Rolling with Donuts
Danny Donuts is hilarious and always has something fun and interesting to say. The man's got charisma. Check him out in concert this Saturday, November 21. I promise you, he'll put a smile on your face, and maybe even more.
Ron (Fluxcore): What makes you laugh?
Danny Donuts: Alright, let's get one thing straight... Nobody MAKES me do anything, ok?
Actually there are Laughter Clubs and Laughter Yoga Groups that get together and laugh for no reason. It's awesome. I highly recommend them. Audiences that have that "make me laugh" attitude are the toughest audiences.
Things that trigger my laughter: anything Martin Short does, really good puns, corny humor, silly props and clever, witty lyrics.
Ron: Where did you grow up? Where are you from?
Danny: I'm still growing up, that's a journey, not a destination. I was born in Ottawa, Illinois which is about 80 miles southwest of Chicago. I lived in the country surrounded by corn fields and bean fields. I attribute that to my active imagination.
Ron: Why Donuts?
Danny: I know, right? There are so many more nutritious ways to start your day yet people still flock to the donut shop for their daily donut and jolt of caffeine. You all should be ashamed of yourselves! Oooh, hey, I never thought of that. Donuts and coffee are addicting. Yes! If I can convince the world that they need their daily dose of Danny Donuts... I could be extremely wealthy! What's that? How did I become Danny Donuts? Now that's a good story. My dad's high school nickname was Donuts because it rhymes with Raudonis and my mom's family ran Spence's Bakery in Ottawa, Illinois. Lots of kids like going over to grandma's house... my grandma's house was a bakery! No one knew how to spell or pronounce "Raudonis" and it certainly wasn't memorable, so choosing "Danny Donuts" as my stage name was probably the most brilliant move I made as a performer.
Ron: What is your dream job?
Danny: I have so many interests, and I've already held several dream jobs. I figured out I have to create an umbrella soooo big that I can fit all of my dream jobs underneath it. Currently I'm producing my TV show and music comedy career and developing a comic strip. My day job just gets in the way and holds me back, so I'm constantly creating ways to get paid to play.
Ron: What is your favorite thing about performing?
Danny: The adrenaline rush, being appreciated for my self-expression, connecting with audiences. That's three things isn't it?
Ron: What do you have too many of in your house?
Danny: Servants. They're always bothering me..."Anything I can do for you Mr. Donuts?" "What would you like me to do next, Mr. Donuts?" "I drew your bath for you, sir."
Ron: Please complete this sentence - "What the world needs is..."
Danny: people pursuing their passions and doing what they love to do. Critics who find fault in this thinking will say "yeah, but no one would want to do the crappy jobs." Hermie, the elf from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer had this cool job of making toys but he just wanted to be a dentist and in the movie "UHF" Stanley Spadowski (Michael Richards before he was Kramer on Seinfield) was given the awesome opportunity to have his own TV show and he agreed as long as he could still be the janitor, so I think even the crappy jobs would get done.
Ron: What was your most memorable experience on stage?
Danny: Oh, do I have to pick just one? There are three from The Fest for Beatles Fans (thefest.com) that come to mind. My first time performing there, I wasn't even a performer- more of a cartoonist and prop builder. I entered a contest to get up and sing a Beatles song. I did a parody of "Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds" called "Lucy is Disguised as Linus". I had all these props, puppets and drawings. I was really nervous but when I got my first laugh, I had this out of body experience and I don't even know how I finished the song! I got a standing ovation and made it to the finals. It's on YouTube.
The following year at The Fest I learned why I love performing. There is this energy transfer that goes on between the audience and performer. I would put a little energy out there and the audience responded with laughter and applause, which gave me so much more energy that I would be able to give back. I'm fascinated by this.
And then this year I'm up on stage singing my songs and was fortunate to be backed up by all these awesome musicians. Steve Holley from Wings, Paul McCartney's former drummer sat in with us and Glen Burtnik who played with Styx jumped up on stage and started playing bass. These guys sounded great!
Ron: Do you consider yourself famous?
Danny: I was walking downtown and a Segway Tour went by. The leader pointed me out and said "There's Danny Donuts. That's really his name." I have no idea how he knew me. And then I was at a Weird Al Yankovic concert in Des Moines, Iowa and after the show people are yelling to me, "Danny! Danny!" I had never been to Des Moines so I found that odd. They said they go to The Fest for Beatles Fans every year. I don't know if that qualifies as being famous, but have you ever been pointed out on a Segway tour or recognized at a Weird Al Yankovic concert??
Ron: Haha! That's cool. I would consider that criteria for being famous. Tell us about your new CD and show.
Danny: On Saturday, November 21 I'm having a CD Release Party and Music Comedy Concert at The Irish Times in Brookfield, Illinois. "Crabby Road" is my second music comedy CD and this one is a parody medley of the entire Beatles "Abbey Road" album. I don't know if anyone has ever done a parody of an entire album. I turned it into a Christmas music album too. I did the artwork for the cover. It's been about 10 years since I've done cartooning so that was fun. I'm also having "Donuts on Ice" my annual ice skating party at Millennium Park on December 2nd and "The Danny Donuts Holidaze TrolleyDaze Lights Tour" on December 12th. You can get details on all my Holiday Happenings at DonutsnJoe.com I also released a DVD of my TV show, "Rolling With Donuts" a few months back. Check out RollingWithDonuts.com It's a travel show where I go to the quirkiest festivals I can find like The Turkey Testicle Festival (Great Thanksgiving viewing).
Check these sites out:
DannyDonuts.com
YouTube.com/DannyDonuts
YouTube.com/DannysDonutShop (Kids TV Show)
YouTube.com/RollingWithDonuts (Travel Show)
MySpace.com/DannyDonutsMusic
Become a Facebook Fan of Danny Donuts
Ron (Fluxcore): What makes you laugh?
Danny Donuts: Alright, let's get one thing straight... Nobody MAKES me do anything, ok?
Actually there are Laughter Clubs and Laughter Yoga Groups that get together and laugh for no reason. It's awesome. I highly recommend them. Audiences that have that "make me laugh" attitude are the toughest audiences.
Things that trigger my laughter: anything Martin Short does, really good puns, corny humor, silly props and clever, witty lyrics.
Ron: Where did you grow up? Where are you from?
Danny: I'm still growing up, that's a journey, not a destination. I was born in Ottawa, Illinois which is about 80 miles southwest of Chicago. I lived in the country surrounded by corn fields and bean fields. I attribute that to my active imagination.
Ron: Why Donuts?
Danny: I know, right? There are so many more nutritious ways to start your day yet people still flock to the donut shop for their daily donut and jolt of caffeine. You all should be ashamed of yourselves! Oooh, hey, I never thought of that. Donuts and coffee are addicting. Yes! If I can convince the world that they need their daily dose of Danny Donuts... I could be extremely wealthy! What's that? How did I become Danny Donuts? Now that's a good story. My dad's high school nickname was Donuts because it rhymes with Raudonis and my mom's family ran Spence's Bakery in Ottawa, Illinois. Lots of kids like going over to grandma's house... my grandma's house was a bakery! No one knew how to spell or pronounce "Raudonis" and it certainly wasn't memorable, so choosing "Danny Donuts" as my stage name was probably the most brilliant move I made as a performer.
Danny: I have so many interests, and I've already held several dream jobs. I figured out I have to create an umbrella soooo big that I can fit all of my dream jobs underneath it. Currently I'm producing my TV show and music comedy career and developing a comic strip. My day job just gets in the way and holds me back, so I'm constantly creating ways to get paid to play.
Ron: What is your favorite thing about performing?
Danny: The adrenaline rush, being appreciated for my self-expression, connecting with audiences. That's three things isn't it?
Ron: What do you have too many of in your house?
Danny: Servants. They're always bothering me..."Anything I can do for you Mr. Donuts?" "What would you like me to do next, Mr. Donuts?" "I drew your bath for you, sir."
Ron: Please complete this sentence - "What the world needs is..."
Danny: people pursuing their passions and doing what they love to do. Critics who find fault in this thinking will say "yeah, but no one would want to do the crappy jobs." Hermie, the elf from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer had this cool job of making toys but he just wanted to be a dentist and in the movie "UHF" Stanley Spadowski (Michael Richards before he was Kramer on Seinfield) was given the awesome opportunity to have his own TV show and he agreed as long as he could still be the janitor, so I think even the crappy jobs would get done.
Ron: What was your most memorable experience on stage?
Danny: Oh, do I have to pick just one? There are three from The Fest for Beatles Fans (thefest.com) that come to mind. My first time performing there, I wasn't even a performer- more of a cartoonist and prop builder. I entered a contest to get up and sing a Beatles song. I did a parody of "Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds" called "Lucy is Disguised as Linus". I had all these props, puppets and drawings. I was really nervous but when I got my first laugh, I had this out of body experience and I don't even know how I finished the song! I got a standing ovation and made it to the finals. It's on YouTube.
The following year at The Fest I learned why I love performing. There is this energy transfer that goes on between the audience and performer. I would put a little energy out there and the audience responded with laughter and applause, which gave me so much more energy that I would be able to give back. I'm fascinated by this.
And then this year I'm up on stage singing my songs and was fortunate to be backed up by all these awesome musicians. Steve Holley from Wings, Paul McCartney's former drummer sat in with us and Glen Burtnik who played with Styx jumped up on stage and started playing bass. These guys sounded great!
Ron: Do you consider yourself famous?
Danny: I was walking downtown and a Segway Tour went by. The leader pointed me out and said "There's Danny Donuts. That's really his name." I have no idea how he knew me. And then I was at a Weird Al Yankovic concert in Des Moines, Iowa and after the show people are yelling to me, "Danny! Danny!" I had never been to Des Moines so I found that odd. They said they go to The Fest for Beatles Fans every year. I don't know if that qualifies as being famous, but have you ever been pointed out on a Segway tour or recognized at a Weird Al Yankovic concert??
Ron: Haha! That's cool. I would consider that criteria for being famous. Tell us about your new CD and show.
Check these sites out:
DannyDonuts.com
YouTube.com/DannyDonuts
YouTube.com/DannysDonutShop (Kids TV Show)
YouTube.com/RollingWithDonuts (Travel Show)
MySpace.com/DannyDonutsMusic
Become a Facebook Fan of Danny Donuts
posted by Fluxcore at
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