Pinsky is Laughing Back to His Roots

If you missed him on the “Jay Leno Show” or the TV show, “Love Connection,” now’s the chance to see local comedian Daryl Pinsky perform at The Punchline on Thursday, Sept. 14.

Recalling his motivation for doing stand-up comedy, Pinsky said, “I was always the class clown, but rarely got in trouble. I learned at an early age that if you can also make the teacher laugh, a trip to the principal could usually be avoided! I believe performing comedy on a stage is innate. All of us have hysterical friends who are not comedians, and never could be. Most would never attempt to perform on stage.”

Pinsky has performed all over the U.S with stars like Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, and Jeff Foxworthy. He also opened at concerts for Joan Jett, Billy Ocean, and Pat Benatar.

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Growing up in Miami and graduating from University of Florida, Pinsky claims at age seven that he already knew he wanted to be a comedian. He channeled his Uncle Roy, a Vaudeville performer, one of Shirley Temple’s tap dance teachers.

Throughout high school and college, he performed in various acts and was half of the comedy team of “Pinsky and Gray,” one of the first comedic acts to perform regularly at The Punchline. After a show in 1988, an agent in the audience persuaded Pinsky to move to L.A where he spent a few years performing, doing voice-overs and radio commercials.

Moving back to Atlanta in 1990 to sharpen a new solo act, with the intention of heading back to L.A., he met his future wife, Ronit, at a comedy club, no less. When he dropped his notion of professionalism, requiring world traveling and leaving a young wife home alone, he reluctantly quit the biz and began working in her family’s diamond business. He never gave up performing entirely and booked occasional events.

His act now is stand-up with musical comedy thrown in. He plays guitar and utilizes current events “skewered to music.”

He added, “Of course, funny is funny, but my act has always been clean, as I can reach a much larger audience. No comedy clubgoer walks out on a comic because obscenity wasn’t more rampant. I rarely talk to the audience — they paid to watch my performance and to hear jokes, not to schmooze.”

Pinsky shared, “I get much satisfaction from making people laugh. The greatest fulfillment on stage is when a new, untested joke (or song) works the first time. After not performing for so many years, I am excited and anxious. There is much to memorize and many new song parodies to practice…inevitably, after the show, people will ask how I can memorize everything. I truly don’t have a clue.”

Before going on stage on Sept. 14, he will be doing breathing exercises and meditation — hopefully, he will remember to do it before the show and not during.

Often, he is asked, “What is your goal? Why now?” Recently, Pinsky had an epiphany. He had been writing jokes and songs during and after the pandemic, as there was “not much else to do.” He is now curious as to how audiences will react to his material in current times.

I get much satisfaction from making people laugh. The greatest fulfillment on stage is when a new, untested joke (or song) works the first time. After not performing for so many years, I am excited and anxious. There is much to memorize and many new song parodies to practice…

While his act is not mean spirited, he does poke fun at everything. His hope is that a funny, 63-year-old comedian can venture back in and be successful. Maybe he’s on to something. A local talent agency is now repping him for commercials. He said, “The agency has never seen me perform, so we shall see where this can all lead!”

When he’s not doing comedy, Pinsky’s day job is diamond wholesaling, selling to retail stores throughout the country. He commented, “Diamonds are a luxury item and it’s an unpredictable, unfunny business. In tough economic times, it can be formidable.”

Pinsky leaves us with a joke:

“I got pulled over in Jerusalem. The Israeli cop asks for my papers and starts speaking Hebrew really fast. I said, ‘Officer, excuse me but I only know English!’ He looks at me curiously, hands me back my papers and lets me go! Funny, because the same thing happened to me in Mississippi!”