Marcus Ryan joins us in the Roving Studio for his fourth appearance on the show. The Aussie explains the crazy insects and reptiles of his home and native land, discusses his one-man Edmonton Fringe show called Love Me Tinder, complains about the unrelenting heat of Vancouver summers, regales us with a harrowing tale of hitchhiking in Ucluelet, makes the case for why Burning Man is awesome, and has second thoughts about merchandising.
Jul 20, 2015•1 hr 4 min
Ron Josol performs all over the world. Or at least many places in the world. He joins in the Roving Studio, or Comedy Cab (aka my car), for a far-ranging conversation that covers performing in Haiti, the Philippines, and the US, as well as being adaptable enough to eat duck embryos, being there when Russell Peters hit it big, and the effect a family tragedy had on his life.
Jul 13, 2015•1 hr 18 min
Matt Bilinski makes his What's So Funny? debut five years after first appearing on the program as Matt Billon. In fact, he lived his first 36 years as Matt Billon. So why the change? He explains. Along the way, he tells us how he took down a criminal, tells us how he spurned Hollywood in his younger years, and regales us with tales of life on the road with the king of Canadian comedy, Mike MacDonald.
Jul 11, 2015•1 hr 4 min
Jesse Joyce wrote many of your favourite jokes from the Comedy Central Roasts. And he tells us some of them. He also talks about trying to sneak hand jobs in an Irish convent, gives his theory on the Canadian superiority/inferiority complex, and lists his favourite unsung comedy heroes, which include some Canadians (I had to point that out).
Jun 30, 2015•1 hr 28 min
Kathleen McGee has been living in Vancouver for one year... and loving it! Now, if she could just get it to secede from Canada. McGee talks about her troubles getting back into the US, as well as being a rugby playing theatre nerd, lady jails, political correctness, and feminist bloggers. It's fun! It's emotional! And she's available for children's parties!
Jun 25, 2015•1 hr 9 min
Steve Bays is the lead singer for Mounties, Hot Hot Heat, and Fur Trade but one of his first bands, Pilot Light, gets most mention in this episode. Steve is a regular guest on the show and we always seem to break new length records with him. This one is no exception as it clocks in at over two hours. But we think you can handle it. We discuss the do's and don't's of interviewing rock stars, drinking junky beer in Zurich, gruesome stage injuries, being Jew-ish, getting homesick in Tokyo, and the ...
Jun 22, 2015•2 hr 9 min
Dan Quinn makes his quinquennial appearance on What's So Funny? (at least as far as our records are concerned). In this episode, Quinn reveals who's the moodiest participant in the Snowed In Comedy Tour, rails against amateurs running comedy rooms, talks about closing out an evening at Luna Lounge after Marc Maron, Janeane Garofalo, and Dave Chappelle, and tells us what it was like to perform on an all-Dutch show in Amsterdam. This episode brought to you by the word 'Abominable.'
Jun 10, 2015•1 hr 11 min
Mark B. Hughes and Jason Kryska love to push buttons. They love and perform (and love to perform) comedy that tilts towards the dark side. But their backstories couldn't be more different. Kryska has lived a button-down life and married for 18 years; Hughes overcame a heroin and cocaine addiction that landed him ten years in the slammer. Hughes has performed comedy in the nude; Kryska doesn't even like seeing himself nude. This episode brought to you by the Seven Deadly Sins.
Jun 07, 2015•1 hr 4 min
Chad Daniels is a regular visitor to Vancouver, but a first-time visitor to What's So Funny? The Minnesotan is a touring headliner, does the late-night talk shows yet still lives in tiny Fergus Falls, three hours outside of Minneapolis. What gives? He tells us why. We also discuss being a loveable asshole, counting down to popping his kid in the face, getting attacked on stage, unfair comparisons to Louis C.K., and how a sprained ankle changed the course of his career. The episode brought to you...
May 10, 2015•1 hr 21 min
Sean Lecomber buckles up for a trip in the roving What's So Funny? studio. He calls it Driving Miss Podcast. I like it. In this one, the Edmonton comic talks about t-shirts in swimming pools, self-confidence, squelching baby hecklers, the correct pronunciation of 'flaccid', Tisdale's slogan, Christian athletes, and sanctified abortions. This episode is loaded with fair points.
Apr 28, 2015•1 hr 22 min
Bobby Slayton may be billed as the Pitbull of Comedy but he's a real pussycat. But even though he's a big fan of vanilla, he's no vanilla comic. In this episode, I get hung up on An Evening at the Improv from the 1980s so we talk about those early days, and venture from there to L. Ron Hubbard, Fox News, his pop star daughter, and tattoos. This episode brought to you by Too Much of Everything.
Apr 28, 2015•1 hr 6 min
Goldie Hoffman is no shrinking violet. Hence our extendo-episode. The actress/comedian (and pretend doctor), who is between the ages of 16 and 65 - chronologically young but with an old soul – isn't afraid to rock the boat. In this episode, she explains why Vancouver isn't a real city but one filled with "townies," discusses the problem with progressives, and rails against taxes on tampons. She also talks about growing up in what she calls the "cult" of Hasidic Judaism and being one of ten child...
Apr 25, 2015•1 hr 33 min
Aaron Read is a triple threat: improviser, musician, and visual artist. No wonder he was a couple minutes late to the show. When the man with buns of steel showed up, we talked about kissing Ryan Beil, his obsession with beaded curtains, top phone mime techniques, noise music, burnt pubes in Finland, and we end it with the big closer: racism and misogyny. This episode brought to you by Duffin's Donuts.
Apr 10, 2015•1 hr 16 min
Dino Archie may be a Choosy Lover but he's indiscriminate when it comes to doing this show. This is his fourth visit as guest (he also hosted one episode). In this one, he gets down with us about softball, gratitude and having a good attitude, being a heckler whisperer, the Dubai/Mumbai connection, delivering ice cream to Charles Manson, and bike lane/weight room assholes. This episode brought to you by bonus tracks.
Apr 09, 2015•1 hr 14 min
Paul Anthony returns to talk about his recent foray into European game show hosting. That's right, the unilingual actor/comedian just did a stint in Austria. What was that all about? Good question. Just remember, loopholes are part of ze fun! We also talk about Talent Time, peeing on Mozart, doing Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton in LA, and the pros and cons of Gallagher. This episode brought to you (unofficially) by Red Bull.
Apr 06, 2015•1 hr 2 min
Daniel Chai and Chip Ellis are co-founders of the improv troupe The Fictionals. They really should go by the name Chip and Chai. Regardless, they stop by to play a round of Cards Against Humanity with me and tell us about their monthly show at the Vogue Theatre based on the game. It's called Improv Against Humanity. We also talk about karaoke and find out who the most horrible person in the room is.
Mar 25, 2015•1 hr 3 min
Jacob Samuel is our first New Yorker contributor. He's a single panel cartoonist with two contributions to the esteemed publication. Not only that, but he does standup comedy, too. We discuss the differences between Toronto and Vancouver, he tells us about Jewish summer camps, and coming face-to-snout with a bull in Kenya.
Mar 24, 2015•1 hr 7 min
Craig Northey has been in a lot of bands in his life and they all get a mention in this episode, especially Odds. Or is it The Odds? We also talk about his association with Kids in the Hall (or The Kids in the Hall?) and Brent Butt. Yes, the Brent Butt. I also mentor him on the correct pronunciation of Corner Gas and his own name. He speaks of his love for Abbott and Costello and how his vocabulary was aided by his old boss, Warren Zevon.
Mar 03, 2015•1 hr 11 min
Ryan Hamilton becomes the first guest in What's So Funny? history to record a whole episode while being driven around Vancouver in my car. The conversation becomes part travelogue. He talks about his Norman Rockwell-like upbringing in Idaho, we debate how hard Drew Carey works, he reveals who his best roommate was, discusses repeating jokes, I teach him a useful tidbit about the UK, and he opens up about his standard regret about doing podcasts. Come along for the ride!
Mar 01, 2015•1 hr 9 min
Tanyalee Davis returns to our studio after a 4-year absence to tell tales of her little 'gina, relocating to small town North Carolina, and hanging out with big stars like the Bay City Rollers and P Diddy. Your regular host was contagious and in the isolation booth so manservant Colleen Brow took over to ask the tough questions with occasional input from MacPherson.
Feb 28, 2015•1 hr 2 min
Garrett Clark returns to our studios a mere five months after making his What's So Funny? debut. Why so soon? Because he's off to seek his fame and fortune in the City of Angels and wanted to say goodbye. He talks about his love of AC/DC, his adult circumcision, and his opinion of background actors. And along the way drops some impressions off, including Hank Hill, Jiminy Glick, Damonde Tschritter and our absolute favourite, Richard Lett.
Jan 29, 2015•1 hr 4 min
Glenn Wool is baaaack! Both in studio and living in Vancouver. Well, Surrey, but that's a lot closer than England and Los Angeles. He's fitting right in, too, going for long walks around the seawall and taking yoga classes. We talk about immortality, his battle with Aasif Mandvi, and his bromance with Frankie Boyle, among other things.
Jan 25, 2015•1 hr 15 min
Diana Bang is best known for her role as Sook, Kim Jong Un's propaganda minister, in the movie The Interview. But maybe you also recognize her for her work as Coffee Shop Server in No Clue, Barista in Miracle in Manhattan, or maybe even Market Cashier in Guess Who's Coming to Christmas. We talk about her surreal ascent to the red carpet, Seth Rogen's luscious lips, and learn why you should never trust an acting teacher. Also, this marks her very first appearance on any podcast anywhere!
Jan 18, 2015•57 min
Ron Vaudry is a Canadian standup pioneer, in the game since 1979. He talks about an early foray across the frozen tundra back in 1982 with Mark Breslin and his stable of stoned comics, doing comedy at Foxy Boxing, his bad luck with competitions, his ten years abroad, and his beef with the Canadian entertainment industry. Check it out!
Jan 15, 2015•1 hr 1 min
Harry Doupe returns for his annual year-in-comedy review. We start off with the old chestnuts: Canadian Comedy Awards and YYComedy Festival and quickly branch off to The Interview, Corner Gas: The Movie, and The Grand Seduction, move over to the year in comedy deaths, talk about Demetri Martin's response to hecklers at the JFL stop in Vancouver, Harry's worst experience with hecklers, Christmas specials from Russell Peters and Dave Foley, Lachlan Patterson's appearance on Last Comic Standing, an...
Jan 05, 2015•1 hr 13 min
Matt Besser loves to talk about comedy. And we love to listen. The co-founder of Upright Citizen's Brigade (UCB) in New York is also a comic, first and foremost. In this episode, he throws out sports analogies aplenty, we learn what a Razorback is, talk about Steve Martin and Andy Kaufman, I stick my foot in my mouth in regards to Tim Meadows, why if-then is better than yes-and, and he tells us who the greatest Canadian band is.
Dec 21, 2014•1 hr 4 min
Ken Lawson returns to walk us through some improv games and exercises. If you've ever considered taking improv courses, have a listen. At the very least, you'll come away more confident knowing you're better than the host of this show.
Dec 20, 2014•1 hr 18 min
Mark Forward opens up! The very private standup comic and actor gives What's So Funny? an exclusive about being canned from CBC-TV's Mr. D. And he talks about his sensitive childhood and how therapy helped him become less angry. It sounds so serious but this is a really fun chat.
Dec 08, 2014•1 hr 11 min
Darren Frost returns. Could this be the last time the Toronto comic is in Vancouver? Would he dare retire from comedy? These are questions we can't know the answer to. But he can ponder them, as he does in this episode, his fifth appearance on the show. Lotsa good stuff here in this one.
Nov 28, 2014•1 hr 15 min
Mike MacDonald has been through a lot in the past two-and-a-half years. But as you can hear in this episode, he's back, baby. As sarcastic as ever! We talk about his bout with hepatitis C and subsequent liver transplant, mental illness, and heroin addiction. But there's even more talk about other things: young comics, starting out in rock clubs, touring with a band, sloppy editing in televised comedy, his asshole years, his wife, talking to him before a show. We're happy he's happy as he can be....
Nov 19, 2014•1 hr 4 min
