Has #2 pencil will tell jokes
The author, David Reuben. recently had a phone conversation with San Francisco based Stand-Up Comic Mr. Danny Dechi. What struck me first and foremost is that Danny is a genuinely nice man. His friend, comedian Howard Stone told the author at the beginning of our conversation; “Danny Dechi is the nicest person in the world”.
Silvia, Danny’s darling, told the author that her partner is nice to everyone. They met at an open mic at a café that Silva was frequenting 16 1/2 years ago. She had never seen a live comedy show before the open mics at the café. Silvia liked how nice Danny was to the other comics on the open mics. According to Silvia, “Danny is one of a kind, without an ego or internal turmoil. If someone is able to crack you up at 2am, you gotta stick with them”.
San Francisco comedy legend Mr. Steven Pearl told the author that Danny is a nice man. “In fact, I will go as far as to say he is the Jimi Hendrix of pencil playing”.
Mr. Danny Dechi was born in Buenos Aires and moved to San Francisco at 6 years old. Young Danny did not speak any English when he moved to the USA and after a few weeks of public school he started to pick up English. His favorite television shows were Looney Tunes and the Three Stooges.
Danny started working as a teenager and found that he could make everyone laugh at work. Danny remembers; “But I didn’t think my jokes were professional enough to for stand-up comedy”. As Danny grew into an adult, he still had a desire to do stand-up comedy. A couple of years before jumping into the comedy ring he noticed that jokes similar to his were on late night talk shows and tv sitcoms.
It’s 2001 and Mr. Danny Dechi decides to try stand-up comedy at the age of 42. Like everyone else Danny started on open mics and the audience loved his characters and his jokes. Mr. Dechi had found his true calling in life and he also had a hidden superpower.
At age 9, Danny discovered a knack for recreating tunes such as the “Lone Ranger” theme song by simply tapping his finger against his cheek. Then around 30 years old Danny discovered his superpower; “I tapped my cheek with a #2 pencil while thinking at work, and the radio’s playing music. I accidentally discovered I could play more songs with the pencil than with just fingers. I learned there is a certain way to hold and manipulate the pencil”.
Once in the San Francisco Comedy Scene, Danny Dechi made up for lost time. He was performing all over the Bay area several times per week, including such classic comedy clubs as Punchline, Purple Onion, Rooster T. Feathers, Throckmorton Theatre, the San Francisco Tommy T’s club, and The Comedy Station.
Veteran comedian Howard Stone saw Danny’s act at an open mic and put him on the Howard Stone Variety Show as The Danny Dechi Orchestra with his very own “Band Uniform”.
Today Danny Dechi is a fixture of the San Francisco Comedy Scene, he runs open mics, Showcase Rooms, has a podcast and had in 2011 performed at Annual San Francisco Comedy Day. He has published a hilarious semi-autobiographical book “I Didn’t want to pay for Rent-A-Car”. Mr. Dechi has appeared in plays, tv commercials, and movies. Danny has appeared on The James Cordon Late Night Show, The Gong Show and tried out for Last Comic Standing. [He did not make the cut but was on The Last Comic Standing TV Promos.]
Danny Dechi's stand-up comedy has been described as "Woody Allen doing vaudeville". His humor, most often directed at himself, is a quirky combination of clean comedy & a unique #2 pencil musical act. His Blinky The Rock God character is legendary around the Bay area. Danny has also performed at the world-famous Comedy Store in LA and the Ice House in Pasadena California.
The author, David Reuben, asked Danny how he has changed over the years. “I'm not sure how my comedy was influenced, some life experiences, but mostly watching Looney Tunes, The Three Stooges, and the like. I think my sense of humor has not changed much, I see or hear something, then I come up with a joke”. “When I was a kid, great comedians were much more visible, and they were always funny. My favorites were George Carlin and Rodney Dangerfield. They told great jokes”. “Comedy has made me more confident as a person, I realized that I am a funny comedian who can get laughs on a professional stage, and a decent actor”.
Comedy has given Mr. Danny Dechi the life he dreamed about as a child. It is never too late to follow your dreams. Danny is continuing to make audiences laugh, working on some books based on his Mr. Science character, and being nice to everyone he comes in contact with. Now that is a life well lived! Keep that #2 pencil sharpened Danny!
For more information about Danny Dechi visit http://dannydechi.com/
Mention you found out about Danny Dechi on www.thecomedygreenroom.com
