LINKS
Home Page
Gig
Schedule
Promo, Info, & Pix
Video Clips
Articles
& References
Services
Event Entertainment
Humor Motivation
Book A Comedian
Be A Comedian
Photo Gallery
Baby Bella
YOUR
Joke of the Week
Perry's Live Blues
Get Your CD's & DVD's NOW!
Now On Sale
Sign My Guestbook
What's The Perrycycle?
The Biography
Perry was born(?)
in Philadelphia at 2:32am. at Children's Hospital. As a 10 year
old Cub Scout (they had no membership restrictions in those
days), he briefly entered the entertainment field when he threw
his voice into a sock and began giving puppet shows (at gunpoint)
at local playgrounds. Graduating from Northeast High School in
1968, he attended The Hussian School of Commercial Art in
downtown Philly.
After graduating in 1972(and
paying off his instructors to pass him), he began freelancing for
national label companies creating finished art for Pepsi, Tab,
Sprite, Levi Strauss, Gerber,
and Polaroid, including the design
of the Seven Up "bubble pattern" logo in '74(for a measly 300 bucks) . In
1976, he became the art director of a religious publishing house
just outside of Northeast Philly making an outrageous amount of
money.
After 2 years of high pressure, a nervous breakdown from overwork, and people constantly asking, "What are you? A comedian?", his close friends advised that he should (just leave town or) get into comedy.
He quit his directorship and entered a talent show at The Crazy Horse Saloon in New Jersey, taking a $250 first prize for singing a parody of "Eleanor Rigby" as Jerry Lewis. He took a comedy workshop (cash was paid upfront) and lived on his savings until 1979. Then, with his last $500, a suitcase, electric guitar, and roller skates he equipped with headlights, he moved to San Francisco to become a comedian.
His first paying "gig" was as the emcee and manager at the now-closed, Off Broadway Male Burlesque Club on Broadway in North Beach working 6 nights a week and making WAY too much money. A few weeks later, at the request of screaming female patrons (they were blind), he gave birth to his "Comic Strip Routine" parody (he only takes off his jacket and women STILL give him money).
In 1983, he left the "Broadway Scene" (too much sex and drugs) and pursued comedy in real comedy clubs. He spent a lot of time "working out" at the Holy City Zoo Comedy Club in San Francisco, where he had many opportunities to hang out and share the stage improvising with Robin Williams. (He has followed Robin 13 times at management request) A few years later, he was averaging 30 to 40 weeks a year headlining comedy clubs (and getting paid for it) (Go figure) across North America and Canada.
Just before his birthday in 1989, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he became a paid regular at The Comedy Store (the money sucks) in Hollywood and Dangerfields in New York City.
He actually met his wife "online" on an
LA bulletin board (they did not hot chat). They talked "voice" for 40
hours over 3 days. Then she drove to his house and they instantly(?) fell in love. He now lives in
Downtown Los Angeles, has been married 11 years to the same woman, has 3 kids, and continues to work as
a comedian, comedy consultant and instructor, Humor Motivator, voice-over artist,
Free-Lance Tonight Show Writer, and appears at comedy clubs, colleges, and
corporate events around the world.