So new Comedy developments lately.
A small group (4) of us decided to put on a Comedy night at our local community theatre - the Guild Hall - but we decided that it would be pretty sketch centric. We collaborated on pretty much everything in the show, and each had a solo piece to ourselves.
It was a refreshing experience - we all got along really well, and put together a great show - during one of the busiest times in the Yukon. So we only had 20 people in the audience - but they were warm and the laughs were plenty and genuine. Which, in a small town with people who know you in the audience almost all the time - genuine laughter is great.
And now our little community is growing - with some notable folks added to the mix. Logan Larkin is my new hero. The guy has a lot of theatre training and experience, but he's a great comedian. He stole the show with a very simple premise, and turned it into a clowny masterpiece. We also happened to be making fun of the Pivot festival at the same time - so - Wheee!
I can't voutch for how much effort Logan put into his preparedness beforehand, but I think it's pretty minimal. Not that it's a bad thing - he does very well - but he could kick some serious comedy ass in this town - easily. Hopefully he will.
We've had some newcomers to the Coasters Comedy stage as well - Stephen and Brendan have come up twice now to play a few funny tunes (some Flight of the Conchords, Adam Sandler, etc.) and they are eager to be back for more every two weeks - huzzah.
We are in a sorry state for female comics though. I know a few in town how would kill on stage, some already have, but don't show their faces anymore. Which is really too bad - it was a sea of guys out there last night. (Except for one woman - who I pandered to for a small bit - which I appreciated, cause otherwise it would have fallen pretty flat.)
More comedians also helps me flesh out material a little more - as now I'll actually have acts. I try anyhow to make sure I have at least about 45 minutes of stuff to talk about, just in case. We start the Coasters' nights around 9:30 - and I don't finish the show till around 11. That's the goal anyway.
So now instead of blathering, I can take time to refine.
Though a wealth of material will help me in the long run - when I skeddadle outta here in the summer for different climes.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
What's Up Article: Scrap the Farce!
Attention CBC Television fans: Stop watching Royal Canadian Air Farce!
Please.
I’ve long felt the need to clearly and confidently state, with the utmost of sincerity that Air Farce is a terrible show. I say this with a truly noble intent my friends. Whereas most of us consumers of comedy media know fully well that Canada has an excellent knack for bringing the funny, a show like Air Farce has been pushing our comedy stock value down for a couple of decades now.
Trust me, I don’t say this lightly. I’ve sat through long half-hours of tired sketches, extremely lame jokes and truly awful impersonations to arrive at this conclusion. Air Farce just isn’t funny.
I’ve given the show more chances than it really deserves, and only by virtue that it is a Canadian comedy show – and that the show has an obvious venerability. But being around for a long time doesn’t make one funny, and aging hasn’t done anything for Air Farce but make Luba Goy’s character choices less believable.
I want to be proud of Canadian comedy.
I remember the good ole days of being glued to set, ready to have my brain altered by the SCTV gang. Codco and This Hour has 22 Minutes (only while Greg Toomey was on), The Frantics had some great hits, and I still love catching re-runs of the highest watermark of Canadian comedy TV – The Kids in The Hall.
So what happened to Air Farce?
I’d posit that Air Farce jumped the shark as soon as we could see them. Having been on the radio since 1973, they made a jump onto television via a special in 1992, then 5 years later they were regulars on the CBC TV line-up.
Performing on radio and television has some obvious differences. While the Air Farce members could easily bring the charisma when our imaginations filled in the blanks, seeing them on air changed everything dramatically. The dynamic was completely different, and certain things radio could forgive were garishly pointed out. A good voice actor, doesn’t make a good actor. Watching Luba Goy impersonate Wendy Mesley made a part of me die inside – the part that had a crush on Wendy Mesley.
Look at what happened to Double Exposure. They were extremely popular on radio, but the jump to television pretty much buried them.
It was Air Farce’s venerability that has been saving them so far, but as their jokes get more tired (seriously, I swear the writers are phoning it in), shouldn’t we just cut our losses?
Television comedy is a tough battleground, so naturally CBC is going to rely on Air Farce’s history to keep them afloat. It’s a safe bet, and I don’t blame them for it.
What disappoints me, is that people might look at Air Farce as a standard of Canadian comedy, when there are so many other astronomically better Canadian comedy shows.
And you’ll have to pull yourself away from the Mother Corp. to catch some of these – I know – heresy!
There’s the fantastic History Bites, created by Frantics alumnus Rick Green. While personally not an impersonation fan, History Bites has some of the best. Trailer Park Boys is certainly a niche – but it covers it extremely well. Same goes for the new Jon Dore Television Show. Shows like The Newsroom and Twitch City knocked it out of the park with style and creativity. Though sometimes hit or miss, I can also recommend Comics and Comedy Now, which feature new and upcoming Canadian stand-up comedians.
So, since we all know that Canadians can make a superior comedy product, we need to acknowledge when something isn’t funny anymore.
Feel free to keep the memory of their past glories intact, but it’s time now to retire the Air Farce. If you need a supportive hug, I’ll be around.
Please.
I’ve long felt the need to clearly and confidently state, with the utmost of sincerity that Air Farce is a terrible show. I say this with a truly noble intent my friends. Whereas most of us consumers of comedy media know fully well that Canada has an excellent knack for bringing the funny, a show like Air Farce has been pushing our comedy stock value down for a couple of decades now.
Trust me, I don’t say this lightly. I’ve sat through long half-hours of tired sketches, extremely lame jokes and truly awful impersonations to arrive at this conclusion. Air Farce just isn’t funny.
I’ve given the show more chances than it really deserves, and only by virtue that it is a Canadian comedy show – and that the show has an obvious venerability. But being around for a long time doesn’t make one funny, and aging hasn’t done anything for Air Farce but make Luba Goy’s character choices less believable.
I want to be proud of Canadian comedy.
I remember the good ole days of being glued to set, ready to have my brain altered by the SCTV gang. Codco and This Hour has 22 Minutes (only while Greg Toomey was on), The Frantics had some great hits, and I still love catching re-runs of the highest watermark of Canadian comedy TV – The Kids in The Hall.
So what happened to Air Farce?
I’d posit that Air Farce jumped the shark as soon as we could see them. Having been on the radio since 1973, they made a jump onto television via a special in 1992, then 5 years later they were regulars on the CBC TV line-up.
Performing on radio and television has some obvious differences. While the Air Farce members could easily bring the charisma when our imaginations filled in the blanks, seeing them on air changed everything dramatically. The dynamic was completely different, and certain things radio could forgive were garishly pointed out. A good voice actor, doesn’t make a good actor. Watching Luba Goy impersonate Wendy Mesley made a part of me die inside – the part that had a crush on Wendy Mesley.
Look at what happened to Double Exposure. They were extremely popular on radio, but the jump to television pretty much buried them.
It was Air Farce’s venerability that has been saving them so far, but as their jokes get more tired (seriously, I swear the writers are phoning it in), shouldn’t we just cut our losses?
Television comedy is a tough battleground, so naturally CBC is going to rely on Air Farce’s history to keep them afloat. It’s a safe bet, and I don’t blame them for it.
What disappoints me, is that people might look at Air Farce as a standard of Canadian comedy, when there are so many other astronomically better Canadian comedy shows.
And you’ll have to pull yourself away from the Mother Corp. to catch some of these – I know – heresy!
There’s the fantastic History Bites, created by Frantics alumnus Rick Green. While personally not an impersonation fan, History Bites has some of the best. Trailer Park Boys is certainly a niche – but it covers it extremely well. Same goes for the new Jon Dore Television Show. Shows like The Newsroom and Twitch City knocked it out of the park with style and creativity. Though sometimes hit or miss, I can also recommend Comics and Comedy Now, which feature new and upcoming Canadian stand-up comedians.
So, since we all know that Canadians can make a superior comedy product, we need to acknowledge when something isn’t funny anymore.
Feel free to keep the memory of their past glories intact, but it’s time now to retire the Air Farce. If you need a supportive hug, I’ll be around.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Titles suck
But they're the hallmark of the clever blog aren't they.
Fingers poised over the keyboard, dangling pupetteer-like, ready to show the world how creative you are. Sometimes it comes easy, other times your ready to let gravity take charge of the dead weight your head is, and allow it to make a dull thud onto your desk. Or maybe a "Wackle" kind of sound when yer noggin hits the keyboard.
So, the Coaster's Comedy nights have been moved to Wednesdays. Thank freaking Jesus!(figuratively of course) We've always been lacking for audience members, and I know there are people who would enjoy coming on a regular basis. The Monday evening thing was a difficult hurdle I fully understand. I'm a recluse to begin with, and Mondays are just so condusive to staying in, it's practically law.
Plus, people might have shown up in the past, and then watched some serious floundering on stage, and decided to never come again. I can't really argue that, I mean, I'm never going to attend anything that goes by the name "Pivot" ever again.
So now I've been going through reams of material, for a few reasons. I have about two dozen Word documents on various computers with jokes, sketches and ideas. This likely isn't the most efficient way to organize the funny. I've lost track of a few bits, and things I've wanted to work on, get lost in new messes that pop into my head.
For example, for the show I'm taking to the Fringe, in between the sketches, I was planning on performing some stand-up vis a vis religion, etc. Except now ideas are starting to consume me regularly, and I have no idea how I'm going to squeeze some of the stuff in. I should be taking what I want to do, likely the best stuff, polishing that - then rehearsing the shit out of it. Every time I go to polish, I find something new - then that thing needs polish.
You'd think that was a good thing right?
Fingers poised over the keyboard, dangling pupetteer-like, ready to show the world how creative you are. Sometimes it comes easy, other times your ready to let gravity take charge of the dead weight your head is, and allow it to make a dull thud onto your desk. Or maybe a "Wackle" kind of sound when yer noggin hits the keyboard.
So, the Coaster's Comedy nights have been moved to Wednesdays. Thank freaking Jesus!(figuratively of course) We've always been lacking for audience members, and I know there are people who would enjoy coming on a regular basis. The Monday evening thing was a difficult hurdle I fully understand. I'm a recluse to begin with, and Mondays are just so condusive to staying in, it's practically law.
Plus, people might have shown up in the past, and then watched some serious floundering on stage, and decided to never come again. I can't really argue that, I mean, I'm never going to attend anything that goes by the name "Pivot" ever again.
So now I've been going through reams of material, for a few reasons. I have about two dozen Word documents on various computers with jokes, sketches and ideas. This likely isn't the most efficient way to organize the funny. I've lost track of a few bits, and things I've wanted to work on, get lost in new messes that pop into my head.
For example, for the show I'm taking to the Fringe, in between the sketches, I was planning on performing some stand-up vis a vis religion, etc. Except now ideas are starting to consume me regularly, and I have no idea how I'm going to squeeze some of the stuff in. I should be taking what I want to do, likely the best stuff, polishing that - then rehearsing the shit out of it. Every time I go to polish, I find something new - then that thing needs polish.
You'd think that was a good thing right?
Friday, February 1, 2008
Ice Foggy Bottom
Yeah, it's cold - but how much is there bitching about it, when you clearly choose to live in a place that has a regular tendancy to completely freeze over for a good portion of the year. Trolling Yukon blogs, it's all about the cold - with only a few people noting the obvious - that's what the Yukon does - it gets cold - really cold - something you can count on. Ah well.
I've been avoiding writing these days, taking a nesting sort of attitude. The cold and lack of fiancee will make one sink into geeky pleasures with vivacious abandon. I do get up to go pee though - I have some retstraint.
But I'll have to hit that writing board soon enough. Comedy Night was cancelled due to the chill, so I'll have material for the next one, but we're putting on a sketch comedy night at the Guild on Feb. 23rd. There are some sketches we've done before, that we really could improve on. In a "I know these are funny people, they just got fucked up in the performance" kind of way.
I've been trying to osmose as much as possible, watching sketch comedy shows on DVD and TV. Sometimes the simplest ways are best for sketch - case in point - a British show called "ManStrokeWoman". Almost all of their stuff is great, fresh, but follow a pretty simple pattern. It's some smart stuff.
Sketch comedy is a lot easier to depend on than stand-up. Even the fact of having someone on a stage, "acting" out a character, gives the audience all the set-up they need to wait for something funny. That anticipation will wring laughs out of the simplest of stuff. Not that it's easy - it's just way more dependable than stand-up comedy.
Mike Ellis is on board to do some writing, which is great. He's a very funny guy, and comes at things differently than I do. His sketch "Dutch Oats" has all the hallmarks of being a "classic" - and if I can convince him to perform it again, that would be great.
I just really want to do a show that's way more organized than Guild Comedy Nights in the past. I put my trust in people before, to bring the funny - and a lack of desire to work bit me in the ass. They were successful nights indeed, people had a good time - but man, the professionalism was certifiably absent. I'd like that to change.
And with a theatre, and all it's facilities at our disposal - the tools are there.
I've been avoiding writing these days, taking a nesting sort of attitude. The cold and lack of fiancee will make one sink into geeky pleasures with vivacious abandon. I do get up to go pee though - I have some retstraint.
But I'll have to hit that writing board soon enough. Comedy Night was cancelled due to the chill, so I'll have material for the next one, but we're putting on a sketch comedy night at the Guild on Feb. 23rd. There are some sketches we've done before, that we really could improve on. In a "I know these are funny people, they just got fucked up in the performance" kind of way.
I've been trying to osmose as much as possible, watching sketch comedy shows on DVD and TV. Sometimes the simplest ways are best for sketch - case in point - a British show called "ManStrokeWoman". Almost all of their stuff is great, fresh, but follow a pretty simple pattern. It's some smart stuff.
Sketch comedy is a lot easier to depend on than stand-up. Even the fact of having someone on a stage, "acting" out a character, gives the audience all the set-up they need to wait for something funny. That anticipation will wring laughs out of the simplest of stuff. Not that it's easy - it's just way more dependable than stand-up comedy.
Mike Ellis is on board to do some writing, which is great. He's a very funny guy, and comes at things differently than I do. His sketch "Dutch Oats" has all the hallmarks of being a "classic" - and if I can convince him to perform it again, that would be great.
I just really want to do a show that's way more organized than Guild Comedy Nights in the past. I put my trust in people before, to bring the funny - and a lack of desire to work bit me in the ass. They were successful nights indeed, people had a good time - but man, the professionalism was certifiably absent. I'd like that to change.
And with a theatre, and all it's facilities at our disposal - the tools are there.
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