John Caparulo
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John Caparulo

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"Always a Cynic"

You went to Kent State. What was your major? Radio/TV production
So, like me, you went into retail?
[Laughs] Basically. I went into patching potholes and cutting grass. I worked for free for [a TV station] in Cleveland. Yeah, it's a wonderful business.
When did you realize you wanted to be a comedian?
Ever since I was kid, I was able to tell stories I guess people thought were funny.
When I was in sixth grade I went to basketball practice and I had an accident in my pants ... Obviously it was awful at the time, [but it] became this story that people would always want me to tell.
I was always kind of shy and I didn't really know if I was funny enough to be funny in front of strangers. Maybe I was just funny in front of my friends.
So I went college and kind of was just putting off the inevitable ... I'd be in class and I'd realize that the other students in the class really cared about the class. They bought the book and stuff. I just cared about making a good wisecrack in the middle of class.
Who were your comedy influences?
When I was around 4 or 5 years old, my dad had Richard Pryor albums and he would play them. He'd let me sneak in and listen. My mom wasn't happy about that.
And then Eddie Murphy's Delirious was really a landmark thing for me. I remember renting the video when I was probably 12. Just hearing [him] talk about his childhood and his experiences and making it so funny, to me that just seemed like the coolest thing in the world.
You're from East Liverpool. Who's your team?
I'm a Cleveland Browns fan, as hard as that is to be. East Liverpool ... is basically Steeler country. Had I picked the Steelers or even the Bengals, I don't think I'd be a comedian now.
Watching the Browns and dealing with all that heartache, especially in the late '80s, the Broncos and everything, that really made me kind of cynical. It made me think no matter how good things look, it's never gonna work out.
Besides the Browns, do you miss anything else about Ohio?
Yeah, but I don't miss the weather. I really, really, really hate cold weather. - Cleveland Scene By- PF Wilson (May 2008)


"The Ohio Player"

In Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Tour, a documentary based on the "30 shows in 30 nights" tour Vaughn hosted a couple of years ago, the tour's comics talk about how they first met the garrulous actor. One was working at the diner that Vaughn used to frequent. Another (actor Peter Billingsley) worked with him on an Afterschool Special in the '80s. For comic John Caparulo, a native of Liverpool, Ohio, the story is simple. He met Vaughn at LA's Comedy Store, where the actor regularly hangs out and where Caparulo regularly performs.

"I hadn't really hung out with him other than at comedy clubs," Caparulo explains in a recent phone interview. "He's a throwback as far as celebrities goes. He's always there. Every time he saw me, because his dad is from Zanesville, Vince loves to talk about his Midwest roots. He called me the "Ohio player.' When it came time to put the tour together, because he knew we were going through the Midwest, he wanted to have that sensibility on the tour."

He certainly gets that with Caparulo, who has a distinctively Midwestern accent and curses like a bandit.

"I was the funny kid," Caparulo explains. "I would tell stories and people would ask me to tell them again. I would add little comments here and there. I was working out material and didn't realize it. That became my identity. Coming from a small town, I was kind of shy and uncertain because I thought I might just be funny to them. My parents encouraged me and told me to do stand up. I went to Kent State and people there thought I was funny, too. On June 2, 1997, I did my first show at Hilarities in Akron and never looked back."

Indeed. In Wild West Comedy Show, Caparulo's routines are generally some of the best. And while other comics get flustered by hecklers, he continually holds his own. What the documentary has going for it is that it's not just a concert film. Rather, it chronicles all the ins and outs of being on an exhausting tour and intersperses that footage with clips of the comics' actual performances. In some cities, celebrities show up. And when the tour dates in the South get cancelled because of Hurricane Katrina, the comics go and hand out free tickets to the refugees living in a nearby camping site.

"We saw [the movie] before it screened in Toronto a year ago," Caparulo explains. "It was just us. We watched it in dead silence. We thought it was terrible. We screened it in front of 2,000 people and it got an ovation. Stepping outside of it now, I can see that not only is it funny, it's a really good movie."

The film also shows just how much depth fast-talking Vaughn has. The guy's not just a motormouth; he serves as a mentor to the young comics, advising them not just on showbiz but on how to live their lives.

"In Milwaukee, I met this girl after the show," Caparulo recalls. "I'm not the guy who's going to meet a chick and be done with her and move on. I was like, "Maybe we'll get married.' She disappeared, and I didn't know what the hell just happened. Vince sat me down and he shooed the other guys away. We had a talk for an hour and a half. He broke it down on why I'm the way I am and really cleared things up for me. He's that kind of guy."

Try telling that to Jennifer Aniston. - Cleveland Free Times By- Jeff Niesel (February 2008)


"John Caparulo Stars in Vince Vaughn's 'Wild West Comedy Show'"

John Caparulo stars in Vince Vaughn’s “Wild West Comedy Show”

Book I’m reading:
What am I, in school?

Total number of books I own:
The phone book.

Three books that mean a lot to me:
Next question please.

What book would you like to see brought to the big screen and what book do you hope never gets adapted?
No more Bible movies, please. I saw "Passion of the Christ." It was like church with popcorn.

Last film I saw:
“American Gangster,” directed by Ridley Scottt

Three films that mean a lot to me:
“Rocky,” directed by John G Avildsen
“Rocky II,” directed by Sylvester Stallone
“Rocky III,” Sylvester Stallone

Who do you think is the best actor in Hollywood at the moment? (male or female)
Morgan Freeman. That guy could narrate a porno movie, and it would win an Oscar.

Who do you think was the brightest star of the silver screen?
Norma Desmond

If you could play any real-life person in a movie, who would it be and why?
Rosa Parks. I think I could make the bus scene funny.

Who do you look to for inspiration?
Michael Jordan. He was the greatest ever at what he did, and he set out to prove that on a nightly basis. Oh, and Jesus too. Probably 60/40 Jordan though.

Song currently playing in my iPod:
"Look Who's Burnin" by Ice Cube.

Three songs that mean a lot to me:
"Eye of the Tiger,” Survivor
"Pain,” 2Pac
"Here I Go Again,” Whitesnake.

Ever feel that certain song lyrics were written with you in mind? What are they?
No. Only crazy people feel that way.

Concert that changed your life:
What is this, the 70s?

Guilty Pleasures
* TV: Dr. Phil
* Film: “Karate Kid”
* Reading material: Restroom Graffiti
* Web sites: None of your business
* YouTube video: I hate YouTube

What's the biggest upside of the Internet
Pornography.

What is its biggest downside?
Not enough pornography.

What advice would you give to someone trying to break into your profession?
I hope you like Ramen Noodles.

Do you have a dream project?:
I'd love the opportunity to work with overprivileged children in my area to see if I can make a difference in their lives by being mean to them.

What helps you get out of bed in the morning?:
My alarm clock, my dog, and that jerk outside with the leaf blower.

Are there any activities you do to make you feel un-famous?
Picking up my dog's poop makes me feel un-famous. But then smearing it under my neighbor's windshield wipers makes me laugh.

What’s more dangerous: a mountain lion or a bitter ex?
A bitter ex can be very dangerous as well as annoying. However, none of my exes have claws or rabies, so I'm gonna have to go with the mountain lion.

Would you rather see a Lakers game next to Jack Nicholson or a Knicks game next to Spike Lee?
This is a tough one. Spike Lee seems really cool, but the Knicks suck. I I'd love to see Kobe Bryant play in person, but I've been afraid of Jack Nicholson ever since I saw "The Shining" when I was 7...So I guess, as long as the Knicks are playing somebody good like LA or Boston, I'd go hang out with Spike.

Five people who I'd like to see answer this survey:
Nobody really. Watching people read and write is pretty boring. - Variety- Variety Staff (February 2008)


"Ohio Native Stars in Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show"

Thirty cities in 30 days is the journey that Vince Vaughn, four stand-up comedians (including Ahmed Ahmed, Bret Ernst, and Sebastian Maniscalco), and various special guests took on their “Wild West Comedy Show” tour. A movie was created, following the tour, which featured stand up, improvisation sketches, and special guests. One of the four comics in the film is John Caparulo, an East Liverpool, Ohio native, and UWeekly got a chance to speak with him about the film, his career, and Ohioans.

UW: A lot of funny people come from Ohio: Marilyn Manson, Macy Gray, Drew Carey, and Dean Martin. What makes being from Ohio so funny?

We are basically the start of the Midwest; we are basically on the tip between. People think we are a bunch of farmers, but we really aren’t. We have little buildings and stuff, and I think we kind of have that idea that we aren’t invited to the party of the East Coast. They kind of brush us off like we are backwoods or something. We have the perfect blend between city and a really, really Midwestern Great Plains sort of thing. We’re down-to-earth people with kind of a city edge to us.

UW: What was the best thing about going on tour for 30 days in 30 different cities each day?

Every single night was an event. As comics, we are used to doing shows every night, but they are shows. This thing was, we are traveling and being on a rock-and-roll tour. It was like the ‘70s or something. It was so cool being with Vince and just being a part of something that you knew was something big — that was the best part.

UW: What is one thing that people don’t know about Vince Vaughn?

(Laughs) The thing is that he doesn’t have a cell phone. That’s a good one. The thing that I really admire about Vince, though, is his professionalism. When he decided to do this tour, he was like “Thirty days, 30 nights... nice round number — it sounds good.” But four or five days in, he realizes that this is a daunting task. This is big; we are living on a bus. A lot of people in his position would go, “You know what? I don’t need to be here; forget it, guys, we are done,” and he didn’t. He was there every day with us promoting the show, and every night doing the radio shows. I really, really admire him for that.

UW: If you had John Caparulo’s Wild West Comedy Tour, what comedians would you have on the show?

Hmm, let’s see. I think I would have all the same guys. I would have these guys because, the thing is, they’re my friends, obviously, and we have been good friends for a long time… we have come up together. But I think the cool thing about all of these guys is that they are genuine. I like comedy that takes real life and makes it funny, and I think that is what all those do, too.

UW: What is your best advice for a young comedian?

The best advice that I could give: (A) Be yourself, (B) You have to make sure if you want to do stand-up comedy, you just have to love it for what it is. Don’t expect any sort of result such as fame or money or girls or whatever. It’s not about that. It’s about the art itself; for a long time the award is just the act itself.

UW: Why should people go see this movie?

It’s a fun ride. I love movies that are road trip movies, like “Smokey and the Bandit” or something like that. You get to go on this trip with the characters. This time you are going a trip basically like I just did with four comedians that you are getting to know, and one of the biggest movie stars in the world, plus some of his friends and guest stars you are going to meet along the way, just like you would in any other road movie, so it’s a fun ride. That is the cool thing I got from the screening last night here at the Drexel. It’s the first time I have seen the movie when a regular movie audience was there, versus Hollywood premieres and stuff. Besides being funny, it is a good movie. That’s what I was really happy to see — last night people were laughing and clapping and really into it. It’s a good movie to go see. - U Weekly- By Alysse Shaheen (Spring 2008)


"Vaughn's 'Comedy Show' a Riot"

Unlike Eddie Murphy and Jim Carrey, who make being funny look like a dreary chore, Vince Vaughn seems like a dude who actually enjoys his job. Maybe it's because he seems a little crazy and a lot immature, but whatever the case, he's always a joy to watch.

Vaughn rounded up a gang of barely known comics for a traveling variety/stand-up show, and brought along director Ari Sandel, a University of Arizona graduate who won an Oscar last year for best live-action short, to make a film about the experience: the tongue-tying "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights — Hollywood to the Heartland."

The show included occasional guest appearances from Vaughn's buddies — including "Swingers" writer and co-star Jon Favreau — and judging from the film, looked like a constant riot. Vaughn was little more than an MC, but his chaotic energy channeled through the performances, and during the equally entertaining downtime he messed with his underlings, enjoying his power and celebrity while not taking himself too seriously.

The tour took the comics (John Caparulo, Ahmed Ahmed, Sebastian Maniscalco and Bret Ernst), from Southern California through Las Vegas and Arizona — including a stop in Tucson — into the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged South, where they staged a benefit show, and ending up in Chicago, Vaughn's hometown.

A helpful animated map keeps you updated on the show's whereabouts, and it's interesting to note how the comics adjust their acts depending on the setting. A bit about men wearing sandals bombs in San Diego, a no-swear-words "clean show" in Alabama is an exercise in restraint, and each of the stand-ups seems most at ease in his respective hometown.

Even more so than Jerry Seinfeld's "Comedian" (2002), this film probes the dark flip side of funnymen, who are often masking despair and driven by a need for attention. So much as a boo or shout from a heckler can crack a fragile ego onstage, throwing off a performer's rhythm. Sandel's camera follows the comics offstage to backstage meltdowns.

Sandel smoothly defines the personalities of the unknowns, capturing quirks for each. Caparulo is hapless with the ladies. Ahmed uses racial humor to soothe his feeling of alienation and sleeps with an Egyptian blanket that looks as though it was made for a little girl. Maniscalco is a prim metrosexual who dry-cleans his underwear. And Ernst is a rough guy from the wrong side of the laugh tracks. The comedy doesn't stop when the guys exit the stage. Their backstage and tour bus pranks and banter match their well-honed material.

By the end you'll have adopted one or two of the unknown comics just as you would a small-college basketball team during the NCAA Tournament. And you don't want the magic to stop.
- Arizona Daily Star


"Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show"

The documentary is more than comedic quips and sad clowns.

Its full title may be unwieldy and its humor a tad colorful for a family audience, but "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights -- Hollywood to the Heartland" is surprisingly endearing and chock-full of a genuine appreciation of the moment. The documentary, directed by Ari Sandel, chronicles the monthlong odyssey of Vaughn and four stand-up comedians he recruited from L.A.'s Comedy Store as they zigzag across the nation's flyover zone in a tour bus.

Vaughn, the perpetually "on" comic actor and star of "Swingers" and "Wedding Crashers," whose hangdog features and pleading eyes inject even his coarsest roles with a sense of melancholy, acts as emcee and a sort of big brother to the comics. He cuts up with buddies Jon Favreau, Justin Long, Dwight Yoakam, Keir O'Donnell and executive producer Peter Billingsley (Ralphie from "A Christmas Story" all grown up) in skits but mostly steps aside to focus the attention on the work of the four stand-ups.

The comics are at varying stages in their careers and from disparate backgrounds, but all are somewhat awed by playing venues five or 10 times larger than the clubs they're accustomed to. Beginning at the Music Box @ Fonda in Hollywood on Sept. 12, 2005, the tour winds its way east and includes a stop at Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium.

Vaughn points out that the factor that unites the comedians is that their humor is largely derived from their own lives. There's a sincere, self-effacing quality to the comedy that makes it succeed with a wide range of audiences, from Bakersfield to Atlanta and Lubbock to Detroit -- even when the performers are asked to strip their acts of profanity.

The crudest (and funniest) of the four performers, Ohioan John Caparulo mines his doughy couch potato appearance and relationship-challenged existence for laughs. Bret Ernst, a physically adept East Coast-reared comic, draws on his childhood growing up with a single mom.

Sebastian Maniscalco, who not long before had left a job waiting tables and, like Vaughn, is from Chicago, seems most appreciative of the opportunity to be part of the tour. Ahmed Ahmed, Egypt-born, but raised in Riverside, is a onetime roommate of Vaughn's who turned to stand-up when his acting career stalled at being typecast as a "terrorist or sleazy Arab prince."

Though the tour's geographical journey gives the film a natural structure, director Sandel, who won an Oscar for his uproarious short musical satire "West Bank Story," does a nice job of starting with the familiar -- Vaughn and his famous friends -- and then gradually adding different elements. The comics' routines are peppered throughout, but it's the behind-the-scenes footage on the bus and interviews that are most revealing.

As the tour reaches Texas several weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck, the producers are forced to alter their schedule and end up doing a benefit matinee in Dallas. The troupe also visits an evacuee camp, and there's an honesty to the awkwardness and initial reluctance of the young comedians to deal with the situation.

By establishing the comics' onstage personas and then introducing their back stories and families, the film evolves emotionally as the tour transpires. When the 30 days draw to a close, we share the performers' sense that something beyond shared laughter has come to an end.

Much like Steve Martin's recent memoir on his stand-up career, "Wild West Comedy Show" does more than merely show the proverbial sad clown behind the comic. It entertainingly illuminates some of the more sublime aspects of performing, balancing those joys with the more rigorous aspects of being on the road. It also articulates an honest yearning to entertain and demonstrates the hard work that's often necessary to achieve it.

As Martin put it, "Who wouldn't want to be in show business?"
- Los Angeles Times By- Kevin Crust ( February 2008)


"'Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show' offers laughs, comic insignt"

The title "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights — Hollywood to the Heartland" gives a fair impression of what's in the movie. But the rambling assortment of words meant for movie marquees falls short of conveying the raucous, energetic spirit of this comic delight.

The documentary tells the story of a September 2005 comedy tour conceived by Vaughn and arranged with lightning speed. The actor picked four comedians/friends to take on the road with the insane intention of having them perform 30 nights in a row in 30 cities.

Ahmed Ahmed, Bret Ernst, John Caparulo and Sebastian Maniscalco gamely agreed, and the group, along with director Ari Sandel and various producers and other crew members, loaded up into buses and headed east from California.

The result is a mixture of hilarious performances and telling behind-the-scenes footage. Onstage, the men deliver night after night, while backstage, on the bus and in various towns their personal stories unfold, complete with bittersweet drama and laughs.

The tour also includes some of Vaughn's actor friends — including "Swingers" co-star and writer Jon Favreau as well as "Dodgeball" and "The Break-Up" co-star Justin Long, perhaps best known as the Mac guy from the TV commercials, who does a screamingly funny impression of Vaughn.

Sandel gets the highs and lows of the tour, including Vaughn interacting with one of his heroes. But nothing can match the impact of the comedians' experience in the part of the country recently devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Sandel serves healthy portions of stage antics, though viewers are bound to want more. That probably will come with the DVD, or with specials that turn up on Comedy Central. What's more important is witnessing the seriousness of being funny and appreciating the comics for being far more than class clowns.

The "Wild West Comedy Show" is a potent portrait of performers driven to pursue their craft. - The Albuquerque Tribune


"The 'Blue Collar Comedy' Phenomenon Spawns A New Generation"

On Blue Collar Comedy: The Next Generation, host Bill Engvall, one of the fathers of America's favorite comedy franchise, passes the torch to four fast-rising comedians: Reno Collier, who opens on tour for Larry The Cable Guy, Juston McKinney who is "Destined for stardom," according to the New York Times, Jamie Kaler who stars as "Mike Callahan" on the TBS series My Boys, and John Caparulo, whose credits include The Tonight Show, Comedy Central and Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Tour.

Back in 2000, when Grammy Award-winning comic Jeff Foxworthy, fresh from his unprecedented "you-might-be-a-redneck" success, took his pals Bill Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy and Ron White out on the road for the inaugural Blue Collar Comedy Tour, no one – least of all the performers themselves – could have guessed that they were living chapter one of what would become one of the most successful franchises in entertainment history – having sold out shows in more than 90 cities, spawned a feature film, TV series and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel, and sold more than 7 million DVDs and 1 million albums.

With all the laughs, all the sold out concerts and those kinds of CD/DVD sales, it was bound to happen … and here it comes! Warner Bros./Jack Records presents Blue Collar Comedy: The Next Generation. Originally filmed for a 2007 TBS comedy special and hosted by Blue Collar Comedy veteran and standup comedy superstar Bill Engvall, the CD/DVD release spotlights four new members of the Blue Collar Comedy family – John Caparulo, Reno Collier, Jamie Kaler and Juston McKinney – captured live in a knock-'em-dead performance from Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The next phase of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour has arrived, as the most successful comedy franchise in history spawns … Blue Collar Comedy: The Next Generation.

- Starpulse Entertainment News (July 2008)


"John Caparulo coming home to Cleveland to headline show"

Local boy done good: Kent State University grad John Caparulo, an East Liverpool native, took off for Los Angeles 11 years ago and found work cutting grass at a golf course and working the door at the Comedy Store. Now he returns for a comedy show at the Ohio Theatre at 8 p.m. Saturday night. (Tickets, $22.75. Call 216-241-6000.) And he won't be working the door; He's the headliner. The performance will be recorded for a DVD, and he even was set to throw out the first pitch at Thursday's Tribe game. .
"I'm an Ohio guy and a Midwest guy. I'm a lifelong Browns fan and I have the scars to prove it," said the former "Big Chuck & Lil' John" intern. "It's crazy, you know, going back home in this capacity. It's almost like I've been on a mission for the past 11 years, and I am returning a different person than I was."
He is also busy hosting a show that will air Fridays beginning May 16 on Country Music Television: "Mobile Home Disasters." It's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," Extreme Home Makeover,#=cm DEQ=# -RD%>but with mobile homes. "I bought my own townhouse in L.A. and these mobile homes [after the makeover] are nicer than my house."
- The Plain Dealer By- Michael McIntyre (May 2008)


"On the Road With Vince Vaughn, Not Just for Laughs"

WHEN you buy a ticket for a Vince Vaughn movie, you know pretty much what you’re going to get. The story of a sarcastic if affable guy, with a self-satisfied grin and immaculate sideburns, who wins over the guys and gals with his smart-aleck comebacks and learns a few life lessons along the way, possibly after finding true love or being barraged with dodgeballs. The kind of guy he inhabits so completely, in movies like “Wedding Crashers,” “Swingers” and “The Break-Up,” that he couldn’t possibly be anything but a nonchalant cynic in real life.
So it came as a surprise on a recent Sunday morning to find Mr. Vaughn, 37, sitting in the lounge of a Hollywood theater, choking back tears. The catalyst for his Hillary Clinton moment? He was recounting a trip he took in 2005, when he packed a tour bus full of young comedians on an ad hoc cross-country journey that would lead, among other places, to a trailer park for Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Alabama and benefit concerts for Hurricane Rita victims in Texas.
“It was very hard for me,” Mr. Vaughn said, struggling to maintain his composure as he recalled the trip, “because it’s one of those situations where there’s no answer of how to solve it, but these lives are destroyed.”
“I’m not a politician,” he added. “I don’t have the answer to anything, but I do like to make people laugh. Can’t we all be on the same side with the stuff, versus having comedy that’s so acidic and meanspirited and dividing? That’s just not my nature.”
While it is only natural to be skeptical of any celebrity who supports a cause, Mr. Vaughn’s latest film, opening Friday, a documentary about his 2005 expedition titled “Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights — Hollywood to the Heartland,” engenders a different kind of disbelief. It suggests that behind the acerbic satires and skirt-chasing farces, the show’s M.C. might have an earnest side too.
With little fanfare Mr. Vaughn has in recent years made occasional visits to American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and organized comedy shows to benefit the Army Emergency Relief Fund. (Mr. Vaughn’s older sister Victoria was in the Army Reserve.)
In September 2005, following the release of “Wedding Crashers,” he decided on a more ambitious project: a tour that would travel from Los Angeles to Chicago, featuring stand-up comics he had discovered through the comedian Ahmed Ahmed, a friend he met on a 1990 after-school special.
“He was like, ‘What are you doing for the next month?’ ” Mr. Ahmed said, recalling his invitation to join the tour. “And I said: ‘Nothing. You’re the one with a career, remember?’ ”
Through visits to Los Angeles clubs like the Comedy Store, Mr. Vaughn rounded out the group with John Caparulo, Bret Ernst and Sebastian Maniscalco. Their monologues mine personal material about decidedly middle-class experiences — fixing cars under the guidance of a stern father, shopping at Ross department stores — which plays to the widest variety of audiences.
Mr. Vaughn was capable of organizing the trip, but that doesn’t completely account for why he chose to take a colossal pay cut to spend a month introducing his “Wild West” ensemble, re-enacting the occasional scene from “Swingers” onstage and sleeping in the back of a tour bus.
Certainly, Mr. Vaughn acknowledged, the decision stemmed partly from the boredom he felt with his career at the time. “I could keep trying to do these same kind of comedies,” he said. “You know how it’s going to go, and you can get an audience with it, but then I feel like a hamster on a wheel.” (Sometimes, however, the audiences don’t flock to the theater, as this past holiday’s “Fred Claus” proved.)
Friends of Mr. Vaughn said the trip — with an itinerary that included stops in Oklahoma City; Nashville; Little Rock, Ark.; and Birmingham, Ala. — was also inspired by his desire to bring entertainment to places too often dismissed as flyover territory.
“He thought it was very important to take this on the old blue highways, before the interstate system passed all the towns by,” said Dwight Yoakam, the country musician and actor (who described his camaraderie with Mr. Vaughn as “probably one of the more disparate pairings” in the entertainment industry). “Vince really has an understanding of what goes on between Nevada and New Jersey, and he’s cognizant of the real world, versus the one we exist in, in our vacuum on either coast.”
It can be easy to forget that Mr. Vaughn was born in Minnesota and raised in the Chicago suburbs of Buffalo Grove and Oak Park. The son of a manufacturer’s representative for toys and video games and the grandson of a dairy farmer, he enjoyed an adolescence informed equally by the hip-hop of NWA and the country of Buck Owens.
Mr. Vaughn said his career and extracurricular choices were not reflections of a political stance. “I am truly more of an independent that anything,” he said. “I don’t agree 100 percent with either side on everything.”
If people feel strong - The New York Times By- Dave Itzkoff (Spring 2008)


Discography

DVD- Blue Collar Comedy: The Next Generation
DVD- Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show
DVD- Meet Cap (coming soon)

Photos

Bio

John began his stand-up career in Northeast Ohio in 1997. His sharp wit and unique delivery made him a crowd favorite right off the bat.

After graduating from Kent State University, he left behind a lucrative career patching potholes to take his talent to the West coast. There he spent the next four years working the door at the world famous Comedy Store and cutting grass at a local golf course.

Cap’s first big break came at the 2003 Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, where he impressed the industry observers enough to offer him a sitcom deal. It was then he was able to trade in his weed whacker for a microphone full-time. He then applied his blue-collar work ethic to the stage, where he now performs nearly 365 nights a year.

He has made three appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, has his own half-hour Comedy Central Presents and is now a part of Blue Collar Comedy: The Next Generation. The 1-hour special recently aired on TBS.

John’s first film, Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show, was released by New Line Cinema earlier this year. The comedy documentary follows Vince and 4 stand-up comics as they tour around the country. John is the host of the CMT series Mobile Home Disaster and is a regular on E!’s hit show Chelsea Lately.

In May of 2008, this up-and-coming comedian recorded his first one-hour DVD called "Meet Cap," which will be distributed by Warner Bros. and be available very soon.

Yes, John Caparulo is living proof that you really can do something with your life even if you don't wake up before noon!