Keith Mannina moved to Austin from Seattle just months ago, and he’s wasted no time in diving into the local comedy scene. He frequently performs at ColdTowne Theater and the Velveeta Room, where onstage he shares clever observations and delivers fresh jokes that are anything but predictable.
That Other Paper So how did you get into doing comedy?
Keith Mannina I moved up to Seattle after the hurricane…
TOP So you’re from New Orleans?
KM Mmm-hmm. Born and raised. I met a bunch of comedians, and I got peer pressured into it about a year and a half ago.
TOP What brought you to Austin?
KM Got tired of being in Seattle. It was grey and just depressing. It was hard to find things fun to do.
TOP How do you come up with your material?
KM I live. I watch stuff happen.
TOP Do you take classes or just get up there and talk?
KM Pretty much. I had a bunch of false starts. Where I wasn’t funny.
TOP What’s the comedy scene like in Seattle?
KM It’s really strong. A lot of people who have been doing it a long time. A lot of new people. A lot of really great weekly shows in bars as opposed to regular comedy clubs.
TOP What’s your most embarrassing memory from childhood?
KM When I was four, me and my sister went to a mall, and it was some kind of grand opening of a department store, and they had a chimp in a dress named Rosie and all the kids were taking Polaroid pictures with her. Me and my sister were on each side of the chimp, and it bit me on the knee because my sister spooked it.
TOP Why is that embarrassing? That’s just funny.
KM A lot of people were laughing at me. It was at my expense. She had a bow in her hair and everything. It was embarrassing.
TOP Any other embarrassing stories?
KM This one time I slipped on a banana peel. During lunch hour. In a business plaza. I was just walking along and slipped on a banana peel like in the movies. I hurt my tailbone – I actually had to go to the hospital. Bums, businessmen, every type of person laughing at my expense.
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