Ted Daniels Uses Comedy as Catharsis

The month of February was a busy one for Ted Daniels of Manalapan. Whereas most men his age are golfing, Daniels stands in front of crowds telling jokes. The husband and father of two has been entertaining people for over 10 years.  He has headlined shows in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut.

When not doing stand-up, Daniels is a manager for a mutual insurance company and has lived in Manalapan since 1992.

“When we moved here, my oldest was 3 and a-half years old and my youngest was six months old. Both went through the Manalapan school system,” said Daniels.

Today his daughters are 21 and 18.

“People will ask me, ‘What’s it like being a father to a teenage girl?’ I say, “It’s like being locked in the trunk of a car with a wolverine’.”

Daniels has been telling jokes like that since 1999, when he took a stand-up comedy class at Brookdale Community College and learned to write his own material.

“It’s funny, but when I was growing up, I was not the class clown,” he said. “In fact, when I was in college I was a marketing major and I wanted to scrap everything and become a forest ranger and go to the Pacific Northwest.”

Shortly after completing the course, he met comedian Steve Marshall and it led to him performing at such places like the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. Not long after that, he met James DeBenedetto, from JJ Comedy.

“I met him one night when comedian Joe Conte told me to perform at the 88 Keys in Woodbridge, New Jersey. I had the chance to meet James and I have been working with him,” said Daniels.

These days DeBenedetto is his manager.

“My stand up career has been going well,” said Daniels. “On Jan. 23, I headlined a show at Foxwoods Casino, in Connecticut, as part of the Real Comics of New Jersey Invade event. I have been opening for some amazing comedians and I have been headlining more.”

Daniels said comedy has become a catharsis for the stresses of life.

“Instead of paying a psychiatrist $125 an hour, I get to dress in sneakers, jeans and a t-shirt and scream at people,” he said. “This is therapy and I get paid for it.” 

As he continues to gain a fanbase, he works to keep his act fresh.

“While my act is constantly changing , I do have a core 15 to 20 minutes that people know and I use,” he said. “But there is another 15 to 20 minutes that is new and always shifting.”

When an idea strikes him, he admits he will write down, but he won’t practice it until he is in front of an audience.

“I like to do it front of people because it sounds more natural,” he said. “I like being known as that kind of comedian. What you see is what you get.”

He said that other comedians can get away with doing characters and voices.

“That is fine for them, just not me,” said Daniels with a laugh. “I want people to look at me and say, ‘That man is a miserable father’ because that is what I am.”

In the months to come, he will performing with the legendary ventriloquist act Otto and George and he will headlining at Brick 46 in Rockaway.

“If people want to come see my stupid face,” he said. “Please do. However, feel free to stop by my web site.”

Until then, he said he will just sit back and let life overwhelm him, as long as it entertains, he is happy.