Nobody Gets Out Of Catering Alive

1990. It wasn’t too long ago that 30 year old Joe Montaperto was a rising young comic on the New York City circuit - performing with the likes of John Stewart and John Leguizamo. Now, he sits in his childhood bedroom of his parent’s New Jersey home, babbling endlessly to his ever-present Napoleon statue at three in the morning. The only time he laughs these days is watching reruns of the old 60s TV series - Lost In Space. And he’s afraid of napkins.

Desperate to find meaning in his life, his decade long journey leads him to a lengthy and rigorous stint at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, and a tumultuous, yet undeniably exciting relationship with a spiritual bipolar woman.

When she later dumps him for a heroin-addicted jazz musician, he returns to the world of catering, wandering the city streets brokenhearted and aimless. During his strolls, he becomes increasingly appalled by the proliferation of Starbucks, and driven by outrage, decides to become a social activist. He creates a one-man show as his form of political protest (Four Degrees of Disconnection), and is surprised by the successful reception. It seems he is back on the road to stardom.

Until 9/11.
Will he ever overcome his fear of napkins? More importantly - will he ever get out of catering alive?

Joe Montaperto is a native son of New York and New Jersey and a former actor, comedian and solo show performer. Nobody Gets Out Of Catering Alive is the final book in his trilogy of memoirs - following The Edge of Whiteness and Lovely Chaos.