Manfree Channels Economic Worries into Comedy Career

Some people panic when they’re depressed. Gary Manfree decided to laugh about it. Or at least, give other people the chance to laugh about it.

Manfree is an accountant who faces the normal pressures that employees face in the current economy. One night he needed a laugh, so he went to a comedy club to see some stand-up comedians. That’s when the light went on for Manfree. A few nights later, he ditched the office attire and went to an open mic night, where he worked up the gumption to talk to the crowd.

Suddenly, things began to open up for Manfree. Instead of worrying incessantly about life, he began to laugh about it, and get others to laugh it, something he’ll do on Aug. 13 at Crossroads in Garwood.

“At one point in my life, I was feeling depressed and sad and I needed a laugh to pick me up,” Manfree said. “So I went to an open mic night at a comedy club. I was always interested in it, but I never had the guts. I was looking at other people, they were making me laugh, and I figured, ‘I have funny stories. I can make people laugh.’ Some people were doing jokes, some people talked about themselves.”

After his first experience, Manfree realized it was essential to find his own approach to stand-up comedy.

“The first time I went to an open mic, I walked in and sat down. I just waited. After each person went up they left. I paid the guy $5 to go up there and talk. I said, ‘This is so silly.’ I realized the next time that you want to fill five minutes, and then 10 minutes. You can just go boom, boom, boom, and make people laugh. When you get to the level of being the host of a show, you’ll talk to the audience and warm the crowd up. By then you should have at least 15 minutes worth of material, because you’ll talk to the crowd for a minute, and then you’ll introduce someone.”

After initially telling jokes, Manfree realized that he had to personalize his comedy routine to set himself apart, and to give the audience a better chance for a laugh. He found a couple of sources of inspiration. One source, radio disc jockey/personality Howard Stern, is considered controversial, but can also be considered very funny at times. The other source was the late actor John Cazale, probably best known for his role as Fredo Corleone in “The Godfather” and “The Godfather Part II.” Cazale was an interesting choice, but not the source of inspiration most people would expect for a comedian.

“John Cazale wasn’t a standup comedian. I do his bit at the end of The Godfather Part II. I think the scene is funny because he’s so lopsided. He’s my hero. He’s the offbeat hero,” Manfree said. “In doing standup comedy, my inspiration has always been Howard Stern. I’ve been listening to him for 25 years. To wake up every morning, and go to work, it helps to have someone who can make you laugh. That’s what he does, and that’s what I like to do.”

The key for Manfree has been to talk about things in his own life, and open himself up to laughter. By exposing his own mistakes and humanity, Gary relaxes the audience, and gives them something to laugh about at the same time.

“After a while, I learned to talk about myself, and find the things about myself that are funny. I always try to talk about myself,” Manfree said. “That way people can get out of their funk and go out and get a life. To get out there and talk about yourself and your life and your family, that’s what’s funny. When you put out your personal issues, people can laugh at you, and they can think ‘this guy’s got real problems, he can talk about them.’”

Naturally, every comedian has his favorites among his peers, and Manfree is no different. Though he’s a relative newcomer to the comedy scene, having done stand-up routines at clubs in New York and New Jersey during the past three years, there are comedians who make him laugh, and he’s benefited from developing a rapport with one or two of them.

“At Prime Time Comedy Club, I saw a guy named Rick Allen who I thought was hysterical. I saw Reverend Bob and Artie Lange at a benefit for Yucko the Clown, another comic who’s down on his luck, and I had never seen any of those guys before. It was a good experience for me, because those guys are real professionals. I stumbled upon Rick Allen at a local show, and I thought he was hysterical.”

For now, Manfree isn’t about to walk away from his career in accounting. “Comedy isn’t going to pay the bills, unless you’re a big star. Even if you’re successful, you have to have something really, really big to fall back on. I have a family, wife and mortgage, so I have to keep doing accounting,” he said.

Still, Manfree’s increasing success as a stand-up comedian showcases his ability to make others laugh, a valuable talent for anyone.

Of course, there are still challenges when you stand up in front of an audience to do a live comedy routine. Humor is subjective, and it always will be.

“One joke could make nobody laugh, but it could make one person laugh on one side of the room, and if you can get somebody to come up to you after the show and say you made them laugh, it’ll be worth it,” Manfree said.