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Merry Greek Christmas: Basile is coming to town
YOUNGSTOWN — It’s been a while since Basile has played Youngstown.
A regular at the old Funny Farm, the Greek-American comedian will return to the city Friday for one show at Ford Family Recital Hall.
“I love Youngstown. I’ve picked up so much material there. One time, I got lost in Youngstown, and I saw the Museum of Labor and Industry. I went to visit it, but they were on strike,” cracked Basile. “But I love the area, and not just the Greeks in Campbell. It’s one of the top 10 places I love in the country. The audiences are always great.”
A native of Long Island, N.Y., Basile went to Cleveland State University and spent a lot of time in Northeast Ohio. He filmed the first of his successful “Growing Up Greek” series of stand-up shows at a hall in Warren 10 years ago.
“I am a proud alumni of Cleveland State. It’s a great school,” he said. “Youngstown State is another great school. You know, it’s very difficult to get into YSU ... because you have to make that left turn onto Lincoln Avenue.”
Ohio colleges seem to often find their way into Basile’s act.
“We have the most screwed-up mascots I’ve ever seen in my life in Ohio,” he said. “Take the Buckeyes. We had the whole animal kingdom to pick from, and we stuck with a nut. Then there is the Akron Zips — a big zero. But my all-time favorite is the YSU Penguins. Now there’s a bird of prey.”
Basile said he’s switched up his act and added a lot of new material, which those who attend Friday’s show in Youngstown will hear.
The comedian, who does a lot of voice work for television (including the cartoon Bullwinkle), now lives in the coastal town of Wilmington, N.C., where he also has a production company.
His most recent project was as the voice of the late Jimmy “the Greek” Snyder, for a special on ESPN.
The Steubenville-born Snyder was an omnipresent television sports analyst and odds- maker. His career publicly imploded in 1988 after he made insensitive racial stereotype comments. He died in 1996.
In the documentary, Basile voices Jimmy the Greek as a narrator looking back on his life.
“It was a huge feather in my cap,” said Basile of the role. “[Jimmy the Greek] was not a racist; he was a sweet man. He and his family went through hell after the comments.”