The NYC-based comic visits Indianapolis on his nationwide tour. Photo courtesy of Joey Dardano.

EMMA MCLEAN | CULTURE CO-EDITOR | emclean@butler.edu

Since 2012, Joey Dardano has been climbing the ranks of comedy while honing his own distinguished, dynamic voice. His journey has taken him from elementary school talent shows in South Florida to sharing the stage with other prominent names in comedy, landing a recurring role on Season 21 of MTV’s Wild ‘N Out and embarking on his headlining tour. 

With a distinctive ability to connect with audiences and push the limits of structured comedy, Dardano delivers humor and authenticity simultaneously. Dardano’s “Let Me At ‘Em Tour” visits the Helium Comedy Club in Indianapolis on Sept. 27 and 28 at 8 p.m. 

Ahead of his show, Dardano spoke to The Butler Collegian about his innate passion for comedy, stage fright and, of course, the IMAX subreddit. 

THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN: When did you realize you wanted to make people laugh?

JOEY DARDANO: I’m the middle of three brothers, and my mom would throw us into the elementary school talent show. We would do the dance to “Soul Man” from The Blues Brothers. I was like, ‘I love the attention,’ and I guess that’s just middle-child syndrome. I’ve always connected with people through being the funny guy. I never really belonged to any friend group in particular; I bounced around every friend group by just being the goofy guy who would come in, get a couple of laughs and move right along.

TBC: At what point did you make a choice to pursue comedy professionally?

JD: I made the choice when I was 18 and decided to go to college in New York. I still kind of circled around it for a couple of years. I was a little scared of fully committing, but I never stopped doing it. [The time] when I really 100 percent committed was my senior year of college. That’s when I was like, ‘Okay, this is what I’m doing. This is how I stay on stage and keep performing.’ I fell in love with doing stand-up.

TBC: For a lot of people, stand-up comedy or performing in front of a live audience is their worst nightmare …

JD: It’s still mine. I still get nervous before [shows]. I think that kind of energy fuels you, and I think if you keep doing it, [that anxiety] just means you care about it and you want to do well; you’re not just phoning it in.

TBC: You begin your “Let Me At ‘Em” Tour in Indianapolis. Have you ever performed here before?

JD: I haven’t, and that’s why I’m so hyped to go. Indianapolis is one of those cities where [other comics] say, ‘You’re gonna have a fun time.’

I’m also super hyped for the Indiana State Museum. I’m embarrassed to say this, but I consider myself a cinephile, and by saying that, you’re allowed to shoot me. Actually, shows are canceled just because I said that. It is embarrassing to admit, but I love seeing movies in the way they’re intended, which leads me to certain forums, like the IMAX subreddit. And I gotta tell you, the Indiana State Museum is apparently one of the best. So I already know for a fact that on Saturday, I’m gonna go see “Wild Robot” there.

TBC: What a crazy choice. What was your motivation to go on this tour and visit new states?

JD: The first time I stepped on a stage was 12 years ago, and I’ve been going at it ever since, with some stops and starts. But I’ve always been performing in a coastal city, and that leads you to certain audiences. I think performing for audiences in New York leads you to a certain kind of joke or performance style. I opened for Hannah Berner for seven shows, and I’m from South Florida, so I thought I knew the people there. I did some of my A-plus stuff, but two of my jokes were not landing, and I had to switch up my setlist. It was like, ‘Wow, the audiences away from New York are very different.’

TBC: What do you do when a joke doesn’t land?

JD: My favorite thing to do, which I think is a Joey Dardano staple, is just to own up to it. I’m like, ‘Well, that f*cking sucked. I thought that would make you laugh, and it didn’t.’ If I’m up there for an hour and people paid 20 or 30 bucks, I will not spend a single second trying to pretend like the show you’re getting is perfect. I’m going to acknowledge that I tried something out. It didn’t work, and we’re gonna move on.

TBC: Do you have any advice for young people who share your passion for comedy?

JD: I’m 29 now. I turn 30 in three and a half months, which scares the sh*t out of me. But at the age I’m approaching, I can say with 90 percent assurance that I know exactly who I am when I’m on stage, and I’m not judging any aspects of me that come out when I’m riffing or writing jokes. I think that leads me to the advice: you can’t be trying to be someone else.

I will say, if you need to go through a phase where you’re letting the successful work of someone else inspire you and get you moving, do not be judgmental of that process. Everybody has to start somewhere. It only becomes a problem if you don’t use that as a launching pad to figure out who you are.

Also, bombing in the beginning doesn’t matter as much as you think it does, and not a single show is as important as you think it is. No show, when you start out, will make or break your career. Trust your gut and be yourself. 

TBC: Are there any projects that you’re actively involved in or upcoming projects that you would like to speak about?

JD: I’m in the upcoming rom-com “31 Candles”, directed by Jonah Feingold. I saw a cut of it recently, and it’s great and funny and an overall fun time. There are so many funny people in it; there are so many good actors.

I’m also on Wild ‘N Out every Monday for Season 21. That show is just a dream. I used to watch it growing up, and I just can’t believe that I’m on it … I’m performing all the time. I got my tour, and I’m hyped to get out there.

You can also write down that I’m six foot four.