John Beuhler's Conventional Weapons

I'm often asked who my favourite local comics are. I hate the question because I hate playing favourites. Even as a kid, I never liked calling someone "my best friend" because I liked all my friends equally. But okay, I do have my favourites. And for as long as he's been on the scene, John Beuhler has been on the list.

I don't remember the year but in the mid-'90s (I'm guessing) Beuhler won the local edition of the Just For Laughs Homegrown Competition. If only there were some system whereby someone could quickly and easily search such information... Oh wait! Google!... Okay, so it was 1999. That's the late mid-'90s. I remember he performed at Richard's on Richards when the travelling comedy caravan from Montreal made its inaugural run here. Yes, it was at a club and lasted the whole week. I loved it. These days it's a one-shot deal at a mega-theatre. So much more impersonal, but I digress.

Beuhler was on the show and was hilarious. He's continued unabated all these years. I can't recall ever seeing him bomb and believe me, that's a rarity. Whether it's working out new material at a watering hole, emceeing a weekly comedy night, headlining a club, or opening for the likes of Dennis Miller or Joan Rivers at a theatre, he always kills it. In 2005, I wrote about him in the Georgia Straight:

Vancouver gets its share of big-name American comics coming through town, and the following weeks are no exception, with Bill Maher, Margaret Cho, and Bill Cosby making appearances. John Beuhler is neither a big name nor an American-he is, in fact, a local-but he's just as funny as they are.

And it's true. I stand by that. It's true of him and lots of other lesser-known comics. Fame doesn't make you funnier, and being funny doesn't always bring about crazy fame.

Maybe the most impressive feat I've witnessed from him was in Montreal. He was playing a club at the Just For Laughs festival when he was tapped to perform on the prestigious televised gala hosted by Carl Reiner. Usually comics prepare far in advance for such a big show but Beuhler got the nod about 24 hours in advance. And he knocked it out of the park.

A couple weeks ago I received a copy of Johnny's latest CD: Conventional Weapons. Seeing as much comedy as I do, I've obviously heard the material before. But it still made me laugh. There's something just so boyishly cheeky about his material and persona. And joke-heavy, which I always appreciate. He doesn't go two or three sentences without a solid laugh.

I know Beuhler performs Stateside but I've never seen him in that environment. I often wonder as I watch Canadian comics (that is, those that still live here and do the bulk of their work north of the border) how they play in Peoria? That is, do they translate to an American audience? Do they make many changes to their act? Do they even mention their dirty little secret (i.e. they're not one of them).

On this album, recorded at a club in Medford, Oregon (and available on iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon and wherever fine comedy albums are sold), the answers to my eternal questions are 1) very well, 2) totally, 3) nothing substantial, and 4) yep.

Beuhler's just a great club comic... Check that. He's a great comic, period. But I especially love seeing him in a club and this CD gives a pretty accurate representation of that experience. It's not quite the same, obviously – that would be impossible to replicate unless you invite 180 of your closest friends over to listen – but it's close enough.

He has the remarkable ability to voice the truly objectionable with an impish grin, distancing himself just enough to remain eminently likable. Even when he's eviscerating a heckler (as he does if you listen all the way to the end of the last track), he always keeps it light and sees the humour in the situation, thereby keeping the crowd on his side. And, as I mentioned, he's a really strong joke writer. There are no long drawn-out stories for the sake of one punchline. He'll hit you all the way through, tagging like crazy, each one funnier than the one before.

Expect to hear lots of this album on What's So Funny? in the coming months and years. Over time, I'll probably play the whole thing. But check it out for yourselves in its entirety because it's better that way.