“Lisa is a provocateur and a gifted wordsmith, insensitive to the usual sensitivities but fair-minded and brutally candid.”
— The New Jersey Press Association
Although bios are traditionally written in the third person, I feel silly pretending that other people got together, discussed how wonderful I am, and then felt compelled to write it down.
So, for the sake of full disclosure, this was written by me, Andrew Lisa, the guy you see to the right smiling in a photograph that’s supposed to look candid, but is obviously staged and airbrushed.
If my comedy stands out, it's probably because of my background in writing. I wrote a weekly column in a local newspaper that was distributed nationally by the Gannett News Service. I’ve had hundreds of columns published in dozens of papers across the country, like the Tallahassee Democrat, the Niagra Gazette and other publications that you can likely find lining the bottom of your parrot cage or wrapped around a fish at your local Italian market.
Oh, and I also got my local newspaper banned from Wal-Mart. Forever.
Although I transitioned from print to stage relatively recently, I’ve won several contests, played most of the clubs in and around New York City and performed with national acts like Dave Attell, Carl LaBove, Godfrey, Mark DeMayo and Vincent “Big Pussy” Pastore.
Although I received thousands of letters from all over the world, I’m probably most proud of an
e-mail I got from Anthony Cumia of the Opie and Anthony radio show, who wrote, “Thanks for having the guts to say what most people are already thinking.”
I think my comedy is genuine and funny, but then again, I always thought my act was genuine and funny. Yet when I look back at tapes of my old material, it’s so unbelievably awful that watching it makes me cringe with shame and occasionally yell at the screen.
My comedy doesn’t involve the difference between how men and women argue, I don’t bring up my ethnic background, and I’ll never, ever end a joke with a plea for audience approval by saying, “You know what I’m saying, guys?” or “Right, ladies?”
Oh, and if you’re an agent or a booker, I no longer work pro bono, but I come pretty cheap.
