Harry Doupe returns for his fourth – or is it fifth? – appearance on What's So Funny? He's also returned home to his beloved British Columbia. In this episode, he tells stories about Paula Poundstone, Mike Bullard, Robbie Robertson, Burton Cummings, Stan Mikita, Norm Macdonald, and David Foster. He also discusses writing for awards shows and the Olympics, ageism, and takes a sports and music quiz.
Ed Hill has two masters degrees and a performance degree in piano, yet chooses to schlep himself all over the map performing standup. It's like he's on permanent vacation. But that's something that was instilled in him early. Listening to him describe his family, it's no wonder he got into comedy.
Marion Grodin has been through a lot: drugs, cancer, divorce. But she's also had lots of fun. The New York standup talks about it all, and about growing up the daughter of beloved actor Charles Grodin. To get the full story, though, you'll have to buy her book.
Alex Nussbaum wants to blow this popsicle stand of a country for the land of opportunity down south. The unilingual Toronto standup who has supplied silly voices for cartoons and written for children's television in Los Angeles talks about disappointing his mother and growing up a nerd in the truest sense of the word.
With Dave Martin, usually anything goes. But on this episode we find out what's so funny when the Toronto comic visits What's So Funny? to discuss his own radio show/podcast, Anything Goes. Get it? See what we did there? We also talk about the great job Mayor Rob Ford is doing, sniffing glue, and playing to the back of the room.
Ian Harris can impersonate the most obscure celebrities... and doesn't! At least not anymore. He's got more important things to talk about, like why people are so damn gullible. We talk rationally and skeptically about psychics, ghosts, UFO's, and religion. His sidekick mother was not on hand to give her side of the story, though.
Adam Ray is one lucky dog. Once a self-described fat kid feasting on Kit-Kat bars and burritos, now he's getting studly roles in major motion pictures motor boating the likes of Sandra Bullock. It's a far cry from his job giving tours at Universal Studios. We talk about all that and more in this episode.
Godfrey takes issue with comedy critics in this highly entertaining episode. Once that bit of nastiness is resolved, we bond over a fondness for old TV series and Rich Little. And Godfrey does his best Rich Little, impersonating more than a dozen celebs along the way. Bonus points for identifying the 10-second musical intro – no Shazzaming!
Michael Gelbart got his big break on Speaker's Corner...okay, that's not true but I'd like to believe it. The Toronto comic has been living in Los Angeles for a while now where he writes for TV, pens novels, performs standup, and unsuccessfully dates starlets. But don't expect any dirt; the guy is just too positive for that.
Alan Zweig is more than just a man in a mirror. The Toronto filmmaker talks to us face to face about his unsuccessful life making movies and how he stumbled upon his successful life making documentaries. His latest, When Jews Were Funny, just won Best Canadian Feature at the Toronto International Film Festival. Turns out talking to old Jewish comedians wasn't as illuminating as he thought it would be.
Dave Nystrom returns to his pseudo-hometown and tells us all about life in sunny Southern Cal. Dave's last visit to our show was way back in 2004 so we had lots of catching up to do. He talks about the funny looks he gets in LA when people see his wedding ring... not to mention his three kids all under the age of six. And we get a vicarious ride on the Hollywood roller coaster.
Brian Regan is a very funny man (as the song goes). What song? I've sampled a bit at the beginning of this episode. Regan was kind enough to talk to What's So Funny? prior to his show in Vancouver. We spoke to Dr. Regan for just over 30 minutes about his numerous degrees, his love of reading short books, and an invention he's thought up that really should be made. All that plus Brian Regan comedy clips to fill out the hour!
Ryan Hamilton ventures into our studio for the first time despite not being asked by a teacher. It seems he can never say no to a teacher. He'll explain that as well as talk about other Ryan Hamiltons, discuss peddling booze and his favourite missionary position. This episode brought to you by McMahon and Tate.
Paul Anthony goes waaaay back with Arsenio Hall. But it was an unrequited love, it turns out. We get busy talking about his experience on the new Arsenio Hall show, his macabre thoughts on becoming a dad, his unease at performing standup, and mysteriously talk about his latest film work (hint: this is the first bleeped WSF? episode).
Jeff McEnery has spent the last two years living in Vancouver. We meet for the first time and he tells us he's moving back to Toronto in a couple of months. That's a fine how-do-you-do. The rhubarb genius from Acton tells us about avoiding hard labour at all costs, dishes the dirt on film sets he's been on, waxes poetic about Williams Lake, and stuff like that. This episode catered by KFC.
Ewan Currie of The Sheepdogs has the rough-hewn exterior of a rock star but the sensitive interior of a jazz musician. That's where we bonded. We spoke to the former Rolling Stone cover boy about his Aussie beginnings, band squabbles, shampoo, Tim Horton's, and he fails miserably at The $20,000 Pyramid. This episode regretfully recorded on Wii Rock Band mics.
Steve Bays, the raw dog, returns for his annual check-up. He tells us why he's averse to the definite article, reveals his anxiety dreams, explains why it's Mad over Cracked every time, brainstorms potential band names and famous Gords, and names his all-time dinner guest list.
Kyle Bottom makes his solo debut on What's So Funny? We relive the time I busted his balls, him dancing in front of Pete Holmes, a horrible set that led him to step away from comedy for 3.5 years, and his dreams of an all-heckle comedy show.
Kevin Foxx teases me about our Canadian Comedy Award nomination for Best Podcast. He also explains astrology and sets a show record for most number of c-words dropped in a single episode.
Dave Merheje developed his comedy on the mean streets of Detroit. Throughout his forays down south, the Windsor native was given some tough love by the border guards and had a couple of run-ins with firearms. The payoff? Winning the Irwin Barker Homegrown Competition at Just For Laughs and being recognized by a stripper.
Darrin Rose is more than just a Jason Sudeikis lookalike. The likeable standup, actor, writer and host of the Match Game talks about playing the UK, boozing it up on TV, running his own software company, and trying to get secrets out of his tight-lipped family.
Mark Leiren-Young is a playwright, journalist, comedian and trained singer. We talk to the Leacock Award winner for Never Shoot a Stampede Queen about all those things, including crime in Williams Lake, BC, writing quickly,cheap shots in reviews, and his love of Doug Henning. His newest book is called Free Magic Secrets Revealed but he doesn't reveal any in this episode.
Shaun Majumder had never done a podcast prior to this momentous episode. Go figure. In it, he talks about comedy workshops, gives us a glimpse into the psyches of his fellow Newfoundlanders, makes the case for optimism, tells us why acting isn't as easy as it looks, and discusses getting fired from a TV show and the words of wisdom from a comedy legend that saw him through it.
Marcus Ryan has performed in 25 countries. In this episode, I try to get him to settle down. Pick a country and stick to it. But the Aussie standup's got a bad case of wanderlust. So instead we hear about his travels and I troll his tweets and offer him some sage career advice.
Matt Davis brings his southern charm to What's So Funny? The Alabama boy talks about the history of the south, dressing for success, starting stand-up at 17, playing the Middle East, reading, and the meaning of offence.
Karen O'Keefe finally got to play Vancouver so we scooped her up to commemorate the big weekend. The Toronto-based Yellowknife native teaches us as all about the Northwest Territories and discusses her dysfunctions, which may or may not include being an enhanced redhead. If you need a visual aid, think Christina Hendricks meets Geena Davis meets Laura Kightlinger.
Darren Frost and Kenny Robinson are together again for the first time. The first time on What's So Funny?, that is. They've each been solo guests before but now that they're touring the country as Rank and Vile, we thought we'd talk to them together this time. What do we learn this episode? We learn that Kenny loves cruising, but cruising doesn't love Kenny. We learn that Darren landed a role on TV's Mr. Dee by tweeting an insult to the star. For added fun, take a drink every time Kenny drops a ...
Nelson Giles is a veteran Canadian standup comic who's been away from the scene for over a year. But he's back. And he's a new person. Largely because he dropped 60 pounds. He talks about the excitement of getting back on the stage, and what led him to take a break from it. And Jack Nicholson makes a cameo appearance!
Hari Kondabolu picked a good time to be a comedian. Thirty years ago there was no place for him in show business. And not only because he was just a newborn 30 years ago. In this episode, we deconstruct Hari and talk about progressive comedy, take apart controversial jokes (and tweets), and discuss the middle ground an ethnic comedian can take on stage.
Dino Archie and Sunee Dhaliwal are two amigos on the Vancouver stand-up scene. In this most lively of episodes, the Indo-Canadian Dhaliwal acts as translator for the African-American Archie to the old white guy host. Together this United Nations of a gathering comes together – pause – to talk about thespianism, shameless plugging, stank and growth as a comedian.
