Star of stand-up, TV and sketch comedy, Colin Quinn brings his new one-man show ‘Long Story Short’ to the Borgata’s Music Box.
Television doesn’t do Colin Quinn justice. He was arguably the funniest part of the MTV game show Remote Control as Ken Ober’s sidekick back in the ’80s. He capably delivered the humorous news as Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” anchor during the ’90s. His politically incorrect work as host of Comedy Central’s late and lamented Tough Crowd generated some great comedic repartee and points during the last decade.
But Quinn, 52, needs more than TV. The Broadway and Off-Broadway stages have been a better home for Quinn’s blunt, clever and unsparing comedy. Quinn has had a number of one-man shows and his latest, Long Story Short, is perhaps his most inspired.
The show, which was directed by his pal Jerry Seinfeld, goes back to ancient civilization and takes us to modern times. It examines how we arrived at this point.
Quinn, who will render Long Story Short on Saturday (Jan. 28) at the Borgata, is amusing but also thoughtful when dropping his bits about the rise and potential fall of our empire.
“You can see it slipping,” Quinn tells Atlantic City Weekly by phone from his New York apartment. “If you’re looking for signs, there’s our economy. There’s Jersey Shore. There are a lot of things that say that we’re in trouble. But if you look at the whole history of it, it’s a fascinating thing. We all can’t help but be drawn into it.”
Quinn was thrilled with Seinfeld’s input. The star and co-creator of one of the all-time great sitcoms hits the road for some shows, but he is very selective about projects.
“Jerry is very choosy and he has a right to be,” Quinn says. “I was honored that he chose to direct Long Story Short. To tell you the truth, I didn’t think he was going to be as involved as he was. I thought he would do some things, but he exceeded my expectations. He did quite a bit of rewriting. He did some editing. He was really into it and I was thrilled since he really enhanced the show. I had a great time with this and I think he had some fun too, and then there is the audience, who have been into it. Everyone won with this one.”
When Quinn isn’t on the road with Long Story Short, he can be found most nights cracking wise at Manhattan’s Comedy Cellar. Quinn, who is known as the Godfather of New York Comedy, enjoys holding court at the club as much as he can.
“I love taking the stage there,” Quinn says. “Every night is fun for me.”
Quinn will also pop up in film. He played a supporting role in Grown Ups, which featured his comic-actor pals Adam Sandler, David Spade and Rob Schneider.
“That was a great time,” Quinn says. “I have fun with film and television, but I always seem to head back to the stage. It’s always worked well there for me.”
Quinn is looking forward to Atlantic City, but don’t expect to see him living life in an excessive manner.
“I don’t drink,” Quinn says. “I’ve been sober for 20 years or so, so you won’t see me at the bar, but that’s alright. I used to be a blackout drunk. I would end up in places and have no idea how I got there. I don’t need that, especially at this age. I’m alright just hanging out without having to do anything more than just talking and having a bottle of water after a show. Comedy is enough for me to get focused on.”
On Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011, Patrice O'Neal died at age 41 of complications from a stroke suffered in October. Here is a fond memory of the hilarious comic and thinker - our 2010 interview with O'Neal in advance of his show at the Trump Taj Mahal.
"There’s the voyeuristic aspect where you’re watching these strangers thrown into this weird situation. There’s the free money aspect. They can sit at home and judge other people, and then they have me making silly faces into the camera."
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