Undated photo of venue owner Richie Minervini:
In business from 1979 through 1995, the East Side Comedy Club was located at 326 West Jericho Turnpike in Huntington, New York. Comedian Richie Minervini was the former owner of what many believed to be Long Island’s premier comedy club.
That venue was reportedly where Rosie O’Donnell, Jay Leno, Eddie Murphy, Kevin James, Paul Reiser, Jim Carrey, Adam Ferrara, and Ray Romano started their standup careers. Other notable performers at this venue over the years included Jackie Mason, Jerry Seinfeld, Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling, and Rob Bartlett. Judd Apatow got his start doing stand-up while working there as a barback. Rick Messina was an East Side Comedy Club bartender who would eventually manage Tim Allen, Drew Carey and Janeane Garofalo.
Video featuring archival photos of the club can be seen here. Video of George Miller performing live at the East Side can be seen here.
Advertisements for then-upcoming events at the venue:
Adam Ferrara and Kevin James onstage at the East Side Comedy Club:
Jackie Martling live onstage at the venue:
Undated photo of Carol Leifer live onstage at the East Side Comedy Club:
Sources:
https://www.nydailynews.com/2007/11/04/east-side-comedy-club-was-stand-ups-breeding-ground
https://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/17/nyregion/about-long-island-there-s-comedy-tonight.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kevin-james-stand-up-comedy-irregardless
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HeyLongIslandDoURemember/posts/10159695411671245
https://www.laughfactory.com/comedians/RichieMinervini
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce66xVyPCu5
Researched by Darren Paltrowitz on April 23, 2025.
Located at 6 Merrick Avenue (inside the Merrick Mall) of Merrick, New York, Escapes was a night club which occasionally had notable performers beyond Chippendale's-style performances. Madonna is documented to have performed multiple times at the venue, early into her career as a major label recording artist. (Notably, Madonna helped announce a world tour in 2023 with help from Long Island natives Judd Apatow and Amy Schumer.
Madonna at Escapes:
Photo of 6 Merrick Avenue space after club's demolition:
Sources:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HeyLongIslandDoURemember/permalink/10158615989711245
https://www.instagram.com/madonna80sarchive/reel/Cy4HG5hSDeg/
https://www.setlist.fm/venue/escapes-merrick-ny-usa-3bd25c48.html
https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/madonna?year=1983
https://clubfreestyle.com/threads/anyone-remember-escapes-in-merrick-long-island.86895
Researched by Darren Paltrowitz on April 11, 2025.
Located at 38 Old Country Road in Garden City, New York, the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island -- a member society of the American Ethical Union and a chapter of the American Humanist Association -- was occasionally rented out for live music events by promoter Christian McKnight in the early 2000s and in the years since has featured acoustic "coffeehouse"-style performances.
Among the notable artists who performed at this venue were Taking Back Sunday (members from Baldwin and Rockville Centre), Brand New (members from Merrick and Levittown), Alkaline Trio, New Found Glory, I Am The Avalanche (members from Merrick and elsewhere on Long Island), Madball, Agnostic Front, Rx Bandits, The Starting Line, The Movielife (members from Long Island), Every Time I Die, T.S.O.L., From Autumn To Ashes (Long Island roots), Ultimate Fakebook, Christine Lavin, and "From A Distance" songwriter Julie Gold.
Interior photo circa April 2025:
Previous events:
Sources:
https://www.concertarchives.org/venues/the-ethical-humanist-society-of-long-island
https://www.instagram.com/p/C-nJvl-Ap-r/?img_index=1
https://www.last.fm/festival/3266431+Today%27s+Mixtape+Festival+2012+Day+3/attendance/going
Researched by Darren Paltrowitz on April 11, 2025.