Moving On:
I've been doing comedy for over 15 years, it has been the best and worst thing that has ever entered my life. Comedy has seen me through 2 divorces, a long distance relationship with the light of my universe, my family and my little girl Trystin. It has taken me to some of the most amazing places that I would never have seen if it weren't for comedy. I've made some awesome friends and interesting nemesis' in that time. Worked with and partied with some truly amazing people. It took me to the highest of highs and lowest of lows but during all that time I like to think that I was the eternal optimist, that we could all make the world laugh if we wanted. A while ago, though, I stopped laughing, I stopped writing and more importantly I stopped caring... it ate at me that something was different but I didn't know what it was. I became synical, quiet and frustrated by my life and the person I was becoming.
There are certain people who I have tried to deal with and it only lead to more and more frustration. The more frustrated I became the more I felt myself becoming this person I didn't like and losing myself. It's hard to be funny when you lose sight on who you are, it's hard to write when you don't feel the funny and it's not the real YOU's voice that you are writing in. I took a long look at myself and realised that the parasitic nature of my life came from dealing with one group of people, people I no longer enjoy dealing with, people who were the source of all my frustration so I took their power away and decided not to deal with them at all. I cancelled the remainder of my tour and now the extent of my Canadian bookings will be in Ottawa and Eastern Canada through Howard Wagman.
My pursuits will always be comedic but I refuse to degrade my own self worth and deal with people who I sincerely feel do not deserve my respect. I will continue to work on my comedy in Ottawa but my professional pursuits will focus on the UK and US markets. Since making the decision to no longer deal with the parasites I found myself so relieved and instantly happy. I feel like I have taken a weight off my entire being but more importantly my soul. I didn't realise how much resentment I had until I took that power back. In knowing that I will no longer and NEVER EVER deal with those people again I have been elated. Even though I know I sacrifice my comedic pursuits here in Canada, not having to deal with those people makes it all worthwhile. And in that happiness I know I have made the right choice.
Maritime Tour
Wow it's been a long time since I wrote a blog, sorry I actually have been meaning to write one for a while. I'm gonna do another bigger blog in the next week that will talk more about all that's been going on, this blog will be about the Maritime tour. The tour went for 4 weeks from November 26 to December 20, starting in Newfoundland and ending in Halifax. Halifax was home for the most part except for the shows on Cape Breton Island and in Moncton. Lawrence Morgenstern was my roommate for the whole time in Halifax, I have been a fan of Lawrence's since the first time I saw him perform, he is one of my all time favorite headliners and always makes me laugh. It was cool having him as a roommate, laughed quite a bit.
I flew out to St. John's NF on the 26th, this was my 2nd time performing in such a great city. Although I must say, I do feel very Arab in the airport. It was nice to go back to St. John's and see so many friends, George and Sherry Thorne, Billy Mac and Mary, George Price.... and quite a few others. The headliner was one of my faves, Chris Quigley, always love working with him, great friend and a great comedian. The feature was Adam Delorey, another good friend and comedian, we had a lot of fun hitting so many pubs on George St. The shows were great, a lot of Christmas parties so the club was packed for most of the shows, I mc'd and had as much fun as an mc could have. The best part of Newfoundland is the people, awesome to be around and get drunk with. Met some friends Chris had made his last time out, an awesome group of people, as you would expect in Newfoundland. I did meet the singer from and awesome band called Nuthouse, the songs I've heard were great. Awesome start to the tour and got to hang a few extra days at the condo with Chris which was a great time, haven't had a chance to hang like that in years.
Stayed till December 3rd then I flew into Halifax, I had the night off but got to do a guest set, it was awesome to catch up with friends, it's been over a year since I got to hang out in Halifax. After the show we went to Bearly's, a mandatory stop everytime I am in Halifax. It was fun to hang out and get pretty loaded... which bit me in the ass the next day when I slept through the alarm clock and had to rush out the door. Adam Delorey, Jeff Elliott and myself were off to Membertou, which is a native community in Sydney NS. There were 2 shows, 1 on each night Friday and Saturday. It was the first time headlining a full set in a little while, but I was more excited about it than anything else. We left the Friday around noon drove for about 2 and a half hours to ... um, a road... that was just passed Antigonish, we drove down to Adam's family home and met his parents. True to Maritime form there were amazing people, Mom Delorey made an awesome chicken noodle soup dinner, with rolls and an awesome dessert. It was a shame we had to leave but we had to get to Sydney in time to get ready for the show. An hour and a half later we were in the hotel in Sydney getting ready for the show. I've performed at the Membertou convention centre a few times and it was always awesome, nice BIG crowd in the 400 to 600 range. This was the first weekend of December and it was mostly company Christmas parties. We got to the convention centre and met with Phil, who runs the night he told us both shows were sold out, got us some beer and dinner and we waited for the show to start. Adam mc'd and did an awesome job, especially off the top when people were still getting back to their seats and other little distractions, Jeff Elliot was also awesome as the feature and went over well both shows. I always loved performing in Membertou and this weekend reminded me why, you feel like a rockstar on that huge lit up stage. Both shows were fantastic, but the Saturday show I got to play around a bit and got into some material that had never seen the light of the stage, it was a lot of fun to do some new stuff that was really well received. Met some awesome people, and partied with some of the nicest people ever. Jeff and Adam were a lot of fun on and off stage, it was great to party with both of the. It was hard to leave on the Sunday morning, especially when a Maritme snow storm was well underway... here's a new lesson to my comedy career... when you get a rental car close to winter, make sure the tires aren't bald all seasons that do NOTHING on snowy roads. Adam and Jeff shared the driving duties, which was great by me cuz I hate driving in snow, too many bad experiences and I think both Jeff and Adam preferred if I didn't drive anyways.
We left at 11 am Sunday morning, cold and snowing, checked out got into the car and left for Sheet Harbour NS. A lot of Cape Breton is hilly and the car had no problem going downhill but uphill was an ordeal as the bald tires basically span and the car inched forward till we got to the downhill part of the ride when the car would get up to speed... then you go down a longer slope a realize bald tires don't help stop on snow... I watched through the windshield as Adam turned to me and said "Ya we're going into the ditch", Adam saved the car from flipping and even saved us from and damage at all when he managed to control the car. I think we were a good 50 feet off the highway straight into the ditch in the middle of nowhere. Maritime hospitality reigned supreme, some 25 cars stopped to check on us before the police, ambulance and fire services came. Thankfully Jeff had CAA and a tow truck came shortly after the emergency vehicles came and pulled us out. We ended up in the ditch for close to 2 hours and even managed to watch Family Guy on Adam's laptop. Back on the road, hungry and already road weary with still another 4 hours of drive to Sheet Harbour, BUT the snow stopped. In what is normally a 1 to 1 and a half hour drive off Cape Breton, this drive took close to 4 hours, we stopped back in at the Delorey home for an amazing Sunday dinner, both Adam's parents were really great in helping us deal with the crazy day we had. Sadly another short visit but Sheet Harrbour was still 2 hours away and it was getting late. The roads varied from clear to snow covered to icey we knew were going to be late so we contacted the venue and they were very understanding. We managed to pull into Sheet Harbour 15 minutes prior to showtime and got ready quickly before going to the Henley House Pub. The show was a private Christmas party for Northern Fibre and audience was a crowd of about 40 people made up of employees and their spouses. The show was fun and the group were great, but the stress of the day really wore us all down. We opted not to stay in Sheet Harbour and made our way back to Halifax after the show.
Had the week off till Saturday, where I would be performing another private Christmas party, this one for Lafarge construction. I got down to the club on the Tuesday and got spots on the Wendesday, Thursday and Friday show. The headliner was Jen Grant, a friend from back in the day in Ottawa, she now lived in New York and it was awesome to hang out and share the stage with her. One of my favorite Ottawa comedians, nice to see her doing well. It was also really great to hang out with my good friend Julian Dionne, he moved to New York a little whole ago but we got tight when he lived in Ottawa for a short time. Good catching up with friends and having some fun shows. My... ex, booked my ticket from Halifax to Moncton and on Saturday I left for the Ramada Crystal Palace, NOT as nice as it might sound but not bad either... I don't know what I expected but there was no Indiana Jones. I met the organizer, Gylian Gorman, who was one of the sweetest people I have ever met. Very accommodating and supportive, the show was a lot of fun and it was mainly due to her hard work and effort for it to go as smoothly as it did. Had a couple of drinks and chatted with the people who watched the show. Then back to the room to pack for the train back to Halifax, the next day.
Getting back to Halifax was great, this was home base for most of the tour and I was now into my final week of the tour, which ended with performances at the Halifax Yuk Yuk's. I filled the week and did shows every night. The Monday took a cab to Gus's pub to do an open mike and hang out with friends, funky little room that was very great for comedy although the crowd does tend to shrink the later the show goes, but it was a great night and got to try out some new stuff. Tuesday was a show at Yuk Yuk's, it was sketch troupe Picnicface night. They do stand up, have a few guests and then end on improv, although they didn't do any improv on this night. I got to meet some of the guys and had an awesome little set, starting to feel like I found my groove again. The next night was another set for the amateur night, had new stuff and really hate nights off on the road. It was a lot of fun and got to hang out with even more friends from trips to Hali from before. Thursday morning, Bob Keele arrives to Halifax to headline the weekend, another one of my faves and a great guy to hang out with. The feature guest, Pardis Parker, couldn't make it to Halifax as he was in LA doing comedy in a much nicer climate... who could blame him. I mc'd the with my amazing friend Catherine Robertson getting her first ever feature spot and she lit it up. Awesome show but even better was being told that I would feature the rest of the weekend rather than mc. I love mcing but the feature spot is SWEET. The whole weekend went awesome and on the Friday early show, apparently I got a mini standing ovation at the end of my set. I didn't notice cuz my eyes were bugging out from the spotlights on stage to the pitch black of walking off. It was nice to hear though... and I had to mention cuz I HAD TOO!
I really missed being on the road, I didn't realize till I finally got back on the road. I love living out of a suitcase and seeing different towns and places. I will have another blog up very soon with a bit of a year in review... so much has happened, some good and some bad. I promise it won't be as dry a read as this blog ended up being....
Back in Canada:
The disappointment of ending my UK tour early was replaced with elation when I saw my little girl, I missed her so much that I was dreading the idea of spending the summer away from her. It has been nice to get back to my family, friends and life here, although I know I will always wonder "what if".
I am also glad to be back in Canada because of the issues that had arisen here while I was gone. I feel much less helpless being back in Canada as I did in the UK, in that being 5000 miles away when so much was going on here, it is a much better situation being closer to deal with those issues. I refuse to ellaborate on anything, I know a lot of people are wondering what happened, but it was all family issues. I know I haven't always put family first when it comes to my career but I had to this time and I honestly do no regret ending the tour but there will always be that lingering question. I am planning to get back out to the UK by February 2010 and I am looking forward to playing as many shows as I can. I do miss my UK family, the Pollards, that includes Rosa and Denise who I wish I had gotten to hang out with more. The Pollard children who were so amazing during my entire stay, I miss their smiles and the hugs. Deb and Mark have both been amazing and I miss you both so much.
I must say I am really enjoying performing for Canadian audiences again, I am really hoping to go across the country this fall and winter. I haven't been out west in over 3 years and now with clubs in Edmonton and Calgary again I am hoping to finally get back out there to see some friends and play those awesome cities again. I actually want to thank Howard, Stacey and Jess from Yuk Yuk's for doing what they can to fill my calendar. Especially Howie for giving me as much stage time as he could, I was worried I would lose some of the momentum I had built up in the UK but having those shows since I got back has really kept things going for me.
The Last 2 Shows of the Tour:
Preston UK:
I can't for the life of me remember the name of the pub, but it was the only pub of the tour that actually freaked me out a little. Small, rough looking... seemed like a biker bar to be honest. It also didn't help that we got to the venue 2 hours before show time and the crowd all showed up about 20 minutes before the show started. A huge crowd in such a small venue, made it very hard to move around and the stage area was tiny. The crowd was fun but this was definetly the roughest show of my tour. I admit that I read the crowd wrong and made the show much more difficult than it had to be. I got some big laughs when I ventured away from the set list and started talking to the crowd. During the intermission I talked to one of the sweetest groups of people I have ever met and they really helped me understand the small town prespective of the UK. Allan Donegan put the show together and did a great job mcing, Andy Whyte was the headliner and was great to watch and meet. Also on the show was Joe (sadly I forgot his last name) was very cool to work and hang out with. It was great night not necessarily the show but everything surrounding it. I do hope to play that room again.
The LAST Show of the tour Lammar's Pub
This was a show I was very much looking forward to, a great room, a lot of amazing friends and comedians on and I knew going to the pub that this was going to be the last one of the tour... kind of bitter sweet but I had been looking forward to the show when I found out that Mike Sheer and Curtis Threadgold were on the show. The crowd was the biggest I had seen at Lammar's, Alan Donegan did a great job mcing the show, Mike Sheer and Eighties Luke both had great sets. Mike is one of my favorites to watch, not just cuz he's a fellow Canadian but he is one of the ballsiest comedians I have ever worked with, I really admite how he is always taking chances. My 2nd time seeing Eighties Luke and I must say he is a very FUNNY man. A lot of the crowd left during the first intermission but it was not a bad thing as there was still a decent size crowd that remained and they were really there for the show. Curtis opened up the 2nd section of the show and lit it up, it's always great to see a good comedian and friend have fun on stage and rip a room up. I went on after Curtis and had another interesting night, as I walked to the stage 2 people followed and sat front row centre, both were drunk and very talkative. I talked to them and got some laughs, the girl was from Vancouver and made it clear to the crowd that not all Canadians are as nice as the stereotype goes. The guy she was with was just as annoying and neither of them allowed for any kind of momentum as they kept interupting me and after a few more slams they would get quiet again, only to start talking and being really assy. Then the most amazing thing happened, the crowd turned on them and they were getting heckled by the audience. It seemed that they finally got through to them and I returned to performing, then they both started up again. I uncharacteristically LOST IT and I must admit got offensive in tirad directed at them. It made for an awkward moment as I tried to regain my composure and the show, but I opened up the floor for them to get beligerant and the crowd once again went on the attack including the table of comedians and promoters that were there to watch the show. They finally left the show area and I was able to end on a high note. I had a lot of new material that I was anxious to work out but with all the trouble my 10 minute set went well over 18 minutes. I later got shit on by Mark and I have to admit that I deserved it after the venom I spewed at the annoying couple. The show opened my eyes to how amazing the people of Manchester really are, they really wanted to hear what I had to say and were as annoyed with the 2 idiots as I was. I am so looking forward to my return to Manchester after seeing so many people in such a great light. It was great to have such and interesting show to close out the tour and it was especially great to see Spider, Paul Haslam and Kirsty Mac one more time before I left. Alan Donegan was especially awesome on this night, I am looking forward to working with him again next time I am in the UK. Jo Dakin, headlined and was a treat to watch, I love her comedy and the crowd did as well.
I want to thank everyone in Manchester and the entire North West UK for making this tour the best career move I have ever made and all I can do now is look forward to my return.
The End of the Tour:
It is with great sadness and disappointment that I have to announce the end of my UK tour, I want to thank everybody in the Manchester comedy scene for making this tour as mind blowing as it has been. I especially want to thank Mark and Debbie Pollard for not only taking care of me or giving me the faith to do this tour but also for being the truest and greatest friends I have ever made in comedy AND in life. I love you both for everything you have done and I am so grateful for your faith and patience. Your kids have stolen my heart and I sincerely can not wait to get back to the UK.
I can only say that I am walking away from this tour, which has been eye opening and wonderful, for family related issues, too many to deal with this far away. I would never be able to focus on the shows nor would I be able to represent myself as I would like and it is best for me to end the tour than to fake my way through it. I will not elaborate on what is going on, suffice it to say it was great enough to walk away from my Edinburgh Free Fringe commitments.
I will be back in the UK as soon as soon as I can.
The UK: Half Way Through:
I have officially reached the haflway mark of the tour, it has been quite a ride so far. I really have to thank a few people who have made this tour as awesome as it has been. Mark and Debbie Pollard, who have been amazing and have taken me in as a member of their family. Deb has been wonderful and has made the UK feel like a home away from home, I will never be able to thank her enough for all she does and has done. My new friends in Manchester who have helped me above and beyond expectation: Marcus MacMillan who has been there for me in so many ways, a truly awesome guy and a great friend who I will also never be able to thank enough, John Thorp and Mike Thornton who have been to a lot of my shows and have offered advice and insight that has been immeasurable... thanks for helping me find my way around as well. A very special thanks to Spider who has given me so many opportunities and contacts, he has helped me get some amazing showcases with some very cool and influential people. A very cool guy and a true friend of comedy. Also want to thank Derry Hunter from rom Liverpool for introducing me to some great agents and promoters and for taking me to some really cool gigs.
The shows, it was a very busy week with shows from last Monday through this past one.
Monday, June 22: The Frog and Bucket
This was actually a surprise gig in that I was told I was on in the early afternoon. Seems a few people pulled out and I got a chance to perform. The concept is quite interesting, it is a gong show type contest... 3 people are chosen at random and given large cards, the performer goes on and is given the first minute as grace, if all 3 cards go up before you reach 5 minutes you are interupted with music and walk off the stage. If you survive the 5 minutes you and the others who survived are called back to the stage at the end of the show and the crowd decides the winner. I survived the 5 minutes and won, I was very happy and my prize is a longer set on a weekend, which will be February 18, 2010... yes I am planning a return to the UK. It was great to perform in a proper comedy club and to have a very fun night. I met some more Mancurian comedians many of which had fantastic sets and were amazing both on and off stage.
Tuesday, June 23: XS Malarkey at Remedy Pub
This is a super showcase room where more established acts are given an opportunity to perform for a very savvy comedy crowd. Spider was key to getting me on this show as it is usually booked months in advance. The show is compered (mc'd) by a fantastic comedian Toby Hadoke who runs every show. I was on 2nd in the first section of the show and was extremely happy with the set I had. I got some of the biggest laughs of my UK tour and was pleased with my set and so happy with the comments I got from the other comedians and those in the audience. The owner of the club, who's name sadly escapes me was fantastic and took amazing care of me and helped me when I felt like the tour was becoming overwhelming. I will never be able to thank him enough for what he did and I am truly disappointed in myself for forgetting his name. He is a truly one of the "angels" I have met on this tour. The show was fantastic from beginning to end and I was very proud to be a part of it.
Wednesday, June 24: The Comedy Balloon
Definetly my favorite room to perform in, I always have a great time performing there and really feel very comfortable taking risks and trying new material. This was by far the biggest crowd of the 5 I have been too and one of the best line ups as well. It was great to have John Thorp compere and watch some great comedians and friends perform. I really don't like to name names because I don't like to miss anyone but Mike Sheer and Ro Campbell are exceptions to that rule. They, like me, are not from the UK and I really enjoy watching them perform and rocking the rooms. Also got to see Mike's girlfriend, Kirsty Mac perform and some other great comics on the rise. It was a great night and I was pleased with my set, it was nice to get some new stuff out. Always a great night and the afterparty at Fab pub is a great way to end a really fun night. It was nice to perform with my Mancurian friends and to meet a few more.
Thursday, June 25: The Paraffin Oil Shop (Pub) Liverpool UK
This gig was a favor to Scooby, Phil Chapman, who I really enjoy working with and to perform in Liverpool is always a treat. The Murray's who own and run the pub put the show together and were 2 of the most awesome people I have met. They were amazing to work for and to talk to... they set up a very friendly comfortable room that was a lot of fun to perform in. I closed the 1st section of the show and was very happy with my set, it was slightly up and down as the crowd was surprised by some of my more "harsh" material. I think some people in the UK take my terrrorist material a little seriously but it never takes away from the fun I have on stage. It was really great to see a character piece that he performs from time to time who he has named Kalvin Wideboy. It is definetly something to see and he is a great performer again I think the crowd was thrown by some of his more edgy material. Sam Harland did a fantastic job of kicking off the show and the different sections. It was fun to work with the other 3 comedians... yes their names escape me as well, apologies. It was a fun night and I hope to work for Klare and Stevie Murray again.
Friday, June 26: Show Me You're Funny
Another great night although the comedians heavily outnumbered audience. I had a few friends from outside the comedy circle come down and it was a great night. Always great to watch so many comedians go out and take chances and do new material and others to hone their stuff. It was a big line up with Marcus MacMillan was the compere and the glue to what was a circus of a show. It was a shame that there wasn't more people in attendance this show was wild and unpredicable. It was great to work with so many amazing comedians, I was very happy with my set and the fact that 90% of the material was not tried and true. The afterparty was unreal and it was nice to get to hang out with Mike Taylor again. Mike Sheer, Kirsty Mac and Marcus MacMillan showed me a great night of partying in Manchester, I don't remember a lot about the night except I should never try to keep up with UK drinkers. WOW what a great night.
Saturday, June 27: The Peacock Lounge Huddersfield UK
This gig was booked through Rib Riley and about 45 minutes away from Manchester. Thanfully Marcus MacMillan was able to drive me to the show as the clutch in Mark's van died. It was especially cool of Marcus considering the hangover WE both had from the night before. The room was definetely one of the most posh I have performed for and most of the crowd made me feel under dressed in my blue jeans and white dress shirt. The compere had broken his finger and went to the hospital so he was unable to make it to the show. This lead to a slight reshuffle and show started with the comedian (Bennet) doing an mc/opening set as he had to drive out after his set to another gig. The 1st section ended and Mick Ferry arrived to take over compering duties... what a great surprise, I had heard a lot about him and he lived up to everything everyone said. He is a fantastic comedian and a true gentleman off stage. He set up the room beaufifully for me and I had a fantastic set, it was interupted at one point by a chatty guy who was verbally assaulted by a member of the audience, it was quite the sight to behold and allowed for a great little piece of ad-lib to get me an applause break. Had a great time and the show was a genuine treat. The headliner Paul was as amazing on and off stage and a great headliner to work with. Another really great night.
Sunday, June 28: THE COMEDY STORE MANCHESTER
What a thrill of a show and absolute honour to perform at the LEGENDARY Comedy Store, this gig was a very last minute addition with calls from Mike Taylor and Spider to get me in and and email from Toby Hadoke. It was amazing to perform in a theatre style comedy club and a proper comedy club as well. The show was a new material night but I since it was my first time I did a showcase set which was recorded and will be up as soon as I can get a copy of the DVD. I was fantastic to meet and work with so many great comedians and to meet Alex Broadman, whom I have heard so much about. He was amazing on and off stage and gave me some great insight to the whole UK comedy scene. I was on 2nd in the 1st section and had a great set, it was a thrill to have a solid set in such a great room. The show was great from beginning to end with so many strong acts on. It was great to finally see my friend Killian rock the room at the end of the night. I will never forget this show, I am still very happy to have had such a great opportunity and to have such a fun night.
Monday, June 29: The Iguona Club Manchester
This is a long running and well established pub to perform in. It is set up and compere'd by Des Sharples. I got to the show early as I thouhg it started at 8 but it was actually 9. I met and hung out with Tom Goodliffe, a London based comedian and great guy on and off stage. He was on first as he had to rush down to the Frog and Bucket for another set. The room is set up slightly odd with the majority of the audience to the left and right of the stage. The crowd arrived late and the show started a little later to accomodate. By the time the show started there was quite a few people there and the numbers went up as the night went on. The room was tough, they really made everyone work for the laughs but that is what made the show even more rewarding. I had so much fun on that stage and was really happy with the response I received and the kind words after my set. It was great to mix in some new stuff and it was also really great to see Paul Haslam and to work with Andy Watson. I had to leave early since Mark had some stuff going on and was unable to attend the show and picked me up a little later. I felt bad in my rush out I didn't thank Des for the opportunity and for putting me on a really fun show nor did I get to say to the other comics or friends in attendance. It was another great night of comedy,
The UK comedy scene is very different to the Canadian comedy scene in a lot of ways.... I think the one thing that surpises me is the stigma that some comedians and agents attach to performing at open mics. I understand that things are the way they are and that more established comedians shy away from open mics but for me it's what makes the UK scene so great. There are so many opportunities to get on stage and hone new material and keep the performance momentum going. I truly enjoy every stage I perform on and I am having fun with comedy again, I kinda lost sight on my goals and even lost some of my passion for comedy. I have rediscovered my passion and love being on stage and writing comedy again. It also gives me an opportunity to have fun and keeps my mind off my little girl. I miss her so much I can't begin to find the words to explain, I know a lot of comedians can relate to being away from loved ones but I have never been gone for this long and I am only half way through the tour. I talk to my families, both in Tweed and Ottawa as much as I can and I appreciate their support and encouragement but to see my daughter in video calls and want to pick her up and hold her but to know that all I would be holding is a lap top is hollowest feeling of all. I want to perform as much as I can so I can keep my momentum and to keep my sanity. I love my little girl and it sucks that I won't see her till September and I will continue to perform on as many open mics as I can... it has lead me to this!
The UK: A Month In
I have been having a fantastic time here in the UK, meeting some really great people and going to some amazing shows. It is really nice to be writing and having fun with comedy again, I think I can attribute that to defeating some demons that I have been struggling with over the last few years. It is nice that this tour has been good for me in a lot of different ways, all of which completely unexpected. I also have to admit what has blown me away that I am getting so much support from 2 very important people, who I never thought would be as supportive as they have been. My wife, Trelaine, who despite all our troubles, has been a shoulder and ear. She has given me so much encouragment and guidance through this tour and has been phenomenal for me. I can't thank her enough for being there when I needed someone most. Also, my mother, who blows me away with her encouragement and appreciation for this endeavour. She has given me a lot of strength when I feel like this tour is keeping me away from the people who matter most. I am not homesick, nor am I even anxious for this tour to end, I just can't help but think that the WHOLE summer away is going to be hard but I haven't had this much fun with comedy in years.
Mark, my UK manager, set up a meeting with the friends on the Wafik and Friends show at the Edinburgh festival. Marcus Shufflebottom and his wife Angela along with Adam Staunton, Marcus MacMillan, Mia Darlone and Ben Lawes were there as well as Mark's wife Debbie. It was great hammering out how the shows will run and I am anxious to work with them at the prestigous festival. They are fabulous comedians and wonderfull people off stage. I think anyone who goes to see the show in Edinburgh will be in for a treat. I am happy that I was given an opportunity to showcase such amazing people. Unfortunately Ray Bradshaw, the compere for my shows, was unable to attend but he and Mark talked over the phone earlier and was there in spirit.
Last night I had a show in Upholland, I was told Skemersdale UK but was corrected on stage, which set for a very funny moment. I will be honest, when I got to the show, I was a little nervous as this was a high end resort... something that has always been more of a thorn than fun... at least in Canada. The show was amazing, the crowd was fantastic, even though there were only about 35 people they were friendly and really into the whole show. Sam Harland, the compere was great, he warmed them up nicely and set them up for me to go up and have fun. It was a great set for me and a fantastic experience. After the interval, that followed my set, I watched Bethany Black, whom I have been a fan of since Mark, told me of her. She was a joy to watch and meet. She completely smashed it with a fiery set that made the old people laugh and blush. It was a treat to be able to share the stage with her and such a sweet person to hang out with. Another interval and the headliner took the stage, Mark Rough, whom I had seen at the ACE theatre's grand opening. I was impressed with him at that show BUT he smashed it even harder at the Holland Hall Hotel and was just a phenomenal person to talk to. He is a true gentteman and a fantastic performer. It was a great night and I hope to share the stage with all 3 of them again. I want to thank all of them for such an amazing night. Special thanks to Spikey Mike, who set up the show and as I said before has an amazing eye for great comedy venues.
The UK: Show Report
The Gatehouse Pub, Tyldesley UK
Another amazing room for comedy, there is quite an impressive collection of little pubs that are truly great comedy venues and this is another one. The show is run by James Blood (coolest name in comedy) he also acted as compere and had some funny banter with the audience to kick the show off. This was an incredible line up Roland Gent, who set a great tone and a very high bar rocked the room. Ro Campbell was next and did some of the funniest, most edgey comedy I have seen in years, rocked the room till the interval... thank God there was one. Derry Hunter, still very new to the scene had a great set and warmed them up nicely. I had another fantastic set, I really enjoyed the show and really appreciated the crowd response, got some new stuff in again and was very happy about that. Another interval and then the headliner, Jamie Sutherland, who was fantastic played with the audience beautifully and had some amazing material, he rocked the place till the end of the show. The manager and his bar staff were wonderful and I am looking forward to performing there again.
The UK: Full Week of Shows (Blog 2)
It was a great week of comedy a mix of pro spots, open mics and showcases. I will not name too many of the comedians as I don't want to leave anyone out and to be honest I am really bad with names.
Monday June 1st:
The Blessington Carriage Pub, Derby UK (pronounced Darby)
This was a Spikey Mike gig, he is a booker with a really good eye for venues and this was another good one. It was a really warm and sunny day, usually a bad thing for comedy but it was a full house. A mainly young crowd, university students but there were some older people also in attendance. The room got warmer as the show went on. Spikey Mike was the compere (mc) with 4 acts on the show and 1 headliner. There were 2 intervals (intermissions) with 2 comedians performing in the first 2 sections and the headliner in the third. I was on just before the 2nd interval. It was cheap beer night and the room was getting warmer as the show went on. I think we all felt lethargic by the time I got on, made for a little more working but the show was really fun. I think I lost 5 pounds during my performance but it was happy that I got to dip into some new material. Derby's about an hour and a half from Manchester, it was a beautiful drive and Mark took me to Eyam UK, where the Bubonic Plague originated a very neat town despite the morbid history. It was a great night and great to perform in another town.
Tuesday June 2:
Stamps Too, Liverpool UK
A small room but jammed packed with an excellent atmosphere, perfect for comedy. I was really excited about this show because it was the first show I was to headline (20 minute set) but I couldn't wait. When we got to the pub we found out that Scooby (Phil Chapman) was the compere, I had met and watched Scooby at the Comedy Balloon my first week here and I thought he was a fanstatic comedian and that the show would be even better knowing he was on. I was more than right, he did a phenomenal job of getting the crowd going even with the audio difficulties off the top. There were 2 intervals with 2 comedians in each section including the 3rd section. I must say the most interesting part of the show was when Boberella took the stage... first time sharing a stage with a cross dress act... turned me off redheads completely. The highlight for my set was when the act before me, Adam Staunton, without knowing me joked about a one-eyed immigrant cleaned up the McDonald's he frequented... gave me a fantastic opening line and set the stage for what I consider one of the best sets I have had in quite sometime. I mixed new material with tried and true, it was a great set even in dealing with a heckler that I did not understand at all. I did almost half and hour and pushed close to getting an encore except for the fact that the bar had to close as they called last call the moment I stepped off the stage. I am looking forward to performing in Liverpool again, the nicest most laid back people I have met since going to St. John's Newfoundland earlier this year. I am scheduled to perform at Comedy Central August 6 but would love to perform in Liverpool as many times as I can. I am hoping to return to Stamps Too again, the manager, an awesome man spoke Egyptian, which was very cool. Talked to quite a few people after the show and made a great night even better. I was beaming the whole ride home... what a great night of comedy.
Wednesday June 3:
The Comedy Balloon, Ape and Apple Pub Manchester UK
Fast becoming my favorite open mic room, this was my 3rd show and this time I was to headline (although I think it was more of a going on last thing) but an honour nonetheless... best crowd and line up of all the shows I had done at the Comedy Ballon. I had quite a bit of new stuff that I really wanted to do and this is the perfect venue for it. It was to be another 20 minute set so it opened the door to do a mix of new and old. It was also nice to work with my friend Marcus Shufflebottom, I am fast becoming a fan of him and his comedy, it was awesome to meet his fantastic family. The surprise of the night was a comedienne named Mia Darlone who had the funniest most shocking material and with her sweet and innocent demeanor destroyed the room, it was fantastic to watch. I was very happy with my set and even more happy that a lot of the new stuff I had been working on went over so well. In the end I did about 23 minutes and was more than happy with the overall set. Spider runs a great room and invited us to Fab Pub for a little afterparty. It was nice to talk to many of the Mancurian comedians who make the comedy community an amazing thing.
Thursday June 4:
The MET Theatre, Bury UK (pronounced Berry)
My 1st show for Paul Haslam, I hope to work for him again. It was an honour to perform in the theatre and a fantastic show. The mc R Davic was fantastic and set the room up beautifully, there were 2 intervals and an act in each section. I was on the 2nd section and had a good set. It was the hardest show of the tour so far but I was happy that I made the people of Bury laugh. The crowd was a little older and my act was well received but I was mistaken in some of the material I did. I am starting to realise sarcastic terrorist comedy does not go over as well with the older folk in the UK. It was a great night and all the comedians on the show were fantastic to work with and watch.
Friday June 5:
Mother Macs, Manchester UK
Mike Taylor was the man who told me I had to do the show based on the fact that it can be a nightmare for comedian. Let me start by telling you the history of this pub as I was told. The pub is one of the oldest in Manchester as the story goes the owner of the pub caught his wife cheating on him... in a fit of rage he set her on fire in the basement, threw their 2 children on top of her then himself. PERFECT FOR COMEDY. Mix in the fact that the audience is mostly other comedians with little to no "real" crowd. Another headline set for me, which was great as I had even more new material that I wanted to try. There were 14 acts in total and the compere, John Thorp, was fantastic and set the room up for beautifully. The surprise of all surprises, it was jam packed... a small room that was standing room only, the mic didn't work as well as it should but in the small room it was hardly needed. There was 1 interval with 10 acts in the first section and 4 in the second. In the 2nd half we all decided to forego the mic altogether, which really did not take from the show at all. All the acts were quite strong and were really great both on and off stage, but it is after all Manchester. Now barring in mind what happened at Stamps Too in Liverpool... this show was unbelievable. I had another great set and was so happy with the response and the fact that I did as much of the new material as I could and it went over well. Mixed the old and new nicely and had the crowd laughing and came off the "stage" beaming. It was a great night made even better in that I met fellow Canadians Mike Sheer, who was awesome both on and off stage... also Vince Fleuck, who I had met at the Ottawa Yuk Yuk's a few years back and worked with on one of my western tours. I have been a fan of Vince's since we met, a brilliant writer and performer and it was really great to see him again.
An awesome week of comedy, thanks to all the comedians that I worked and hung out with. I am eager to share the stage with them all again.
The UK... To This Point:
This is my first blog ever... so please forgive me for being self indulgent but I'm gonna be.
The tour was postponed a week and would have been delayed even longer if it hadn't been for my mom who awesomely encouraged me to go first chance I had. I left on Friday, May 15th and arrived on the 16th at 9 AM UK time. I didn't realise till I got to the airport that this was my first international trip since September 11th, so I was a little apprehensive. I started playing a game I called "Find the More Suspicious Arab" on my flight. There were 2 guys that fit the criteria, not that it mattered they got through immigration much quicker than I did... karma for playing the game I guess. Immigration was actually much friendlier than I expected, these are the same people who detained Pope Benedict so I was just happy that it went without incident.
I arrived 2 hours late because of a delay at the airport in Toronto. I was greeted at Manchester International by Mark Pollard, the amazing man who brought me to the UK also with him was his son Jack. Mark who has fast become one of my truest friends since I got into this business and is the reason I even thought of coming to the UK. The fact that I am here is all thanks to him. I met the rest of Mark's family including is wonderful wife Deb. I have never felt more welcome by a family than I have the Pollard's.
It was surreal to be in Manchester, as I have been a Manchester United fan since discovering football. The whole family took me to Old Trafford to see the home of the Red Devil's, who unbeknownst to us had just won the European League championship, we left before the 120,000 could vacate the huge stadium, so we dropped off the kids and hit a REAL pub. Sorry Canada, you got it wrong, British pubs are the real deal, not complaining, anywhere that sells beer is a good place to be but the Brits do it right. We went back to the stadium the next day and took some amazing pics and also got some awesome United gear. Did not go to any clubs till Monday when we went to a cool comedy club called "The Frog and Bucket". Mark and I were very impressed by a comedian, who has also become an amazing friend, by the name of Ray Bradshaw. Ray, came with us the next night to what was my first ever UK show. It was a comedy competition in a club called The Maze in Nottingham, which had 19 people competing. I was on late in the show and won the competition, I was elated. It was my first performance on European soil and was happy my material translated as well as it did. The next night was an open mic at a pub called "The Ape and Apple" the show is called The Comedy Balloon. It is run by an awesome guy named Spider (not his real name but the only way I know him) I just wanted to see how much of my stuff works outside of Canada. I had a fantastic set and met 2 agents, Mike Taylor and Paul Haslam, they were impressed with what they saw and gave me a few dates immediately. I was told before I got to the UK that "You never know who is going to be in the audience at any show" they were right. An open mic like any other and there are 2 big agents in the crowd. The next day Mark told me that the 2 shows I had done were being talked about on the Manchester Comedy Forum. I was beginning to impress some cool people. Due to the postponment of the first week I lost out on some gigs but managed to keep one in tact another open mic put on by Tim Sewell at a pub called the Town Hall Tavern. A tiny, but amazing little room that allowed me to test more of my material and meet even more great Mancurian comedians and some of Mark's friends and family, Rosa and Denise 2 of the sweetest people ever. I closed out the show (footage will be added to my videos as soon as we can edit) had another strong set and was very happy with the feedback I was getting. Once again the Manchester Comedy Forum was talking about me.
The next day we met Ray at the HUB festival in Liverpool, a celebration for the youth of Liverpool. The show was hosted by Juice FM and the venue was outside by the docks. Ray, who had already impressed me twice completely blew me away with a fantastic performance, the average age at festival was 16 and he got a crowd of 5 to grow to well over a 1000 in less than 2 minutes. He had them in a frenzy, and he turned a gig that would have had most comedians cringing into something unbelievable. Through Ray I got a gig in Liverpool, which I eagerly await.
Wednesday, May 27, 2 shows and Manchester United playing Barcelona in Rome for the Champions League final... knew the shows would be interesting because of the football match. Manchester wins crazy party, Manchester loses sad drunken party. However, as they said at both shows "the show must go on". I was put on early at the Comedy Balloon to allow me to get to Lammar's for their show. The Comedy Balloon show was right, smack dab in the middle of the football game but there were a few people out for it. I was so happy to have another strong set under such crazy circumstances and felt bad for leaving during the intermisson but we had to so I can get to Laughter at Lammar's. Lammar's is one of the coolest pubs I have ever been to. The show is run by a really great guy named Alan Donegan (sorry if that is mis-spelled) who hosts the show and it showcases more established acts. The game ended as we drove to Lammar's, sadly the Red Devil's lost 2 nil. It was an odd night for Lammar's and the Mancurians were upset with the result of the game, this made for the toughest but I must admit the most fun show I had on a UK stage. I had another strong set in front of a noticablly unhappy crowd. Another fun night regardless and once again met some amazing people on the Manchester comedy scene. I returned to the Pollard home to an email from Peter Buckley Hill, the man who runs the legendary Edinburgh Comedy Festival, the email said the words I never thought I would read "Welcome to the festival" I was completely blown away, to be honest I still am. I never expected half the success I am experiencing but to be part of one the biggest comedy festival in the world goes beyond all expectation.
I will never be able to thank Mark Pollard enough for working tirelessly on my behalf, amassing all the shows I have and for building this website. He is the man behind my success in the UK and I just want everybody to know he deserves a lot of the credit for the success I am finding. Nor will I ever be able to thank his family for making me feel like part of the family.
My family back in Ottawa and Tweed, who I miss and love, I want to thank them all for their support and being a huge part of my incredible success thus far. A special thanks to my brother, John, for being there for me, 5000 miles apart and he is still with me every step of the way.
