Seven years ago, Mike Vinn had never set foot in a comedy club with the purpose of performing on stage. But there’s a first time for everything. Growing up on Chicago’s south side, Vinn came to San Diego by way of the Marine Corps. After enlisting, he decided to stay, but wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. Remembering he had always wanted to try stand-up comedy, he made his way to the La Jolla Comedy Store’s open-mic night. As it turned out, Vinn wasn’t half bad, and eventually, he was hired on to seat people at shows. Its the regular comics/employees like Vinn who have kept the club going for 35 years (this weekend marks that momentous anniversary). All of the regular comics who perform at The Comedy Store (as well as at its sister club in Hollywood) also do their duty as hosts, bartenders, seaters and promoters, in exchange for the chance to hone their craft on stage every week. A running joke among employees/comics is the unique feeling of performing a great set, working over the audience, getting off stage feeling good — and then being told by a manager that the toilet is clogged, so get to it. Vinn worked his way up through all of those positions, and now works as a talent coordinator doing promotions for the club, creating the line-up on certain nights, hosting the open-mic night and organizing charity shows, such as his annual Toys for Tots campaign. Since realizing his capacity for comedy, Vinn has performed all over the country in places like New York, New Jersey, Boston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Chicago, to name a few. He’s been part of the Iowa Comedy Festival and has had a few small acting roles. He credits his success to the experience he has gained at The Comedy Store and the variety of performance styles he has been exposed to — along with an atmosphere engendered in the club that brings those styles together under one roof. “One of the beautiful things about The Comedy Store is all of the different personalities and backgrounds of all the comics,” he said. “San Diego is a transplant city and why should the comedy be any different?” WHAT: The La Jolla Comedy Store’s 35th anniversary weekend featuring Sebastian Maniscalco WHEN: May 27 and 28, 8 and 10:30 p.m. WHERE: 916 Pearl St. INFO: $20 cover, 21 and up
