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Born: July 21, 1974 (1974-07-21), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Occupation Actor, comedian
Steve Byrne (born July 21, 1974) is an American stand-up comedian.
Biography
Byrne is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and of half Irish and half Korean descent.
Byrne has a new one hour special which premiered on March 29 2008 on Comedy Central titled Steve Byrne's Happy Hour. Byrne was featured on the NBC series The Real Wedding Crashers and a featured comic on The Tonight Show. He has made appearances on Chappelle's Show, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, The History Channel's "History of the Joke," Mad TV's 300 episode and a Super Bowl promo on CBS with Prince and Bill Cowher. His stand-up has been featured on The Late Late Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Call with Carson Daly, BET's ComicView, ABC’s Good Morning America as well as Comedy Central's Premium Blend. He has been a featured comic in The Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, the HBO US Comedy Arts Festival in Las Vegas and The CanWest Comedy Fest in Vancouver.
He has featured for Colin Quinn on a USO tour in Iraq as well as for Drew Carey in Afghanistan and is embarking on his own USO tour of Afghanistan in June 2008. He has been part of several national comedy tours including The Jameson Comedy Tour, Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Tour, and The Camel Cigarettes Sin City Tour, and his own national MySpace tour. He has opened for musical acts Kanye West, Mariah Carey on her Charmbracelet Tour, Modest Mouse, Puddle of Mudd, Spoon, Rev. Horton Heat and many more.
His Comedy Central Presents Half Hour Special premiered last year and was voted the seventeenth most popular Comedy Central Presents by fans as part of the Standup Showdown on comedycentral.com. He also was the winner of the MySpace Standup Or Sitdown competition on TBS. He just filmed small parts in the upcoming films, The Goods: The Don Ready Story starring Jeremy Piven and produced by Will Ferrell and Four Christmases starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon.
Steve Byrne's high energy, physical style of comedy makes him one of the hottest young comedians touring the country today. He was born to a Korean mother and an Irish father, which provides him with a wealth of material.
You've seen him on NBC's The Real Wedding Crashers and you've seen him all over CBS in the national promos for the NFL with Prince and Bill Cower. His standup has been featured on NBC's The Tonight Show, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, CBS's The Late Late Show and BET's Comic View.
Steve has been a featured comic in The Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, The HBO US Comedy Arts Festival in Las Vegas and The CanWest Comedy Fest in Vancouver. He has featured for Colin Quinn on a USO tour in Iraq as well as for Drew Carrey in Afghanistan.
He has been part of several national comedy tours including The Jameson Comedy Tour, Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Tour, The Camel Cigarettes Sin City Tour and his own national Myspace comedy tour. He won the Myspace Standup Or Sitdown Comedy Challenge and his Comedy Central Presents was voted one of the best of all time in the Comedy Central Standup Showdown.
He also taped a one hour comedy special which premeried on Comedy Central in March 2008. Steve's lack of ego and outstanding work ethic make him one of the most sought after comedians in clubs and colleges across the country.
Websites: http://stevebyrnelive.com
MySpace Profile: myspace.com/stevebyrne
TV Highlights: Jimmy Kimmel Live, Premium Blend, Last Call w/ Carson Daly, The Late, Late Show w/ Craig Kilborn, Comedy Central Presents
Why He's On The Site: Literally the hardest working man in comedy, Byrne possesses a simply insane work ethic. He recently set a precedent by doing 13 gigs in 7 different clubs throughout NYC - in one night...Very Energetic & physical, Steve draws comparisons to Dane Cook's style...Byrne takes a beating from all of the Comedy Cellar regulars but is loved by all...Half Asian & half Irish, Steve has toned down his ethnic material a great deal in the past few months...A great guy to know, Steve is caring & compassionate to his fans. Plus he sends very well written & polite emails like the half Asian that he is
Official Bio: Steve Byrne was born in Freehold, NJ on July 21, 1974. He is the son of Ok Cha and Steve Byrne. His mother is Korean and his father is Irish. Blah, Blah..
When Steve entered his senior year of college at Kent State University, his family moved to New York City. He used this as an opportunity and went to check out the BIg Apple. The first day in New York he got a job at Caroline's Comedy Club to make ends meet, and along the way he became interested in trying stand up comedy. September 30, 1997 he got onstage for the first time at Stand Up NY and has been performing ever since.
Over the few short years in the world of stand up comedy, Steve has accomplished quite a bit, and has been invited to some unlikely and very likely venues. Most recently, Steve was named as one of the top 10 comics to watch by Variety magazine. He is currently working on a documentary film capturing a night in the life of New York City comedian, he will be doing 13 shows and performing at all 10 clubs in New York City in ONE night, it will be completed sometime in the spring. He just completed his first late night talk show stint on The Late, Late Show with Craig Kilborn. Steve followed that with a second late night set of stand up on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and most recently taped a set for Last Call with Carson Daly. He taped a sketch for Dave Chappelles' show on Comedy Central. He has done dates as an opening act for Mariah Carey on her Charmbracelet tour. Steve was asked to be on the very first episode of CBS's new version of "Star Seach" with Arsenio Hall. He performs at "Beachers Comedy Madhouse" at The Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. He has been featured on VH1 on "Race Riot" and "All Access: Sibling vs. Sibling". The Oxygen Network had him on "Misunderstood". His stand up was featured on HBO, on "Comedy Shorts". Steve has performed on "Que Loco" on Galavision in Miami, the Latino Laugh Festival in San Antonio, and "Club 54 Stand Up" television show in Toronto, Canada. He was invited on BET's "ComicView" twice, "Comedy Factory" television show in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and he also taped a set on "Premium Blend" for Comedy Central. In August he taped a DVD for National Lampoons' Young Comedians Special. He taped a show on The Discovery Channel, "The Science of Laughter" with Kathy Griffin. Steve works with New York Entertainment and is a favorite at major universities all across the country. He has been invited to the NACA nationals twice in the last four years. To date, he has performed at hundreds of colleges and universities. Most importantly to Steve are his regular performances at all the major clubs in New York city. You can catch him nightly at the Comic Strip, Gotham, Stand Up NY, Dangerfields, Boston Comedy, Ha!, NY Comedy Club and the Comedy Cellar. Steve performs an average of 3-4 shows a night on the weekdays, and 5-7 a night on the weekends at all of the listed clubs. To be passed at the clubs and to work New York City on the weekends alongside the best comics in the country is his biggest accomplishment so far.
His high energy and lack of ego make him a favorite in New York city as well as anywhere he performs. He continues to do his best and give the audience something they may not have heard or seen before. His passion for performing and his drive for perfection continually push him to pursue his goal of becoming the best comic he can be.
We know you're a big fan of Oasis which leads us to asking: What the hell happened to those guys? One minute they're making some of the best music on the radio and the next, nada.
Steve Byrne: Not true! Great band, great tunes, but US radio doesn't play them anymore. It bums me out, but the true fans will still go out and get their records.
In a guilty bit of self-admission, I've downloaded their tracks to play on Rock Band for my Xbox 360. Should I be hanging my head in shame for that uber fan/dork supreme moment?
Steve Byrne: Don't ever feel bad. Everyone can always use a dose of Wonderwall!
Bigger thrill: Performing on the Tonight Show or being voted the seventeenth most popular in Comedy Central's "Stand Up Showdown"?
Steve Byrne: Oh, The Tonight Show. I mean, I grew up with Carson. I have an overwhelming affinity with old Hollywood, so to be on a show that touches, in some way, that tradition is a thrill. Plus, Jay couldn't have been nicer. So nice I thought I owed him money.
When did you first learn that you had such a gift for comedy?
Steve Byrne: I wouldn't call it a gift, but most likely in grade school. I liked the feeling of hearing everyone laugh when I was called on for answers.
Bar none, which comedian would you hate to follow and why?Sharing the laughter
Steve Byrne: I really can't say I wouldn't follow any comedian. After performing in NYC for so many years, I have had to follow Chappelle, Chris Rock, and Robin Williams, so many times, that if you can get used to that, you realize the show will go on and its your job to just be you.
Have you ever watched yourself on The Real Wedding Crashers? How surreal is it to watch yourself on your TV set?
Steve Byrne: I did watch the first episode. It was pretty fun. I mean seeing the NBC logo and knowing you are on a network TV show was a huge high. It lasted four episodes, but hey, I did it. I was on a show!
How has your ethnic heritage been both a blessing and a curse in your career?
Steve Byrne: Well, it's no bigger than you make it. It's tough being a mix on one hand because I'll go out on auditions for an Asian role, but I am never Asian enough. So, that kind of gets weird after awhile. Other than that, its gives you a great perspective on race relations and how to see the world, or even this country.
After a joke bombs, is it immediately deleted from future sets or do you ever recycle it for future use?
Steve Byrne: I try to work on it, but yeah, if it sucks, it's gone. Believe you me, I have got a ton of shitty jokes that came out of my mouth one night, never to be heard from again. TONS!
You, like myself, are a huge fan of the classic film True Romance. The combination of Hans Zimmer's score, Quentin Tarintino's writing, and plentiful doses of Christopher Walken and Gary Oldman put this flick over the top for me. Would you like to see a sequel or should it rest as is?
Steve Byrne: It should rest where it is. It's a great film and that is it. I don't want to see a sequel to Swingers. Swingers was great and that's it. Just enjoy it as it is. Playing catch!
Where can we catch more of you in 2008?
Steve Byrne: Well, I have got the hour special coming on Comedy Central, Sat March 29th at 11pm. I did a very small part in The Goods: The Don Ready Story, a movie coming out next fall? It's a funny movie about a car dealership.
Let's end with word association. We say wombat and you say...
Steve Byrne: Bat Pussy.
In your stand-up, you sometimes talk about what it’s like having an Irish father and a Korean mother. Tell me a tale of growing up in your household.
Steve Byrne: My mom - I never really realized it, but now I do - pronounces my name Steben with a “b” instead of Steven with a “v.” How are you
messing my name up? You named me. You can call me Mark or something. But how do you name me something you can’t pronounce?
OK, you’re doing the Jameson Comedy Tour, and I see you’ve done the Camel Cigarettes Comedy Tour. Are you making peace with your vices?
Steve Byrne: [Laughs] Weird thing is, I don’t smoke at all and hardly drink. All I have to do now is the High Times Tour and I’m set.
How’s the Jameson tour going?
Steve Byrne: It’s going on until March. It’s great. I really love working with Billy Gardell. I just think he’s an amazing comic. Danny Bevins,
Nick Griffin, Bert Kreischer — they’re the kind of guys you work with who make you better.
Since last October, I’ve been on the road 52 weeks straight. When you’re on tour, though, you have a lot of camaraderie, which is the biggest
plus. The best thing with the Jameson Tour is we were in Dublin on St. Patrick’s Day.
Steve Byrne: You’re drinking Jameson whiskey the whole time. We’re in Dowtown Dublin on
St. Patty’s Day — it was crazy. And Danny and Billy are cracking jokes all the time. It was a lot of fun.
Speaking of camaraderie, you were also part of a group called Kims of Comedy.
Steve Byrne: Yes, we just did the HBO Comedy Fest in Las Vegas. The group is a Korean spin-off of The Kings of Comedy or The Blue Collar Tour.
There’s Kevin Shea and Bobby Lee from MADTV and Dr. Ken, who has four films in the can. They’re just a great bunch of guys. We’re all so busy,
but when we can get together, we really enjoy each other’s company.
So you identify yourself as a Korean, then? Or are you an Irishman or just a crazy comedian?
Steve Byrne: I just think of myself as an American. I joke around about my mom or Korean relatives. When I first started, I thought it was a crutch.
But I also talk about other stuff in my stand-up besides that. I don’t need to do impressions of my mom every two minutes.
Steve ByrneDo you have one defining comedy moment that you said to yourself: Yes, I definitely chose the right path?
Steve Byrne: The first time I tried it. I remember the date: Sept. 30, 1997. It was my first time onstage in New York. For three or four days I
had practiced in a mirror. It was actually a lot like my first time having sex — quick, disappointing and I even cried afterward. I was hooked.
So I put the blinders on and pursued it to the nth degree and never looked back. I worked seven nights a week, four or five shows a night for
seven years in New York.
So do you have any advice for those who want to break into comedy?
Steve Byrne: There are a lot of people who want to do it and pursue it. And there’s always going to be those coffee shops and bars that you can
hit. On the whole, if you’re good enough or talented enough you’ll be at The Improv or The Comedy Store and eventually headlining. It’s like
the plight of the salmon: You’re constantly going upstream. There are two types of successful comedians — you’re either talented or extremely
motivated.
So you’re obviously on MySpace. Do you think it’s helped you as a comic, or is it just so saturated now that it’s become annoying?
Steve Byrne: I think it’s helped me. This past summer, I headlined a MySpace comedy tour. I do think there are some comics out there — because
of somebody like Dane Cook — that it becomes the more friends you accumulate, the more famous you’ll become.
You brought up Dane Cook. I’ve read trades and blogs and comedy forums on which other comics have ripped on him. What’s your opinion?
Steve Byrne: I personally think he’s very talented. He’s a driven individual, and that’s the reason he’s as successful as he is. But he’s a means
to an end. There are some teens who really like his stuff, but in four or five years they may all outgrow it, and then he’ll be 40 and will probably
have to talk about real things besides shitting on a jacket at a party.
Which comedians do you admire?
Steve Byrne: I have to say that when I first started in New York I was awestruck by two people — Jim Norton and Bill Burr. They’re just so damn
funny. They’re intelligent and extremely opinionated. It’s always difficult to have such a strong point of view and have intelligence behind
it. That’s making yourself vulnerable and really throwing yourself out there. As a comic, I would still pay to go see those two.
What inspires you as a comic?
Steve Byrne: I just really enjoy doing it, and I have a lot of fun. There’s really nothing else for me to do. I actually sit around all day waiting
to work 15 minutes to 45 minutes a night. My whole day revolves around it. Not
a day goes by that I don’t lay my head on the pillow and say, “Thank God.”
If you weren’t doing comedy, what other job would you be doing?
Steve Byrne: I don’t think I could do anything else. I had a lot of shitty jobs out of college. I sold kitchen knives door to door. I’d be like,
“Hey could I come in and show you knives? I’m a complete stranger, but let me bring knives into your home.” I worked at a buffalo wings place;
I washed cars; I was a waiter, a cook. I worked the night shift at a grocery store. But now I can wear whatever I want, I can swear or drink
at work and the only prerequisite is that I have to be humorous.
What do you do in your spare time?
Steve Byrne: Since coming to LA, on Mondays and Tuesdays I’ve been going out and auditioning a lot. I just got a part in this movie that Neal Brennan
[a writer from Chappelle's Show] is directing. It’s called The Goods: The Don Ready Story.
Has the writers strike affected you in any way?
Steve Byrne: I’m friends with people affected by it. I had gotten booked on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno, and I got to do it a week and a half
before the strike was initiated. If it would have been eight days later, I may not have had my first appearance. That was one thing I kind of
thought about; I actually breathed a sigh of relief. Comedians will always be able to put food on table. They can be at a club making a few bucks,
but actors need to get on TV or make a film and audition or they don’t make any money.
And what else of yours should we look for ?
Steve Byrne: In late February or March I’ve got a one-hour special on Comedy Central.
What’s the name of the special?
Steve Byrne: It’s called Steve Byrne’s Happy Hour. I was gonna call it Chinkgasm, but I didn’t want to get sued.
Coming soon.
Coming soon.
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