Comedian Fatel falls in love, changes his routine
Comedian Mitch Fatel’s career has taken some unusual turns.
He started out as an intern for Howard Stern. Stern would tell Fatel what a good job he did cleaning his potatoes.
Then Fatel’s stand-up career took off, and he got noticed very quickly, particularly as a guest/fake patient on Comedy Central’s seminal show “Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist.”
But lately, Fatel — who performs tonight through Saturday at Paris’ Empire Comedy room — has a whole new act centered around his relationship with fiancee Jessica Mayhugh.
They’ve been together for a few years, and they have a radio show on Sirius’ Howard 101 channel called “Sex and Swinging with Mitch and Jessica.”
You’ll have to go see his stand-up act for details about their fascinating life. All I can tell you is, Fatel says they are deeply in love.
“We go to couples therapy together, which I recommend highly for every couple, because I think everybody has a destructive streak in themselves,” he says.
Through therapy, they felt validation that their love connection was real, and not just fantasy.
“We had insanely similar childhoods, upbringings and overly controlling parents,” Fatel says.
“She’s a very emotional, deep person, who’s also a best friend, who believes in loyalty,” Fatel says.
In return, he gives her deep, emotionally fulfilling support and loyalty, too, he says.
Their next Sirius show is at 4 p.m. Monday.
Before that, they’ll both be at his Paris gigs. He says his comedy act is better than ever, because it has more soul to it, and not just “empty calories about girls.”
“My website’s been filled with more compliments, and people recommending to go see my show, than I’ve ever had before.”
CARRINGTON IS FEELING BETTER
I was supposed to interview comedian Rodney Carrington for today’s column, but he had a terrible, temporary dental problem arise. This is the voice mail he left me the morning after our interview misfire:
“Doug, this is Rodney Carrington. I was supposed to call you yesterday, and I had a tooth crack. I know. I’m old. Then I went to the dentist. I’m sorry.”
He offered to do the interview another time, but I ran up against newspaper deadlines.
So I’ll just tell you that Carrington is always a class act in interviews — funny, genuine, kind and generous.
And he’s performing stand-up and singing Thursday to March 14 at the MGM and returning there June 14 to 20.
Doug Elfman’s column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Email him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.
