How would you describe your comedy style?

This is painful for me to answer but deadpan, literal, honest, and surreal.

Who are some of your influences?

The movie Muriel’s Wedding, Lisa Kudrow, David Lynch, the band The Knife, my mom, my friends, and people who are making interesting and genuine work!

Who was your favourite comedian growing up?

I was always obsessed with anything Molly Shannon and Maria Bamford was my first favourite stand-up comedian.

Who is your favourite comedian now?

I love the Nymphowars podcast, Richard Perez, and Jackie Pirico!

What is your pre-show ritual?

I look myself in the mirror and ask, “Is this really the right form of expression for me?”

What is your favourite place you have performed? Why?

For me, performances are always extremely dictated by my mood, vibe, comfortability etc so I never really know if a show is going to feel good. Would love to figure that out one day…But for ease let’s say the Comedy Bar Cabaret space in Toronto!

What is your favourite bit you have written and why were you proud of it?

It’s a bit about when I was a little girl and I asked my mom to marry me and she said she couldn’t be with me because she was already with my dad. Not because I was her daughter, or that we share the same blood, or that it’s illegal etc, it was simply the fact she was already taken.

What is your favourite medium for listening or finding new comics/comedians?

Podcasts, television/film, real-life.

Tell us a joke about your city.

That is private information.

Do you have anything to promote right now?

Keep your eyes open for Ryan Steel’s Telefilm Talent To Watch feature film MEAT. I got to play a deranged She-EO and it was so incredibly fun. I’m also releasing my first short film called Ends Meat. Big meat year for me!

Where can we follow you?

Instagram | Website

PAY IT FORWARD: Who is another local comic/comedian we should know about?

Isabella Campbell and Harrison Weinreb

The post Tragedy Plus Time: Comedian Alex Ateah appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

How would you describe your comedy style?

My comedic style is very off the cuff and sometimes very tongue-in-cheek. I lighten my show by not taking it too seriously and allow a lot of audience play to create a fun environment and welcoming atmosphere while still performing some impossible psychological feats. It’s important to create laughter as it brings a room together

Who are some of your influences?

My influences are across many genres. The Amazing Kreskin was always on television as a child, as was Doug Henning, although he was known for Grand Illusion. His relaxed style was always welcoming. As for characters, I am a huge fan of classic wrestling with some of the bombastic ones heavily influencing my nuances and even look over the years.

Who was your favourite comedian growing up?

Red Foxx is the GOAT, and his ability to adapt to both the mainstream and Chitlin circuit is unmatchable. His albums were so important for their time, and Sanford and Son was one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. That being said, I never work “blue” but understand the importance of knowing your audience.

Who is your favourite comedian now?

Jimmy Carr and Jim Jeffries are a tie. I also enjoy the comedy of Canadian improv genius Ken Hall of the two-man no show, as well as many other award-winning live shows.

What is your pre-show ritual?

Usually, I don’t have much time for a ritual, but if anything, I often will listen to a few music tracks on my Spotify and envision the success of the night.

What is your favourite place you have performed? Why?

The Magic Castle in Hollywood, CA, it is the world’s most prestigious venue for magicians, and had having the opportunity to work there over 100 shows was my dream come true.

What is your favourite bit you have written and why were you proud of it?

I enjoy what’s known as a book test, where a guest thinks of a word in a book, and I am able to know it. I created my own version of this effect, and it’s so strong and personal and can play for an entire 15 minutes with layers and even turns the audience member into a thought reader. I’m proud of the amount of thinking that went into it and the results it’s had with me and other mentalists using it in their show.

What is your favourite medium for listening or finding new comics/comedians?

Going to clubs, watching and meeting them. I have a fun act named Kali Williams on my next public show as an opener, who I met at a venue I work at monthly, and they killed it. Online is fine, but seeing the acts and the audience reaction is key.

Tell us a joke about your city.

The Transit System. It is so delayed whenever I use it that it’s not uncommon I start performing for patrons to elevate the mood and kill time. Then I’m asked, “Why are you on the TTC?” To me, usually replying “why are you?”

Where can we follow you?

Instagram | TikTok

PAY IT FORWARD: Who is another local comic/comedian we should know about?

Kali Williams

The post Tragedy Plus Time: Comedian Mysterion the Mind Reader appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

How would you describe your comedy style?

In my head, I’m a middle-aged Jewish and/or Italian man, so a lot of my jokes start out as grumpy observations. Outside of my head, where all of you are, I’m a Zillenial musical theatre girly with a high-pitched voice, so my cadence ends up more sassy. I talk a lot about being queer, and I try to do it in a whimsical, hyperbolic way. As a solo sketch performer, I gravitate towards characters that are unself-aware and overly emotional. As a girl, in that world, I have been socialized to fear being perceived as unrefined, chaotic or, god-forbid, needy. So I like to create characters that are all of those things. Comedy is a place for me to take my own neurosis and turn it into a weapon of mass seduction… and also into jokes. I do stand-up, sketch, musical comedy (to the audience’s chagrin), and improv. In each form, I explore different sides of myself. Ideally, only the hot sides.

Who are some of your influences?

John Early and Kate Berlant built me. When I saw the Late Night bit they did in 2017, where the entire set was just them fighting over who was gonna start the set and then realizing they were running out of time and finally apologizing to the communities they had let down, I was hooked. It might have been the first time I’d seen sincerity parodied like that. They are such good actors first and foremost. Edgy in a theatrical way that both includes and mocks queerness. Bo Burnam, Rachel Bloom and Cat Cohen are huge for me for musical comedy. All of my influences are people who blend hyper-sincerity and cutting self-deprecation. They’re all theatre kids making fun of their own sensitivity. Also, Anna Faris and the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Who was your favourite comedian growing up?

Growing up, I loved John Mulaney. “New In Town” was probably the first special I memorized. I also loved the SNL Weekend Update character Stefan, which John Mulaney co-wrote. It was the bit that my classmates and I would imitate the most, and I didn’t even know he had written it until years later, when I was old enough to understand that that was a character and not just a very whimsical person.

Who is your favourite comedian now?

Lisa Gilroy.

What is your pre-show ritual?

Gym, tan, laundry and matcha! I don’t drink alcohol or carbonated beverages (can’t wait to look back at that sentence and laugh when it’s not true anymore), so really the only way for me to get loose or lock in is with sugar and breathing exercises. I’m kind of avoidant, so unless it’s a showcase or a particularly important set, I don’t decide what I’m going to say until an hour before. Then, right before the show starts, I repeat the mantra: I love the audience. I’m so grateful to be here. I’m so excited that I get to do what I love in front of these people. If they don’t laugh, I will NOT turn on them and start frantically repeating “ so you guys hate this, eh?”.

What is your favourite place you have performed? Why?

I spent a magical summer in New York training and working at the Brooklyn Comedy Collective. A year later, I went back and performed my solo show Child Star on the mainstage there, with Montessori Boy opening and hosted by Rachel Coster. The skills I learned at BCC and the way that environment encourages you to be the freakiest version of yourself is what gave me the courage to write and perform a show like that. Doing it there in front of the community that had been so welcoming to me was a total full-circle moment.

What is your favourite bit you have written and why were you proud of it?

I have a joke about Steve Jobs (super timely, I know) where I basically say that people made such a big deal about how he wore the same thing every day to maximize productivity, but “what was he wearing before that was so distracting?” It was kind of the first joke I wrote that people would consistently compliment, and it was also the first time I took a joke from one punch-line to a 4-minute bit. Writing that joke felt like I was finally starting to fill out my comedy training bra.

What is your favourite medium for listening or finding new comics/comedians?

YouTube Shorts is kind of fire for finding new people. It’s the only algorithm left that isn’t completely cursed for me. My whole recommended is just Ruby Setnick, Jeff Arcuri and cookie-decorating.

Tell us a joke about your city.

Toronto is full of hypocrites. People complain about safe-injection sites ruining their neighborhood but they’re totally fine with “Fancy Induced Burger.” The real threat to the resale value of your home is a syringe… full of cheese. <3

Where can we follow you?

Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Threads

PAY IT FORWARD: Who is another local comic/comedian we should know about?

Callum O’Neil makes me laugh endlessly. Both on and off-stage. It’s been said before, but he’s one of the best joke writers in Toronto.

Lily Langen and I do a podcast called Amateurs The Pod. She’s such a hilarious shining star. Her jokes are so raunchy, but she delivers them in such a sweet, cartoonish way that is so endearing.

Sarah Bennett is a refreshing, unique voice in both sketch and standup. She’s mastered an off-kilter, alternative style that a lot of guys in the city try to do, but with half the charm.

Have to shout out my faves in the sketch scene: 24 Double B, Small Friend Tall Friend and Gabe Meacher and Taylor Hreljac, who are putting the whole sketch scene on their backs with Toronto Sketch Comedy.

The post Tragedy Plus Time: Comedian Spencer Glassman appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

How would you describe your comedy style?

I’d say I’m a blend of silly and dark; some might even say I’m strangely insightful. I’ve been told I have a unique perspective, but that’s probably just a head injury.

Who are some of your influences?

My influences range from comedians and musicians to cartoon characters and writers. I’m inspired by my friends and family, and sometimes I’ll see driftwood or find a lump on my body, and I’ll be influenced by that. My comedic influences, off the top of my head and distilled to a large list of only a few, are: Rodney Dangerfield, Chris Rock, George Carlin, Bug Bunny, Homer Simpson, Marshall Mathers, Weird Al, Mad Magazine, and all of the old Jewish people in my life.

Who was your favourite comedian growing up?

Rodney Dangerfield. He was probably the first stand-up comedian I was aware of. Robin Williams influenced us all, but I didn’t realize he was a stand-up comic for a long time. Rodney starred in an animated film called Rover Dangerfield, and I think my obsession with it led to my mom showing me stand up comedy. I don’t think I was old enough to really understand genre or the craft of stand-up comedy. I remember being shown Airplane and not knowing that movies had genres, so I believed everything I saw, and it scared the hell out of me.

Who is your favourite comedian now?

My favourite guy at the moment is Nate Bargatze. I aspire be that dumb and clever. But I’d say Louis CK and Jerry Seinfeld are the big dogs I look up to the most…as comedians only, of course!

What is your pre-show ritual?

I pray and pace. Pace and pray. I tell myself I’m a good boy. Also, Diet Coke.

What is your favourite place you have performed? Why?

I’ve performed all over North America, but The Corner Comedy Club in Toronto is my home. It’s the place that has allowed me space to grow, to take risks and to evolve. I shot my first special, Love Language, there, and I was in that place since the day it opened. It’s a space where you have to show up and bring your best, or you will be eaten alive. I love that. I have died a lot of deaths to get to where I am now, and I truly owe a lot to that place. A shoutout is also deserved to the now-defunct Underground Comedy Club, also in Toronto.

What is your favourite bit you have written and why were you proud of it?

My favourite bits are never the ones people like the most. So, I don’t know if I’m proud of them. My favourite crowd pleaser is probably my joke about how people only shave their heads in solidarity with their friends who lose their hair due to chemotherapy, but never for their friends who are losing their hair due to male pattern baldness. I think it’s an issue that deserves more attention. I’m just creating awareness for the bald community.

What is your favourite medium for listening or finding new comics/comedians?

It’s not my favourite because it sucks my brain out of my eyes, but Instagram.

Tell us a joke about your city.

I think Toronto is, unfortunately, the best place to live (at least in North America). Sure, it’s a condo-infested human rights violation, but it’s a big melting pot, so at least we can all suffer together.

Do you have anything to promote right now?

For now, I’d like people to follow me, and keep an eye out for upcoming shows, but I have my comedy special/album Love Language available on YouTube, and Apple Music, Spotify, and all the rest. It’s also played on SiriusXM if you have that kind of money.

Where can we follow you?

Website | Instagram

PAY IT FORWARD: Who is another local comic/comedian we should know about?

Very funny newer guy named Ryan Visser, I’m a big fan of his, and he’s doing really well for himself

The post Tragedy Plus Time: Comedian Jeremy Dobski appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

How would you describe your comedy style?

My comedic sensibilities tend to lean toward the very dark end of the spectrum. I deal in extremes, but I also aim to inject everything with a bit of silliness or absurdity. I find “dark” is sometimes seen as a dogwhistle for “anti-woke”, punching down, or being offensive for offensive’s sake. I know my material is not for everyone, but I work hard not to fall into those categories.

Who are some of your influences?

George Carlin, Trevor Moore, Bill Hicks, Andy Daly, Doug Stanhope, Dana Gould and Anthony Jeselnik all jump to mind if we’re talking comedians exclusively.

Who was your favourite comedian growing up?

I grew up on a large number of JFL comedians, most of whose names I was never able to hold onto. Some of my favourites were John Pinnette and Jeremy Hotz, and I remember Brent Butt had a bit about Fabio and a Goose that made my brother and I laugh so hard I was scared he might actually die. Eventually, I discovered George Carlin and Bill Hicks, which were major defining moments.

Who is your favourite comedian now?

My favourite comedians aren’t standups; they’re improvisers or sketch comics. Andy Daly just might be the funniest person alive. Aunty Donna are top tier. Jacob Wysocki, Vic Michaelis, and basically everyone involved in Dropout TV are turning out some of the most consistently funny stuff these days. But if we’re talking exclusively about standups, Doug Stanhope and Dana Gould still rank highly for me. On the younger side, Geoffrey Asmus is right up there. The guy is a genius, and everything Steph Tolev does is gold.

What is your pre-show ritual?

I try to run through my set a couple of times at home, drink plenty of water, and remind myself that the stakes are rarely that high. And my fiancé always sends me out the door with the simplest and best advice: have fun, be funny.

What is your favourite place you have performed? Why?

Centennial Hall in London, Ontario. I was born in London, and playing one of the city’s biggest venues felt like a significant milestone.

What is your favourite bit you have written and why were you proud of it?

I have a very dark joke about climate change that is my favourite. It encapsulates my sense of humour perfectly. It was also a difficult bit to work out, so I hold a lot of pride in it now. I pitched it to my fiancé, Megan Myke (who’s an incredible comedian in her own right), basically saying I won’t be able to crack this, but I think it’s funny. She forced me to write it and helped me figure it out. We had to do a bunch of research to make it work, but we did, and it’s now my best closer. It’s a very convoluted bit, but it always gets a big reaction.

What is your favourite medium for listening or finding new comics/comedians?

I feel like it’s unavoidable for it to be Instagram for discovery. Every time I open my feed, I see a new comedian. If I’m looking for an album or special, I’ll usually use YouTube.

Tell us a joke about your city.

I’m currently living in Hamilton, which is like if the east end of every other city broke off to form its own.

Do you have anything to promote right now?

I co-produce a monthly pro show at Comedy Bar West with Abhi Pamnani called Break Point Comedy, 7 pm the first Sunday of every month. I’m also working on an album/special right now that will be produced by New Metric Media.

Where can we follow you?

Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

PAY IT FORWARD: Who is another local comic/comedian we should know about?

Megan Myke, she’s a brilliant joke writer and carries herself on stage in a way I can only dream of. She has made me an infinitely better comic, and I owe her so much.

My co-producer Abhi Pamnani. Kid works harder than anyone I know in the city. You can find him on a show in the city almost any night of the week.

Gee Gethiga & Jeremy Dobski are two guys I will shout out whenever I get the chance. Jeremy’s special Love Language is available on YouTube and is well worth checking out.

Ava Val is an absolute legend, a huge inspiration to me.

I’d also like to give props to Jeff Hobbs, who is an absolute treasure; his rapid-fire joke-telling is something to behold. I believe his album is 140 jokes across 12 tracks.

There are honestly too many to name. Go to any show in this city, and you’re guaranteed to see at least one comic worth mentioning here.

The post Tragedy Plus Time: Comedian Ryan Visser appeared first on Toronto Guardian.