ tour Friday at the Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater. Tickets for the 8 p.m. performance start at $40 on Ticketmaster.
Though he performed at the orientation event ‘Feel the Pulse of Syracuse’ in August, Pinette said his act will include a mix of new material along with his classics. He’ll talk about the time he went camping or the time he got stuck on a waterslide —both depend on his weight for punch lines.
Pinette considers himself both a writer and a storyteller, which he says accounts for his success, rather than simply having a funnier life than anyone else.
‘The stories are real. Some of the comedy is definitely comedic license,’ he said.
The ‘Still Hungry’ tour is a follow-up to the 2006 show ‘I’m Starvin’.’ Pinette loves food, but he is aware that it is necessary to have variety in comedy.
‘Every other (TV) show is a spin-off about cupcakes,’ he said. ‘Everything is about food. So, I don’t know. Maybe I’m going to have to talk politics again.’
Pinette doesn’t limit himself to stand-up comedy. In 2005, he joined the Broadway cast of ‘Hairspray’ as Edna Turnblad. When he continued with stand-up comedy afterward, he crafted material from the experience of dressing like a woman; that is, his musings on how easily pantyhose rip.
Although comedy is his strong suit, Pinette acted in some serious scenes on 90s sitcom ‘Parker Lewis Can’t Lose.’ He also appeared in the last episode of ‘Seinfield.’ Most recently, he acted in the 2010 film ‘The Last Godfather.’
He said he doesn’t mind doing something different as he gets older.
‘I think every comic secretly wants to be either a musician or a serious dramatic actor,’ Pinette said. ‘If I didn’t look so good in leather pants and a cutoff shirt, I think I would be a dramatic actor.’
Looking forward to the trip to Syracuse, he said he will probably only make slight adjustments to his otherwise normal act. For a college-aged audience, he said, some dated references need to be adjusted. However, he is very careful to keep his personality when making these tweaks.
‘From my end, I don’t want to Google search and look up references like, ‘If I Were 21 Again.com. ‘So, how ’bout that Lady Gaga?’ It’s just not me,’ he said.
Pinette said he expects a smart and hip crowd, and in return, his Syracuse audience should expect ‘John Pinette’s greatest hits.’
Believe it or not, Pinette actually tries to eat a healthy meal before every show. Afterward, anything is fair game. If he visits Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, he said he will bring Lipitor cholesterol pills and a pepper mill.
Published on October 5, 2011 at 12:00 pm
