Grins and Needles

Adam Ferrara on tough humor.

by Ben Kharakh

Adam Ferrara's latest role as Chief "Needles" Nelson on FX's Rescue Me is a departure from his previous Comedy Central specials and guest spots on The King of Queens. The drama, which chronicles the professional and personal lives of NYC firefighters, touches on some serious issues that the actor and comedian is prepared to handle. Influenced by his own hardships and losses, his stand-up remains hilarious, if not slightly frustrated.

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City Paper: Can you identify with your dramatic role on Rescue Me?

Adam Ferrara: Yeah, I just had a bad year. My relationship ended and my father got sick. It was just a lot of turmoil all at once, but the stage was there for me as a release. So I would go on and my performances were more intense, but it was also a place where I could calm down. Afterward, I'd listen to the act and get a sense of how angry I was. I'd start to vent, reflect on what I was feeling, and have a different perspective on it because it still had to be funny. It forced me to find the humor in what I was going through.

CP: How do you balance being angry with being funny?

AF: I take it to frustration. Frustration is funny. The nice thing about working on Rescue Me is that I have a place to put that anger.

CP: When did you start thinking about being a comic?

AF: I was a kid in Santa Monica and the adults were watching a Richard Pryor tape. They left to have coffee and I figured out how to work the VCR and turned it on. The things that guy could do amazed me.

CP: Has anything captured that feeling for you since?

AF: Yeah, you can really be moved by someone who performs very well. That and I got a girl now who's gorgeous.

CP: Do comedians get as much respect as firemen?

AF: No, nor do they deserve it. For the 45 minutes that they're onstage they get respect; after that they should be treated just like everybody else. Most celebrities would flip if that were the case. They're only treated that way because they can make other people money. If your movie doesn't do well, just see how small your gift bag is.

CP: I hear The Tonight Show gives out treats.

AF: Actually, a Jay-bar pulls up at The Tonight Show. I was in the dressing room with my buddy and a woman wheeled up with this little bar and said, "Hi, the Jay-bar's here, would you like a drink?" And I said, "No, I have to go on." But my buddy proceeded to drink a flowerpot full of scotch.

CP: With the sort of material you're doing now, do you find yourself really connecting with the crowd?

AF: Yeah. I do a piece about my father's cancer and a lot of people come up afterward asking how he's doing. I see that genuine concern as an indication that I'm reaching somebody, and that's really nice.

Adam Ferrara

Thu., Nov. 1, 8 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., Nov. 2-3, 8 and 10:30 p.m., $15-$29, Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom St., 215-496-9001, www.heliumcomedy.com