Russ Meneve
A New York club regular who treats minor annoyances like federal crimes.
1 special · 2005
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Russ Meneve works a stage like he is trying to win an argument he was having on the street right before he walked in. He leans forward, voice elevated, gripping the microphone as he builds a case against whatever minor inconvenience has set him off. He talks fast, delivering his points with a driving rhythm built entirely for the low ceilings of New York basement clubs. When a premise starts to land, he accelerates, rarely giving a room time to catch its breath before he hits the next tag.
Specials
On stage
He is a defining presence on the Manhattan circuit, the kind of regular who anchors the whole ecosystem. He is a constant at the Comedy Cellar, both onstage and holding court upstairs at the comics’ table. Other comedians treat him with the specific respect reserved for a guy who puts in the reps night after night.
His material runs on pure irritation. He will take apart a standard relationship fight or a frustrating conversation with a stranger, breaking down the stupidity of the exchange piece by piece. He avoids grand theatricality. He just stands there, looking genuinely furious about things that absolutely do not matter.
That fierce defense of the work extends offstage. In 2004, he helped organize the New York Comedians Coalition, rallying hundreds of local standups to negotiate their first significant pay raise from club owners in decades. He treats comedy as a blue-collar trade, and he protects it like one.
Turning points
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Co-founding the New York Comedians Coalition
Collaborated with Ted Alexandro and Tom Shillue to organize hundreds of New York comics, successfully negotiating higher pay from club owners.
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Named The Impact Player of 2005
Received Cringe Humor's highest honor and was featured on New York magazine's list of the Ten Funniest New Yorkers You've Never Heard Of.
At a glance
- On stage
- since 1993
- Style
- observational, crowd work
- Breakout
- Comedy Central Presents
- Topics
- Elsewhere
- Website, Wikipedia, Instagram
Fans also like
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Ted Alexandro
Collaborated with Meneve to co-found the New York Comedians Coalition and shares the veteran NYC club circuit background.
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Tom Shillue
Co-founded the New York Comedians Coalition with Meneve to advocate for club pay raises.
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Judah FriedlanderStarted out at open mics in New York during the same early 1990s era and performed regularly on the same NYC club lineups.
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Dan Naturman
A peer who started around the same time in the early NYC comedy scene.
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Dave Attell
Longtime contemporary on the Comedy Cellar circuit who also featured Meneve on Comedy Underground with Dave Attell.
A clip to start with
Russ Meneve - 1st Tonight Show Appearance