Canadian comedy icon Ron James blends razor-sharp satire with the rhythm and wit of a seasoned storyteller, drawing on influences from Carlin to Connolly. Known for his everyman charm and keen cultural observations, he’s returning with his 11th stand-up special, The View from Here, a uniquely Canadian look at a world that’s undeniably off-kilter. With decades of experience and a style honed to poetic precision, James remains one of the country’s most essential comedic voices.
How would you describe your comedy style?
A comedian’s eye for satire with a poet’s ear for language.
Who are some of your influences?
George Carlin, Billy Connolly, Cormac McCarthy.
Who was your favourite comedian growing up?
Richard Pryor.
What is your pre-show ritual?
Line up my notes backstage and have a can of Red Bull. It’s not just for 20-something snowboarders.
What is your favourite place you have performed? Why?
Wherever anybody is laughing.
What is your favourite bit you have written and why were you proud of it?
I’ve been doing this for 35 years – I can’t pick one.
What is your favourite medium for listening or finding new comics/comedians?
Online, social media.
Tell us a joke about your city.
Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the Globe sailing the Golden Hind in 1577, faster than I can travel 5 blocks in Toronto traffic.
Do you have anything to promote right now?
Iconic award-winning Canadian comedian RON JAMES has his 11th stand-up special, “THE VIEW FROM HERE” – which can be seen live at the Bluma Appel Theatre in Toronto, or livestreamed on Friday, Nov. 28 @ 7:30 p.m. ET.
Combining a comedian’s eye for satire with a poet’s ear for language, ‘The View from Here’ is a uniquely Canadian view on a world out of whack, as seen from our ‘side of the fence’ and of a ‘next door neighbour’ we once knew.
Interwoven with this theme of Canadian/American relations, are the myriad number of challenges of our time, featuring Ron as the ever struggling ‘everyman’, who came of age in a day when a ‘hash tag’ was something you got after getting too close to the hash knives; now doing his best to make sense of this world out of whack, while bedevilled by forces beyond his control, and aware more than ever that mortality is the new reality, where aging Baby Boomers like him, are but twenty years away from roaming ‘the home’ in their Led Zeppelin onesies, just a sing-a-long away from taking a Stairway to Heaven.
Ticketmaster sale | Live Streaming tickets
*Please note that the Livestream is available for viewing for 24 Hours after start time of 7:30 p.m. ET, for convenience.
Where can we follow you?
Website | Eventbrite | Facebook | Instagram
PAY IT FORWARD: Who is another local comic/comedian we should know about?
Chris Locke, Ryan Belleville, Martha Chaves.
