Born in the Great State of New Jersey, Dean’s comedy comes in large part from his unique background of being the son of a Palestinian father and a Sicilian mother. Dean, who was at one time a practicing attorney, has been featured in segments about Arab-American comics on ABC’s “20/20,” CNN’s “News Night with Aron Brown,” and MSNBC’s “Nachman.” He has written jokes that have appeared on Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” and CBS’s “Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn.” Dean has appeared on Comedy Central’s “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn,” on the new radio network “Air America,” as well as in numerous sketches on “Saturday Night Live” and NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” He also is the co-host of a monthly radio show in NYC, “Fen Mejnoon with Dean and Maysoon” (“Crazy Art”) which airs on WBAI radio (99.5 FM) and focuses on Arab-American artists.

Shems: You say your comedy springs from the unique background of having a Palestinian father and a Sicilian mother. Tell us more about this.

Like many comics, my comedy is influenced by my parents. In my case, my father was born in Palestine and my Mom is Sicilian. (She was born in the US but her parents were raised in Sicily) I believe I may be the only Palestinian-Sicilian comic in the US. My father, who passed away 5 years ago, was intentionally a very funny person. My mother is unintentionally funny. This combination has helped me learn a great deal about comedy. Every show I talk about my Sicilian and Palestinian heritage. I am equally proud of both.

Shems: What sets you apart from other Arab American comics?

I think all of the Arab-American comics are different in their own way. First of all I should note that there are only six or seven comics of Arab-American heritage nationwide that I know of who are performing on a regular basis. So it’s not that difficult to be different from each other when there are so few of us. While I believe that we are all different, I think all of us have the same common goal of trying to foster understanding and dispelling negative stereotypes about Arab-Americans through our comedy.

Shems: How did you get started with comedy Dean? When did you first realize that this is something you could do for a career? And when did you decide to use it to help others?

I began doing comedy about 11 years ago. My first show was a funniest lawyer show. I enjoyed it a great deal more than practicing law. I began trying to use comedy to help my fellow Arab-Americans after 9/11. Prior to 9/11 I did talk about being of Arab-American heritage on stage, but the goal was just to be funny. After 9/11, I intentionally began writing jokes that would hopefully both entertain as well as help educate people about Arab-Americans in a positive way. Only time will tell if my comedy helps my fellow Arab-Americans, but I believe other comics like Chris Rock and Richard Pryor have been able to use their comedy to help define their race in a positive way. I think it’s important that we, as Arab-Americans, do what we can to define who we are as opposed to allowing others in the media to define us in a less than favorable way.

Shems: What is the greatest thing about being a comic? and would you want your children to follow in your footsteps?

The thing I like most about being a comic is that you have the opportunity to talk about any topic that interests you. You are the writer, performer, director and producer. Of course, it also can get lonely on stage if things aren’t going well. So its all trade offs but I believe comics have a unique opportunity to talk about topical events more immediately than in films and plays since we can write about something that occurred that day and then go on stage that night and talk about it. Obviously plays and films take much longer to write and produce. I hope other Arab-Americans will become comics, as well as actors, playwrights, film makers and producers. I’m proud to be a co-founder of the NY Arab-American Comedy Festival which was started with the hope of inspiring more Arab-Americans to become active in the entertainment field. We are in the process of organizing our Second Annual Festival which will take place in New York City this fall. The reason I co-founded this with my fellow comic and friend Maysoon Zayid, was to create a showcase for the many talented Arab-American performers, writers and film makers that we knew who we didn’t think were receiving the attention they deserved. Our second goal of the Festival was to create an event that shows a positive, fun side of Arab-Americans in an attempt to create good will for the Arab-American community. Last year’s Festival was very successful. The events were sold out, we received positive media coverage, and many performers and playwrights who appeared in our Festival have since received additional recognition and attention from the entertainment industry. We hope that this year’s Festival will be even bigger and more successful.

Shems: What are some of your best ‘good words’ along the way for up and coming Arab American comics or artists?

The best advice I can give to new Arab-American comics is that comedy is a great form to express yourself and I hope that you will use your opportunity to address audiences each night in a way that both entertains as well as is helps define Arab-Americans in a positive way. It can be a very difficult and frustrating field, but if it is what you really want to do, you should follow your dreams and get on stage!

To learn more about Dean’s comedy go to: www.deanofcomedy.com