Monthly Archives: July 2013

I Don’t Exist…

There are many things on this plant that I embrace.
I am not going to give you a complete list because that
would take far too much time and the legal ramifications
would be daunting, to say the least.
That line sounded funnier in my head.
Lest you think “He likes GOATS?!”, I…WAS…KIDDING!
About the legal thingy, not about the embracing part.
There are days, like today, where I really go out of my way to
find my inner “weird”.
Strange things are intriguing, let’s face it.
We all like to stare when shopping at Walmart.
When the circus comes to town we head straight for the freak show.
And don’t even talk to me about television programming!
Weird is good, just ask these guys…

There is so much strange going on here it’s awesome!

We’ll always have light and heat as long as it’s sunny and warm

Some of the best comic entities have come from Canada.
There, I said it.
The Frantics, Royal Canadian Air Farce, Cheech and Chong,
Craig Campbell and Jebb Fink are just some of the many great
talents that Canada has produced.
There is a good reason that the Montreal Comedy Festival is
as big as it is.
The folks in the Great White North REALLY love humor.
I think it helps keep them warm.
Seriously, they embrace it like nothing you have ever seen.
The culture is conducive to humor, it fosters it.
One of the funniest guys up there is Lorne Elliott.
He does stand-up as well as musical comedy and is very good at both.
He started off as a folk singer and moved into the realm of comedy
to the benefit of us all.
For a long time he was the host of Madly Off in all Directions, a
CBC Radio show that was very entertaining.
It showcased all types of funny folks…stand-up comics, musical acts
sketch groups and anything else it could find.
Here he is doing some very smart stand-up from that show.
Lorne Elliott, talking about…life

Good Stuff!

You don’t have to put on the red light

Summer is in full bloom.
I have some incredible pumpkin activity going on in my garden.
The strange thing is, I don’t recall planting any.
Just the same, there will be some serious Jack’O Lantern carving in the Fall!
I have planted Summer squash, cucumbers, beans, tomatoes and a few tourists
who ventured to close to the property line.
Kidding…I may have seen Motel Hell once too many times, sorry.
As I was saying, Summer is upon us and once the monsoon season is
finished there will be some major league enjoyances to facilitate.
My spell checker just informed me that there is no such word as
enjoyances.
There is now.
Critters are going to and fro, both land based and the kind that fly.
That is a good thing, it’s the little things that enable the big things.
In honor of finding a dying bumble bee in my basement last night, he/she has
since passed, I dedicate this piece to him/her.
This guy is good, I play him on the show every chance that I can get!

What sex is a bumble bee? Male? Female? Other?

You bought 80 tons of leaves, Walt?!

There are some comics that are absolutely timeless.
Back in the day, and it wasn’t THAT long ago, comedy recordings
would chart, making it into the top forty for that time period.
Nichols and May, Bill Cosby, Allan Sherman, Bob Newhart and others
would sell quite well, and anyone who collected records would have
at least a few of them.
As I stated, back in the day.
Alas, in this day and age of fear and loathing, comedy does not sell very well.
That’s a pity.
Granted, things have changed, no longer do we purchase whole recordings.
Instead we download MP3 singles directly into our iPods and away we go.
Times change, and I understand that.
Still, I lament the fact that humor is not as appreciated as it once was.
That is one of the reasons that I do the show.
End of disjointed rant.
One of my favorite comics from not that long ago is one of the folks that
I just mentioned.
He is/was known as the king of the one sided phone conversation.
With relative ease he can capture your interest and have you convinced that
there really is someone on the other end.
This is one of my favorites from him, it’s called Introducing Tobacco to
Civilization.
This is Bob Newhart at his finest…

What I think is pretty interesting is that most folks know him better as either
Bob the Shrink or Bob the Innkeeper.
That is a testament to his superb comic abilities.

Pass the Crackers

July is a great month for a lot of reasons.
The start of vacation season, cookouts, fireworks, swimming, kayaking
and all the things that the first full Summer month has to offer.
It is also the time of the Montreal “Just for Laughs” Comedy Festival.
Being a seasoned veteran I know what to attend and what to avoid.
By all means get tickets to any of the shows at Club Soda, the talent
is right up there, the seats are very good for a medium sized venue
and the atmosphere is great.
Not to mention the location, prices and parking.
In my humble opinion, the best deal of the whole festival.
Avoid the Galas, unless you want just bragging rights.
Usually the headliner cancels at the last minute, the seating is awful
because it is too large a venue and the tickets prices are absurd.
To be fair, the talent is top shelf but you see the same folks at Club Soda.
Walk around the Olde Port, certain days and times will provide really good
comedians on open stages and the sketch and musical groups are abundant also.
The One Person Shows can be a great deal but that depends on the performer.
Usually the seating is great, you aren’t too far from the stage and the
parking is good.
I love the late night shows…Montreal does not shut down early!
That is a good thing.
I also know of great, all night eateries that you cannot beat.
Drop me a line and I’ll be happy to tell you even more.
Mike Birbiglia is a real funny guy…very laid back, articulate and easy
to relate to.
He has performed at the festival and will again, I am sure.
Mike was very funny when I saw him and he just keeps getting better.
Here he is, in Montreal, doing some of his classic material…

A great comedian!

He doesn’t seem to like ME very much

I do so love British comedy.
You will hear/see me say/write that quite a lot on this site.
It is the cream of the crop, the standard by which all other
comedy should be measured by, in my humble opinion.
Not to say that humor on this side of the pond is rubbish.
A lot of it certainly is, but not all.
One of the main reasons that I embrace it as much as I do is
that it has a much higher intellectual component to it.
It’s smarter, more cerebral and doesn’t talk down to its fan base.
It is one of the main reasons that Monty Python could produce all those
sketches without the use of a punchline and still make them funny.
I have always said that the smarter the comic, the bigger the laughs.
Some classic examples of that are Bill Hicks, Jeff Caldwell, Emo Philips,
and Jake Johannsen.
Yes, those are American comics, and one might think that it would detract
a bit from my point.
Except that Bill Hicks was a god like figure over there, sold out all his shows
and had a fan base second to none.
I attended the very first Bill Hicks tribute at the Montreal Comedy Festival
back in the nineties, it was soon after he had passed away and the powers
that be eulogized him with a superb get together, celebrities from all
walks of life…all fans of Bill when he was alive.
I was the only comedy show host allowed to record the event, directly from the
main sound board I might add, and I felt honored.
I saw videos that he did over there, at the peak of his fame, and they were
some of the funniest pieces that I have ever seen!
Very smart material, and his audience really appreciated it.
Emo is also a revered figure in England, doing many shows to packed houses.
I remember buying a British comedy album in Canada that was a benefit recording for
Amnesty International.
Emo was on it and the material was hilarious, my opinion and the audiences, judging
by the heavy applause.
My point is, the smarter American comics are held in high esteem over there.
All smart comics are, regardless of where they are from.
I could go on and on, instead I will give you an example of what I think is
smart, well thought out humor.
This is Not the 9:00 News from the early eighties, starring a much younger
Rowan Atkinson, Pamela Stephenson and Mel Smith.

Did you happen to notice which finger Rowan had bandaged?
He’s just waving that puppy around…Priceless!

It’s hot and I hear angels

I have a subscription service to various music entities.
It’s one of those that charge you a monthly fee and you
can download that amount in MP3s.
In theory I will go there and peruse the comedy section
to supply needed material for the show.
The problem is that there are a whole lot of really lame
comedians out there that are flooding the market.
I mean REALLY lame comedians, not even worth a pity chuckle.
The last several months have been discouraging, many wasted
minutes spent listening to snippets, only to reject same with
extreme prejudice.
There is one comedy production house in particular that has
the vast majority of these bad comics.
I will hold off a bit before I name the place, give them a chance
to redeem themselves, but I ain’t happy!
Every now and then a listener will give me grief for playing the
same artists “over and over”.
When I pin them down they will admit that I don’t play the same piece
over and over, just the artist.
Not only do I readily agree with that but I bolster my defense with
the above rant…I will not play folks that are not funny, period!
I have what I call a filler collection, material that is not really
top notch but it isn’t bad, that I add to the mix to alleviate some
of the repetition.
Did I mention that I will not play bad comedy?
One of these days, when I am in a grumpier mood than normal, I will
list all the bad comedians that are wasting my time.
My desire is not to tar and feather them, I just want them to leave the
industry and find something they are better suited for.
Like driveway paving, or big box store greeter, or maybe the guy who
offers you a towel in the men’s room at upscale eateries.
Anything, just get…out…of…comedy!
If you want to see a great comic go to the Montreal “Just for Laughs”
Comedy Festival, I have gone many times and I was never disappointed.
You might see this guy…

Here be the info…

The Montreal Comedy Festival

Seriously, a better venue for great comedy I cannot imagine!
From the middle, to late July.

Ten Finger Johnny

This piece is by Paul and Storm, two of the four original members
of Da Vinci’s Notebook.
There are some versions of this where they themselves perform it
live on stage but I like this fan tribute, the sound is great and
the visuals are even better.
Happy 4th of July everyone!

Be safe!

Waiting for my gold bars

It is always a pleasure to discover a comic that has a laid back
attitude, with good, smart dialogue and a great stage presence.
I wish they were more common, but alas, that is not the case.
Most comics are noted for a certain characteristic, an aspect that
defines them, let’s you know who they are, so to speak.
With Sam Kinison it was the righteous yelling.
Emo Pilips has that childlike, yet intelligent, demeanor.
George Carlin, in his later years, was crusty and indignant.
Daniel Tosh is sarcastic, but not in a smug way.
You get the idea, almost all have a trademark delivery that defines them.
Jeff Caldwell does, in a way, but it is much more subtle.
I put him in the classification that I stated at the beginning.
Laid back…intelligent…funny.
Check this out.
SFW

I play him on the show all the time, great stuff.

Don’t have kids…have grandkids

There’s a lot to like out there in the world of comedy.
It is changing all the time, and that is usually a good thing.
Up until now I have been playing it safe on these posts,
nothing truly obscene or profane, not even close.
Well…there was Ass Pennies and the Richard Jeni stand-up but
beyond that, not a heck of a lot.
I am going to modify that a little.
To make it simple I will add the usual disclaimers…
SFW (Safe For Work)
NSFW (Not Safe For Work)
To allow you folks an opportunity to choose for yourselves,
what might be acceptable to your present situation.
It will free up some things, I have held back a bit.
Not too much, just a tad, but not so much anymore.
This next piece is flat out funny as hell.
Seriously, a very humorous video, with style and substance.
As entertaining as the lyrics are, the video itself is a hoot.
Here is Eli Braden with “My Kid”
Oh yeah, almost forgot.
NSFW

There are some great lines in this one!