Before they took over TruTV and started their search for Larry…
"Larry?
Larry?
Larry!"
...the Impractical Jokers were once once just a regular gang of pranksters from Staten Island.
But what did Q, Murr, Sal, and Joe do before TV stardom?
From their beginnings in high school through their days as the New York-based comedy troupe,
the Tenderloins, Here's a look at the Impractical Jokers before all the fame.
Catholic school
The guys first met in a religion class at Monsignor Farrell, an all-boys Catholic high
school in Staten Island, where they banded together and quickly realized that the best
way to meet girls was through acting.
But when they weren't acting, they were pranking.
In a senior year prank they called "Rice Capades", the guys dumped ten-pound bags of rice in
the school's hallways.
As Q told Fox Sports,
"Students were slipping and sliding in it everywhere.
We had rice fights.
It was a blast.
Took the janitorial crew weeks to get all the rice out of the school.
This put the administration in no mood for further shenanigans.
So, of course, we pushed it further later in the year."
"Vermin Day" eventually earned Q detention when he was caught putting a goldfish in a
toilet.
Though that was tame in comparison to the squirrels, crabs, birds, turtles, and cats
that were released through the school that same day.
Both rice and cats would figure prominently into their later pranks.
"There's so many places on my body to hide rice.
Fold after fold.
Crevice after crevice.
I mean I get two boxes no problem."
Brian Quinn
Before he started his career as a professional television jokester, Brian Quinn, better known
these days as Q, was a member of the New York City Fire Department.
After taking a leave of absence to film Impractical Jokers, he returned to the FDNY with a $50,000
donation.
But that didn't stop the Jokers from mercilessly teasing him about leaving his life of heroism
behind.
"I heard you were you were a great fireman."
"No, I'm an actor on television."
As a kid, he was also obsessed with Star Wars and forced his parents to take him to see
Return of the Jedi in theaters four times.
Q still maintains his collection of Star Wars toys today.
At one point, Q was engaged, but it didn't go well.
"Will you marry me?"
"Okay, but two weeks before the wedding I'm gonna dump you and marry a cop."
"That's actually what happened to Q!"
Q was almost a regular cast member of Comic Book Men, having served as one of Kevin Smith's
first assistants at the View Askew offices, and a host of the Tell 'Em Steve Dave podcast.
Fortunately for viewers, Q's contract with TruTV made him stick with the Jokers.
Q was a fan of the Tenderloins before he was formally accepted as a part of their crew
as a replacement for a departing member.
When the guys gave him an opportunity to perform with them, comedic magic was made.
"Go, go, go, go, go!"
"Uh, I'm gonna kill every one of ya.
You're all dead."
James Murray
As a kid, James Murray loved pro wrestling and baseball.
His fondest childhood sports memory was watching Bobby "The Brain" Heenan get his teeth smashed
out by Hulk Hogan, followed years later seeing Roger Clemens throw a broken bat at Mike Piazza,
all live and in person.
You probably know all about Murr's vocal talents from the show…
"Geronimo!"
(high-pitched screams)
… but he also starred in multiple musicals throughout his attendance at Georgetown, and
eventually graduated with a BA in English.
As fans may already know, Murr's father was going to buy him a Ford Taurus as a graduation
gift, but Murr opted for the $30,000 cash instead so that he could finish a film project,
a comedy about a modern teenaged Jesus.
The rest is TV history.
"Enjoy the next 50 minutes of your life."
"I've tried to take into account that you were young, but Orson Welles was in his twenties
when he made Citizen Kane, what's your excuse?"
The ambidextrous James Murray made a brief appearance in the Howard Stern movie, Private
Parts, as an extra, and worked as a TV producer on shows like Say Yes to the Dress before
humiliating himself on television.
He maintains a simple life philosophy.
"Here's my opinion: life's too short not to put everything in your mouth twice.
Once to see if you like it.
Second time to see if you were right about it the first time."
Salvatore Vulcano
As a kid, Sal enjoyed playing basketball, football and hockey, and later graduated from
St. John's University with a degree in finance.
While studying at St. John's, Sal starred in a comedic mockumentary video series titled
Superdude & Friend.
Sal keeps his personal life relatively private, which is often a subject of antagonism among
his friends.
"Let's look into Sal's personal life!
Let's look into Sal's personal life!"
Before engaging in a life of self-humiliation, Sal claims that his most embarrassing moment
was when his babysitter saw him naked when he was five, according to a Reddit AMA.
At one point in his early Jokers career, Sal was part owner of The Full Cup in Staten Island,
though he's since left the business.
In addition to his humiliating Jaden Smith tattoo, his ink also includes song lyrics
dedicated to a deceased friend.
And, as Murr once revealed, Sal cannot sleep without a sleep apnea machine.
In his spare time, Sal is known to take womens' pants hostage and send creepy photos to their
real owners.
Joseph Gatto
"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for…"
"This is ridiculous.
This is insane."
After attending high school with the rest of the guys, Joe got his undergraduate degree
in accounting from LIU Post.
Just before going full-time Joker, Joe worked as a personal shopper in a baby store, and
today, he's the only Joker who's married and has a kid.
In addition to pranks, Gatto's other true passion is food; he's recalled how, growing
up in a large Italian family, there was always an open-door policy for meals, which regularly
included guests.
Gatto's food-fueled upbringing often translates into his jokes and pranks today.
And despite keeping his private life relatively private, Joe's wife has made regular appearances
on the show.
"Obviously, you know this is game.
I have to kiss her.
It means nothing."
"You can kiss her if you want to sleep on the couch tonight."
Getting the Gang Back Together
The guys all went their separate ways, until one day Murr ran into Sal on the ferry, where
the two reminisced about their former improv days, inspiring them to get the group together.
From there, the guys practiced their sketches together in Joe's mom's basement for six years.
At the time, they all had day jobs, but were having so much fun performing for virtually
no one that they decided to take their underground troupe to the next level.
In 1999, they formed "The Tenderloins", because the word 'tenderloin' was something Sal was
uncomfortable saying in front of a large group of people.
"Who wants a…"
"Oh god he's gonna say it to him.
He has to."
"Who wants a…"
Time Thugs
The Impractical Jokers got their first shot at stardom after winning $100,000 on It's
Your Show on NBC, a video submission contest hosted by Carson Daly, with a comedy clip
titled "Time Thugs."
"Our skilled goons will travel back through the time stream to completely destroy anyone
who might've steered your life wrong."
The newfound fame and cash inspired the guys to take a stab at tv, filming a pilot for
Spike TV called Mission Uncomfortable.
Spike passed on the project, but the undaunted Tenderloins began their evolution into television's
Impractical Jokers, piling up a series of early gigs that even included opening for
Imagine Dragons — as a joke, of course.
"We are very happy to be here..."
"Opening for Imagination Dragons."
"Opening for the Imagination Dragons."
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