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36 | GRAVITAS MAGAZINE She Said When you guys met, what attracted you to each other? He Said I remember the first time we met and talked, I told her I had a theatre degree and she said, "Why don't you do something about that accent?" and I told her, "Millions of people like this accent...." She Said No one could take you seriously with a southern accent being an actor (laughs) You needed a blank canvas... He Said Yeah, so I could play all the multiple characters I was going to get in the movies (he says sarcastically). What character could you see him playing? He Said Barney Fife. She Said No, not even! Unless it was a sinister Barney Fife. A drunk Barney Fife. Les has a real dark side on stage. He Said One of the things that impressed me about Pam was how hard she worked. When she worked at Bennigan's, she came in, did her thing and was gone. She was one of the hardest workers there. I thought, if she can work this hard doing something she doesn't want to do, imagine how hard she will work in a relationship and at something she does want to do. She Said Les is a really good person. He is one of the best people I know. He's honest, trustworthy and those are qualities I really admire in him. People who know the McCurdy's often comment on how perfect you are for each other. How do you make that happen? She Said Work, a lot of work. Because we are like the tortoise and the hare. He Said We love and really enjoy being with each other. We both knew who the other one was, you didn't have to guess at it. And we went through enough of being together and being apart, chasing our own dreams and being able to have that space to do that—so by the time we got back together, after years of doing our own thing, we really knew we wanted to be together. She Said e choices we made were very realistic. It wasn't like we said, "Oh I'm so in love and now I have to decide between my man and my career" or that kind of drama. I followed my dream, lived in New York, and I'm still living my dream. But we both compromised. He had come off the road to help his partner Ken open a club in Chattanooga and I decided to leave New York to help them. He Said We decided to live together for a year ("Even though he didn't believe in living together before marriage," Pam says). She Said We saw the good the bad and the ugly in that year. None of us had a business degree and it wasn't on our goal sheet to open a comedy club and run a Les and Pam McCurdy Owners, McCurdy's Comedy Club Pam met Les McCurdy while studying for her Masters at the Asolo. Les was a comedian, gearing up for a tour when a mutual friend thought it would be a good idea they meet. A few chance encounters led to the theatre enthusiasts finally making plans. After an unexpected, simple night of drinks and laughter at the Beach Club on Siesta Key, the couple was nearly inseparable. Now, partners in business and in life, the McCurdy's Comedy Club owners have had their share of changes but one thing is for certain—they are committed. Though the old adage, "a match made in heaven" is a common one, much more common than the lifespan of many marriages and partnerships these days, the duo's method has proven successful. Pam and Les McCurdy offer their perspectives on love, life and what it takes to do what so many think is impossible—make it work. HE Said By Linda Day

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