Wilfully Funny

Ottawa comic Julien Dionne (June 13, 2021, Recorded on April 25, 2021, IG: julien_dionne)   Julien and I both love zoom shows but we are both eager to get back on stage. We touched on a bit of everything in this episode: work/life during the pandemic, edge lords, performing sober, and breaking into the French comedy scene.

I spoke with my friend from Montreal, Caroline Alary (IG: @caro823)   My scheduled guest stood me up today. I put a call out and my friend Caroline decided to come on. We caught up and had fun. She’s not a comedian although I think she should give it a go.

Former Ottawa comic Aiden Javed (IG: @thatbrowncomic)   Aiden moved back to Vancouver last year. We talked about life and comedy over the last year.

Winnipeg comic Issa Kixen is the host/producer of Woke Comedy Hour (IG: @wokecomedyhour, FB: @wokecomedian)   Issa and I met on a show about medical experiences. We talked about the prejudice that BIPOC experience in the medical community. We also discussed finding our place in our respective comedy communities and the challenges we both faced in doing so.

Ottawa comic Trevor Thompson (IG:@trevorthompson75, Twitter: @TrevorWThompson)   Trevor is one of my favourite people. We talked vaccines, the way Doug Ford says “COVID”, masks, and “the numbers”. Of course, we did talk comedy.

In this episode, I spoke with Ottawa comic Kia Mazhar (IG:@kiamazar)   Kia is currently in the BC interior planting trees. He drove an hour to Williams Lake, BC to speak to me from a Walmart parking lot. We talked about lockdown, vaccines, tree-planting, drugs, condoms, consent, and of course comedy.

In this episode, I spoke with Montreal comic Joel Slavic (IG:@joelslavik)   Joel and I spoke about how we’re broken after these last few lockdowns and curfews. Can we take much more? We talked about our love of stand up, influences, and experiences over the past year.

In this episode, I spoke with Toronto comic Linda Camacho (IG:@hippyrockercomedygirl)   Linda and I talked about performing stand up during a pandemic and online. We both love Zoom shows and think every comic should have a few Zoom shows under their belts. We talked about the thrill of making other comics and new people laugh…what a rush!

In this episode, I spoke with Ottawa comic Dianne Skoll ( https://dianne.skoll.ca/ ).   Dianne and I had an incredibly fun conversation. We talked about coping through the pandemic and our love of stand up comedy.

In the premiere episode of season 3, I spoke with my friend comic, actor, and improv actor, David Brennan (IG/Twitter:@brennandavidn).   We went all over the place! We talked mental health, vaccines, the George Floyd verdict, and paying your comedy dues. We both love standup so much and discussed the lengths we’ve gone to get on stage. It was an incredibly fun conversation.

The province of Ontario has since rescinded the part of the order giving police the authority to stop and question people. Cold comfort since it happens anyway. This is my perspective.

In this bonus episode, I spoke with fellow comics and film directors Scott Brown and Jean-François Frenette.   I asked them about the impact their movie "Comedy-19: The Last Laugh" has had on the Canadian comedy community since its release in early March 2021. Of course we went off course and talked about many other topics.   Comedy-19: The Last Laugh: https://comedy19movie.com/ Canadian...

In this final regular episode of Season 2, I talk with my good friend Kingston comic Jeff Nixon (IG: @jeffnixonguy, Twitter: @bigfatboxofshi)   Jeff and I talk about comedy, our standup journeys so far, the handling of COVID-19, cancel culture, censorship, etc. He answers a few of my 250 random questions too.

In this episode I talk with my friend Ottawa comedian, actor, and musician Oliver George (IG: @justchillwitholivergeorge, Twitter: @justchillwithOG).   Buckle up! Oliver and I go all over the place in this one: drinking, interviewing, phobias, dancing, roller coasters, microscopic bugs that live on us, Tiger King.

  In this episode I talk with Ottawa comic Liam Rado(IG/YouTube/TikTok: @radocomedy). Liam is a new comic who started his comedy career during the pandemic. I asked him about his experiences so far in the standup world. We also talked about finding your voice/niche on stage and our lives outside of standup.

In this episode I talk with my friend Kingston comic/producer Al Babcock (IG/Twitter: @ab3comedy).   Al and I talked about the vague, confusing, colour-coded COVID-19 zone designations. We also discussed performing, downtime, people expecting us to be “on” all the time. We also talked about hecklers and people who don’t understand the etiquette of attending a comedy show.

In this episode I talk with Ottawa comic Christabelle Witt (IG: @creativechristabelle).   Christabelle and I have much in common. Both divorced, we’re in similar lines of work, we're both quiet and introverted, and have dirty standup acts. We discussed the trauma and stigma of divorce and traded dating horror stories.

I talk with Ottawa comic Wardie Leppan.   Wardie and I talked about comedy, the pandemic, and age. He told me about how he fled to Canada in the mid-1970s due to his work forming unions for Black people in South Africa. He also disclosed his daughter’s stage name suggestion for him.

  I talk with my friend, Ottawa comic Hamilton Burger (IG: @hamilton_burger). Hamilton and I talk about how difficult the last year has been. We did talk comedy but most of the conversation dealt with working from home, isolation, quarantine, performing post-lockdown, and what we’re looking forward to when (not if) things get better.

I talk with Ottawa comic Mike Leblanc (IG: @mikeleblanccomedy, Twitter: @mikeleblanchaha)   Mike is one of a handful of Ottawa-area comics who perform in both English and French. He spoke about how he started comedy in Vancouver six years ago. He had a crazy story about his first time on stage at an open mic in Vancouver and other cool stories about doing comedy in LA and NYC. It was a fascin...

I talk with my good friend, former co-host, and comic Dawn Xanklin (IG: @dawnxanklincomedy, Twitter: @dxanklin)   We were co-hosts last year on our podcast “Black Don’t Crack” until the end of the first lockdown last summer. We talked about comedy, lockdown, quarantine, and vaccines. Dawn told me about the cool things she’s been doing since the last time she was on the show. We also shared th...

I talk with comic Lindsay Ventzke.   I was fortunate enough to be hosting the show where Lindsay had her first set. She killed it. We talked about her journey into standup comedy so far and what motivated her to start.

I talk with radio personality and friend Dylan Black.   We could have talked for hours more! Dylan told me about his almost 25-year radio career. I made him blush by telling him how much I liked his voice.

I talk with Ottawa comic and good friend Emmett Morrison.   We met in a comedy class in 2019 and reconnected during the pandemic.  We reminisced about our first forays into standup. I asked him how getting started in comedy during a plague has been.

I talk with Cornwall comic and radio personality Dan Allaire.   Dan and I discussed our love and passion for standup comedy. We talked about how people think we’re crazy for driving for miles to do 5 minutes for no pay. We both started “late” and want to enjoy the ride for as long as we can.