After serving his country in the Marine Corps, veteran Michael D’Angelo has found another way to give back to the military community – making them laugh.
D’Angelo feels right at home delivering punchlines in front of a couple hundred Marines at dusk, after they’ve finished an intense training regimen and just want to relax because he remembers that life far too well.
He created the Rapid Fire Comedy Tour, a nonprofit organization the delivers first-rate standup comedy to active-duty military members and first responders for free.
D’Angelo’s amazing story is featured on the latest episode of the Tango Alpha Lima podcast, hosted by Adam Marr, Stacy Pearsall and Joe Worley. The Marine Corps veteran rose from a troubled youth in Las Vegas to become a combat veteran and is now one of the leading comics in the military sphere.
Rough Childhood Leads to Marines
D’Angelo’s childhood was anything but stable. Both parents struggled with addiction, and he was often left to fend for himself in dangerous neighborhoods. As he turned older, he began hanging out with gun-toting car thieves.
Then came a turning point – Fourth of July 2007.
D’Angelo got mixed up in a street fight. Someone slashed him with a razor. He needed 32 stitches to repair his torn face. Several of his friends either went to the hospital or jail. D’Angelo knew something had to change. He left high school in his junior year to sign up for the Marine Corps and earn his GED.
For most, Marine Corps bootcamp is grueling. Compared to what D’Angelo was used to, it was relaxing.
“It was the first time in my life that I was getting three meals a day,” he said. “I was sleeping eight hours a night.”
D’Angelo finally found structure in the military. Serving from 2008 to 2013, he learned to be calm under chaos, and developed a penchant for finding humor in the darkest situations.
Injury Changes Life
One of those challenging moments came when a severe back injury forced him out of the Marine Corps. Doctors told him to expect to be in a wheelchair by age 30. D’Angelo wasn’t sure what to do next. Physical labor was off the table, so he decided to give standup comedy a try.
His first open mic night both terrified and excited the young comedian. D’Angelo moved to Los Angeles, where his car served as his home for four years as he scraped by, attending classes at the Comedy Store.
But as he honed his craft, he discovered a harsh reality. Not only was the L.A. comedy market fiercely competitive, but the audience also didn’t get his brand of military humor. In 2018, he faced a revelation. He should be performing in front of a military crowd, his true audience.
He wrote 400 letters to Marine Corps units stating, simply, “I’m a Marine. I’m a comedian. I’ll come perform for free.”
He received a positive response, and his career slowly started emerging. He worked a solo show in 2018, igniting kinship with his audience. Pretty soon, fellow comedians from Hollywood joined him. The group packed vans and drove to bases around the country to make troops laugh.
While making people laugh was its own reward, D’Angelo discovered something unique after shows. Troops thanked him for turning around rough weeks by sharing laughs with their peers. Suddenly, troops that had been arguing with each other all week found cohesion.
D’Angelo formed the 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2019, branding it the Rapid Fire Comedy Tour. While the COVID shutdown of 2020 was a bump in the road, D’Angelo rebounded, forming a partnership with VetTV. His shows are still free, raising morale and forging camaraderie.
Cultural Impact on Troops
D’Angelo brings a blend of comedians on stage from diverse backgrounds.
“I’m exposing these servicemembers to culture and art,” he said. “They’re watching comedians from different backgrounds and they’re like, ‘This person is funny. Their story got me.’ You’re broadening people’s minds.”
And it helps the comics test out material in a tough crowd of tired, worn-down Marines.
“Once you perform for 200 Marines, you come back to L.A. and you’re like, ‘These crowds are a layup now,’” D’Angelo said.
Soon, D’Angelo would like to bring his comedy to American Legion posts, fire departments and VA facilities. But for now, he’s content with helping military units form bonds through laughter.
“We’re boosting morale, we’re building camaraderie, we’re promoting troop welfare,” D’Angelo said. “But we’re also exposing people to art and culture in ways they never would have experienced otherwise.”
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