| May. 20th, 2008 @ 11:50 pm Quick Facts |
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Family:
Father - Liam Byrne, Boston PD cop. Retired.
Mother - Maura Byrne. Deceased.
Brothers - Declan [34], Ciaran [33], Malachi [30], Donovan [28] and Cormac [deceased, would be 27]
Sisters - Brenda [29] and Daphne [28]
Biography: Denny grew up in Boston, the son of a Boston PD cop, his mother died of cancer when Denny was only 9. He's got 5 brothers and 2 sisters - all older. Mostly Denny's material comes from this often crazy and in his words 'disappointingly stereotypical' Irish family.
He never attended college - "My dad put three kids through college. He got tired of pretending to like us more than Johnny, Jack and Jose after that." He worked odd jobs after high school, a barista in a Starbucks and at an Applebys most notably - "Only thing people who go to Starbucks want more than a coffee induced heart palpitation is a jackass to yell at at fuck o'clock in the morning. Luckily I get yelled at well. I'm a pro, ask my dad." Before four years ago, on a dare, doing a 5 minute stand up bit at an Open Mic at a bar in Cambridge, somehow Denny had been a big hit, "It'll be galling in a few years to realise those schmucks back in Cambridge weren't laughing with me, but at the sad 22 year old who hadn't mastered shoe-laces yet. I'm not talented, but no one's noticed yet.". A mix of self-deprecating humour and dry wit boosted Denny from Applebys to paid gigs across Massachusetts.
Denny left Boston following the suicide of his older brother Cormac. Cormac and Denny had been close since they were children with only 1 year between them. He packed up and headed first for New York then Chicago before finally finding something he liked in New Orleans. He did some pick up gigs, starting from the ground up again. 8 months ago he was seen by a radio programmer who offered Denny a 3 hour breakfast radio slot on Sunday mornings - "He was drunk, I'm pretty sure. But I'm Irish; if you don't listen to drunk guys you'd need to master tuning your own voice out at all times."
1. Denny hates whiskey but he drinks it because people always buy it for him after gigs.
2. He's been in love exactly once, her name was Derry and he now uses her as comedy-material. But it's really only the things that matter most to Denny that make it into his act If he doesn't mock something, he doesn't care about it.
3. He's incredibly smart. School was never a problem for him but his attention span was lacking, Denny's dad might not have minded forking the money over for Denny to go to college, but Denny wouldn't let him. He'd explained to his dad, "I'll go somewhere and I'll drink beer and not concentrate and waste it. Buy yourself a new TV, pop."
4. His family is very important to him. He loves and hates his old man at the same time. Liam Byrne was a man who believed in discipline the way his dad had taught him - you do something wrong, you get a split lip or a black eye and you don't do it again. Denny knows maybe he should be more bitter about it; but to be honest in the neighbourhood they lived in he saw a lot worse.
5. He plays hockey, soccer and baseball. Hockey becomes something of a blood-sport when the 6 Byrne boys play a game. He pretends he supports the BoSox out of obligation, but honestly he loves the team and always watches the games when they're on.
6. Loves Marvel comic books. His brothers always buy him Avengers trades for his birthday every year.
7. His favourite films are 'The Boondock Saints' and 'Friday 13th'
8. He didn't lose his virginity to Derry, although he wanted to, it was to David Daley, a senior who was on Denny's soccer team. Denny had been a sophomore and it had been three weeks after Derry broke his adolescent heart. He hadn't liked David very much, but he was 16 and bi-curious 16 year old boys don't turn down sex. Afterwards he'd dropped the -curious part.
9. His family knows he's dated men, but because he's only ever been serious with women it's more of an abstract idea than a fact. His dad doesn't know; he's old Irish-Catholic and he'd probably have a heart-attack. After breaking every bone in Denny's face.
10. Can't fully rotate his elbow after falling from a tree when he was 13 and snapping the bone. |
