Mixin' It Up

Tommy Koenig is what you might call a mixed bag.

He does traditional stand-up, dabbles in music, brings out some characters and does some social commentary.

He even has a Bruce Springsteen impression, which he uses to entertain his audience with “Bought in the USA,” a parody touching on the fact that very few products are made in the country nowadays.

“I also close my act by doing an impersonation of an old man singing all the songs from the ‘50s up to Lady Gaga,” Koenig, who headlines at Scotty’s this weekend, said. “They’re all sung by a cranky, old man, which I expect to be some day.”

He said he likes to describe himself as animated, much like Robin Williams or Jim Carrey, but still down-to-earth à la Jerry Seinfeld, George Carlin and Bill Cosby.

Koenig made his way on to the stand-up scene in 1979 right before the start of the comedy boom, performing in the New York clubs that were growing in prominence at the time.

He said he knew for certain he wanted to take a stab at it after seeing Jerry Seinfeld perform during the opening night of a New York club.

“The comedy club thing had just started,” he said. “It was the perfect time, so I decided to try it out.”

Describing himself as “one of the first soldiers on the beach” of stand-up comedy, Koenig said he and a handful of other comedians at the time traveled throughout the country in an attempt to bring a “younger version of comedy” to audiences.

“There were no comedy rooms like at Scotty’s in those days until guys like us went out there and said, ‘Hey, we could put together a show,’” Koenig said. “I was one of the first guys who proved it could work.”

Amidst his career as a stand-up comedian, Koenig spent time during the ‘80s and ‘90s in Los Angeles, taking on various acting gigs.

In fact, his interest in comedy began while he was teaching acting at Brooklyn College, after going to school to become an actor.

In addition to performing, Koenig also runs the Comic Studio, a workshop he founded, which he describes as the “Actor’s Studio but for comics.”

“It’s a place where young comics can learn how to do this from a guy who had been out there on the road and still is out there doing it for the real audiences,” he said.

Tommy Koenig will perform at 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Comedy Cove at Scotty's Steak House. His set will be preceded by comedians Mike Warsaw and Renée Minter. Tickets are $12. Visit the club’s website for more information.