Courier

Media Credit: Linda Eav Danny Pessy started the improv comedy group Grizzled Chuck at PCC.

Clutching a small microphone in one hand, as he sits comfortably on the floor, Danny Pessy's voice is serious, but tinged with a subtle joking tone.

A comedian by nature, he can't help but venture into a gag now and then.

For 20-year-old Pessy, comedy is much more than a leisurely pursuit; it's a lifestyle.

Drawing influence from the cast of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" Pessy has chosen improv, a style in which the comedian adlibs and comes up with sporadic jokes, as his focal point in comedy.

With a background in theater, Pessy seized the opportunity to start his own improv comedy troupe called Grizzled Chuck at PCC.

"I love the spontaneity of it, the fact that we can do whatever we want," said Pessy.

"Improv is the other side of plays, where we can come out and be obnoxious and have a good time without having to worry about memorizing our jokes and rehearsing them for months. Instead we can spend those months putting on shows whenever we want."

However, Pessy understands that being a comedian doesn't come with riotous laughter by design.

A perfectionist, Pessy is bothered when he knows that he and the rest of the group haven't performed at the best level they are capable of, but doesn't let such obstacles discourage him.

"I wish a lot more people would come out and see what PCC is producing as far as actors and performers and see that what we're doing is actually pretty good," Pessy said.

Though he enjoys his job as a salesman for a security company, loves basketball, and is a huge fan of dub step music, it seems as if pursuing a career in comedy was thrust upon Pessy at a rather young age.

"I remember when I was in third grade. I was at lunch entertaining a bunch of guys and somebody said, 'Jeez Danny, you should be a comedian.' Since then I've remembered that moment and put the pieces together and now it's happening," Pessy said.

Keith Fries, a close friend of Pessy's said, "His comedy style is really weird and offbeat, but relatable."

"He genuinely cares about his friends and his family. He's loud and eccentric, sure, but he really looks out for everyone he knows," said Fries.

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