It’s pun for all
‘Post’ time at word fest
It’s a scorching Tuesday night in Gowanus and Fred Firestone has his noise-canceling headphones on standby.
He’ll need them when raucous millennials pour into the Littlefield venue, looking to be entertained by one thing: puns. “I’m certain my hearing is not what it was when we first started in 2011,” said Firestone, 66. “The earphones allow [the crowds’ cheering] to be tolerable.”
Fred is the host of the long-running Punderdome event, which he cofounded with his comedian daughter, Jo. This Tuesday, the headline editors of The Post will trot out their best play on words for the fourth annual Punderdome Spe- cial New York Post Edition at the Highline Ballroom in Chelsea. NY1 anchor Pat Kiernan is the celebrity judge, and tickets will be available at the door for $20.
When Jo had the idea for a pun competition, she called her dad, a former lawyer and motivational speaker in St. Louis, who had no formal comedy background.
“He was a lot of fun growing up. He was known for doing magic tricks with my friends, even when we were way too old and could clearly see which hand the quarter was in,” Jo told The Post. “[And he] used to make us play games at the dinner table.”
The granddad of two has been holding court ever since, flying in from St. Louis each month with his retired-schoolteacher wife, Marilyn.
“Punning isn’t cheeseball ‘dad humor.’ It’s quick, hard-hitting, not eye-rolling,” said Fred.
He believes punning might just be the secret to longevity. “Any time you have a passion, it pushes the envelope of youth,” he said.