Collegiate Times

Anthony Quinn, the Comedy Night show's master of ceremonies, entertains the crowd prior to the show.

When looking for something to do on any particular evening in Blacksburg, senior English major Patrick McCarthy thinks there are only two ways to really spend your money.

“If you’ve ever paid $6 on a Saturday night just to get harassed on the dance floor at TOTS,” McCarthy said, “why wouldn’t you pay $6 on a Wednesday to get harassed by a professional?”

McCarthy is one of multiple student stand-up comedians who perform during Comedy Night at Attitudes on Wednesdays. Noticing his affinity for stand-up at a young age, McCarthy entered into a competition at a comedy club after he turned 18 years old.

“I was pretty nervous. When I got onstage, I had a series of different stage fright symptoms,” McCarthy said. “I had complete cotton mouth, my hands were shaking, I was speaking a mile a minute. My jokes were coming out like rockets.”

Regardless of whether the crowd was charmed by his uncontrollable nerves or his entertaining nature, McCarthy won first place that night. From that experience alone, he was hooked.

“When you get up there,” McCarthy said, “and you got a joke killing, the whole crowd roaring with laughter, the immediate feedback you get is so rewarding.”

Anthony Quinn, a first-year masters student in sociology and weekly master of ceremonies for Comedy Night, much like McCarthy, understands how enchanting stand-up can be.

“For me, even though it’s only one day a week, it’s like therapy,” Quinn said. “Just getting up there, having people listen to you and then getting that first reaction, that first laugh, is a really good feeling.”

Quinn, a Delaware native, came to Virginia Tech based on a strong recruiting effort by the university at his high school.

“The two chicks from Tech were extremely hot, so I thought it had to be a good deal,” Quinn said.

After arriving in Blacksburg, Quinn got his start as a comedian after finally surrendering to the demands of a close friend.

“One of my best friends at Tech convinced me I should do a show, and then went out with me to pitch the idea to businesses,” Quinn said.

After visiting multiple venues, Bailey’s, which is now Cabo Fish Taco, caught on to the idea.

“The show was awesome. I was a nervous wreck,” Quinn said, “but everything turned out great.”

From that debut, Quinn went on to participate in Hokie House’s former Comedy Night, before being offered a position to emcee at Attitudes.

“It’s great. I’m making about zero to $50 a week,” Quinn said. “Honestly, I just love to go to it so I would however much they wanted to pay me. As any comedian will tell you, it’s addicting.”

While both McCarthy and Quinn had fairly similar comedic paths, sophomore English major Tim Unkenholz took a more unorthodox approach to get his start.

“I was just bored freshman year,” Unkenholz said, who began performing at Attitudes on a Wednesday night last year.

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A version of this article appeared in the Mar 2 issue of the Collegiate Times.