August 20, 2022
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Abdul Basit Hashmi
By Adul Basit Hashmi Standupworld staff writer
The distinct impression someone gets from Eddie Pepitone during his stand-up comedy is easily described as a half-crazed yelling and half angry old guy from Brooklyn. Having a specialty in quick, punchy sets, Eddie Pepitone is one you must see to believe. His current podcast and the multitude of online videos available give you a sense of Eddie’s stand-up comedy.
Having grown up in Brooklyn, New York, and being raised by a Sicilian working-class father and a Jewish mother, Eddie walks the line between crass and high-brow comedy. There is no topic too far gone for him. One minute you’re talking about his dad and him waving to boats when he’s on the shoreline; the next, it’s about porn and hookers. There is seemingly no rhyme or reason as to the flow of Eddie’s stand-up comedy shows, and yet he always manages to come full circle by the end of the show.
Swinging moment to moment from flat out shouting his stance to quickly quieting down and changing his tone, the swing is so swift and well timed that you don’t even see it coming. It’s almost like watching two different comics perform. One moment he seems like he’s a 50-something who’s taken Ecstasy before coming onstage the next, he’s ranting about his father, who worked the docks in Brooklyn. To be able to weave together a troubled and unsteady childhood and weave it into a hilarious bit about being shamed by his wife for being a terrible husband, and that’s how he likes it, is not at all easy. Eddie makes it look easy.
Watching Eddie perform is tantamount to witnessing someone come in and out of Alzheimer’s. From the dips and turns from one subject to the next before eventually coming full circle to the original issue, Eddie catches you if you’re not listening. He comes out with things so quickly that you can watch and listen to his performances multiple times and continue to catch missed jokes.
It’s taken years, but Eddie has finally found his footing within the stand-up comedy world. Starting with an appearance in Last Comic Standing in 2003, he has rocketed into every direction imaginable to do with performing and making people laugh. From TV specials, TV shows, and voiced animation to movies, Eddie has been a part of it all, along with the 2012 debut of “Bitter Buddha”. The movie follows Eddie, and while some of the biggest names in comedy appear in the documentary, we’re all left wondering why it’s taken so long for someone as funny as Eddie not to have risen to stardom himself.
The release of his brilliant 2020 special “For the masses” had been heralded by New York Times to be the funniest special of that year.
Eddie has seemingly done it all and has yet to get a lot of recognition. He’s worked tirelessly since 2003, working on himself, his routine, and his style. Having once been hired as the “angry audience member” on Conan O’Brien, Eddie has been seen a lot in secondary roles. The time has finally come for him to make it big. He’s already been in movies alongside Will Farrell (Old School, 2003) and worked as both himself and character actors.
Eddie’s website is www.eddiepepitone.com, where you can buy tickets to his upcoming shows. He also hosts his own weekly podcast, “Apocalypse Soon,” where he speaks with other comedians about all things end of days. You can either listen to the podcast itself or watch the behind-the-scenes video afterward on Eddie’s YouTube channel.
He’s on tour right now. Here’s the spots to see him live which I highly recommend. Go to his website for details.
https://www.eddiepepitone.com/
Eddie’s Insta.
https://www.instagram.com/eddiepep/
Eddie’s brilliant podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/apocalypse-soon-with-eddie-pepitone/id738201614
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