Always known as the "class clown," funnyman Joe Machi has finally found an outlet for his jokes.

As the lone performing comedian in State College, Machi finds refuge as the center of attention during open mic nights.

Jeff Sabarese, open mic night founder for Rathskeller All American, 108 S. Pugh St., and The Darkhorse Tavern, 128 E. College Ave, said that Machi has been the only comedian to perform during the open mic nights.

"From its conception, I had encouraged entertainers of all kinds whether it was comedy or spoken word," Sabarese said. "I've had different people [perform], so Joe was a welcome addition and a nice change."

Machi, who graduated from Penn State in May 2002, began performing when he entered a campus contest to meet The Daily Show's Jon Stewart, and he has been onstage ever since. "I hope you're ready to laugh and not too drunk to start heckling me ... seriously, don't heckle me," Machi said before his last show. Machi related one of his experiences at Rathskeller: "I said, 'My name is Joe Machi,' and before I even started telling jokes they were heckling. Sometimes people really like it, and sometimes people just ignore me ... it's both sides of the spectrum."

Although his fan base is steadily increasing, each night's responses depend mostly on the crowd.

"He has very original acts, and he has a lot of current-event jokes, and he makes fun of things that annoy him," said Jeff Bundy, a longtime friend. "But because he is telling jokes in front of drunk frat guys and sorority girls, he doesn't get the respect that he deserves. If he went to a comedy club people would freak out for him."

He incorporates current events, political matters and things that make him tick from television, but he also localizes his jokes when sharing a funny dialogue with his audience. "I am really tired of the Edgar Snyder commercial where he says we don't get paid unless we get money for you. I'd like to tell that guy, 'Look here, assbag, if you were such a good lawyer, why don't you solve mysteries?' "

Each chuckle from an audience member reinforces Machi's chosen career. He is working on résumé tapes to send to Comedy Central and other comedy hot spots to help with future booking. "If I had to describe him as being like another comedian, I would have to say Norm Macdonald," Bundy said. "He has a dry sense of humor and is very abstract. It's one of those things that you're not going to laugh at right off the bat, but 10 minutes later or a day later you are going to remember it and chuckle."

For Machi, being a comic is easy. He is always writing jokes on little pieces of paper and practicing them in front of his friends for feedback.

When on stage at Rathskellar, Machi appears at ease with his smile in tow.

"It's quite a rush, because when you are doing stand-up comedy, anything can happen," Machi said.

"The second time I did stand-up comedy, there was a really pretty girl up in the front and her reaction was to yell, 'Hey, this guys sucks.' It's always exciting, and it always gets your heart pumping."