Long Island-raised comedian Pete Correale returns home for Paramount show

Comedian Pete Correale describes himself as "a beer and peanut guy." The 55-year-old stand-up, who grew up in Oakdale, delivers his relatable humor with regular-guy charm.

"I’m not a fan of comedians that perform at you. I like being a version of myself on stage," Correale says. "I never wanted to be stuck in a character. I just try to be true to who I am."

When Correale returns to The Paramount in Huntington on Jan. 30, he will be sure to deliver some conversational humor peppered with well-crafted jokes.

"I always felt most funny when I was hanging out. This is a trait I got from my father growing up on Long Island," Correale says. "He is an everyday guy who made people laugh with his stories. I always latched onto that."

Correale first took the stage at age 24 in Gladys’ Comedy Room at Hamburger Harry’s in midtown Manhattan in 1994. After exploring acting, he joined an improv group that performed at a comedy club. But once he got a taste of stand-up, he was bitten by the comedy bug.

"I went to an open mic that Jim Gaffigan and Judah Friedlander were at," Correale recalls. "I was listening to them talk about their bits and it was love at first sight. From there, I never looked back."

Correale spent more than a decade honing his craft nightly at the Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village among fellow comics like Bill Burr, Dave Attell, Colin Quinn and the late Patrice O’Neal. However, his perspective has since changed.

“I truly feel now, does a comic have anything worth listening to until they are at least 45?” Correale asks. “Once you get older, you have a lifetime of experience to look back on.”

Today he serves as the co-host of the popular podcast, “The Pete and Sebastian Show,” with his buddy and fellow comedian Sebastian Maniscalco.

“We have incredible similarities and drastic differences. Once we get on the cast, we just make each other laugh because we have the same sense of humor,” Correale says. “But we are like Felix Unger and Oscar Madison from ‘The Odd Couple.’ I drive a Jeep Wrangler and he drives a Porsche. He gets manicures and I don’t.”

After opening for Maniscalco on his massive “It Ain't Right” arena tour, Correale is packing theaters on his own. In fact, he is set to release his new comedy special, “Good Hangin’,” which is eight years in the making. But right now, Correale is just pumped to headline The Paramount for the third time.

“I love playing there because we all grew up with the same mentality. The crowd is welcoming like a nice warm blanket,” he says. “Long Islanders are smarter than you think. They are going to let you know if you are doing good or not. But you ain’t going to get a bigger laugh if you are good because they are LOUD."

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.