Last summer when Ms. LaRona Lewis was resting up for her fall takeover, there were many dope events that kept up the morale and spirits of fellow New Yorkers. Was scrolling on Instagram one random day bored out of my mind, and saw that one of my friends Evan posted a flyer for a rooftop event located out in Ridgewood, Queens with the title "THATHOUSEPARTYTHO x LEDGENDAIRY" and was immediately intrigued. The details read as such "Live comedy, live music, BYOB + drinks for sale. Get tested, be Rona free, DM us for the vibe." I grabbed my mask and hopped on a train straight there, and it was definitely one of the best decisions made all summer.
The vibes on this rooftop were unmatched and the skyline view was an immediate boost. Soon as you got off the train you could see and hear the Lituation, a 50-minute trip worth every stop. The best comedians from all different walks of life graced the stage, led by collaborative jam sessions with some of the most talented musicians in the city. It's best described as a hybrid concert+comedy show=turnup function. Petey "Pdeezjokes" DeAbreu was the host of the night and is the creator of the "LEDGENDAIRYNY" brand, showcasing fiery live comedy in NYC. He's the life of the party, a cold-blooded killer at crowd work, and is definitely one of the funniest dudes I've had the pleasure of seeing live. Got a chance to talk with Petey about his journey as a comedian, music, performing during a Pandeezy, and much more. Make sure you tap in with him on Instagram and check out one of his live ZOOM shows as well!
1) What’s your name and where ya from?
Petey Deabreu, the BX!
2) What made you want to be a comedian and how long have you been doing it? What does comedy mean to YOU?
8 years, comedy to me is a job that I use to try to add something to the world, and get paid so I can add some of those dollars to the world too, feel me?!
3) At what age did you realize you were funnier than the average person?
I never felt/feel like I’m funnier than the average person, also what is an average person? We all just people that have different ideas for the most part. I always just liked to laugh since I was a kid and wanted to be able to make other people laugh so I guess that's where it started. Mad young.
4) Can you tell us the MOST Memorable or funniest experience you’ve had doing a standup set?
Memorable would be my moms and sister getting to see me do standup live for Comedy Central, that was big for the hood!
5) Top 5 favorite comedians of ALL time?
Mike DeStefano, Mike Britt, Carlin, Tracy Morgan, Hannibal.
6) How did “Ledgendairy” originally materialize/ who came up with the name & why is it called that?
It materialized from a show called Better Days in the LES. I started it then it became too big for me to handle alone so I partnered up with my homegirl Mikala then together we took it to the next level. The idea came about after having to relocate the show a couple of times and realizing we had a scene so we was like let's just start a thing people could find us at regardless of the venue. I came up with the name because it sounded cool to me and the play on words is just being silly and shit.
7) Your comedic style is very observational and introspective which makes it EXTREMELY relatable to people (New Yorkers in particular), Where do you see that you find most of your comedic inspiration from & how has your comedic style changed over time, if at all?
My inspiration just comes from my soul and life and always wanting to make people go, “woooorrrrddd, hee hee hee hee,” but also my inspo come from my hood and where I’m tryna go and knowing the harder/smarter I work the more I can help other people. My style hasn’t really changed, if anything maybe it’s a lil more confident/bold now but the main ingredient is the same.
8) Now more than ever it seems people need comedy & entertainment to help them get through these rough times. How has the pandemic affected you & the "Ledgendairy" team as a whole/ how did you go about performing through the pandemic?
The Pandemi just forced the real ones to adjust, but that's life right? If you can’t adjust you get left and become jaded I think. We adjusted but hopping on ZOOMs and shaking it up, then when they let us go outside we ended up doing outdoor shows. With the way things are going currently, we bout to hop back on ZOOMs and I’m starting a podcast and twitch channel.
9) What’s your MOST & LEAST favorite borough and please tell us why?
Favorite borough is the BX (duh) cause that's where I’m from and it’s an honest place, it offers great life training for the babies. I couldn’t say I have a least favorite esp being from the BX, how I look shitting on another borough when most people shit on mine.
10) Who’re your top five favorite RAPPERS of all time?
Jada, Styles P, Biggie, Jay, DYLAN
11) What’s the best way to craft the PERFECT joke/ what makes a joke funny to YOU?
I honestly don't know, I just be tryna be funny and I like to be loose. Simple if people are laughing its funny, funny is subjective af feel me?!
12) What’s your MOST & LEAST favorite train line in the city?
Fave train line used to be the 6 cause it's the closest to my crib and I don't have a least fave, maybe just any train that smells like doo-doo is my least fave.
13) Where is your favorite bodega and why is it better than any other one in the city!?!
The bodega by my crib is the best cause they know me, like there been times they let me use the bathroom in the stock room, and that's when I realized I unlocked a whole nother level in this neighborhood.
14) You have a hilarious joke about how you thought they were trying to poison the hood with Legionnaires disease (the Bronx had a water crisis a little while back) but that they would have to poison the Arizona Iced Teas to really get the job done “I really feel like they tryna kill us in the hood, but it ain’t working cuz we don’t drink water like that...YOU GOTTA PUT LEGIONNAIRES IN THE ZONAS!!!” What’s your MOST & LEAST favorite Arizona flavors?
Favorite flavor is that peach iced tea, it got the right amount of diabetes in it that I like. The least fave gotta be that grape-ade bullshit.
15) What advice would you give someone looking to pursue standup/ what advice would you give YOURSELF if you can go back in time and have a conversation with the younger version of you.
I’d say just jump in, (also this is for anything you tryna do) don't ask people their opinions on if you should try something or not. Just go and if you fucks with it keep doing it and eventually, people will come around. If I could go back I’d say keep going cause shit's bout to be lit then you gonna hit 2020 but keep ya head up cause you gonna be back lit once that vaccine hit.
16) Where can the people follow you on social media/ do you have anything currently in the works for the brand that we should look out for?
@pdeezjokes IG. Stay tuned, new pod on the way, and more online shows for now.
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