Colin Quinn
Born	June 6, 1959 (1959-06-06) (age 48) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, Television, Film
Nationality	American
Years active	1985 - present
Genres	Observational comedy, Black comedy, Sketch comedy, Satire/Political satire/News satire
Subject(s)	American politics, current events, race relations
Influences	Richard Pryor, George Carlin
Notable works and roles	Co-host of Remote Control Weekend Update anchor on Saturday Night Live Host of Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn
Website	ColinQuinn.net

Colin Quinn (born June 6, 1959 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American comedian, best known for his five years in the cast of Saturday Night Live. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (771x1312, 559 KB) Subject: Colin Quinn Description: Unknown reporter and other junk to right cropped. ... is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ... This article is about the state. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... B. J. Novak in a stand-up comedy routine at Olde English sketch comedy in June 2007. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... In English usage, nationality is the legal relationship between a person and a country. ... This article is about the year. ... Comedy may be divided into multiple genres based on the source of humour, the method of delivery, and the context in which it is delivered. ... Observational comedy is a brand of humor based on making remarks about various facets of daily life. ... This article is about a tone of comedy. ... Sketch Show redirects here. ... 1867 edition of Punch, a ground-breaking British magazine of popular humour, including a good deal of satire of the contemporary social and political scene. ... Political satire is a subgenre of general satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics, politicians and public affairs. ... News satire, also called fake news, is a type of satire presented in a format typical of mainstream journalism. ... The Federal Government of the United States was established by the United States politics is dominated by the two major parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. ... Highlights The so-called iTunes Law, which Apple has called state-sponsored piracy, is approved by the French Parliament (coat of arms pictured). ... Race relations is the area of sociology that studies the social, political, and economic relations between races at all different levels of society. ... Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American comedian, actor, and writer. ... George Denis Patrick Carlin[15] (born May 12, 1937) is a Grammy-winning American stand-up comedian, actor, and author. ... Remote Control is a TV game show that ran on MTV for five seasons from 1987 until 1990. ... Weekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch which comments on and parodies current events. ... This article is about the American television series. ... Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn was a comedic talk show on Comedy Central which attempted to be a more vulgar or working-class version of a previous Comedy Central production, Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher. ... is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ... This article is about the state. ... For the documentary about Jerry Seinfeld, see Comedian (film). ... This article is about the American television series. ...

Early years

Colin Quinn was born in Brooklyn to an Irish-American family and was raised in the Park Slope section of the borough. His gravelly Brooklyn accent and idiosyncratic mannerisms are trademarks of his stand-up act, headlining at top comedy clubs across the country, including Caroline's Comedy Club in New York City. Before becoming a comedian, Quinn worked as a bartender. He stopped drinking in the early 1980s after several bad experiences with alcohol, including drunken blackouts and nights spent in jail.^[1] This article is about the borough of New York City. ... Irish Americans (Irish: Gael-Mheiriceánach) are citizens of the United States who can claim ancestry originating in the west European island of Ireland. ... A typical Park Slope block in spring. ... Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... Carolines Comedy Club is Americas Premier Comedy Nightclub. It is located in Manhattan on Broadway between 49th and 50th street. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... For the song by Dave Matthews Band, see Bartender (song). ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ...

After quitting bartending, Quinn began his stand-up career in 1984. He first achieved fame in 1987 as co-host of the MTV game show Remote Control, which he did for three years. In 1989, he hosted A&E stand-up showcase Caroline's Comedy Hour, and acted in and wrote the comedic short Going Back to Brooklyn along with Ben Stiller. Much of his early comedy career focused on stand-up and writing for shows like In Living Color. He later co-wrote the story and was an associate producer for the movie Celtic Pride, starring Damon Wayans and Dan Aykroyd. B. J. Novak in a stand-up comedy routine at Olde English sketch comedy in June 2007. ... This article is about the year. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the original U.S. music television channel. ... Quiz show redirects here. ... Remote Control is a TV game show that ran on MTV for five seasons from 1987 until 1990. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Biography is one of A&Es longest-running and most popular programs. ... Carolines Comedy Club is an entertainment venue located in Manhattan on Broadway between 49th and 50th Street. ... Benjamin Edward Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an Emmy-winning American comedian, actor, film producer and director. ... In Living Color is a sketch comedy television series which ran on the FOX Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. ... Celtic Pride (1996) is a comedy directed by Tom DeCerchio. ... Damon Kyle Wayans (pronounced WAYNES) (born September 4, 1960) is an American stand-up comedian, writer, and actor who began his career as a stand-up comic in 1982. ... Daniel Edward Aykroyd CM (born July 1, 1952) is an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning Canadian/American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and musician. ...

Saturday Night Live

In 1995, Quinn was hired by Saturday Night Live as a writer and featured player until 1997-1998 season, when he became a full cast member. He established himself on the show with characters such as "Lenny the Lion" and "Joe Blow", and did the recurring segment "Colin Quinn Explains the New York Times". Quinn took over as host of the Weekend Update segment in January 1998 after Norm Macdonald's firing, and anchored the segment until departing SNL in 2000. Quinn would often comment on the highly publicized media circuses such as Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal and the Microsoft Anti-Trust Trial. At the end of each Weekend Update segment, he would use the catchphrase, "That's my story and I'm sticking to it," a line from a 1993 hit country song from Collin Raye. During his time on SNL, Quinn often struggled to read from cue cards or a teleprompter. He was not thrilled about his run on the show, declaring on an episode of Tough Crowd, "I don't miss it." Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the American television series. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Hes on the phone with a SEX LINE... Weekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch which comments on and parodies current events. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Norm MacDonald Norman Gene MacDonald (born October 17, 1963) is a bilingual Canadian actor and comedian. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Media circus is a pejorative description of the media. ... The Monica Lewinsky scandal was a political-sex scandal emerging from a sexual relationship between United States President Bill Clinton and a then 22-year-old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. ... United States v. ... Collin Raye (born Floyd Collin Wray August 22, 1959 in De Queen, Arkansas) is a country singer. ... Cue cards are placards with words written on them that help actors and speakers remember their lines. ... Schematic representation: A teleprompter (also known as an autocue) is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script. ...

During his SNL years, Quinn made his Broadway debut in his one-man show, Colin Quinn: An Irish Wake co-written with fellow comedian Lou DiMaggio, and was offered the role of Scott Evil in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery by Mike Myers, which he turned down to make time for his writing projects [1]. The role was taken by Seth Green. For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, directed by Jay Roach, is the first film of the Austin Powers series. ... This article is about the actor. ... Seth Benjamin Gesshel-Green (born February 8, 1974) is an American actor, comedian and television producer. ...

Colin Quinn during the Weekend Update segment on Saturday Night Live.

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Recurring Characters on SNL

• Gene, an ex-convict who does menial jobs.
• Joe Blow, a blue-collar worker from Queens who complains about the declining quality of his neighborhood.
• Lenny The Lion, a lion, similar to his Joe Blow character, only he talks about trying to better himself.
• Rolf, a racist who always has second thoughts about his behavior.

Celebrity Impersonations on SNL

• Dale Jarrett
• Elvis Costello
• Gerry Adams
• Leon Panetta
• Robert De Niro in the now infamous "Joe Pesci Show" sketch where the real Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci make a surprise appearance.

Dale Arnold Jarrett (born November 26, 1956 in Newton, North Carolina) is an American race car driver. ... Elvis Costello (born Declan Patrick McManus August 25, 1954) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. ... Gerard Adams MP (Irish: [1]; born 6 October 1948) is an Irish Republican politician and abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. ... Leon Edward Panetta (born June 28, 1938) is a former White House Chief of Staff to Bill Clinton, a former member of the United States House of Representatives, and the founder and director of the Panetta Institute. ... Robert Mario De Niro, Jr. ...

Post-SNL career

After leaving SNL, Quinn had a sketch comedy show on NBC called The Colin Quinn Show that lasted for only three episodes in 2002, after being canceled due to critical fans, and mediocre ratings. Sketch Show redirects here. ... This article is about the television network. ... The year 2002 in television involved some significant events. ... When TV viewers or entertainment professionals in the United States mention ratings they are often referring to Nielsen Ratings, a system developed by Nielsen Media Research to determine the audience size and composition of television programming. ...

Quinn became host of Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn on Comedy Central in 2003. The show immediately followed The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and was one of several attempts to create a companion show for Stewart's program. However, Tough Crowd never managed to keep the majority of its lead-in audience, perhaps because, while both shows dealt with politics, they had widely varying styles of humor, with Quinn's show being less subtly satiric and more rant-based. Although it was renewed through the 2005 television season, Tough Crowd was placed on indefinite hiatus in October 2004, with its "final" episode airing on November 4, 2004. The show featured four comedians (often his friends such as Dave Attell, Jim Norton, and Patrice Oneal) with Quinn as host, discussing various political issues. These conversations often seemed heated and almost violent, but tended to be affectionate at heart. Quinn gave many comedians exposure on the show, which ran for roughly 250 episodes over a two-year period. Quinn often complained on-air about the show's ratings, and made many self-deprecating comments about the state of his career. Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn was a comedic talk show on Comedy Central which attempted to be a more vulgar or working-class version of a previous Comedy Central production, Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher. ... Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel in the United States. ... The year 2003 in television involved some significant events. ... The Daily Show (currently The Daily Show with Jon Stewart) is a Peabody and Emmy Award-winning American satirical television program produced by and airing on Comedy Central. ... The year 2005 in television involved some significant events. ... October 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December See also: October 2004 in sports Events Deaths in October • 29 HRH Princess Alice • 25 John Peel • 24 James Cardinal Hickey • 23 Robert Merrill • 19 Paul Nitze • 18 K. M. Veerappan • 16 Pierre Salinger • 10 Christopher... is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dave Attell (born January 18, 1965) is a popular American stand-up comedian and host of Comedy Centrals Insomniac with Dave Attell. ... Jim Norton (born July 19, 1968) is a professional comedian hailing from New Jersey. ... Patrice Lumumba Malcolm Oneal (born on December 7, 1969 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American comedian, actor and writer. ...

Colin performs regularly at the Comedy Cellar in New York City, where many top comedians perform when not on the road. In 2004, he was named #56 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of all time. He was also named to the Irish America Magazine list of the "Top 100 Irish Americans of the Year".[2] The Comedy Cellar is a famous comedy club in Manhattan, where many top New York comedians perform. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel in the United States. ...

He would later be heard as the "unofficial co-host" on the Nick DiPaolo show on the now-defunct 92.3 Free FM in New York City, airing Monday-Friday from noon to 3pm. Quinn and DiPaolo were originally slated to host the show together on WJFK-FM, but the station decided not to pick up the show. Nick often referred to Quinn as "the joke fairy," due to his propensity for telling a joke and hanging up the phone before getting a response. Colin used to appear on a top ten podcast on MySpace with friend and fellow comedian Robert Kelly but suddenly stopped citing reasons that he thought it resembled too closely of a radioshow. Recently Colin has discussed what he refers to as thousands of pages of "manifestos" that he's written since his departure from Tough Crowd, but never elaborated on the contents. Nick DiPaolo (born January 31, 1962 in Danvers, Massachusetts) is an Italian-American stand-up comedian, writer and former radio host on the old 92. ... Primary Free FM logo Free FM is the moniker and on-air brand of several FM talk radio stations in the United States owned by CBS Radio, created because of Howard Sterns departure to Sirius Satellite Radio in January 2006. ... WJFK-FM (106. ... MySpace is a social networking website offering an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups, photos, music, and videos. ... For other notable individuals named Robert Kelly see Robert Kelly (disambiguation). ...

References

External links

• Colin Quinn at the Internet Movie Database
• ColinQuinn.net - Unofficial site
• Comedy Cellar - A Comedy Club in New York and one at which Colin always performs.
• SNL Transcripts: Colin Quinn - contains searchable database of almost all of Quinn's "SNL" works