Tag Archives: laughs

“LIVE FROM THE POOL DECK” INTERVIEW WITH CANADIAN COMEDY ICON, EVAN CARTER

EVAN CARTER is one of my all-time favourite comedians. When I worked as agent for Toronto’s Yuk Yuk’s Komedy Klub back in the 80s, he was my go-to guy for corporate gigs when the client required a clean comic, and he was a brilliant MC for in-house shows as well as gigs across the country – Evan was always reliable and could deliver the goods no matter who the audience may be.
Back then, record labels and concert promoters would frequently use comedians to open for their touring music artists and I booked Evan for gigs with some pretty big names such as the chart-topping Aussie pop duo Air Supply and the late R&B legend Marvin Gaye when he stopped in Toronto on his Sexual Healing tour…oh my!Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of not only working with Evan but sitting in the audience as a civilian and watching/listening to him kill it on stage. Now we can all watch him on YouTube and listen to his recent comedy album You Speak So Well.I was thrilled when Evan agreed to come visit me for a Live From the Pool Deck series of video Q&As talking about his current “Legends of Motown” musical stage show that’s successfully packing ‘em in across North America, as well as past triumphs and stories from the comedy trenches.  His new website has just been launched [www.evancarter.com] so check Evan out for yourself and see why he’s considered “the comedian’s comedian…”

Thanks for sharing all the laughs over the past four+ decades…keep it up, we need all the laughs we can get, Evan. LOL
Again, visit Evan’s new website for social media links plus videos and concert soundtracks – www.evancarter.com

 

MORE LAUGHS at DANFORTH COMEDY FESTIVAL

Last night, Friday, Comedy Nuggets presented the 2nd last night of stand-up comedy at the DANFORTH COMEDY FESTIVAL with a line-up of engaging and entertaining comedians, hosted by Anasimone George (below) who kept the audience energized and ready to laugh.She first introduced Dimi Kolovopoulos (below) who bounded on stage and kept the audience revved up throughout his set. Having Greek heritage, Dimi was the ideal entertainer on the night – it was opening night for Taste of the Danforth down on the street. Opa!Anasimone then into’d Sai Kit whose quiet, shy on-stage persona disguised his biting commentary on his family’s immigrant experience and growing up slightly disadvantaged when relating to the ladies!Next on the bill was a Brit comedian David Green (below) who truly embraced the power of the pun. Those of you of a certain age with a UK heritage would surely recognize the machine-gun joke delivery of the late comic legend Tommy Cooper. I laughed so hard  – I wanna see more of David.Canada’s Got Talent alum Cathy Boyd was up next, sharing her thoughts on parenting four kids (apparently she would have been happy with just the first 3) and trying to make Howie Mandel laugh! The audience loved her dry, slow burn delivery.Festival Founder and stand-up comic Luke Lynndale was up next and he ramped up the energy in the room with his fast-paced observational comedy, esp. his thoughts on childbirth….his delivery room experiences with his first child made for some funny material!The final comedian/headliner was Nile Seguin (below) whose killer set ended the night on a high note. An admitted “weirdo” and nerd, Nile is a veteran of the comedy fest circuit having performed across Canada and the U.S. as well as being an accomplished TV writer (he was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for his writing on CBC’s “Still Standing” one of my fave Canadian shows).So there’s one more night & two shows left for the inaugural Danforth Comedy Festival. The Don on the Danforth (near the Main subway stn) plays host to both shows and there are still some tickets left. Check out info and tkts at: www.danforthcomedyfestival.com. Hope to see you there.
Follow and support these talented comedians via their social media (Instagram):
@scamasimone (your host)
@spit_bandit (Dimi)
@side_kick_comedy (Sai)
@davidgreencomic
@can_am_cathy
@comedynuggets (Luke)
@neil_seguin
@danforthcomedyfestival

MEET COMEDIAN MAX ROSS, MC EXTRAORDINAIRE!

I had the pleasure of seeing some great comedians perform last weekend at Toronto’s Danforth Comedy Festival (3 more shows this weekend) and one of the stand-outs was the MC of the show at Socap Comedy Theatre (Danforth & Broadview), MAX ROSS. He’s a brilliant stand-up comic himself but he stepped up to the mic and kept the energy in the room high throughout the night and the attention on the guest acts.MC’ing is an under-appreciated (and under-respected) role during a night of comedy. Most comics don’t like the responsibility of holding a show together – keeping the audience entertained between sets and paying attention to what’s going on on stage, and revving them up again if a comedian bombs. Last Friday evening Max kept the room buzzing so I was thrilled when Max agreed to share his thoughts on comedy and how he came to the spotlight…..

Max, congrats on your appearance at the Danforth Comedy Festival. As MC for the first show I saw, you created an ideal environment for each of the comics who took the stage – that’s a tough and under-appreciated job. Do you prefer MCing or doing stand-up sets?  Thank you for the compliment! MCing takes a lot of skill and experience. Of course, I prefer doing longer stand-up sets over MC’ng, but I do enjoy hosting. You are correct though, MCing is very underappreciated because the job of an MC isn’t to be the funniest comedian. Your priority as an MC is to set the tone of the show by going on stage with positive energy, getting to know the crowd and hyping all the acts the audience will see on the show. I’ve been to shows in the past where the MC was low energy and didn’t warm up the crowd, causing the show to be uncomfortable and not fun for the crowd and the comedians, so a good MC makes a big difference.
The other reason why I enjoy MCing is because you never know what kind of crowd you’ll have, so when you do crowd work, you need to constantly improvise and adapt to the situation to keep the show interesting and fun. Plus, when I’m improvising on stage, I can think of new material that I can work on later at other shows.

Have you participated in other comedy festivals such as the Danforth Comedy Festival? And if so, how was that experience?  Yes, I have. In 2019, I was part of the Burbank Comedy Festival in Burbank California, and in 2022, I did Just For Laughs Toronto “Best of Absolute Comedy” at Absolute Comedy Club, Toronto. Both festivals were a lot of fun, and I would do it again. As a former military paratrooper, do you equate performing on stage and making people laugh to the thrill (and fear?) of dropping into a conflict zone by parachute?  It can be. It’s quite a thrill but can be a little nerve-recking. Obviously, these are two different types of fears (public speaking and dying from jumping out of a plane…), but I enjoy the adrenaline rush of both. I used to be scared going up on stage, and I still get nervous on occasion, but I just keep reminding myself to have fun up there and enjoy the moment.  Parachuting in the army was fun too… though over time, I’ve hurt my knees and back from bad landings. (Veterans Affairs believes my body pain was not service related…) Having a Polish background, have you drawn on your family and culture for your humour or do you just enjoy the great food?  I love talking about my Polish background on stage. I don’t know many Polish comedians in the city, so it’s nice to be able to represent my culture. I grew up in an immigrant household, so my upbringing was more unique than the regular Canadian. And yes, I also enjoy great Polish food!

Have you been inspired by any other comics (past or present) and if so, who in particular did you relate to or want to emulate?  There are many comedians who sparked my interest in stand up. Eddie Murphy was my favourite and watching his first special “Delirious” inspired me to write material and eventually trying it out.
Other comedic inspirations: George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Paul Mooney, Jim Carrey, Louis CK, David Letterman, Norm Macdonald, Patrice O’Neal, Russell Peters, Bill Burr, Robin Williams, Dave Attell, Gilbert Gottfried. Over the years, I discovered more comedians who would inspire me to get better. These comedians include Tom Segura, Andrew Schulz, Hannibal Buress, Nate Bargatze, Chris Distefano, Mark Normand, Godfrey.

Any advice for aspiring comedians out there?  A great Canadian poet by the name Aubrey Graham once said, “You only live once”. If comedy is something you’re passionate about, take a chance and try it out.  Statistically speaking, your first time on stage will probably be awful. That’s just how it is… but keep writing, go to open mics, and meet other comics in the city. Eventually you’ll figure it out and get better at writing and performing… or not… Welcome to showbiz, baby!The best advice I got when I was starting out was by Juno Award-winning comedian Dave Merheje (as seen on Mr.D, Ramy, Just for Laughs). All he told me was to just have fun. Comedy is supposed to be fun, so you shouldn’t feel stressed or overwhelmed doing it. Just keep reminding yourself in your head that this is fun.

And what’s your next big stand-up gig – where can we see you?  Follow me on Instagram @maxrosscomedy as I post show dates there!  I also post content on TikTok and YouTube @maxrosscomedy Keep an eye out for Max appearing in your local club…or on the BIG stages of comedy festivals.  And if you want more great laughs this weekend, check out www.danforthcomedyfestival.com for shows at Socap (tonight, Friday Aug.11) and The Don on the Danforth (2 shows) Saturday night.

DANFORTH COMEDY FESTIVAL – NIGHT 2

Saturday night and another great line-up of comedy, this time at the Comedy Bar on the Danforth, near Victoria Park. It was nearly a full house for the second night of the brand new Danforth Comedy Festival and I was thrilled to be introduced to headliner Nathan Macintosh who blew the roof off the place!

First off, MC Azfar Ali (below) warmed up the already pumped crowd, spritzing with several individuals who were very into the show. He set the tone perfectly for all the comics and maintained the high-energy in the room throughout the entire night.Azfar first intro’d Simone Holder (below) who I had seen the previous night at a different venue. She did not disappoint, unleashing a series of stories on being a “lady of a certain age”, sex and life seen thru the eyes of being single. Simone rocked it!Then Akeem Hoyte-Charles (below) took the stage – well, he actually “took” the room. His fast-fire commentary on being the best boyfriend in the world had the ladies swooning and the guys a little nervous…LOL. Imagine Kevin Hart meets Eddie Murphy and you get the  idea how talented this guy is.Next up, Luke Lynndale (below) who had the crowd laughing in recognition when discussing the pro’s and con’s of supermarket self check-outs and the dilemma of shopping when there are no carts available. And his bit on socializing in the dog park, well…if you have a dog, you’ll understand completely.Then came the big guy! Nathan Macintosh knocked it out of the park. It’s been a long time since I enjoyed a stand-up’s set so much, applauding and cheering, begging for an encore. Nathan is the real thing. I ran Yuk Yuk’s Komedy Klub back in the 80s and always loved discovering brilliant comedic talents over the years, and seeing Nathan headline was like the first time watching the acerbic delivery of New Yorker Ritch Shydner (true comedy fans should recognize that name).

Tonight, Sunday Aug.6 I’m heading back to the Comedy Bar to see another cool line-up with headliner Efthimios Nasiopoulos – perfect for Greektown! Hope to see you there.

For show line-ups, dates & times, visit: www.danforthcomedyfestival.com
Follow your favourite comedians via Instagram:
@nathanmacintosh
@adventures_of_azfar
@_simonecomedy_
@akeemgramz
@lukelynndale
@comedynuggets

JOIN NOW TO VOTE FOR THIS YEAR’S NOMINEES INTO THE CANADIAN COMEDY HALL OF FAME

Starting April 1st, YOU can vote your favourite Canadian comedian into the CANADIAN COMEDY HALL OF FAME...but you must become a Member first. Visit www.canadiancomedyhall.com and for a special lifetime membership fee of $25, you will have voting rights to ensure your favourite “Performers” are added to the Hall’s list of great comedic artists. “Voting is set to open as of April 1st for this year’s group of inductees into the Canadian Comedy Hall of Fame,” says Founder and Exec. Director Tim Progosh, “and we hope everyone across the country will become members so they can cast their votes for their favourite performers named on the impressive list of nominees.”  Voting runs until May 24th.  “After 2 years of Covid lockdowns, restrictions and lack of live entertainment, Canada needs a damn good laugh”, continued Progosh, “so we’re proud that the Canadian Comedy Hall of Fame celebrates the country’s funniest comedians, creative professionals as well as great artists from the past whose legacies paved the way for today’s comedy stars.”   Those stars voted into the Hall this year will be announced July 1st, followed by a formal presentation event later in the year.
Here are just a few of this year’s nominees…Learn more about the previous inductees and plans for the future of the Canadian Comedy Hall of Fame by following social media (all linked on the website) and visiting www.canadiancomedyhall.com

CANADIAN COMEDY LEGEND, KENNY ROBINSON, TO HOST ROCK TRIBUTE BAND FESTIVAL IN OSHAWA

Back in the 80’s when I ran Yuk Yuk’s Komedy Kabaret and its talent agency, Funny Business, one of my favourite comedians was Kenny Robinson. Kenny always showed up and delivered a killer set and was one of the most reliable MC’s we had on the roster.  No matter how big or humble the gig was, whoever the audience was, Kenny would have ’em rolling in the aisles!  And a few years ago, I was privileged to watch as Kenny was presented with the “Phil Hartman Award” for his contribution to the Canadian comedy industry at the annual Canadian Comedy Awards in Ottawa.Kenny 2Next Saturday, Sept. 16th, Kenny is the host of a unique concert featuring 5 of Canada’s top rock tribute bands and I know that only Kenny can keep things rolling and on time for the 1st Annual Durham Rock Tribute Festival (details below).

His irreverent, socially conscience, intelligent, opinionated and profane style of comedy has made Kenny a fixture and favourite with comedy clubs, festivals, radio, and television audiences for 3 decades.  Raunchy, energetic, sharp-witted, and sharp dressed, Robinson is a one of a kind act. Not for the weak of heart or narrow minded, Kenny assaults your sensibilities and funny bone with unspoken truths.  His episode of the CBC’s Comics has been referred by the Toronto Star as “One of the few episodes that still stand with the test of time” and many Canada’s brightest young comics have claimed Kenny as a mentor and influence. 17457914_10154980646416271_3297041097344781726_nI asked Kenny a few quick questions for this blog and he obliged with the following….

You’ve hosted a lot of music and comedy concerts over the years – do you remember the first one you MC’d and/or the show your hosted with the biggest stars?  My first gig opening for a band was with Tommy Tutone…(867-5309…Jenny Jenny) at the El Mocambo. Later I would host for Jim Carrey, Bo Diddley, and Peaches and Herb.18057020_10155068379351271_2914880231838205834_nHow important is the job of the MC when you have a lot of performers in the line-up?  As the host, my job is to keep the show moving…keep the crowd entertained and informed. On the 16th, I will have five bands and five hours of no holds barred rock and roll on such a tight schedule that VIA rail would envy!!

You’ve been the star of your own TV comedy specials and headlined many live shows in comedy clubs or concert halls: what do you prefer – TV or live?  I love TV and performing live.  TV exposes me to a larger audience and usually pays better…but live gigs give me the thrill and challenge of improvising or trying previously untested material – I’m like a jazz musician that way.

Do you have any musical preferences? With the 5 tribute bands performing on the show you’re hosting in Oshawa, do you have any favourite genres or are you a closet disco king?  I’m basically a blues junkie, so Bad to the Bone and The SRV Experience will be the highlights of the night for me…no disrespect to the Skynyrd boys, haa haa!

Where can your fans see you next?  Folks can catch me the last Sunday of each month hosting Kenny Robinson and his Nubian Show at the downtown Toronto Yuk Yuk’s, and for the 420 crowd, at the Green Leaf Vapour Lounge in Brampton where it’s not unusual for me to drop two long sets.

Do you have a website or social media networks? Folks can check me out on Facebook, or my much neglected website http://www.kennyrobinson.com/contact.html17554206_10154989207221271_4898851077302236969_nKenny’s hosted The Gemini Awards and was twice nominated for his writing and performance in his ground breaking one hour special “Thick and Thin” on the CBC.  Kenny has earned accolades as the creator/writer/producer and host of the edgy late night series “After Hours with Kenny Robinson” on The Comedy Network.

As an actor Kenny has appeared in such films as “Third Miracle” with Ed Harris, “Down To Earth” with Chris Rock, Clement Virgo’s “Love Comes Down”, and David Sutherland’s “Love, Sex, and Eating the Bones.”  Robinson has appeared on the CBC’s “Royal Canadian Air Farce”, Showtime’s “Soul Food”, and has a wide fan base from his re-occurring roles as “Jelly Bean” on PAX series “Doc”, starring Billy Ray Cyrus, and as “Mickey” on the teen fave “Radio Free Roscoe” on the “Noggin” Network. 17554420_10154989217981271_2719326215689466989_nCome see/hear Kenny work his comedy magic as he rides shotgun on this incredible line-up of bands next Saturday night.

Durham’s 1st Annual Rock Tribute Festival 
Saturday Sept, 16th (doors open 5pm)
General Sikorski Hall, 1551 Stevenson Rd N, Oshawa
Tickets are available from: www.ticketpro.ca 

Thanks to our media sponsor…..CKDO logo